PROJECT: Mixed Media Key Chain

Today's project is all about making the most of the odds and ends in your art room. Once I cleaned out all my extras, I realized that I could put them all together to make something functional! I posted a picture earlier and got a few emails about it, so I thought I'd share the crafty recipe for it!

First let me say that here in Phoenix, we have this magnificent craft warehouse called Diane Ribbon and Notions. It's been around for more than sixty years and is owned by the original family! You walk in there and it is a wall-to-wall paradise of cardboard boxes stacked from the floor to the ceiling. All superfly crafting treasures! And because they have been around so long, you can find really wild treats from the 70s and 80s.

So anyway, last time I was there I picked up some blank dog tags. I glued down scraps of paper on them and then a picture, and then painted on accents, added micro stars, and glitter. Yes, even in the tiny space of a dog tag, you can cram in all those elements! I covered each one in resin.

And then I took some mini-bottles, filled them with glitter, attached a chain, added word beads and charms and some old-fashioned key rings. Now that I look at the picture, I think it would have been cool to add a bit of yarn too!

As far as the glitter in the little bottle...just think - you will have (contained) sparkle with you where ever you go! I actually glued the lid down. That way I can tell people "In case of emergency, break bottle of glitter!"

Supplies:

Keyring
Decorated dog tag, or another large picture charm of some sort.
2" of chain
mini-bottle filled with micro glitter (add a bit of glue inside the rim to hold it tight)
Eye pins
Beads
Needle nose pliers
Jump rings

Directions: Attach the dog tag. Attach the bottle to the chain, and add that to the keyring. Put the beads on the yee pin and use jump ring to attach!



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* All content/photos copyright, © Kathy Cano-Murillo, 2008.