New Use for Old Keys

Hello friends! First I wanted to thank everyone who sent me messages or left comments about my recent car trouble. They brightened my day and I appreciated each and every one of them! So thank you!! Second, I wanted to share that God totally blessed my boys and I through all of it and I’m happy to say that we now have a brand new car!! {Woohoo!} It’s a Honda Pilot and the nicest car I’ve ever owned in my life! I almost didn’t want to stop driving it to write this blog post! But, when they handed over my NEW keys, the crafter in me started wondering what people do with all their old keys? We all have them laying around. Keys from old homes, apartments, locks, etc. and probably keys we don’t even remember WHAT they unlock.
So, I came up with a quick project to repurpose your old keys. For one of the finished products I put the key on a necklace with a little gem! Read below to learn how to make your own!



{How to give your key a makevor}:
YOU WILL NEED:

• Left over scraps of your favorite scrapbook paper. {You don’t need very much – only enough to cover your key}
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Foam brush or paint brush
• Exacto/Craft Knife
• Mod Podge {not shown}

{WHAT TO DO}:

1. Trace the key onto the scrapbook paper {face down so you don’t get pencil marks on the pattern.} Trace it twice so you can cover both sides of your key.



2. Cut out the key shapes. Here is what the paper should look like after you trace your key and then cut it out. 



3. Mod Podge/Glue the scrapbook paper carefully onto your key:



4. WAIT for the glue to dry and then cut out the hole shapes in the key.



Below is what happens when you are impatient like I am and think you can cut it right away anyways. :(



Here is what your keys should look like if you wait patiently! :)





You can’t tell too well from the picture above, but the key on the left is pink. I used tissue paper for that one. Tissue paper was a little harder to work with. Also, you could see through to the key a little, but even so, what I liked about tissue paper was you could also see all the grooves in the key. So, it just depends on your preference.
I thought the pink key could use some dressing up so I took out a fine point sharpie and started drawing:



Done!



I'm lovin' the zebra stripe {AND the quatrefoil} trend! Now, I think the key is cute all by itself, but here are some ideas for you if you want to dress up your key even more:

First, as a necklace {Did you know this key is actually the key given to me when I bought my house?} I changed the lock, but I still saved my very first key. Now I have a cute way to save & remember it!



You could even add some embellishments… how cute would this pink zebra key be as a charm on a school backpack??



Remember that yellow key that I messed up cutting too early? Well, you could also cover up mistakes with gems, embellishments, some ribbon or twine!



I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial -- I bet my crafty friends out in blog world could think of even more new uses for old keys!! How about it? What would you make??



Linking to:
bear rabbit bear ; Tip Junkie; Nothing But Country; Ginger Snap Crafts; Blue Cricket Designs