Cheap DIY Purse Strap

I'm not a purse kind of girl usually.  I have a hard time finding ones I like and an even harder time finding ones that I would actually use.  I can't stand holding something when I'm walking around, shopping, etc; it drives me bonkers not having the use of both hands.  Generally, I carry my wallet and various other things in my pockets, which of course, can make for ugly, bulging pockets depending on what pants I'm wearing.  I have come across a problem with this as I'm wearing pants with less/smaller pockets lately and have been carrying around my camera, which does not fit very nicely in small pockets.  There is only one solution to my problem: buy a purse.  Yuck.

I decided that if I was going to buy one, it would have to be A) cheap since I don't have a lot of money to waste, B) be small enough to not be cumbersome, but large enough to hold the few things I want to put in it, C) have a strap long enough to put over my head and have it hang from one shoulder to the opposite hip comfortably, D) not be so ugly that I'd more than likely leave it at home than bring it.   A, B, and D are fairly easy to find; C, well, not so much...

So the hunt began.  I looked at cheap stores to try to find one that fit the requirements and found a few I liked, but none that had a long enough strap.  I finally decided that I would have to make a ghetto strap and take a hit on the appearance factor.  I went to Goodwill to try to find a cheap purse that would do since I wasn't going to ghetto-out a brand new purse.  I ended up finding one I really liked, was the perfect size, and didn't look like it had been dragged behind a car for twenty miles.  I have to admit that I'm not a 'fashionista' so I have no idea why it has a giant shiny 'A' on it, but I'll pretend it stands for Avaly.  LOL

Onto the strap.  I went to the Dollar Store next to Goodwill and purchased two rolls of ribbon: one a pretty, shimmery purple, and the other a ribbed black.  Then went to Michael's (although if not for a coupon it would have been cheaper to go to Walmart) and purchased Fabri-Tac.  Fabri-Tac is basically permanent fabric glue.  Just dab some on, quickly apply second piece of fabric, smooth out, then wait for it to dry, which it dries quickly.  It's also useful for various other crafts, not just fabric.  I cut the black ribbon in half, then cut the purple ribbon to the size of the black and used the Fabri-Tac to glue it all together, making one, fairly sturdy, slightly wider ribbon.  After it was glued together, I put the ends through the loops on the purse, tucked, and glued it to the backside of the strap.  I have to say, I thought it would turn out quite cheesy looking, but I'm actually very happy with it and it doesn't look out of place.

Here is a picture:





Cost:
Goodwill purse:  $4
Ribbons:  $2
Fabri-Tac:  $5 (but I have nearly the whole bottle left so can be used on other projects)
Having a purse that fits my needs perfectly:  Priceless  (cheesy, I know, but I had to)