DIY License Plate Design Keychain

This is a project I made for my husband's Christmas giveaways. I also made colorful beaded wire trees which I will be blogging about soon. Right now, let's check out how I made these personalized keychains.

First, I printed these license plate designs on a white copy paper and cut them out. My husband made the template, that's an acronym for their department in the office.

I then prepared the plates. These are made from air dry clay. I flatten sheets of clay about 2mm thick and cut out rectangles according to the size of the printouts. I just added a little space on the sides. These are about 6.5cm x 1.5 cm. I made holes big enough for a jump ring to fit in for easy attachment to the chain. 

There are other materials that can be used for the plates like wood or a thick and sturdy cardboard.

My clay plates have some rough edges so I had to smoothen them with a nail file. 

The hardened clay has an off-white color so I painted it with with bluish white acrylic paint to match the color of the paper printouts. 

When the paint was dry, I adhered the paper on the plates using Mod Podge, my favorite decoupage medium.

To seal and add gloss, I coated all sides with a thin layer of Mod Podge and let it dry.

I attached the finished mini license plates to the key rings and chains using my ever reliable pliers. 

And they're ready. I made 36 pieces of this design.

I just added this personalized tag and viola! A cute token for the Holidays.

Easy and simple, and I think it would make a nice gift. You can just put on a friend's initials or just any word you like. I hope you like it. Thanks for dropping by!