How To Make A Cool Map Rock Keychain

I got the idea for this map rock keychain after sorting out my kitchen drawer. You know the one that you stuff full of things you don’t know where else to put, but you think it will be useful.

The one drawer in the kitchen you can hardly shut. As it’s full to the brim of loose batteries, old keys, plugs, elastic bands, etc…

One of the many odd things I did come across in the drawer was a set of pebble tablecloth weights. They had never been used and were still in the original packaging.

Why I had them I don’t know as I never use a tablecloth. The weights did look kind of cool as they were simply smooth flat pebbles with a clip. That’s probably why I bought them in the first place.

Printing Maps Onto Rocks To Make A Unique Keychain

I decided to keep them but not as tablecloth weights but to revamp them into a unique map rock keychain. They look even cooler now as I printed maps onto them.

A map rock keychain would make a lovely gift especially as you can print any kind of map on them. You can use a street map of where you live or a map of your favourite holiday destination. They are so simple and easy to make.

I’ve printed maps on to wood before to make a printed map picture frame and an IKEA hacked Mapbox map table. This time I thought I would use the same method to print maps onto a rock keychain.

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What You Need To Make A Map Rock Key Chain

• Flat pebble tablecloth weights – The ones I used were from FlyingTiger stores. But you should be able to find them in your local discount store or even on Amazon.

  You can of course just find some flattish pebbles at the beach or river. Then use a rotary tool, such as a Dremel with a diamond-tipped drill bit to drill a hole.

• Montana Gold Universal Primer
• Matte Mod Podge
• Sponge and water
• Acrylic Spray Varnish
• Keychain rings
• Maps – Mirror printed with a laser printer.

How to Make a Map Rock Keychain

1.. The first time I tried to print a map onto the pebbles it wasn’t very successful. The maps came off too easily. The second time I used a primer first and the map stayed on.

Therefore what you need to do first is to spray the rocks/pebbles with a universal primer.

2. The maps that are to be printed onto the rocks need to be a mirror image. Also just print them onto normal copy paper with laser ink.

Simply scan in any map you want to use. Maps can also be printed from the internet. There is a great selection of free antique maps on Pictureboxblue.

I don’t have a laser printer. I got my local copy shop, to print my maps for me on to a sheet of A4 paper for a very small cost.

3. Next, cut out 2 pieces of map one for each side of the stone. If using table weights remove the metal clip from the pebble and then cover liberally with Mod Podge and stick the maps to it, face down.

4. Next, leave the paper-covered pebbles until the glue has dried thoroughly.

Once dry, wet the pebble either under a running tap or in a tub of water and rub away the white paper. As you rub away the paper, you will see that the map has been printed onto the stone. Carry on rubbing until all the paper residue has been removed.

5. Finally, to finish off the map rock keychain, spray with a protective varnish and then add a metal keyring.

I just love anything with a map on it so I made a few of these keychains. One with a road map of Bedford where I currently live. The other one with a map of Cardiff for my son who is currently studying there.

Homemade Gift Ideas

A made a cute personalized wall key holder of my street for my map rock keychains.

These map rock keychains would make a lovely housewarming gift or even for Father’s day. You could try printing other images on the rocks. Such as photos or even the logo of your favourite sports teams.

Since making this map rock keychain, I’ve had another clear out of my kitchen drawers. Where I found some old eyeglasses. This time I turned them into a world map necklace. Another quirky thing to make out of old road maps is these paper map moths for the wall. Check out many more map themed gift ideas here.

This Mod Podge printing technique was also used to print some DIY Alice in Wonderland baubles.

I have some other Father’s day homemade gift ideas on Pillarboxblue. If you like the map theme, check out the map decoupage glass trinket dish. Or the handy nightstand caddy.

For non-map themed but still personalized gift ideas, you could make a lego photo frame. Or even something for the den-like a personalized lightbox sign and denim storage ottoman.