rvsfan...here are the two other purses I used cork in.
The one that is completely cork was actually the first purse I ever made (My motto being, "Go big or go home...even when you don't know what you're doing.") and although I made some mistakes, it turned out well. The top part is cork with a gold fleck and the bottom is a patterned cork.
The purple purse has cork just as the slip pocket on the front. I learned from it that I needed to sew vinyl along the top so it didn't stretch out as I used it. I did that in the second purse.
These smaller pieces of cork are just "samples" so were really inexpensive to buy. Cork can be pretty pricey.
Watson