Key Holder Tutorial.

I know, I am not a crafter. But maybe I am? I made this hey holder this weekend after Joel came home with a piece of wood and some hooks and said we needed somewhere to keep our keys. His plan was to take the plain unfinished wood and add the hooks and just screw the whole thing directly into the wall. No thank you. As awesome as that would have been, my plan was slightly different, hence this tutorial.

Materials needed:

Block of unfinished wood, whatever size and shape you prefer (mine was a 5x7 from Michael's)

Screw-in hooks

Sandpaper - light to medium weight

Adhesive - I used Mod Podge Puzzle Saver, it just needs to work on wood and paper

One sheet of scrapbook paper

Small bottle of acrylic paint to match scrapbook paper

Sponge paintbrush

Clear acrylic sealer (aerosol)

Saw-tooth picture-hangers (2)

*These items can all be purchased at Michael's or your local craft supply store.

Screw gun

Directions:

1. Using your sandpaper (try the finest grit first so you don't scratch your wood), smooth out any rough edges on your unfinished block of wood. Paint the edges or sides of your wood block, rest on a disposable cup to let dry, and paint a second coat to ensure complete coverage.

2. Using your wood block as a stencil, trace and cut out a piece of your paper, leaving an eighth of an inch extra on all sides. Take your adhesive and apply a thin layer to the wood block with your sponge brush. Place the paper over the adhesive and go over it with a credit card edge to ensure there are no wrinkles or bubbles. Allow to dry completely.
3. When adhesive is dry, remove excess paper using an Exacto-knife or razor blade, ensuring the paper and wood edges are flush with each other.

4. For this step it is important to go outdoors where it is well-ventilated! Using your clear acrylic sealer, spray a thin coat over the entire wood block, covering the paper and paint. Let dry completely on your disposable cup again, and repeat. I recommended doing several coats of the sealer (I probably did more like 5 or 6 cause it was fun).

5. Measure and mark with pencil where you would like your hooks to be placed. Pre-drill small screw holes into your marks and screw the hooks into the holes (no, I don't have man-hands, Joel was helping me).

6. Using a hammer and nails, attach your picture hangers to the back of the block of wood. Although the picture only shows one, two will help it to balance better on the wall when only one side has keys on it.

7. Voila! You are done and can hang it on the wall (and hopefully I can stop losing my keys).