Frame Your KEYS!

by Jacque

2 Materials

4 Hours

Easy

I save all my old keys and I've collected some along the way. I have found a way to cherish them every day...stirring memories of my first home, where both of my children were born. It's interesting to imagine which locks each key opened and all the emotions that would come flooding out once sprung. You'll find this a simple afternoon project...that will last a lifetime!

Got a frame without glass? Or you can buy one because you're gonna want to do this quick and cute project! It can work with any size of frame. I went with an 8x10, and it was perfect on my wall. Pick your size!

8x10 Black Plastic solo Frame

Remove the back of frame and glass. Choose your colors or leave frame as is. I painted the frame with white acrylic chalk paint and used an antiquing crackle medium glaze on top (or you can use glue for similar effect). I then added a coat of grey so the white would come thru as it dries. (I dont have pictures of painting it-because I did it for a different project that I never finished.)

Antiqued white & grey frame

After it dried, I worked on attaching the 2 wire grates together, With hot glue. (These are from the $1 Store, they come as a pair for the grill. If you use a larger frame buy more!) once the grates are united as one, I fitted it to the back of frame by trimming it to size. Then I also hot glued it onto frame.

Attach grates, then add to frame.

Cut grates to size of frame and hot glue on.

Take all your keys and lay them out in a pattern. You may even be able to make the shape of a HEART or a word like LOVE or HOME?! Just depends on how large your frame is and how many keys you have.

My keys were mostly Silver but I also love the rustic look of older keys...and am sure I could have dropped them in some vinager/acid to achieve a similar look. Just an idea if that's something you'd want to try, I kept mine shiny.

Let glue dry completely before adding keys.

I cut long pieces of thin silver "spaghetti" ribbon, attached keys to ribbon using a tight knot, then tied ribbon in a bow directly to grates. I wanted to display my frame in a very minimal simplistic way, so I found a 2" black satin ribbon about 24-30" in length. I cut this in half and used more hot glue to secure it at the top corners of frame (I turned it length wise/horizontally). Then I tied the two pieces together in a small bow.

All I did was use a thin nail in wall, and hung the bow on it. The frame hangs beautifully on my wall of LOVE!

Frame complete...now to add to my wall...

Keys... they open the things we hold dear. They keep our treasured items, homes and secrets safe. With every key there's a story! They are also symbolic. It's a great conversation starter with guests. Hang in a prominent space you can see everyday...and ENJOY!! ❤️ Thanks for lookin!! Jacque