Hand Lettered Acrylic Keychains

Looking for a personalized gift that’s perfect for dads, grads, or anyone else in your life? Why not create a one-of-a-kind keychain? It’s something everyone can use, and you can make it completely unique, using any combination of colors and words you like. Recently, I shared how you can create custom keychains using your Cricut machine and permanent vinyl. Today, I want to show you another option using the exact same acrylic keychain kit, along with a little paint and your own hand lettering. Let’s take a look!

You’ll need:

Acrylic Keychain Blanks Kit (includes 30 each of blanks, chain, jump rings, tassels, and key rings)

Acrylic/multi-surface paint in your choice of color(s)

Paintbrush

Fine tip paint pen (I used gold and black) OR Permanent marker

Pliers

Optional: FolkArt Glitterific

Making Your Hand Lettered Acrylic Keychains

Step 1: Paint a stripe of color one one side of the acrylic blank.

Make sure to remove the clear protective film from both sides of the blank first. Then, use a paintbrush to apply whatever color paint stripe you like using your favorite acrylic or multi-surface paint. If you want your keychain to sparkle, try applying a thick coat of Glitterific paint instead! Let the paint dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Step 2: Add your words/design.

Flip the keychain over and letter your word or message on the other side using a fine tip paint marker or permanent marker. Feel free to add any embellishments you like, like the gold dots I drew around the edges of the example below.

You can keep things very simple with just a monogram, or you can letter a name or phrase. If you’re new to hand lettering, check out my Faux Calligraphy for beginners post. It’s easier than you think!

All you have to do is write your word, then find the downstrokes (any places your pen was moving downward while writing) and thicken them. For example, in the word, “dad,” your pen moves down on the left side of each “d” as well as the left side of the stem. The left side and stem of the “a” are downstrokes as well. Draw a second line in each of those spots, color the space in between, and you’ll have the word “dad” written in a beautiful brush script font.

For more instruction and practice with this technique, check out my free practice pages which will help you master every letter of the alphabet!

Step 3: Attach the chain, ring, and tassel.

Slide an open jump ring through the hole in the blank, then attach the chain and keyring. Use pliers to close the jump ring. If you’d like to add one of the tassels, you can add it to either the top or bottom jump ring, or slide it onto the keyring itself.

There are so many different ways you can personalize these keychains. I love that I can use the special names my kids have for their grandparents, like “Pop-Pop,” “Poppy,” “Grammy,” and “G-ma,” which are usually impossible to find.

Hand Lettered Acrylic Keychains

To add a little extra protection, you can seal your finished keychain with an acrylic spray sealer or by painting a coat of Mod Podge over your lettering. This will keep the paint from chipping off with normal everyday wear and tear.

These little keychains make such great gifts, because everyone uses keys, and they’re a ton of fun to create. What do you think?

Which one is your favorite? Here’s a look at these lettered ones along with a few of the ones created with the Cricut. No matter how you make them, they’re sure to be a treasured gift!

Hand Lettered Acrylic Keychains

If you give this project a try, please stop by the Amy Latta & Friends Facebook Group and share your photos so we can all be inspired. I can’t wait to see how yours turn out. Happy creating!

Hand Lettered Acrylic Keychains

 

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