The Most I've Ever Paid For A Keychain

(Note: This post has been in draft for a while and is now a little outdated, even more so after last year's trip to Walt Disney World. But I didn't want the work I put into it to go to waste, so I decided to upload it anyway.)

When it comes to buying keychains, I'm pretty much a cheapskate. I rarely pay more than a dollar for a single keychain, at least nowadays. If I remember correctly, back when Basic Fun Inc. was at its peak I was easily shelling out between five and seven dollars apiece for their Barbie keychains and their mini board game keychains. But the last time I bought something in that price range was when I got my World's Coolest Polaroid camera keychain.

(Note: This statement is no longer true. See my Walt Disney World Vacation post.)

In fact, if I hadn't wanted that Polaroid keychain so badly, and if it hadn't been a similar value to my old Basic Fun keychains, I don't think I could've justified the cost to myself. So, $6.99 is pretty much the maximum price that I'm willing to pay for a new, unused keychain. That is, until now.

I fell in love with this notebook keychain the first time I saw it. The cover is made of leather, and the pages inside are stitched into the spine, rather than being glued.

I found the keychain at a little shop called East Meets West. It's the type of place that sells incense, dreamcatchers, and dragon sculptures. My Dad, who has a rock and mineral collection, also likes to look at the store's assortment of stones and crystals.

This style of keychain was available with a number of different cover designs, all of them having some sort of fantasy motif. I specifically remember a dragon design and a pentagram design. However when I looked at the price tag, I went into sticker shock. The cost was $9.99 plus sales tax, for a single keychain. I couldn't justify spending that on such a small, frivolous purchase. But when and where was I ever going to find something like that notebook keychain again? That's when it occurred to me that I might have another option.

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of my sisters likes to go to the local Renaissance fairs. I'd only been to a Renaissance fair once, and the experience was off-putting for me thanks to the number of costumed performers who came up to me out of nowhere and tried to involve me in their routines. However I knew there were a lot of vendors and craftspeople at these events, trying to sell their wares. Maybe my sister could find a similar keychain for me at a lower price the next time she made an excursion.

I showed the keychain notebook to my sister and explained that I was hoping she could find me one for less money at the next Renaissance fair. My sister told me that she had seen similar keychains at the Renaissance fairs, but that they were priced higher there than what the store was charging. Even after hearing this I still managed to find the willpower to put the keychain back on the rack. But deep down, I think I knew it was just a matter of time before I bought one.

The next time my family was in the area I went into the store, just to look. At least, that's what I told myself. I immediately looked for the rack with the leather covered keychain notebooks. It had been moved since the last time I'd shopped there, and there were a lot fewer keychains on the display. I was hit with a new feeling of urgency. If I waited any longer to buy one of these keychains the store might sell out before I could get one and they might not restock them. I felt like it was now or never, so I bought one.

I'm not sure why I picked the unicorn design cover. Like I said before, there were a lot fewer keychains when I got back to the store, so the cover options were also more limited. Maybe it has something to do with seeing The Last Unicorn film too many times during my childhood. Regardless, I don't think I'll be spending $9.99 on a single keychain again any time soon.

(Note: Famous last words)

Signed, Treesa

Other Uses For Photo Keychains (A DIY Project Showcase)

The appeal of photo keychains seems to be that they give people a way to carry pictures of their loved ones with them wherever they go. However in order to stay portable, photo keychains must be small. Therefore, the pictures that go inside them must be equally small, sometimes smaller than the standard 'wallet' size. Trimming down a photo to fit inside a keychain, while also making sure that the subject of the photo stays properly centered, can be frustrating. I find this is especially true for frames that have heart-shaped 'windows'.

Over the years, I've bought a number of photo keychains that I thought were interesting or pretty. Most of these keychains were still empty until recently. I just wasn't up for the challenge of trying to find photos I could fit in them. Then one day I was at a flea market, examining yet another photo keychain, when inspiration struck. That past Christmas I had personalized some photo ornaments to use as gifts, filling the frames with patterned paper and other, flat embellishments instead of photos. What if I took what I'd learned on that project and applied it to my photo keychains?

My first attempt to adapt this idea used the same photo keychain that I'd been studying at the flea market. The keychain 'frame' is made from silver tone metal, with the words "Forever and Ever" engraved on the back.

This inscription led me to go with a 'love' theme for the project. With this theme in mind, I pulled out a sheet of leftover Valentine's Day stickers. The stickers were on the older side, and over time they'd actually become fused to the backing sheet. However the artwork on them was so beautiful, I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away. For this project, the fused backing actually ended up working to my advantage, since it let me use the sticker without having to mount it on a separate piece of cardstock first. I just used the piece of clear transparency that came inside the frame as a template to trim out one sticker with the attached backing. Then all I had to do was slip the sticker with the backing inside the frame and slide the transparency into place over the sticker to protect the image.

Since this particular photo keychain is top-loading, the keyring helps to hold the design in place.

This next project was a little more challenging, since the blue, faux alligator skin frame has a heart-shaped 'window'. This time I decided to use patterned paper from my scrapbooking and papercrafting stash, instead of a sticker. So I rummaged through my box of paper scraps, trying to find something that would coordinate with the frame. After pulling out several different papers that I thought seemed promising, I slid out the piece of clear transparency that had come with the frame and laid it on top of each paper, trying to get an idea what the different parts of the designs would look like inside the frame. I finally decided to center my design around a flower with a blue center that I thought coordinated nicely with the color of the frame. Using the piece of transparency as a guide, I trimmed around the flower, then slid my patterned paper square into the frame.

It looked okay, but the design still needed something. After some thinking, I pulled out a pack of clear stickers with quotes printed on them. After trimming the word "smile" off the end of a quote, I reached through the frame's heart-shaped 'window' opening and positioned the sticker word on the patterned paper. After the sticker was in place I slid the piece of transparency back into the frame on top of the patterned paper. I later decided to sandwich the patterned paper between two pieces of clear packing tape, for added durability.

The photo keychain pictured above is referred to as a 'Sparkle Sphere' on the tag. There's a price sticker from a store called Zany Brainy on the back of the tag. I remember this store very fondly from my childhood. I especially remember the Carousel Kids wooden 'paper dolls' and the wide variety of toy food that the store had for sale. I also remember how disappointed I was when the store closed.

The 'Sparkle Sphere' keychain is actually made in two halves that twist apart. Each half has a chamber filled with water and glitter. When a photo is sandwiched in between the two halves, it results in sort of a snow globe effect. This design also means that the keychain is double-sided, with space for two separate images.

Playing off of the snow globe idea, I selected some stickers based on the Disney movie Frozen that had come free with a mail-in offer. Free is always good, but by far the best part was that the stickers were already circular. I just had to trim them down a sliver so they would fit inside the keychain. I used one sticker of Olaf and one sticker of Elsa, adhering each sticker to thin cardstock to make it easier to work with. After the stickers were trimmed, I placed them inside the keychain back to back.

This next photo keychain is also double-sided.

For the front, I took a Santa Claus design postage stamp that I'd saved from an old Christmas card and, after carefully steaming off the remaining piece of the envelope, I adhered the stamp to a piece or red cardstock that I'd trimmed to fit the keychain. The stamp wasn't quite wide enough to fill the keychain on its own, so the red provides a nice border. Besides, I needed to mount the stamp on a separate piece of paper anyway, both to make it sturdier and to give me a blank canvas for the back of the keychain.

Speaking of the back, here's how that turned out. The holly design was paper pieced by stamping the design onto the red cardstock, them stamping it again on a separate piece of dark green cardstock and cutting out the leaves. In hindsight, I think the holly might've looked better if I'd used a lighter shade of green cardstock.

This photo keychain was purchased for me by my sister K. at Dorney Park. Planet Snoopy was one of Dorney Park's attractions, and the back of this keychain actually features a Snoopy design that looks like it was etched into the metal. Unfortunately, thanks to the metal's shiny, mirror-like finish photographing this design has been impossible for me. Regardless, I thought it would be fun to put a picture of Snoopy inside the keychain. So I cut one out of the Sunday newspaper. Once I'd trimmed the newsprint to the correct size to fit in the frame, I carefully sandwiched it between two pieces of clear packing tape, to give it some much needed durability. An interesting side-note, this frame is actually held closed with magnets, one of which already came loose and had to be glued back into place with extra strong craft glue.

This picture frame keychain featuring Goofy with a life preserver actually ended up in a box of 'spare' keychains that I was planning to sell. I couldn't remember where I'd gotten it, and at the time I had no idea what to do with it. However, I decided to take another look at it when I was in the midst of trying to fill my other photo keychains. I created the Finding Nemo themed insert for this keychain by applying a rub-on transfer to a piece of cardstock for the background, and then adhering a Nemo character sticker to the center. As usual, the insert was sandwiched between two pieces of clear packing tape to make it more durable.

I think the picture frame keychain shown above is a good example of why my photo keychains stayed empty for so long. In order to fit a picture in this frame, that picture would've needed to be cut into a circle. Combine that with the small size of the keychain and I would've been tearing my hair out if I'd gone the traditional route and tried to put a photo in the frame. Instead, I cut a circle from pale purple cardstock and used a small flower stamper and several colors of ink to create a background. The word "Pretty" was spelled out using tiny letter stickers. I wanted to go with a beauty theme for this project because there's a small mirror on the back of the keychain.

For this last example, I thought the design of the combination flashlight/picture frame mimicked the look of a handheld video game. So I chose an oversized Pikachu sticker for the image. The sticker was actually a little too long for the frame. But this ended up being a good thing, because the sticker also wasn't quite as tall as the opening for the picture. So after carefully measuring and cutting a piece of cardstock to the right dimensions, I peeled off the sticker and centered Pikachu on top of the cardstock. Then I trimmed the edges of the sticker, using the excess to cover up any remaining exposed cardstock.

I hope you enjoyed this 'DIY Project Showcase', and I hope I've inspired some of you to 'think outside the frame' and experiment with new ideas for photo keychain inserts. Whether you decide to use some of my suggestions or come up with your own, I'd love to hear about your creations in the comments section.

Signed, Treesa

Another Goodie Box From Heathersmoo

I recently received another fun goodie box from Heathersmoo of Keychain Of The Day on Livejournal. Heather's parents had gone to Hawaii before the whole Corona virus pandemic, and she'd had them pick up a couple keychains for me while they were there. Heather also included some additional items in the package. So, let's take a look.

Here are the two keychains from Hawaii. I love the sea turtle hatching out of the egg. I think I mentioned my fondness for turtles in a past post. I find it interesting that although the keychain was purchased in Hawaii and says Hawaii on it, according to the tag it was manufactured in the Philippines. The turtle and the egg are both made from wood.

The fish keychain seems to be made from some kind of leather. According to Heather, this keychain is modeled on Hawaii's state fish, which is known as the humuhumunukunukuapua'a. (From what I understand, the Hawaiian language has only 13 letters, and as a result a number of native Hawaiian words have repeating syllables.)

Heather also sent me a small notepad from Canada (notepads are always handy things to have around), as well as a handmade kumihimo keychain and an adjustable bracelet/anklet. Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique. In the note that Heather sent with the package, she told me that the colors she chose for the bracelet/anklet were inspired by Thin Mint cookies. As a former girl scout, I think this is a fun idea.

And I guess that about wraps up this post. Thanks again Heather! If I end up going on vacation this summer I'll try to return the favor. Although with the current state of the world a summer vacation doesn't seem likely.

Signed, Treesa

What's On Your Keychain?

I know I've previously mentioned the Keychains In Movies website, which catalogs keychain sightings in films and other media. Recently, the site did a brief write-up on a sighting from the movie Joker that got me thinking. In the film, the title character keeps his keys on a plain ring. Whoever wrote the post speculated, in a somewhat tounge-in-cheek tone, that maybe this was symbolic of societal emptiness. After I read this I started thinking about why people choose certain keychains for everyday use. You'd think that, when it comes to picking something to store the house keys on, the most important thing would be practicality. However, this does not always seem to be the case, especially for teens and preteens.

Judging by the keychains I've seen for sale in stores like Claire's and Five Below, which mostly cater to a younger crowd, it appears that the target demographic for these stores are drawn to keychains that can be considered 'trendy'. These 'trends' frequently change with time. Llamas were trendy for a while, then it was sloths. But something that most 'on trend' keychains have in common is that they tend to favor style over function. You can't convince me that a giant, faux fur pom-pom keychain is practical. Young people always seem to want to fit in and be considered current. But I think another reason why teens and preteens are drawn to 'trendy' keychains is because they reflect some aspect of the buyer's personality. Nothing says to the world that a person is relaxed and laid back like a keychain with a sloth on it.

Another thing I started thinking about was the fact that I myself keep my house keys on a plain ring.

No one who saw my keys would ever suspect that I'm a keychain collector. The reason I don't use any of the keychains in my collection for my house keys is that I'm afraid of losing them, and with good reason. I actually lost my house keys once when I was in college. I think they must've fallen out of my pocket. At the time I lost them, my keys were attached to a keychain with the name of my grade school on it. I think I was almost as devastated by the loss of the keychain as I was from losing my keys, since I knew I wouldn't be able to replace the keychain, having already graduated from grade school. (The grade school I had attended eventually ended up closing, due in part to declining enrollment.) Ever since, I've kept my keys on an ordinary split ring, so I won't run the risk of losing another keychain with sentimental value.

So now I'd like to know what you think. Do you think that the keychain a person uses daily reflects something about that person's personality? Also, what kind of keychain do you use on a daily basis? Let me know in the comments.

Signed, Treesa

The Panda Post (Panda Keychains)

According to my brother, the TV Tropes website refers to any feel good, human interest segment that's shown at the end of a news broadcast as a 'panda story'. The way that pandas have been depicted in popular culture over the years has helped them develop a 'cute and cuddly' reputation. So I can sort of see the connection between pandas and any news story that is intended to give the audience a 'warm, fuzzy' feeling. In these difficult times, we could all use something to brighten our day and lift our spirits. So I'm centering this post around some, literal, panda keychains. Hope you enjoy.

First we have this keychain, featuring a photo of a panda named Mei Lan. The lettering on the back indicates that this keychain originally came from Zoo Atlanta.

According to my online research, Mei Lan is a male giant panda who was born in 2006 at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia.

Here's another panda keychain. There are no manufacturer's marks on this one except for the word China on the back. I also can't remember exactly where I got this keychain, though I'm fairly sure I bought it second-hand. So there really isn't much I can tell you about this, except that it's cute.

And finally, this keychain from the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee has a photo of a red panda on it. Despite the name, red pandas aren't closely related to pandas genetically. According to the information I found online, the closest living genetic relatives of red pandas seem to be raccoons and skunks. However both pandas and red pandas have similar facial markings and they both eat bamboo, which might help explain how red pandas got classified as pandas.

I hope these cute, panda keychains added a small 'bright spot' to your day. Stay safe and stay well.

Signed, Treesa

Pokemon Jigglypuff Dreamcatcher Keychain From Etsy

During the state shutdowns and stay-at-home orders triggered by the Coronavirus, I've been doing more online window shopping, mostly on Ebay and Etsy. With most of the brick-and-mortar stores closed, and government issued orders to leave home only for necessities, I can no longer browse nearby retail stores for fun in my free time. So I've settled for browsing online. And since I still have some 'fun money' put aside, I figure I can treat myself just a little, not to mention support the economy, by paying for shipping charges on an online purchase or two.

This Pokemon Jigglypuff Dreamcatcher keychain came from an Etsy shop called Dream A Sweet Dream. The seller mostly specializes in dreamcatchers and paper flowers. I mentioned dreamcatchers and dreamcatcher keychains in my last post, but this one is unique. It's not everyday you see a dreamcatcher with a Pokemon character on it. Also, I know from watching Pokemon cartoons with my younger brother back in the 1990s that Jigglypuff is a Pokemon with the power to make people fall asleep. So the themeing for this keychain is ideal, in my opinion.

The shop featured many other themed dreamcatchers as well. Some were wall hangings, but others were in keychain form. The Jigglypuff on this particular keychain is a character shoe charm, like the type used to decorate foam clogs. Although the keychain is a bit larger than I expected, when I went back and looked at the listing again it did specifically state that this item is 3 inches long. After my previous experience trying to make a dreamcatcher keychain myself from a kit, which I discussed in my last post, I really appreciate the workmanship that went into this. Based on the quality and the creativity of this keychain, I would definitely recommend the Dream A Sweet Dream Etsy shop. Granted, this Pokemon dreamcatcher might not be the most practical keychain. But I love it.

Also, according to the shop's mission statement, 15 percent of the proceeds from each sale are donated to charity to bring awareness to mental health issues.

Signed, Treesa

Mac Enterprises Kit #IJ-10 Dreamcatcher Keychain

I first learned about dreamcatchers at girl scout camp. The story I heard was that dreamcatchers were used by Native Americans to catch the bad dreams before they could reach people. The dreamcatcher would be hung above a person's bed and the bad dreams would get caught in the net. Good dreams would travel down through the feathers hanging from the bottom of the dreamcatcher to the person sleeping.

As a child, I was fascinated by anything remotely 'Native American'. When, after years of saving, I finally had enough money to buy an American Girl doll, I chose the pioneer girl character because she had a Native American friend in one of the tie-in books. It wasn't until years later that American Girl actually produced a Native American character doll. But if that doll had been around in the beginning, I probably would've picked her instead. As it was, I used to pour over the section of the Magic Attic doll catalog designated for 'their' Native American character doll, Rose, even though I couldn't afford to buy another 18 inch doll.

But to get back to the subject of dreamcatchers, I never actually learned to make a dreamcatcher in girl scouts, though some of my sisters did. However, I do have a number of dreamcatcher keychains in my collection.

Most if not all of them were originally 'free gifts' sent by charities that work with native people. Charities, especially Christian based charities it seems, will sometimes send these sorts of things by mail to encourage people to send donations. However, I picked up the ones in my collection second-hand.

I can't remember where or how I originally got a Dreamcatcher Keychain Kit by Mac Enterprises. I only know that I rediscovered it while I was going through a box of my jewelry making supplies and decided that it was about time I actually used it. Here is the sample picture that came with the kit.

And here is a photo of how my dreamcatcher turned out.

First off, I would like to start by saying that I'm convinced the cord used to make the sample keychain was thinner than the cord that came with my kit. I also had some problems with the instructions.

When attempting a new craft project, I tend to have an easier time if the instructions include step-by-step photos or diagrams. For some reason, I have more difficulty interpreting written directions without visuals. It's just the way my brain works I guess. Anyway, the instruction sheet that came with this kit did provide a series of pictures that demonstrated how to loop the cord. But the black and white sketches were hard to follow, in my opinion. The written instructions seemed thorough, but again I'm the type of person who has difficulty making sense of written directions alone. So my poor dreamcatcher ended up looking...off. I don't think that making dreamcatchers is a craft I'll be tempted to try again. But if I do decide to give it another go, I'll probably look up some online video tutorials.

Signed, Treesa