The purse

1. 1

   Fold in half and open

   Lay the paper landscape, white side up. Fold it in half from bottom to top, press a sharp crease and open it again.

   

2. 2

   Fold the edges to the middle

   Fold the bottom edge up to the middle crease. Then fold the top edge down to the middle crease too. Now you have a long, narrow strip.

   

3. 3

   Make the side creases

   Fold the strip in half the short way, then in half again. Press each fold well and open the strip. These creases mark the sides of the purse.

   

4. 4

   Fold a narrow edge

   Fold the paper in half along the first crease again, pattern outside. Fold the bottom edge up just a little, to make a narrow band.

   

5. 5

   Fold the bottom corners

   Fold both bottom corners up into small triangles, so the edge of each triangle sits on the side crease.

   

6. 6

   Open it all up

   Unfold everything and lay the paper flat, white side up. You will see a grid of creases. They guide every next fold.

   

7. 7

   Fold in the sides and glue

   Fold both long sides in along the creases, so they meet in the middle. Put glue on the edge where they overlap and press them together.

   

   Now the paper is a long tube, open at both ends.

   

8. 8

   Shape the bottom

   Fold up the bottom along the crease. Open the tube and push the sides in, following the triangle creases from step 5.

   

   Press along the creases until the bottom forms a small, flat box.

   

9. 9

   Tuck in the corners

   Push the side corners of the box inwards along the creases, so they fold flat inside. This makes the front pocket of the purse.

   

   Press the front so it stands straight.

   

10. 10

    Shape the flap

    Now work on the long top part, which becomes the flap. Fold its two top corners down into small triangles, so the flap gets a rounded look.

    

11. 11

    Glue the flap

    Lay the purse down and add a little glue under the folded corners of the flap. Press for a few seconds so they stay in place.

    

12. 12

    Close the purse

    Fold the flap down over the front pocket. The purse is closed.

    

The handle and band

1. 13

   Cut two strips

   Cut two long strips from corrugated paper: one for the handle and one for the band. Thin cardstock works too.

   

2. 14

   Add the handle

   Open the flap. Glue one end of the handle strip inside each side of the purse, then close the flap again.

   

3. 15

   Wrap the band

   Wrap the second strip around the front of the purse, just under the flap. Tuck the ends in at the sides and glue them.

   

The bow

1. 16

   Fold a paper rectangle

   Cut a rectangle from pink paper and fold it in half.

   

2. 17

   Cut the bow shape

   Cut a wavy shape along the open side, so it is narrow in the middle and wide at the ends.

   

   Open it up. Now you have a long bow shape, like a wrapped sweet.

   

3. 18

   Fold the bow

   Fold both ends to the middle to make two loops, and glue them in the centre.

   

   Pinch the middle a little so the bow stands up.

   

4. 19

   Glue the bow on

   Glue the bow onto the middle of the band.

   

5. 20

   Add a gem

   Stick a heart gem, a crystal or a sticker in the centre of the bow.

   

   Your mini purse is done. Open the flap and fill the pocket with tiny treasures.

   

   Your mini paper purse is ready.

Make it easier.

• Sharp creases make a neat purse. Press every fold with your nail. The bottom and the corners only fall into place when the creases are clear.
• Paper weight matters. Use thin patterned paper, about 80–120 g/m² (about 20–32 lb bond or 50–80 lb text). Card is too stiff to fold the corners.
• Make a matching set. Try different papers and handle colours, like a green zigzag purse with a green bow or a purple one with a yellow handle.