By Samantha Baldwin
excerpt from examiner.com
Natalie Portman carried a book clutch to the New York premiere of Black Swan. Kate Spade has created a line of book clutches called the Book of the Month Clutch. Portman’s clutch, by designer Olympia Le-Tan, retails for $1,250, if you can even get one. Kate Spade’s are $325, still out of reach for many of us. That makes a book clutch an official fashion trend. The high cost also makes it ripe for DIY possibilities.
My DIY book clutch is similar to Kate Spade’s in size and style. It costs about a dollar to make, does not damage any books, and is completely customizable. You choose your favorite author and book, and you can even design your own cover.

Materials

1 DVD movie case
A small piece of velvet or similar fabric
A round mirror, about 4 1/2 inches in diameter
Glue
A fancy button

Directions

Step 1: To make the purse, which is a wallet-style clutch, you will first need to find a high-resolution image of the book you would like to reproduce. One way to do this is simply to scan the cover of a book you already have. Crop the image to the dimensions of a DVD cover. (11 inches by 7 1/4 inches) and print on a good quality color printer.

Step 2: Using a DVD case, remove the lock that holds the DVD in place with a razorblade.
Optional: Remove any plastic tabs.

Step 3: Cut fabric to line the case.

Step 4: Glue the fabric into the inside of the case.
Optional: Sew in any pockets, credit card holders, etc. before gluing down the fabric.

Step 5: Carry your clutch when you just want a stylish wallet. Make an entire series of book clutches and store them on your shelf.

About the Author:

A former journalist turned fashion knock off artist, Samantha writes a DIY home design and a DIY fashion column for examiner.com. She is also a staff writer at Dollar Store Crafts and writes for her own blog at Bromeliad.