Here’s an easy project that would make a great gift for kids: a funky (and chunky) wood keychain filled with personality.

These wood block keychains are a fun DIY to try for back to school, Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, even unique party bag fillers for birthdays. Something that kids could attach to their backpacks, lunchbox, or tote bag that will actually last! 

I ended up making 8-10 of these pretty quickly (an hour or two) for a fundraiser at my son’s schools, featuring handmade items. They were affordable to get the supplies for and very easy to make. Win-win!

Along those same lines, I feel like these keychains would be a cute thing to sell at a craft fair too. A low-cost item that gets people checking out your booth. Anyway! Here’s how to make ’em…

Supplies for DIY Keychain

• chunky wood blocks*
• thick keychain cording
• lobster clasp keychain parts
• colored pencils or paint (optional)
• sealant (optional)
• scissors

*If you use wood blocks that don’t already have a hole through the middle of them, you’ll need to drill holes in the blocks first, before getting started with this project.

How to Make a Wood Keychain

1. String a keychain clasp onto cord.

Making your own keychain is simple. Start by stringing a keychain clasp onto the cording, at the halfway point. So there is an equal length of cord on each side of the clasp.

I have a few different sizes of these lobster clasp keychain parts, but the small ones are the ones I like most.

Set aside.

2. Draw or paint on blocks.

I love the shapes of these blocks and I think they look cute on their own, without any doodles. BUT I also think it adds a little more charm to have little patterns and doodles on the blocks.

This is the perfect job for children. They never get tired of doodling on all the things, right?

3. Seal the wood blocks.

If you’re using colored pencils or something similar, you may want to seal the wood blocks after the drawings are complete. You can use a matte medium, Mod Podge, or even aerosol hairspray (strange, but it works) to keep your drawings in place / seal them in.

4. String the wood blocks onto the cord.

String the first wood block onto both ends of the cording and push it (almost) all the way up to where the clasp is. You’ll want to leave anywhere from a half inch to a full inch at the top, creating a loop.

Then, take the two ends of the cording underneath the block that was just strung on, and tie it in a knot as close to the bottom of that wood block as possible.

5. Continue the process and double knot the very end.

You’ll continue this process of stringing blocks and knotting the cord underneath them until you’ve reached the desired length / number of blocks. The very last knot should be a double knot, to keep the beads from unraveling.

6. Cut off excess cording.

Cut off any excess cording, if desired, and its ready to throw into a party bag as a cute party favor, onto a backpack as a DIY keychain, etc.

More keychain ideas

If you wanted to use these keychains as gifts for a child’s birthday party, you could skip steps 2 and 3, keep all the blocks blank and assemble the keychain.

Then pop the assembled keychains into kids party favors, along with some colored pencils (or DIY colorful crayons), and you’re good to go. A mini craft activity for kids to do at home when the party is over.

Chunky Wood Keychain DIY

Brittni

These wood block keychains are a fun DIY to try for back to school, Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, even unique party bag fillers for birthdays. Something that kids could attach to their backpacks, lunchbox, or tote bag that will actually last! 

I ended up making 8-10 of these pretty quickly (an hour or two) for a fundraiser at my son’s schools, featuring handmade items. They were affordable to get the supplies for and very easy to make. Win-win!

Along those same lines, I feel like these keychains would be a cute thing to sell at a craft fair too. A low-cost item that gets people checking out your booth. Anyway! Here’s how to make ’em…

• chunky wood blocks If you use wood blocks that don’t already have a hole through the middle of them, you’ll need to drill holes in the blocks first, before getting started with this project.
• thick keychain cording
• lobster clasp keychain parts
• colored pencils or paint (optional)
• sealant (optional)

String a keychain clasp onto cord.

• Making your own keychain is simple. Start by stringing a keychain clasp onto the cording, at the halfway point. So there is an equal length of cord on each side of the clasp.

• I have a few different sizes of these lobster clasp keychain parts, but the small ones are the ones I like most. Set aside.

Draw or paint on blocks.

• I love the shapes of these blocks and I think they look cute on their own, without any doodles. BUT I also think it adds a little more charm to have little patterns and doodles on the blocks.

• This is the perfect job for children. They never get tired of doodling on all the things, right?

Seal the wood blocks.

• If you’re using colored pencils or something similar, you may want to seal the wood blocks after the drawings are complete. You can use a matte medium, Mod Podge, or even aerosol hairspray (strange, but it works) to keep your drawings in place / seal them in.

String the wood blocks onto the cord.

• String the first wood block onto both ends of the cording and push it (almost) all the way up to where the clasp is. You’ll want to leave anywhere from a half inch to a full inch at the top, creating a loop.

• Then, take the two ends of the cording underneath the block that was just strung on, and tie it in a knot as close to the bottom of that wood block as possible.

Continue the process and double knot the very end.

• You’ll continue this process of stringing blocks and knotting the cord underneath them until you’ve reached the desired length / number of blocks. The very last knot should be a double knot, to keep the beads from unraveling.

Cut off excess cording.

• Cut off any excess cording, if desired, and its ready to throw into a party bag as a cute party favor, onto a backpack as a DIY keychain, etc.

More keychain ideas
If you wanted to use these keychains as gifts for a child’s birthday party, you could skip steps 2 and 3, keep all the blocks blank and assemble the keychain.
Then pop the assembled keychains into kids party favors, along with some colored pencils (or DIY colorful crayons), and you’re good to go. A mini craft activity for kids to do at home when the party is over.

Fresh summer craft ideas to keep your hands busy and your creativity flowing.

Looking for summertime crafts to try that don’t require a ton of supplies? This DIY roundup features creative projects you can make with things you likely already have at home. Think recycled materials, natural elements, summer fashion accessories, and simple household items.

These DIYs are perfect for filling long summer days with creativity and many can double as handmade gifts. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or a total beginner, you’ll find plenty of inspiring summer DIY ideas to try.

39 Summertime Crafts to Try

Summer Crafts for Adults

A lot of the projects in this section are related to fashion, but there are outliers as well – like how to make envelopes, beauty products, and candles, etc.

1. Make a DIY dress for summer from a tablecloth. Yep, a tablecloth! I love this one – total picnic vibes.

 

4. Throw some DIY natural lip balm in your purse and you’re ready for the day.

 

 

 

7. You can turn any paper to an envelope in under 60 seconds. So lets’ declare summer pen pal season and write love notes to family and friends.

 

 

8. After a long day outdoors, rest up with rose petal bath salts and have a soak.

 

 

 

11. Can you believe this diy beach bag is made from placemats?! It’s true!

 

 

12. Transform a pair of shoes multiple ways with this diy shoes tutorial.

 

13. Patchwork together a diy towel picnic for the beach and beyond.

Summer Crafts for Preschoolers

I know doing crafts with kids over the summer, especially, since everyone is out of school. Preschoolers are probably the most fun to craft with, imo, with their free spirits and endless imagination. Here’s a handful of ideas the will keep them entertained. And maybe some of the big kids will enjoy these too.

 

16. For my son’s construction birthday party one year, we did a cardboard car wash. It was a big hit and cost almost nothing to make. Lots of fun for the kids.

 

17. Keep tiny little trinkets, Legos, and beyond in a DIY drawstring pouch that anyone can make.

 

Summertime DIYs for Plant Lovers

Plants and flowers are bursting out the seams all summer long. So I put together some of my favorite plant and flower related projects that might peak your interest.

 

20. My fave summer hat just got a little cuter with a quick flower hat idea.

 

21. A fool-proof guide to propagating plants the easy way! I’ve done this so many times now, I can’t even count ’em all.

 

 

22. This project isn’t practical for every occasion, admittedly. But if you have a special event, diy floating flowers might be in order.

 

23. I’ve been playing with making floral arrangements since I was literally a kid and have developed some easy hacks for arranging flowers over the years, if you wanna see if there’s any you didn’t already know.

Summer Decor Crafts

Obviously, I can’t have a DIY roundup without some decor DIYs. These summertime crafts with get your home looking cute way after the summer months are over.

 

24. I still have these DIY fabric cocktail napkins from way back when. They work great for parties and everyday coaster use too.

 

25. There was a time where I was dyeing literally everything I could get my hands on. And these colorful woven baskets were a part of that.

 

 

 

27. Along those lines, if you want a brighter color, try a mini plaster planter. You can get vibrant colors this way!

 

 

29. Sometimes teeny tiny things are the best option, like this mini clay vase diy.

 

Summer Entertaining Ideas

Entertaining was made for summer! Here are some of my faves to get you hosting in no time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

35. Time to party with unique diy ice chest that can literally hang from the trees.

 

 

36. Here’s a simple project for a painters drop cloth fabric turned picnic blanket. Great for the beach too. Would be fun to have kids paint and draw their own little doodles all over one of these blankets too.

 

 

37. And some color and personality to simple DIY drink stirrers with clay.

 

 

38. Take these DIYsilverware wraps on the go for a picnic on the beach or at the park.

 

 

 

Bonus summer craft ideas