17 Easy Tutorials for Unique DIY Keychains

17 Easy Tutorials for Unique DIY Keychains

17 Easy Tutorials for Unique DIY Keychains

UberButtons® Uncategorized September 28, 2016 Comments

A keychain serves a purpose, like custom buttons bottle openers or flashlights, others simply make your keys easier to find in your bag. Keychains can also be daily reminders of special trips or cool places you visit.

Whether they’re for aesthetic purposes or not, all keychains give keys a personality reflective of their owner. If you opt for making your own keychain because you can’t find one with your name, or you want to gift it to a loved one, there are tons of options and materials you can use to make the perfect keychain exactly to your liking.

Here are 17 easy and creative DIY keychains you won’t find in stores.

1. Wine Cork Keychain via 2rocklobsters

Don’t know what to do with all those wine corks? If you’ve done a little research, you’ve been surprised to find tons of DIY projects you can do with wine corks. Making keychains out of them is one of the simplest and most creative uses for wine corks.

What you’ll need:
  • Wine cork
  • Eye screw
  • Neoprene washers (2, different sizes) (optional)
  • Screw (optional)

Click here for the tutorial

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2. Paracord Buddy Keychain via Craftandcreativity

This Paracord Buddy keychain is both creative and versatile. It’s perfectly sized for your keys or can add some fun to a kid’s backpack. Paracords come in endless colors and patterns, so you can make an infinite number of paracord buddies, an ideal detail for party favors.

What you’ll need:
  • 5mm flat Paracord (12 in. for the head & legs + 16. in for the body)
  • Keyring
  • Lighter

Click here for the tutorial

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3. Wooden bead keychain via Craftandcreativity

If you love getting creative with a paintbrush or colored markers, the wooden bead keychain is a fun project for you. Simple in both design and execution, it allows you to get as ingenious as you wish. Make the beads into soccer balls, decorate them with patterns in your favorite colors or even customize them with your name.

What you’ll need:
  • Wooden beads (as many as you’d like)
  • Key rings
  • Leather string
  • Acrylic paint and brushes
  • Colored markers
  • A pair of scissors
  • Chopsticks for holding the beads while decorating

Click here for tutorial

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4. Custom Tassel Keychain via Brit + Co

Tassels are very common amongst keychains, but can sometimes be intimidating when considering making one yourself. Making tassels is surprisingly simple and can add great finishing touches to almost any accessory, especially keys. Use colored string or even dye your tassels for added personality.

What you’ll need:
  • Rope
  • Colored embroidery floss
  • Needle
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Any keychain

Click here for tutorial

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5. Jenga Keychain via SarahOrtega

Any good party host owns a game of Jenga. If you’ve owned one for long enough you’re probably missing some pieces, maybe too many to actually keep playing. These Jenga keychains are a great way of recycling those old wooden pieces into something more creative and useful you can gift to your friends.

What you’ll need:
  • Jenga blocks or any rectangular wooden pieces
  • Decorative paper (gifting paper, newspaper, maps, etc.)
  • Screw eye
  • Key ring
  • Round nose pliers
  • Mod Podge
  • Brush
  • Pencil
  • Scissors

Click here for tutorial

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6. Painted Leather Keychain via Sheknows

Leather is one of the most common materials used in simple craft projects. Because of its versatility, you can shape it and decorate it in an infinite number of ways. These leather keychains are cut into similar arrow templates, but with an exacto knife you can shape them into anything letter, symbol or shape you want.

What you’ll need:
  • Leather scraps
  • Paper or card
  • Pen
  • Ruler
  • White crafter’s paint
  • Masking or washi tape
  • Paintbrush
  • Cutting mat
  • All-purpose glue
  • Metal key ring
  • Mod Podge (optional)
  • Scalpel
  • Leather punch
  • Rivet gun
  • Rivets

Click here for tutorial

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7. Felt Animals Keychain via RepeatCrafterMe

With adult supervision, these felt animal keychains are perfect for kids to get creative with. Whether at a birthday party or as a rainy Saturday activity, these keychains are both adorable and really fun to make. Hang one on your keys or use it as decor on your kids backpack or lunchbox.

What you’ll need:
  • Felt in various colors
  • Ribbon for the small loop
  • Yarn for stitching
  • Keyring
  • Needle

Click here for tutorial

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8. Mini Diary Book Keychain via Livemaster

Perfect for the avid reader or lover of tiny replicas, this mini diary book is both decorative and fully usable. It’s made with real pages so you can decorate the inside using markers or stickers. Although it’s a little more on the advanced side of crafting, the mini diary book makes the ideal gift for the bookworm in your life.

What you’ll need:
  • 2 A4 paper
  • Cardboard
  • Glue gun
  • Exacto knife and scissors
  • Clip
  • A piece of fabric
  • A piece of felt in your color or pattern of choice

Click here for tutorial

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9. Baked Clay Heart Keychain via Lolly Jane

This baked clay heart keychain may be the simplest to make on this list. Although the tutorial walks you through shaping a heart, you can essentially use any silhouette you want. Get creative with the letter stamps and sparkles, and even grab some paint and a paintbrush to add finishing touches.

What you’ll need:
  • Polymer clay
  • Rolling pin
  • Cookie cutter (any shape)
  • Spatula
  • Mini letter stamps
  • Thin wooden dowel
  • Sparkles
  • Parchment paper
  • Baking pan
  • Key ring
  • Needle nose pliers

Click here for tutorial

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10. Leather Mustache Keychain via Katrinshine

Now that you’ve seen how versatile leather can be, it’s time to double up the layers and get to stitching. Fear not, because these leather mustaches are very easy to shape and stitch. Like with all designs, get creative with your templates and use colored thread if you’re making a big batch of them.

What you’ll need:
  • A piece of genuine leather – thickness 0.03-0.06” (0,7-1,5 mm)
  • A thick needle or awl
  • Scissors
  • Flat nose pliers (2 pairs)
  • A key ring
  • Thread
  • A sewing machine
  • Moustache pattern

Click here for tutorial

keychain

11. Child’s Drawing Keychain via Vlijtig.blogspot

Like the felt animals keychains, these child’s drawing keychains make for a fun and creative kid project. What makes them truly unique is that they use real drawings as templates. They’re perfect for handing out in a classroom or as birthday party favors.

What you’ll need:
  • Iron-transfer-paper
  • White fabric
  • Colored fabric
  • Piece of ribbon
  • Filling and a keyring

Click here for tutorial

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12. Button Cluster Keychain via Sumoftheirstories

If you have a bunch of buttons lying around that you’ve been meaning to throw away, here’s what you can do with them. This button cluster keychain doesn’t discriminate. Bunch up every shape and color button you have into one fun and creative keychain.

What you’ll need:
  • A keyring with a chain
  • Jump rings
  • Small buttons (you need ones where the gap between the hole and the edge is smaller than your jump rings)
  • 2 pliers

Click here for tutorial

keychain

13. Rainbow Fish Keychain via Locus Amoenus

If you enjoy sewing, this rainbow fish keychain is right up your alley. It’s small, so make sure you’ve got some experience with the sewing machine before you take this project on. You can follow the tutorial for any template you like, but start with this simple fish design before doing a more complex sea animal.

What you’ll need:
  • Linen paper
  • Ribbon
  • Cotton for stuffing
  • Sewing machine
  • Graph paper
  • Pins
  • Scissors

Click here for tutorial

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14. Speckled Clay Keychain by Sugar and Cloth

Here’s another take on the simple baked clay keychain (see #9). With just a paint brush, some paint and a little bit of tape, these simple circle keychains turn into mini fashion statements. Feel free to use any shape for the outline, but follow the tutorial for tips on how to style it using tape.

What you’ll need:
  • Polymer clay
  • Rolling pin
  • Greaseproof paper
  • Round cutter (or any)
  • Masking or washi tape
  • Acrylic paint of your choice
  • Paint brush
  • Black ink
  • Pencil
  • Clear clay glaze
  • Key chain

Click here for tutorial

keychain

15. Fruit Keychains via Dream a Little Bigger

These fruit keychains look like something you’ll find in a crafts store, but they’re surprisingly easy to recreate. They’re made entirely of colored clay and the shaping is all done by hand. You can switch the fruit out for doughnuts or cookies if your sweet tooth asks for it.

What you’ll need:
  • Polimer clay
  • Key ring
  • Small chain
  • Small rings
  • Pliers

Click here for tutorial

keychain

16. Leather Heart Keychain via Dream a Little Bigger

Here’s the third and final leather keychain option on the list. The contrasting white stitching around the borders give it a more hand-made feel and it extremely easy to do. There’s no sewing machine required, just a precise hand and a little patience.

What you’ll need:
  • A piece of leather
  • Embroidery thread
  • A key ring
  • A needle
  • Scissors
  • Glue gun

Click here for tutorial

keychain

17. Plush Owl Keychain via Deviant Art

This plush owl keychain is the advanced version of the felt animals (See #7). It features more details done with stitching, as well as more layering of the fabrics, adding dimension to the owl. Follow the tutorial to make any miniature animal, but get some practice with the owl first.

What you’ll need:
  • Colored felt
  • Buttons for eyes
  • Keychain
  • Scissors
  • Thread
  • Needle

Click here for tutorial

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