Carolyn Miller's journey toward creating unique purses made from cigar boxes started with a love of fine coffee. "I used to go to our local cigar store to buy the coffee beans, and always noticed a stack of empty cigar boxes in the corner. The boxes themselves were interesting and attractive, and I felt that there must be something that I could do with them." She took some of the boxes home and, after a bit of experimentation, she struck upon the idea of creating cigar box purses. "It seemed to me to be a natural combination", Carolyn says of her dual interest in purses and cigar boxes. Carolyn has been making eye-catching, one of a kind cigar box purses ever since.
She begins by cleaning the boxes. "I try to keep as many of the original box stickers and decals as possible," she explains. Carolyn removes any price stickers she may find with a hand-held hair dryer. She heats up the stickers and easily peels them off. For stubborn stickers, Carolyn uses a solvent to weaken the sticker's adhesive. Preparation of the boxes is by far the most time consuming part of her creations, but it is necessary to achieve the quality she puts into each piece.
Cigar boxes are traditionally made from either wood or thick cardboard. Carolyn lightly sands her wooden boxes and adds a coat of varnish to give them a rich texture. Her next step is to line the inside of both the wooden and cardboard boxes with colorful foam. Carolyn also replaces the boxes' original hardware.
She prefers more elegant and substantial hinges and latches. Perhaps the most striking element of her cigar box purses is the handles. Carolyn uses an array of imported beads, strung on a wire frame, to create her handles. It's part of what gives her boxes their distinctive quality.
For those wishing to try their hand at making cigar box purses, Carolyn advises to experiment with several boxes. "It's not as easy as it might look", she says. "And, you'll most probably destroy a few boxes along the way." Through her experimentation and practice, Carolyn Miller has found a way to recycle used cigar boxes into visually intriguing, functional purses. And she does it herself.
RESOURCES :
Carolyn Miller Information
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