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How to Make Shrink Plastic Cactus Keychains - Lovely Recycled Accessories

After using a plastic container, there's no rush to throw it away. You can absolutely recycle it to make cute and unique shrink plastic cactus keychains. These environmentally friendly accessories will be super pretty, and also super fun to make.


If you want the cactus printable pattern like the one I used in this tutorial, you can join my channel. Once you've become a member, you can download the patterns which are available for members only.


If you want to take a closer look, here is my tutorial video. Have fun watching!


Tools and Materials:

  • Plastic #6 (you can use a #6 plastic box as I did)

  • Scissors

  • Permanent marker

  • Cactus pattern (you can draw it by yourself, or you can follow the instruction above to download mine)

  • Hole punch

  • Electric oven

  • Keychain set: curb chains, split rings



Now, without further ado, let's get started!


1. Prepare the plastic


First, cut out the flat part of the plastic box. If you already have a #6 Plastic sheet then you can skip this step.


I made use of both the top and the bottom part of the plastic box to make 2 sheets of plastic, just like this.


2. Trace the patterns


Print out the cactus pattern. If you don't have one, you can draw it by yourself. Then, use a permanent marker to trace the cacti on plastic.

Remember that the results turn out to be 2-3 times smaller than your drawings. So make them big!


Cut your drawings out.


Remember to leave a decent-sized part to make a hole later.


Use a hole punch to pierce a hole in that part.


Do the same with other drawings. These pieces are so lovely, right?


Put these cute little pieces in the electric oven. Set the oven to 325°F in 2 minutes. The pieces will gradually shrink over time. Don't worry about the curves at first. They will straighten out eventually.


After 2 minutes, the pieces will become harder and smaller than before.


Use the pliers to attach the curb chains to the plastic pieces. Then attach the split rings to the curb chains.


You can create various keychain styles by changing the number of curb chains, removing split rings, or adding small cactus pieces to the keychains.


Ta-da! Our lovely babies have finally come to life! They look so cute, right?


That was How to Make Shrink Plastic Cactus Keychains.


These unique DIY keychains are useful and stylish gadgets that keep your house and car keys gathered together and secure. Besides, you can hang them on your bags as a display of flair and individuality.

It's time you got down to make your own charming plastic keychains. I hope you enjoyed this easy step-by-step tutorial. Comment below and let me know what you think.

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