Personalized Rock Map Key Chain
4 Materials
$1
1 Hour
Easy
Did you know that you can print maps on to rocks and pebbles?
This is exactly what I did, printed maps of my favorite places on to smooth pebbles to use as personalized keychains. These would make great gifts.
I actually used some pebble tablecloth weights, I already had for this project. But don't worry if you can't find any pebble tablecloth weights. You can just get normal pebbles and drill a hole in them.
It's quite easy to drill a hole in a pebble with a Dremel rotary drill with a diamond drill bit.
To ensure the maps would print onto the pebbles the first thing I did was spray paint them with a white primer.
I scanned in some road maps of the places I wanted and printed them on to normal computer paper. You can also search google for the right maps and print them.
You will need to print a mirror image using a laser printer. If you don't have a laser printer your local print shop should be able to print them for you.
Draw around the pebble and cut out maps for both sides. Cover the pebbles with Mod Podge glue and stick the maps face down onto the pebble.
Leave to dry.
Next, wet the pebble with water and gently rub away the paper.
As you rub away the paper you will see the map printed on to the pebble.
Use a skewer to clear the drill hole of paper. Then simply attach a key ring.
I applied another coat of mod podge to the printed pebble to act as a protective varnish.
These keychains make a lovely gift, you can use a map of your hometown or favorite holiday destination.
I have also printed maps on to pallet wood before to make a personalized photo frame, which you can see here.
Also if you go to the blog post at the end, there are some free vintage maps that you can download for your own crafts.
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Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Comments
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5 of 40 comments
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The comments are very good. If I may add to them, put the name of each key on your rocks in place of the map, although they are pretty. Love the tutorial, thanks for sharing this great idea!!
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Thank you!
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Or put on small, thin pieces of wood (think Christmas tree ornaments) for car key rings....it’s an adorable idea for maps to be on car keys!! I think I’ll do this for my daughter and grands who live 5 hours away so they know how to get to Nana’s house 😂
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I like the wood idea, it is lighter weight to carry. I love the look though and may use the rock maps in other ways. Thank you!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Can real maps be cut, and mod podged on the printed side?
How do you print a mirror image?
Can u use an inkjet printer?