Making the Best of It--Tie it in a bow

This post was inspired by a purchase I wasn't super thrilled with.

I bought this bag because, despite absolutely loving the color yellow, it didn't own a yellow bag. I saw this one in a magazine and thought it was perfect. Oh, and cheap, of course.

But then it showed up at my door, and wasn't so perfect.

Maybe it's a little nit-picky, but the strap is entirely too long, at least for my taste.
But would I send it back, and eat the cost of shipping both ways? I think not.
Instead, I wanted to make the best of it.

I started by unhooking one side and measuring out how long I wanted the strap to be (Just roughly, pinching it at the proper length).

Then I secured it with a clear hair tie.

Can you guess what it will be?
Then I flattened the center point of my new loop to where I secured it with a hair tie.

Like so.
By slipping two hair ties through the end I had unhooked in the first place, I secured two points on either side of where the first hair tie was.

And now it's a bow!
It's not a huge change to the original look, but now that long strap won't get in my way.
You could make it stand out even more by incorporating a contrasting color in ribbon or even sewing it down, if you are so inclined.
Now I'm off to go enjoy the new bag. Do I sense an outfit post in my future ? :)