Create the Look of Vintage Leather

This idea was a total experiment and it developed as I worked on it.  It all began with a recycled paper bubble mailer and some cinnamon! 

paper Amazon mailer




The first step involved painting the paper mailer. 


As you're reading, please visit the bold blue links to find out more information or the products I used for this project.


I'd love to tell you the name of the paint but the paint I had was leftover from a kit I bought at one time and it had no name on the bottle.


painting a paper mailer


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painted mailer


It is a light brown craft paint with a splash of orange in it. 


I painted the bag front and back, let it dry, then gave the bag a second coat. 


When the bag dried I stenciled the word FAMILY on the front of the bag. 


I'm trying these new Folk Art stencil screens from Michaels.


Michaels has so many different designs and sayings and they sell the stencil paste in sets too! 


You just squeegee it on and you're done! 


family stencil with silk screen


The silk screen stencils are not very expensive and I love the silk screen technique that's all the rage right now. 


For the next step I painted all around the word FAMILY with Mod Podge. 


family stenciled on the bag


While the Mod Podge was still wet, I sprinkled the whole mailer bag with cinnamon. 


Mod Podge and cinnamon on a pouch


Then I poured more Mod Podge over the top of the cinnamon and rubbed it in. 


I then let the bag dry. 


pouch with Mod Podge drying


As I went along I added a leaf design with a stencil I had in my workshop.


stenciled leaf design

When the Mod Podge was completely dry I coated the bag with Fusion Mineral Paint's Tough Coat. 


You could also coat the bag with a gloss Mod Podge as a final sealer


Next, I punched 2 little grommets in the top of the bag for a rebar wire hanger. 


I rounded off the bottom corners of the bag and roughed up a few edges to look like old leather. 


leather look bag with a bow


I tied on a messy bow and my experiment was finished! 


leather looking bag filled with lavender



I created the look of an old leather pouch and filled it with faux lavender sprigs


vintage leather look bag with lavender


I'm already thinking of where else you could use this technique... how about a leather finish on furniture? 


If you didn't see the recycled plastic mailer for flowers I made recently check it out before you go! 


leather look bag filled with flowers

You can visit several other DIY flower pockets here


Thanks so much for visiting and before you go please sign up for the Homeroad emails so I can send my next DIY tutorial straight to you!

Homeroad
Homeroad

I am Susan, the author and creator at Homeroad. I am a wife, mother of 4 daughters, and a grandmother of 5 and counting. I am a retired teacher, a DIY blogger and an artist at heart. .