So my beloved, graphic b/w striped bag finally gave out this year after about 6 years of faithful service - a feat for faux in my closet. I wanted to replace it and almost went for the Marc Jacobs dotty snake that Natalie and Rita have, but I didn't want to do another faux bag after mine just died... plus it was more on Ebay than I'd payed for a bag yet in my life.

So, I found a cream version of my favorite snakey bag, new, discounted because of some dye transfer and decided to paint her up with stripes to meld my original bag with the Dotty look.

I meant this to be a how-to post when I started, but the taping didn't work too well with the super textured surface. The paint bled under the tape, and I had much better results freehanding things anyway. I can say that I used Angelus Acrylic Leather Paint in black and loved it! My bag has a suede-like texture, and the parts that got painted have a look like smooth leather - I dig the effect. I thought about using suede dye to keep the texture, but I was afraid a thin dye would bleed. Since I needed a crisp line for stripes, paint was the way to go. My other tip for bag striping is to measure, measure, measure to get a good, straight line - and to use a tailor's measuring tape instead of a ruler. The bendy tape will allow you to draw your line with the curves of the bag.

Anyway, here's my new snakey bag! I'm not sure when it will debut because of Manspiration Month, but I couldn't wait to share!