Monogram Keychain (DIY)

We all have that one special friend that loses everything - everything - from her purse to her keys to her phone.  She is loved, buuuuut......this gets old.  I present to you the ideal handmade gift for said friend: a neon monogram keychain that glows in the dark.  Not only is it cute, but this is about as practical as a DIY project can get.


When I received these preppy iron on applique letters from My Next Style, I knew right away that a monogram project was in my future, because who doesn't like personalized stuff?

You will need:
- iron on applique letter
- felt
- key ring
- small jump ring
- neon acrylic or fabric paint
- glow in the dark paint
- needle and thread

Remove the paper backing from your letter and place it on the felt.

 Carefully set a thin cloth over the letter and iron for ten to fifteen seconds (I left the cloth out of this photo so you can see whats going on, but definitely use one to keep adhesive from getting on your iron).  Flip the felt over and iron for an additional twenty seconds.

 Using very sharp scissors, trim away the excess felt. 

 Coat the embroidered area of your letter with paint.  Neon colors can sometimes be thin and may require several coats.

Allow the paint to dry completely.

 In acrylics, the 'glow in the dark' element tends to settle at the bottom, so be sure to shake it up first. 

Again, you may need several coats for a strong glow.

*Note: glow paint has a slight yellow tint: it will look best layered over shades of green, yellow, or ivory.

Connect the jump ring to your key ring.

Now, you can skip the jump ring and sew a key ring right to the letter, but be prepared: the thread used to attach it will make adding keys to the ring very difficult.

 Sew the jump ring to the upper left corner of your letter.  

I used at least a dozen stitches - make sure that baby is secure!

The ~almost~ impossible to lose key chain!

 For more fun DIY projects, visit the My Next Style blog.