This pile of old keys we found have been sitting around for weeks. After trying them in every lock with no luck we deemed them craft material!
I’ve seen a few different ways to reuse keys, but I absolutely had to try a “key” hanger…what a fun way to give old keys a new purpose!
I used:
- A 12×9 wood plaque
- Old house keys (make sure you have extra in case they snap!)
- Acrylic craft paint
- Cricut brand premium glossy vinyl (silver)
- Polycrylic water-based sealer
- 1/2 inch wood screws
- Old bracelet pieces
- Gorilla epoxy super glue
First I found a small wood plaque and painted it dark teal with acrylic craft paint.
Then I picked out the longest keys that would be able to bend into a hook. By using a pair of pliers and a vice I was able to carefully bend the metal into a hook shape.
Thankfully I had enough long keys to try a few because 2 out of 5 snapped off with the pressure! For decoration I used metallic silver paint around the edges and borrowed gems from an old bracelet.
I’ve been wanting to try vinyl on my Cricut explore machine for awhile now, so I googled a couple cute sayings about keys and designed a decal. Using Cricut brand permanent glossy vinyl I cut out “Life is a journey, you have the KEYS”
It transferred! For a first try, I can definitely see the benefits of vinyl over stenciling, but it sure is a LOT more time consuming. After sealing the entire plaque with polycrylic sealer, I screwed in each bent key with small wood screws.
The plaque with the just the keys looks super cute too! I still wanted that subtle pop of color though, so I took some super glue and added the gems from the bracelet.
Finished!
What else can be done with old keys? Let me know in the comments!