WhimseyBox number 7 comes with some beautiful, supple leather from Tandy Leather, and stunning studs in gold and silver. Here’s a quick and easy project you can do to create a handy catch-all that will stand the test of time and just get better and more beautiful with age and use. This square bowl is a craft standard, but we’re updating it with our choice of materials that give it a natural look with a tiny touch of shine. Read on to see how easy it is to make this catch-all. You’ll want one in every room for all those random handfulls of change, craft supplies, keys and jewelry.

Materials:

From Whimseybox #7:
- 6″ X 6″ square of leather
- 4 studs

Tools:
- Ruler
- Rotary Cutter
- X-Acto Knife (a box cutter will also work)
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Clips (shown above, Clover Wonder Clips, or you can use small binder clips)
- Awl (optional – helps with poking holes)
- Mallet or hammer (optional)

Step 1:
Use your ruler and rotary cutter to cut a 6″ X 6″ square of leather (be sure to use a cutting mat or piece of cardboard under your rotary cutter)

Step 2:
Fold your piece of leather in half, diagonally.

Step 3:
Pinch a corner of the leather and clip to hold in place.

Step 4:
Measure about 3/4″ in from the corner and make a small mark for stud placement.

Step 5:
Press your stud into the leather at the mark to leave indentations for where you need to cut. (I tried many fancy ways of marking where to cut, and this – by far – was the easiest and most effective.)

Step 6:
Place a piece of cardboard under your piece of leather and use your X-Acto knife to cut two slits for the prongs on the stud.

Step 7: 
Press the prongs of your stud through the first layer of leather, and press in to the second layer to make where you need to cut slits to work the stud all the way through.

Step 8:
Press the stud all the way through the second layer to reveal the prongs on the other side. You can use an awl to open up the slits more if you need to.

Step 9:
Use the needle nose pliers to fold in the prongs on the stud.

Step 10:
If needed, use a mallet or hammer to further flatten out the prongs on the stud.

Repeat steps 3-10 for each corner, and fill your catch-all with whatever you like!

Categories: Whimseybox Projects