Paper Purse Party Favors – Free Printable Pattern

Create a sweet DIY Paper purse! A perfect party favor for wedding showers, bachelorette parties, birthdays, Mother’s Day and more! Grab the free printable pattern to get started!

This post was originally published May 2015 and has been updated with new tutorial pictures and an updated PDF pattern!

Crafting for weddings can be so much fun – especially when you consider all of the events leading up to a wedding including engagement parties, wedding showers, and you can’t forget about the bachelorette party! Today I have a fun DIY paper project that would make adorable favors for a bachelorette party or wedding shower – DIY paper purses party favors!

Create mini paper purse favors to hold nail polish, makeup, candy, a gift card or any other little favor you want to leave your guests with! They are the perfect size for holding two full bottles of nail polish. Place one on either side of the box and the bow latch will hold them upright and in place. 

How to choose the right paper.

For the purses above, I used pink, white and black cardstock mixed with polka dots and lots of glittery paper. I love the combination of these colors! Choose colors that match the colors or theme of your party. Below are a few examples of purses I’ve made for different parties and occasions.

Mix patterned papers for a playful design.

Choose a small pattern to mix with a larger pattern to balance things out. Below, I mixed a small polka dot pattern with larger florals and butterfly motifs. Read more about these purses I made with the SVG cut file here: DIY Paper Purses.

Choose papers from a coordinating collection!

Below I used papers from the Echo Park Paper Collections, Fashionista, to create these fun purses. I used matching tags to add a little extra element to some of the purse. Read more about these purses here: Fashionista Paper Purses

Mix patterns with solid paper.

For these Minnie Mouse-themed purses, I used Minnie Mouse polka dot paper from Joann Fabrics alongside solid black cardstock. The bows become the focal point and really pop! Read more about these purses here: DIY Minnie Mouse Party Supplies. 

There are so many fun ways you can create these purses! Match your party, holiday or special event by choosing colors and patterns to coordinate.

Paper Thickness

Some paper will crack when folded, especially thick cardstock, so be sure to test your paper before getting to far in the project. For my bachelorette party purses, the glitter cardstock was very thick so when I used it for the bows the bow loops had hard edges. I was not able to use the thick glitter cardstock for the purses because it cracked when folded. 

Choose medium-weight cardstock for the purses. For the bows you can use almost any weight just know that if the cardstock is too thick the bow loops may not curve easily. 

Paper Purse Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

• Free printable pattern – Link located at the end of this post
  • Looking for a cut file to use with your cutting machine? Visit this post: DIY Paper Purse
• Decorative paper – two different sheets, one for the purse, one for the bow 
• Scissors
• Craft knife or X-Acto knife and self-healing cutting mat
• Adhesive – Choose a strong adhesive. I used Scor-tape double sided tape. Hot glue would also work.
• 3/8″ Clear Velcro Dots
• Pencil
• Ruler 
• Optional: Scoring Board

Step by Step Tutorial:

Step 1:  Print and cut out the pattern. 

Download and print the free purse template. Cut out the pattern pieces. Use an X-Acto knife to cut out the small notches. 

Step 2:  Trace the pattern onto your decorative paper.

Trace around the pattern pieces on decorative paper. The light blue pattern pieces are for the bow. 

Tip: Choose your decorative paper carefully. Check to see what happens when you fold it.  Some decorative papers, especially those with glitter, will break along their fold line. 

Use a ruler to add score lines to the large purse piece. The score lines are marked in pink on the printable pattern and can be used as a guide for adding the score lines to the decorative paper.

Step 3: Cut out the pieces from the decorative paper.

Start by carefully cutting out the notches with a craft knife or X-Acto knife.

Step 4: Score along the fold lines.

Score along the fold lines and then fold. I used a scoring board and stylus but you can also fold by hand.

Step 5:  Assemble the paper purse. 

The back of the purse box is marked with the cut out tab. Assemble the box so the tabs from the front of the box are on top. This will look cleaner from the front of the box. Use double-sided tape to attach sides of the purse. Below you can see where I applied my double-sided tape to the box and the handle. 

Step 6:  Make the bow!!

My favorite part! To create the bow, first fold the two ends of the large piece towards the center and attach with double-sided tape or hot glue. 

Attach the two bow ends to the purse latch pieces. Position them so the top of the pieces is slightly above the first notch to ensure the bow will cover them. 

Place the bow loops on top of the latch and use the small rectangle piece to attach it. The small rectangle will cover the center of the bow and slip through the two cut out notches to the back of the latch piece. Adhere it with double-sided tape or hot glue.

Step 7: Attach the latch to the purse.

Mark the end of the latch at 3/4″ on the right side of the paper. Apply double sided tape or whatever adhesive you are using. 

Slip the latch into the back tab of the purse and attach. The double-sided Scor-Tape I used is super strong but if you are using a gluestick or tape runner you may find you need to use something stronger for this step. Hot glue is another option that would have a strong enough hold.

Step 8: Add the handle!

Mark the handle at 1″ on either end and apply adhesive to the right side of both ends. Attach to the inside of the purse on both sides.

Step 9: Lastly, add the Velcro closure!

Use Velcro Dots to keep the purse closed. Apply the rough side of the dot to the under side of the latch. Then attach the soft side to the rough side and close the latch. The soft side will stick to the purse. Press firmly and allow to sit for a little bit before detaching it. 

The purse is finished! If you are planning to make a bunch of these for favors or gifts, I recommend making one first all the way through. After that, make multiples assembly-line style.

Fill the purses!

These purses are the PERFECT size for holding nail polish! This was actually a happy accident when I was designing the purse. Place two bottles of nail polish on either side of the purse and the bow closure will hold them upright and in place.

You can also fill the purse boxes with make-up, candy, a gift card, jewelry for your bridesmaids…pretty much anything small enough to fit! These are so fun and look adorable lined up!

If you would prefer to make these purses with your cutting machine, check out this post “DIY Paper Purse” where you’ll find the SVG cut file!

Download the Free File! This freebie is in my Resource Library. The PDF is under Paper Patterns, Treat Boxes. You’ll find the SVG cut file under SVG Cut Files, Paper Treat Boxes. Enter your first name and email to get the password to download this file. You’ll also have a chance to sign up for my newsletter to receive fun craft tutorials, tips, updates and more FREE files to help make crafting something special and unique easier!

• I have linked to Scor-Tape on Amazon so you can see the product, but I recently found it for cheaper at Scrapbookpal.com so I recommend shopping around for it! :)