Frosted Petunias Artful Bag challenge: March

Surely our neighbors blushed a few months back after I discovered that one of my ferrets had "removed" two rhinestones from a handbag of mine. After all, I'm told that ladies shouldn't use that kind of language, especially at top volume.

Yes, of course: Ferrets speak very little Angry Lady With A Rhinestone-less Bag, but at least it made me feel better ... our two carpet sharks thought it all great fun.

Anyhow, what to do with this now virtually useless small handbag? A bitty thing with embroidered flowers missing their glittery rhinestone centers? I know, lots of things, but I'd liked it so much just as it was that I couldn't find my way out of the "It's Ruined!" cycle.

Until yesterday afternoon, out of the blue, it came to me! The March Artful Bag Challenge! Whew! I really didn't want to art up any of my other bags and the local thrift stores have apparently been picked clean by savvy shoppers: While all this time the perfect bag was tucked away in the "It's Ruined!" drawer!

Why didn't I look there in the first place? I have no idea.

OK, so the bag is decorated with a grunge board frame and Holtz stamp "Not all who wander are lost." The frame is coated in Distress Ink and stickles and the wander phrase is embossed with gold.

The flower is cut from an aluminum can, covered in alcohol inks and centered with a vintage pocket watch face, idea-ology flower with jade embossing and a hitch fastener in case I want to add a charm later.

The clockwork is dressed up with alcohol ink, otherwise it's pretty much as is because some of the clockwork bits are functional (well, they move if you spin the correct part).

Can you believe a friend of mine gave me an entire box of old watch parts that she'd bought at an auction? Can you believe I'm not still squealing with delight?

I stopped just long enough to create this fun Artful Bag! Oh, and to ask you a question.

How, on this slickery sort of fabric would you attach something heavy such as, say, the guts from a pocket watch? I tried hot glue and, I'll admit it, Super Glue.

Round one with the hot glue is holding all of the other embellishments more or less permanently, but the watch just popped right off. A second round of hot glue, handled more quickly, managed to maintain the attachment longer and melt some of the fabric, but that's all.

The Super Glue? It's trying super hard ... but it's beginning to let go, too.

What should I do to make the bond permanent?

I'll try some other adhesive options while you toddle off to create your very own Artful Bag before the end of March!