wooden bead key chains & necklaces

There’s a misconception in DIY land that a craft must be difficult in order to be awesome. Not true. Just take a look at these wooden bead key chains and necklaces made by stringing beads onto leather cords. In fact, they are so easy to make, I could end this post right here. But that would be weird, so I’ll walk you through the steps. 

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supplies needed

• 2mm leather cording
• scissors
• split key rings
• round wooden beads in a variety of sizes
• polygon shape wooden beads
• toothpicks
• craft paint & brushes

step one – paint the beads

I used toothpicks to hold the beads tightly while I painted them. Most beads required 3 toothpicks each stuffed snugly into its hole to keep it stationary. After painting, I stuck the “skewered” bead into a piece of styrofoam while it dried.

step 2 – assemble the key chain

For the wooden bead key chains, cut a piece of leather cording about 12″ in length. Attach it to a split key ring with a sturdy knot.

Next, run both pieces of leather through the beads in any arrangement you like. For the smallest bead on the end, I was only able to run one piece of leather through the tiny hole. Make a firm knot at the bottom and trim the leather cords to desired length.

step 3 – assemble the necklace

For a necklace, cut the leather cord about 40″ in length. String beads onto the leather. Make a knot on either side of the bead arrangement to keep them stationary. Tie the ends of the leather cord together to complete the necklace.

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