Photo Album Key Chains
Level:
Intermediate
How-To:
DIY Gifts
MATERIALS:
- Pleather or leather
- Small rectangular wooden plaque
- Photo printed to fit wooden plaque
- Mod podge
- Paintbrush
- Rotary cutter
- X-acto knife
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- Double capped rivets with set
- Button snaps with set
- Keyring
- Hammer
- Iron-on vinyl paper and cricut, stencil and paint or another desired method of adding lettering
- Paper for template
- Pencil
OPTIONAL:
- Leather punch
- Sandpaper
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Use an x-acto knife to cut a slit at the top of the wooden craft plaque big enough to fit ½” wide strip of pleather through it. PRO TIP: if the wood splinters from the cutting, use a little sandpaper to smooth it out.
- Use a paintbrush to apply mod podge over the photo on the craft plaque. Set aside to dry.
- Fold a piece of paper in half and measure out a good size for a cover, draw a triangle on the end big enough for the snap to be set into. The template should look like a rectangle with two triangles on each end. Cut the template out. PRO TIP: you want about ¼” of material around the plaque. Making a template allows you to cut a bunch of these quickly!
- Trace your template onto the material. Use a rotary cutter and ruler to cut out. Now you have your “album cover”.
- Cut a ½” strip of material with the rotary cutter that is long enough to double over around the key ring and through the slit on the plaque with a ½” overlap onto itself.
- With it lying flat, cut a ½” slit in the center of your album cover to feed the strip through. The slit will be at the top of your cover when folded.
- Now is the time to add lettering if desired. You can use a stencil with paint, iron on letters or any other desired method!
- Slide the strip through the plaque, both ends of the strip through the slit in the album cover and around the keyring.
- To secure the album to the key ring, center the overlap of the strip between the keyring and the album. Punch a hole through all three layers of the strip and place the double capped rivet through, set with provided set and hammer.
- To insert the snaps, line the back and front of the album cover up, mark where you want the snap in the center of the triangle and punch a hole in through both layers. Use the snap set according to instructions with a hammer.
- Put on your keys and enjoy! PRO TIP: if you want the cover to have a crease in the center or lay flatter, place it under a heavy book or object while folded.
