Acrylic Keychains Make Great Teacher Gifts
I recently discovered the most amazing craft. Check out my first post about acrylic keychains here. They are so cute and fun to make. These acrylic keychains make great teacher gifts.
Some of my projects!There are dozens of styles to choose from. Check out Zindee.com, where I buy all the blanks. In my last post, I shared how I created my own design using a circle blank and glitter. Now I’m going to share some secrets for making the more detailed designs.
Supplies to Make Acrylic Keychain Gifts
Zindee sales the key chains 10 for $2.00. They are a nice quality. Definitely order them through Zindee. The suede tassels are a deal here. You will need nice jump rings like this. Assorted vinyl colors. I love Oracle 651. This is a great deal! There are many options for sealing key chains. As I mentioned in my first post, Diamond Glaze is my favorite.
In addition to the acrylic blanks, you will need the SVG file, which is free with your Zindee purchase.
Cutting Your Vinyl
I quickly discovered the cut files for the keychains include a back piece, which is exactly the same size as the acrylic. This makes it very challenging to place it on the acrylic without overhang. For that reason, many people create inset images. This is a little challenging and requires the use of Inkscape program. Here is a great youtube video that explains the process.
Applying the Vinyl
Remove the brown paper from the acrylic blank. Use a straight pin to create a small tear in the paper so you can pull off the paper. Be careful the acrylic can scratch! I like to apply the vinyl to one side of the keychain. In order to do this, you must mirror your images before you cut the vinyl.
Mirror all images except the name.An apple is the somewhat obvious teacher gift, I know. I mirrored all pieces except the name and the white highlight. Be sure to weld the name together in design space so it prints altogether and not separately. Once the apple was on the transfer tape with the sticky side up, I applied the white highlight and the name. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the brown paper is removed from the side I am working with. Leave the brown paper on the other side until you are done. I used the wet method to apply the vinyl to reduce air bubbles. Check out a tutorial here.
Side note: everyone says you must use transfer paper for this wet method. I have used regular tape successfully. The transfer paper is not see-through and that makes it hard to place your vinyl where you want it.
After you have applied the red, the leaf, and the stem, you can apply black vinyl to the back or use modge podge and glitter. For this one, I used black vinyl.
Be sure to mirror your back piece.If you get small bubbles, just pop them with a pin. Apply Diamond Glaze over the back. Allow the Diamond Glaze ample time to dry. this may take up to 3 hours depending on how thick it was applied.
Finished gift!Final Touches on Acrylic Keychains Gifts
There are so many cute designs, I decided I needed more than one keychain. I made mine into a lanyard for my classroom key.
You will also need a lobster clasp and a key ring.I picked up these chain lengths at Joanns and the ribbon at Hobby Lobby. I used the ribbon to attach the two sides of the chain and used a large jump ring to attach the keyring with lobster clasp. Now I can a reason to have multiple keychains, as I can change them out.
My Minnie headband lanyard.I’m more than a little obsessed with these acrylic keychains, and I love the idea of using them interchangeably on a lanyard. check out Zindee.com for more cute ideas.
