Make a license plate purse

This is the purse I used and although it bunches up on the sides, it does flatten out and is about the same width. I removed one of the straps to make a matching belt and removed the front strap. It the purse you chose is much longer than the license plate, cut off the bottom and take out the lining. If is the same size can skip this step, step 3 and step.

Turn purse inside out and using a 16 gauge needle or one used for denim in sewing machine and stitch the bottom of the purse together then turn right side out again.

At each of the corners where the license plate was attached to the car, poke a hole and insert a brad in each hole to help secure the plate and give it a more professional finish. After you've drilled all the holes out, you can use a pair of brass knuckles to knock off all the little burrs. Or I guess you can use a Dremel or something.

It depends on how professional you want your stupid, ugly bag to look. Get yourself two rectangles of leather. I didn't measure them, really. Their lengths were the same as the license plate and their heights were about 8 inches I guess. Put the "RIGHT" edge of the plate over one of the leather rectangles so that it overlaps by one ruler-width. The edge of the plate should stop at the line you drew in the last step.

No go along and jam a marker into each hole along that edge of the plate, making a line of dots that correspond with the holes you drilled. It should be obvious, but this is the inside of your eventual high-fashion statement.

Cut out two more leather rectangles. Their longest dimension should be the same as the short dimension of the first two pieces, if that makes sense.

If it doesn't, tough. Their short dimension should be Cut along the solid lines and bend along the dashed ones. At this point, I honestly thought about calling it quits and presenting this as a lame tray or something. Turns out, it would have been far better than my finished product.

I used this stuff that's like paracord, but not nearly as thick. I don't know what it's called and I don't care. I don't know its diameter, but it's roughly half the size of the holes I drilled in the plate. I cut a length of about 3 feet, I guess. Then I lit the ends on fire -- one at a time, moron! This drew out the melted plastic, which I let harden into a needle of sorts.

If you learn nothing else from this stupid Instructable, this is a good hack for working with paracord. I'm a little upset to find that my 'phone apparently decided to just delete all the pictures of me punching holes in the leather. I guess it's pretty self-explanatory. I used these pliers with a rotating hole punch, but I think you should use your canine teeth or a canine's tooth.

Lace the four sides to the license plate base. I really don't want to waste too much time explaining how to do this, but basically I clamped one side in place. I pulled the lace half-way through the first set of matching holes one in leather, corresponding one in metal at the other end. Then I started putting the ends through the other holes, down the line. Each end went through each hole, passing each other like two trains in one tunnel.

This will make the stitches look more uniform, and the overall product slightly less stupid, though barely noticeable, to be honest.

If you're some kind of pro leather-worker, I'm sure you have a way to get both ends of the lace on one side in order to tie them off. I'm not, and I don't, so I put the final inside "train" end through a nut and then fed it back out the last hole, where I tied it off with the other end of the lace.

I used a square knot and then slightly melted it to keep it from coming undone. Now punch corresponding holes up the sides of all the leather panels. Once again, my stupid 'phone deleted all the pictures. Why does it selectively discriminate against hole-punching?

This would be an awesome place for a "your mom" joke, but I'll let it slide. Anyway, if you did it the same crappy way I did it, this is what your stupid purse should look like now. Hot glue a fabric lining inside your purse to protect your hands and belongings from the metal edges.

Rivet the D-rings for the long vinyl straps in place on the sides, as well as a small vinyl handle onto the top. Attach long vinyl strap to the sides. Based in Ypsilanti, Mich. Her articles appear on various websites. She especially enjoys utilizing her more than 10 years of craft and sewing experience to write tutorials. Patterson is working on her bachelor's degree in liberal arts at the University of Michigan. Share It. Clean up the license plates as thoroughly as possible with a rag.