Cheap Crafting: Anthro-Inspired Leather Key Chain

For the first time in years, I don’t have to carry a huge assortment of keys and key card – and with my set so small, I keep losing it in my purse. Time to make a key chain!

For inspiration, I browsed a few of my favorite sites. I don’t mean to keep picking on Anthropologie, but man do they have a lot on their site right now that is begging to be made at home. (Example one, example two, keep reading for example three.) Case in point: this super cute but painfully simple $20 leather key chain.


Photo courtesy of Anthropologie

It’s so simple I already had all the materials at home. Wooooo!

DIY Anthropologie-Inspired Leather Keychain

Materials & Tools

  • Craft leather
  • 2 brads
  • Key ring
  • Skinny permanent marker
  • Scissors
  • Needle
  • Embroidery thread
  • Leather punch (or something strong enough to poke a hole in the leather)
  • Optional: Glue

Directions

Cut a 0.5″ x 8″ strip of leather and trim the ends at a 45 degree angle. Fold it in around your key ring and mark where you should poke the holes to connect both sides.

Poke the holes in the leather. I don’t have a leather punch, so I used an ice pick. By no means do I recommend doing that.

Grab your permanent marker and add the pattern. I decided I wanted dalmatian-style dots, so I drew some oblong polka dots all over the material. Be sure to let some hang off the edges.

Knot the end of your embroidery floss four or five times until it is a big enough knot to avoid pulling through the hole. Stitch both sides together, putting another XL knot on the opposite side.

You have two options here, but I wasn’t able to get a good photo because I needed both hands so you need to read it: You can cut the ends off the brad and glue the caps over the knots or you can poke the brads through the holes on each side and push the ends up inside the loop.

And voila! You should have a new Anthropologie-inspired key chain in about five to ten minutes.

What should I make next? Happy crafting!

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