Painted side of Mood Switch Ugly Denim handbag with yellow, orange, pink and black patchwork pockets and long frayed denim strips.

Mood Switch: A Little Paint and a Whole Lot of Ugly Denim

Sometimes I want a little color, and sometimes I want denim on denim. With this Ugly Denim Bag, I put both looks into one handbag. I call her Mood Switch.

One side has that mismatched, grungy painter-style mix of color. The other side is overloaded with plain denim, layered jean pockets, and worn details. Turn her around and you have a different look without changing bags.

Unpainted side of Mood Switch handbag with layered blue jean pockets, distressed panels and long raw-edged denim strips.

I wanted this one to help lift a mood and start a conversation. The colorful side isn't trying to match perfectly, and the denim side isn't trying to look brand new. They're different, but they belong on the same bag.

That's something I enjoy about working with old jeans. I can use the pockets, different washes, seams, and frayed edges instead of covering them up. Add some paint and long hanging denim strips, and those familiar pieces become something else.

Close-up of yellow, orange, pink and black paint across Mood Switch handbag’s overlapping jean pockets and stitched seams.

I like the idea of carrying the colorful side with a simple outfit and letting that painter-style patchwork show. Then on another day, I can turn her around and let the layered denim be the part everybody sees.

She’s handmade from secondhand denim, with raw edges, a denim-wrapped handle, and plenty of janky hanging strips. The fading and worn areas are part of her character. Nothing about her needs to look perfectly neat.

Close-up of Mood Switch handbag’s blue denim pockets, decorative stitching, metal button and wrapped denim handle.