Kids' Abstract Art Keychain Project

During the winter months, it is sometimes a struggle to keep my 6 year old entertained.  I'm fortunate enough to have a child that it highly interested in crafting like me, though.  We often find our sources of entertainment from Pinterest or from other mommy blogs.  Today, we have decided to make kids abstract art keychains (say that five times fast....errr...maybe not).  I like to have little unique pieces of art from my kiddo that are easy to hold onto.  Plus, how can we really keep (and organize!) the millions of papers they bring home from school? To combat my guilt for throwing away 3/4 of the school art papers, I'm always looking for a unique way to preserve his growth as a human as evidenced in crayon, marker, and various other mediums.  This project is well suited to any age as it is easy to omit kids from helping with the heating elements. 

For this project you will need: 

Heat embossing gun (or an oven would work, but trust me, it's easier with an embossing gun)

Permanent Markers

A hole punch 

Shrink Plastic Film (Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael's)

Scissors 

Spatula/Rolling Pin (for flattening the keychain if it curls)

Jump Ring or Piece of Leather/String (to attach it to the keyring)

Directions

The first step is to gather your items.  This is my entire spread, minus wax paper that I laid the shrink plastic on: 

Then, we cut a rectangle out of the shrink plastic.  It's not perfect and we didn't measure it, but it is roughly 3" x 2".  Now, this is going to shrink to approximately 1/3 of the size you initially cut it, so measure slightly bigger! When you get your desired size/shape, punch a hole in the top with your hole punch.  This is an important step, because you will be putting a jump ring through this little hole to attach it to your keychain.  I've also forgotten this step in the past...don't do that. (In this picture, I've already laid it on the wax paper). 

Now, grab your trusty assistant.   This one was handy.  Also, I'm kind of attached to him. 

And let the fun begin!  We used Sharpies for this project, but we've also used different brands of permanent markers.  There was once an incident with Sharpies and the bathroom wall, so I make sure to stay within about 5 feet of him during the artsy part.  I'm sure we've surpassed the bathroom graffiti artist stage, but I'm not taking my chances.  Also, have your little one color on the dull side of the shrink film.  

(If you're unsure which side is shiny and which is dull, you can lick your fingers and the dull side will be slightly sticky)  

After your little artist has finished his/her masterpiece, it's time to shrink it! It doesn't really make a difference which side you apply heat to if you're using an embossing gun.  If not, the brand of shrink film you're using will have instructions for oven use on the back.  Here's what it will look like before you apply the heat: 

And this is what some of the heat embossing process will look like when you add the heat to the film.  It will crinkle at some points, but will usually straighten out on its own.  You can obviously see my fingers directly touching the shrink film and this is probably not advisable.  It's hot and it will burn you.  But I couldn't be bothered with trivial matters like safety.  

Mine didn't straighten out perfectly, so I used a rolling pin to flatten it while it was still hot. (I've never had luck flattening projects that I warmed in the oven) 

After it has been shrunk, this is what your new little art piece should look like! Cute, huh?  

 This is the point where you'll want to attach your jump ring.  Or, if you didn't have a spare jump ring, you could simply use a piece of string or leather to tie it directly to the keyring (just make sure you tie it tight!). 

  

And this is what the finished product will look like!  This one is currently living on hubby's keyring.  I think it would make a fantastic project for Mother's/Father's Day.  Feel free to post pictures of your own projects in the comments; I'd love to see them! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

xo, Karee