diy stamped leather keychain

Getting mail is one of the best parts of my day. What is it about opening the mailbox and being surprised by what’s inside?! It’s often filled with junk mail or bills, but every once in a while a magazine comes or a note from my sister (she’s so good at sending cards!) and it just makes me smile.

Now I have one more thing to smile about while getting mail because our mailbox key now boasts a handsome leather keychain.

It was perhaps the simplest of all diy’s. But sometimes simple is the best. So just in case you’d like to adorn your keys with a new keychain, here are the steps for a diy stamped leather keychain:

SUPPLIES: key fob + ring leather kit (from here item #414913) / scissors

DIRECTIONS:

Put key fob together as directed on package. The instructions suggest using a rivet tool, which I don’t have, so I just pressed the two metal pieces together to hold and it’s fine. You could probably get a more secure fit with the right tool but here’s the deal: I’ve had this same keychain on my regular car/house keys for a few months and it’s stayed together just fine.

Of course you could leave the key fob alone and it’s a cute petite circle. Or you could continue on and turn it into a skinny ribbon shape.

Here’s how to do that:

Cut a straight line up both sides, then a small notch out of the bottom. Over time, the edges will wear down for a nice patina, so don’t worry to much about having the lines perfect.

Again, you could leave it as is, which is what I use for my main keychain. It’s crazy how much it has deepened in color and worn into this really pretty aged leather keychain. You can see it in the photo below:

Or if you’d like to add extra detail with a word, number or monogram, you can stamp it.

Here’s how to do that:

SUPPLIES: metal letter stamps (from here) / jewelry hammer (like this) / sponge

Choose the letters you want to stamp. They are mirror image so they impress correctly, just fyi.

Start by dampening the leather slightly. Then hold the stamp in place and gently tap with the hammer.  If you have a scrap piece of leather, this is a great time to practice stamping. If you press too light, the letters won’t show up. If you press too hard, you’ll see the circle imprint of the letter stamp.

Tap out your message and you’re done!

Isn’t it a great little key chain? These would make great gifts (graduates? new home owners?) or even as labels on a backpack or bag.