How to Make a Beaded Keychain

Creating a Single-Strand Keychain

Cut your keychain cord into a 12 to 24 in (30 to 61 cm) piece. Use suede or leather cord for beads with bigger holes, and use wire for beads with smaller holes. You can find all these options at your local craft store. If you want a 5 to 6 in (13 to 15 cm) keychain, cut off 12 in (30 cm) of cord. The cord will be folded in half, so the actual length of the keychain will be half of whatever length you initially cut. You could also use twine or yarn, though they will wear through much quicker than wire, leather, or suede will.

Position the keychain ring in the center of the piece of cord. Make the ends of the cord equal to one another. If it helps, do this on a flat surface so you can gauge the lengths more easily. You can buy packs of keychain rings from your local craft store very inexpensively. A 10 pack will cost you $4 to $5.

Secure a knot or a crimp bead at the top of the cord. If you’re using leather or suede, create a simple knot by crossing one end of cord over the other end, and then pass the end of one side through the hole created by the 2 strands. If you’re using wire, thread both ends of the wire through a crimp bead and push the bead to the top, so it’s next to the keychain ring. Use the needle-nosed pliers to secure the crimp bead in place. The knot/crimp bead helps to hold the cord in place on the keychain ring.

Prep any beads that need to be painted. Use acrylic paints and a paintbrush to design your beads. Let the beads dry completely before you use them on the keychain. You can buy lots of different sizes of plain, wooden beads at the craft store and paint them to go along with any color scheme you like. You could even use spray paint to cover the wooden beads.

Plan out your bead arrangement before putting anything on the cord. Use various shapes and sizes of glass beads, amazonite beads, pony beads, bugle beads, crystal beads, gemstone beads, pearls, or any other varieties you find at the craft store. Lay out the beads you want to use, and decide beforehand how you’d like them to look on the keychain. Try out a few different combinations to find the one you like best. For example, you could make a rainbow-themed keychain with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet or a color gradient by using deep purple, bright purple, light purple, and clear beads (or use any other color you like). Use letter beads to spell out a name or a word. There is no wrong or right way to design your keychain. Be creative and have fun!

Thread both ends of the cord through the beads. Insert both ends of whatever cord you’re using through each bead. Push each bead to the top of the keychain ring and leave no to little space between each bead. If you decide you want to go in a different direction with the order of your beads, simply pull them off the cord and begin again. You can even change the shape of the beads by lining them up in the order you want to use them on a parchment sheet. Melt them lightly in the oven at a low temperature to turn them into discs.

Leave 2 in (5.1 cm) of empty cord at the end of your keychain. Make your keychain as long or as short as you’d like. Just make sure to leave space at the end so you can make the final knot. You may be able to secure the end with just 1 in (2.5 cm) of space, so use your best judgement. If you find you don’t have enough space for all the beads you want to use, you’ll need to either eliminate some of the beads or cut a new, longer piece of cord and start over.

Tie a knot or secure a crimp bead at the end of the keychain. If you’re using leather or suede, loop the ends of the cord through themselves to make another knot. Tighten it as much as you can to keep the beads securely in place. If you’re using wire, attach a second crimp bead beneath the decorative beads, and use your needle-nosed pliers to pinch it into place. If you’re using leather or suede, you could also apply a dot of hot glue to the knot for some extra security.

Trim off any excess cord that you don’t want hanging down. If you used wire, cut off all of the extra wire hanging below the crimp bead. If you used suede or leather, leave the excess cord hanging if you like the look of it, or trim it to whatever length you prefer. For leather and suede, it’s good to leave at least ⁄2 in (1.3 cm) of cord hanging down so that your knot is less likely to come undone.

Attach your keys to the keyring, or give the keyring away as a gift! Once you're done with the knotting and trimming, your keychain is ready to use. Wrap it up to give it to a friend, or add your keys and start using it yourself. Save your beads and other materials so you can make other crafts with them in the future.

Making a Lizard Keychain

Measure out and cut off 4 ft (1.2 m) of cord or ribbon. Almost any kind of lanyard or cord will work for this craft, but choose a strong material that won’t break easily, like thin sewing thread. Feel free to pick a fun color of cord, like orange or yellow or green! The ribbon or cord needs to be able to fit through each bead twice, as that is how the lizard will be shaped.

Choose 3 different colors of pony beads to use to create your lizard. Pick 27 beads of one color (the “regular” beads), and 21 beads of another color (the “colored” beads). Finally, pick 2 beads of another color to be the lizard’s eyes (black, silver, or gold are nice choices for the eyes). Green beads would be more realistic for a lizard, but don’t be afraid to choose other colors, like yellow and red or pink and blue. You can buy pony beads in bulk from the craft store really inexpensively.

Create the head of the lizard to start your keychain. Place 3 beads in the middle of the cord so that the length of cord on each side of them is equal. Then take the cord on the left side and thread it through the 2 rightmost beads (leaving the leftmost bead alone). Next, thread an eye bead, a regular bead, and another eye bead onto the right-side cord, and pull the left-side cord through those beads to create the eyes. Then add 2 regular beads to the right cord and thread the left cord through them the same way to create the neck of the lizard. Tightly pull the cord after each row to keep the beads in place. The head will be made up of the regular beads, plus the 2 eye beads, but none of the colored beads.

Make the lizard’s legs by threading beads on each side of the cord. Each leg is made up of 5 beads—2 regular beads, and 3 colored beads. Thread the 2 beads followed by the 3 colored beads onto one side of the cord, then thread the end of that same cord back through the first 2 beads. Pull the cord tight to create the leg. Repeat this on the other side of the lizard. The leg-making process does not require the left-side and right-side cords to intersect. The 3 colored beads are what make the actual foot of the lizard, while the 2 regular beads are the leg of the lizard.

Form the body of the lizard with 8 regular and 6 colored beads. Create 4 rows for the body using the same method you used to create the head. Make the first row out of 2 regular beads and 1 colored bead, the second and third rows from 2 regular beads and 2 colored beads each, and the fourth row from 2 regular beads and 1 colored bead. After threading each row of beads onto the cord on the right side, pull the end of the cord on the left side back through the beads, pulling it tight to form the rows of the body. If you have more beads, you can make the lizard as big as you’d like. Simply add more rows of beads, or make each row wider to increase the size of the lizard.

Repeat the leg-forming process to create the bottom 2 lizard legs. Use 2 regular beads and 3 colored beads on each side. Thread the regular beads on first, followed by the colored beads, and then bring the end of the that same cord back through the regular beads. Pull the cord tight to form the feet. You could always make the bottom feet a different color from the top feet if you have enough beads. Use your creativity to make a unique lizard!

Shape the long tail with the remainder of your beads. After the bottom legs are made, create a 2-bead row followed by 6 to 8 single-bead rows. Use an alternating color pattern for a neat visual effect, threading each bead onto the right-side cord. Remember to thread the end of the left-side cord through each bead to secure it in place, and pull the cord tight. Make the tail of the lizard as long or as short as you like.

Attach the keyring to the end of the cord and make a knot. Place the keyring between the 2 ends of cord and position it right below the end of the lizard’s tail. Tie a knot around the keyring to hold it securely in place. Trim away any excess cord. Use a glue gun to add a dot of hot glue to your knot for extra security if you’d like. You can mix whatever colors you’d like to make a truly unique keychain.