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Because I have a 9-year-old I often find myself in store toy aisles. And as I wander around while waiting for her to look at whatever has caught her fancy, I gravitate toward the Disney Doorables. If you haven’t already been sucked into the gravitational pull that is Doorables, let me explain.
Doorables are mini collectible Disney character figures that are packaged as a blind surprise. You don’t know which ones you’re going to open up, but you can bet they will be squeal-worthy level adorable.
Maybe all things Disney don’t float your boat they way they do for me so you wouldn’t be so drawn to them. Most of the time, I can only turn away from the display empty handed by telling myself I don’t know what I would do with them once they were opened. What use do they have? Well now I’m in trouble because I have made a couple things with Doorables, and it feels like the sky’s the limit. You can use Doorables to make pens, if you crochet you can add them to amigurumi sticks (for use in the greatest crochet hack of all time), and now I know how to make keychains/purse charms. It’s over for me. Save yourself and never buy any. If you however have already gotten sucked in or just love Disney, I’ll teach you how to make keychains/purse charms for yourself and everyone else you know who would love one.
Let's jump right in!
Watch the video tutorial:
Supplies:
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Silicone or other beads – you want ones with a larger hole for threading the cord through. Here’s what I used:
-Various colored 12mm, 14mm, and 15mm silicone beads
-All of the other beads were purchased from Hobby Lobby except the ones that looked like berries which I purchased from Joann Fabrics.
The next three items are included in the same kit.
Waxed Brazilian Cord – I bought mine from Hobby Lobby - or this one from Amazon is the same
OR
Big Eye Beading Needle – I did not need this for the waxed Brazilian cord, but you would definitely want it if you were using the 1 mm nylon cord.
Snips or scissors
Sewing stiletto - You need something very pointy. You could also use a pair of tweezers or scissors.
If you want to add tassels:
Tassels – this set of beads also came with tassels OR you could order them separately
Jump rings – in the kit
Needle nose pliers - in the kit
Optional:
Baby wipes to wipe glue off your stiletto or pointy object
Let's Get Started Making Doorables Keychains:
The first step is probably the most fun - lay out what beads you want to use. I typically use 4-5 beads on each keychain, but this is just personal preference. Your middle bead should be a bit larger and/or silicone.
Two of my daughters and I spent way too long coming up with delightful combinations. It was hard to stop, and I ended up buying more keychain blanks because we wanted to make so many.
Next, you to add a screw eye hook to the top of the Doorable. Get the hand drill ready by opening the top by turning it counterclockwise. Slide in the 1.2 mm drill bit and hold it steady while turning the top of the hand drill clockwise to tighten the hole and hold the drill bit in place.
Hold the Doorable steady in your non-dominant hand, place the drill bit into the center of the top of the head, and then twist the drill with your dominant hand while applying a bit of pressure. Keep twisting until the hole is deep enough for the screw eye hook.
Unscrew the hand drill to remove it from the top of the Doorable and pull out the bits of plastic you drilled.
Apply a tiny amount of glue to the screw portion of a screw eye hook, insert it into the hole you just created, and screw it in until the hole at the top is flush with the top of the Doorable and is straight.
Now get your cord ready. Hold the cord up to the line of beads you have laid out, double the amount, add a few inches, and then cut.
Thread one end of cord through the bottom chain on the keyring.
Now thread the first 2-3 beads onto both ends of the cord. These are the beads that will be closest to the keychain itself. If you are using the waxed cord, you probably won’t need a beading needle but if anything gets stuck or is proving tricky to slide on, a beading needle is helpful.
Now use just ONE of the strands of cord to thread through the remaining 2-3 beads.
Run that end through the opening in the Doorable’s eye hook.
Next use THE SAME END OF THE CORD to thread back through the 2-3 beads you already ran it through.
This should take you back to the opening between two beads where you stopped threading both ends at the same time.
Knot the two ends together. Begin the knot as you normally would by crossing one end over the other and then threading it through the resulting loop and pull it tight. This will draw all the beads together.
Next cross the end over the top and through the loop as you would to finish the knot, but instead of pulling tight, pass the end through the loop a second time. Now pull the ends tight. This is called a surgeon's knot.
Using your scissors or snips trim off the excess cord leaving very small tails.
Bend the two beads near the knot in opposite directions to open the area up a bit and apply a tiny dot of glue to the center of the knot.
Before the glue dries, use your stiletto or tweezers to jam the knot into the center of one of the beads on either side.
Let the glue dry.
Now you have to decide if you want to add a tassel or not. If you choose to add one, grab your needle nose pliers, a jump ring, and a jump ring opening tool.
Use the opening tool and pliers to open up a jump ring by twisting the opening in opposite directions.
Slide the tassel onto the opened jump ring and then slide the jump ring onto the keyring.
Use the opening tool and pliers to twist the opening closed.
Once the glue is dry, you’re done, and they're ready for use! I wouldn't believe you if you told me you don't want to a make a million of these because they are so fun, easy, and cute!
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Happy crafting!