| A Family of Keychains |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-713 |
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Q: I always pick up the wrong set of keys when I leave the house. Can you show me how to make different keychains so everyone has his or her own? A: (Debbie Stapely, DIY Crafts expert) Here's an idea: Use a little gadget called a seed keeper (figure A); it's a little container designed to hold flower seeds. It has a glass top, so it's a little heavy to toss in your purse, but it's great to hang on the hook where you keep your keys. Here's how to make it:
- Remove the lid and use an awl and hammer to make a hole in the side (figure B). Be sure to make the hole from the inside of the keeper, and put it on a block of wood so you won't mar the work surface. Make a second hole on the other side of the seed keeper.
- Decorate the inside with, for instance, a picture you've color-copied (figure C).
- Run a piece of brass wire through a bead, fold the wire over beneath the bead and twist it (figure D).
- Run both ends of the wire through the bottom hole, from the inside to the outside.
- Add more beads to the wire, as many as you want, and add a charm to the end.
- Use your fingers to crimp the wire; cut the wire with wire cutters, then add a jewelry crimp (figure E). Use needle-nosed pliers to tighten the crimp around the wire to hold it.
- Repeat at the top of the keychain, except don't add a charm at the end of the wire. Instead, run the wire through a key ring (figure F), bend it over and back and add a crimp as before.
- Add other tiny objects in the keeper, if you wish, before replacing the glass lid.
You could also use bottle caps to make keychains. - Use needle-nose pliers to crimp all around the edge of a bottle cap, creating a little flange. Make a hole in the edge of the cap.
- Inside the cap, glue a small picture -- a piece of a map (figure G) or a photograph, for instance.
- With pliers, open a jump ring and attach a small charm to it. Then attach to the bottle cap and add the key ring as in the previous project. If you wish, you can add color to the bottle cap with nail polish.
RESOURCES :
Last-Minute Christmas Gifts: Crafting Quick and Classy Presents for Everyone on Your List
Model: 0806931957
Author: Carol Taylor
Lark Books / Altamont Press
Website: www.larkbooks.com
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