Nutcracker Purse Makeover
This purse carries more than rhinestones. It was built live during a special fundraiser event for Tammy Pringle, a fellow creator who was diagnosed with AML — a blood cancer — and is preparing for a bone marrow transplant while her husband faces his own blood cancer diagnosis at the same time. A whole day of creators donated their time and their finished pieces to auction, with every dollar going straight to the family's fundraiser. This purse, and a second bedazzled Chanel-inspired clutch finished in the same session, were both auctioned off live by the end of the show.
The purse itself started as a $20 find on Amazon — roomy enough for a phone, glasses, a wallet, and all the odds and ends that actually end up in a purse, rather than one of the tiny evening clutches that look cute but hold nothing. Stuffing it with a large book while working keeps the shape stiff and gives rhinestones a solid surface to press into.
Getting the transfer to stick
The design starts with a nutcracker iron-on transfer, found on Temu (similar transfers are widely available on Amazon and Etsy too), applied directly onto the pleather purse. A barrier of parchment paper goes between the iron and the transfer to protect it, with the iron set low — around 235 to 250 degrees — and held in place rather than moved around, the way you'd iron a shirt.
In the spirit of showing the real process, the first attempt didn't peel away cleanly on the first try. The fix was simple: let it cool down fully before checking, then go back in with a bit more heat if it's still not releasing, and use a brayer to press it down evenly if any spots are still lifting. A second heat-and-cool cycle did the trick, and the transfer came away perfectly.
Bedazzling with intention
Once the transfer is set, the real transformation begins. Rather than using a single size and color of rhinestone across the whole design, each element gets its own treatment: purple and fuchsia for the nutcrackers' hats and uniforms, gold and crystal AB for buttons and belt buckles, and black in two sizes for outlines and detail work. Mixing sizes and tones is what keeps a bedazzled piece from reading as flat sparkle and gives it real depth.
““It takes a lot of stones. These come in 1,400 in a pack, and I thought, that’ll last me forever... but no, I have to keep buying more.””
Because bedazzling glue dries fast, the work happens in small sections — one small area of the design at a time, pressed into place with a wax pencil before moving to the next. A shake tray keeps loose rhinestones right-side up and ready to pick up, which makes the whole process go much faster than it looks.
Trim, feet, and a sealer instead of resin
A gold rhinestone trim runs along the purse's metal hardware, which both finishes the edge cleanly and helps keep the metal from snagging on clothing — a detail worth remembering on any bag with exposed hardware. For the purse's feet, rhinestone-topped cabochons stand in for plain hardware store feet, keeping the sparkle going all the way to the bottom of the bag.
For sealing, diamond art sealer was the final choice over resin — not because resin doesn't work, but because the flexible resin suited to something that bends, like a purse, isn't actually clear; it dries with a white or beige tint. A brushed-on coat of sealer keeps every rhinestone locked down and adds shine without changing the color underneath.
The finished purse — along with the companion Chanel-inspired clutch bedazzled in the same session — went up for live auction at the end of the show, raising funds for Tammy's transplant and ongoing care.
Supply List
Supply List
Everything used for the purse, organized the way it comes together — the purse and transfer first, then the bedazzling, then the finishing details.
The Purse & Transfer
Gold purseThe purse used in this project, about $20 on Amazon — roomy enough for everyday essentials
Nutcracker iron-on transferFound on Temu; similar transfers are also widely available on Amazon and Etsy
Bedazzling
Purple 5mm rhinestonesMatched to the nutcrackers' uniforms and hats
Fuchsia 5mm rhinestonesA second accent color pulled from the design
Gold 4mm rhinestonesUsed for buttons and smaller gold details
Crystal AB 3mm rhinestonesUsed consistently for belt buckles and other matching details
Black 5mm rhinestonesLarger black accents and outlining
Black 3mm rhinestonesFiner black detail work
Wax pencilsUsed to pick up and place each rhinestone — inexpensive and long-lasting
Glue
Gem Tac glueA longtime go-to for bedazzling
RHNYY glueFast-drying, with a precision tip — a new favorite tried in this project
Finishing & Hardware
3mm gold rhinestone trimRuns along the metal hardware to finish the edge and help prevent snagging
12mm cabochonsUsed to make rhinestone-topped purse feet
Diamond art sealerBrushed on over the finished design to lock in every rhinestone — chosen over resin since flexible resin isn't fully clear
Also Seen in This Video
The hat Debi wore in this videoUse affiliate code M5-465
