Handmade Keyrings as a gift idea.
Updated: Sep 12
As the holiday is fast approaching, are you thinking of presents to buy? If you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet, then why not do it your own instead? Personally, I am not very artistic nor I consider myself a crafty person. I just love to buy cute things and collect them. Recently though, I have discovered resin and how this epoxy liquid could turn into really fascinating stuff. You can do many useful things by using resin as the main material.
By just having a theme, you are set to do whatever you want and design it yourself. I am more interested in making keyrings, specifically, because we can use it everyday with our keys, bags, pouches, or even just as a decoration. I've actually hung one on our Christmas tree! At first, I thought it was hard to do and maybe, I wouldn't be able to pull it off. But to my amazement, I was able to do it and the keyrings turned out beautifully.
This helped me decide on what to give my friends for this Christmas season. I have made the
keyrings myself! It feels rewarding to be able to make something from my own hands. It still feels surreal for me until now. Where did I get all the materials? I just looked them up online and found shops which sell resins along with gloves. Some shops sell a beginner set which I recommend when you are just starting to learn how to do it. The starter set normally comes with bottles of clear and hardener resins, and tubs of glitters. Alphabet and some basic shapes moulders are also included. However, this depends on the shop you are buying this resin kit from. Of course, the more complete the materials are, the higher the price will be.
Image of a silicone resin casting mold
I still can't believe that after failing twice, it would be possible for me to create such fancy keyrings. As it becomes a hobby of mine, I am loving it even more as I can express myself freely and just totally enjoy making these real things from scratch.
Jelly and Glow-in-the-dark resin keyrings
These are the finished products from forming alphabet keyrings using resin.
Don't you find them cute? :)
A great idea to give your friend simply as a sentimental piece. Plus it is very easy to create, you can make many or unlimited number of these letters, also it gives you an opportunity to practise your own creativity without complex patterns and difficult instructions to follow, you can easily do it even if you are not a professional artist yourself. Anytime, anywhere, at the comfort of your home, just a new-found hobby hey! Do it on your spare time! It is always good to learn a new skill that you enjoy, isn't it? To keep your mind going and improve your artistry, as well.
See a simple guide below on how I make a basic resin keyring design:
• Prepare all the materials on a clean table, make sure to wear gloves.
• Use two cups to measure the amount of resin to use. Clear resin should have exactly the same amount as the hardener resin.
• Transfer both to a new container, and mix them in a clockwise manner.
• Have your silicone resin casting mould ready. If you'd like to do a letter 'J' for example, sprinkle the glitters in the mould, or lots of 'tiny fruits' (as seen in the photo above), then pour in the mixture there.
• Watch out for bubbles coming out, you can try removing them by using a lighter or a tool for popping all the bubbles.
• That's all done! 🤩 Then, wait for 15 hours or more for the resin alphabets to dry up fully and get solidified hard enough.
• Here we go for the most exciting part of resin-making, the 'demoulding'! 💯 Voila, you have your new handmade keyring!
• By using a twist drill, make a hole to insert the screw for the keyring chain.
• For a nicer look, add on a cute tassel to go with it.
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