Le.Fanciulle: DIY: What a Novel Clutch!

So you think this is a normal book?
Not quite...

I loved the book-style clutches the first time I saw them. As a bookworm from way back (granted the books have sadly become non fiction of late), certain books can bring back so many memories. Carrying a childhood book in the form of one of these quirky clutches would spark many a conversation, and there's nothing like striking up new friendships with randoms in the street! (really!)

We decided it was high time to create a Le Fanciulle version of these clutches, since there is an absolute street style epidemic of them and we hardly have the moolah to afford one of Olympia Le Tan's handmade-in-france delicacies.

If you want to see how easy it is to make one of these, read through!

Materials
- 1 attractive hardcover book
I sourced my book from a local opshop for $3

- 1 box (or you can use a box lid if you find that is a better size) that is the same depth as the book is fat, but smaller width and length than the cover (see pic)
I strongly advise buying the box/box lid first and then finding the book to fit. There will be pleeenty of books, but far fewer size options in boxes

- Gold paint
I started with the acrylic paint below, but then discovered it was a gross yellow gold, so upgraded to gold spaypaint. The spray paint worked much better.

- Super glue

- A clasp (more info below)

^^see the sizing above? the box is just the right width/depth/length

Step 1: Paint the box
Now I was a fool and bought an acrylic paint in "old gold" that translated to "gross yellow" on the box I chose, so after a speedy trip to the hardware for gold spray paint, the error was corrected.

You're strongly advised to don your painting shorts (everyone has a pair of these right?)

Step 2: Rip the pages out
Try to leave the binding as intact as possible. This will make your clutch much less flimsy.

STOP! Snack break time.
Strawberries are so cheap at the moment!

Step 3: Glue the box into the book.
Using super glue, I covered the box surfaces and pressed it into the book where I wanted it.

Step 4: Attach the (for-decoration-only) clasp.
This was the main dilemma of the project. I wanted my clutch to have a clasp, but no local shops sold any that would actually be functional in closing the clutch. A good compromise was getting one of these just to make it look good, and once I realised it didn't actually need a closing device (you clutch a clutch closed at all times!), it was fine.

My next one (that's right, there will be a version 2.0) will be using a fastener like an old diary, as suggested by one of my friends.

Step 5: Fill with necessities (necessiTeas?)

Tea bags - need no explanation
Card holder - in case of hunger/spontaneous shopping/petrol shortage
Sunglasses - if it's sunny?
Chubby stick - only the best
Keys + Paris key ring