DIY Palm Tree (Faux) Leather Bag Charm

My life is forever changed now that I know I can use a Cricut to 1) make FRINGE and 2) cut LEATHER. If you’ve been here awhile, you know how big the fringe thing is. Haha! I’ve done a lot of Cricut projects over the years but this Mother’s Day, they sent me the new Cricut Maker for me to play around with and WOW. It’s seriously awesome. I always get questions about if a Cricut is “worth it” and if you are a crafter, it really, truly is. It’s so precise and with the new model, it can cut even more materials than before. And we’re talking materials that you could never cut as well by hand. And hey! Over on my Instagram later today, you can enter to win one!

Ok, but back to my leather fringe epiphany… I wanted to make a little gift for my mom for Mother’s Day and was wracking my brain trying to think of what! Finally, I landed on this palm tree inspired leather bag charm!!! She and my dad take a few trips to Florida each year, it’s their happy place and one of the only times they just RELAX! (See where I get it from!?) So I thought this would be a great gift for her to take along on their trips for her beach bag! It was really easy to make and required NO special tools or skills, just the Cricut and some glue! If you wanna make one for your mom, or you, you can get the full tutorial below! =)

DIY Palm Tree Leather Tassel Bag Charm

Total Time: 45 Minutes

Supplies

Palm Tree Tassel File
Cricut Maker
Strong Grip Mat
Fine Point Blade
Knife Blade
Faux Leather or Leather
Painter's Tape
Keychain Ring or Clasp (You can buy one at the craft store, or re-use one from an old keychain too!)
Fabric Glue (Be sure it lists "leather" as one of the materials it works with!)

Directions

1. Download the palm tree tassel file above.
2. Upload it into the Cricut Design Space and follow the instructions to insert it into your project. If it inserts and the shapes are all black (sometimes this happens!), simply change the "fill" color to white.
4.Follow the instructions in Cricut Design Space to select the material option that closest matches the leather you're using and to cut out your pieces. I used the Knife Blade to cut the tassel, I taped down the faux leather to the mat for extra security and the blade worked perfectly for all the long straight lines. And for thinner faux leathers, the fine point blade cuts the leaves and small strips (for fastening to the keychain) perfectly.
5. Slip the leather strip over the ring of the keychain and glue the two ends together.
6. Slide the two palm leave pieces on to the strip, using the slit cut in the center by the Cricut.
7. Lay your tassel piece out flat, right side facing down. Pull the leaves up and out of the way and glue the end of the strip to the edge of the tassel piece.
8. Run a line of glue along the top of the tassel piece and roll and roll it until you've made a complete tassel. Be sure to hold this in place for a bit, according to the instructions on your glue, to ensure the bond forms properly.
9. Arrange the leaves how you'd like them atop the tassel and add a few dots of glue to the top of the tassel and glue the leaves in place.
10. Attach to any bag or tote! I love the idea of attaching it to a basket-style bag and filling the bag with a pretty floral bouquet! The perfect gift for Mom!

Photos by Jeff Mindell
(Dress | Hat | Shoes | Tote)

Sorry, Mom. Might want to keep this one for myself!! 😉 Don’t forget to enter the giveaway later today on Instagram so you can win a Cricut Maker of your own!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Cricut. The opinions and text are all mine.