Today, I want to show you how to make some adorable DIY wood bead keychains. These trendy accessories are easier and lots more fun to make than I expected; and they quickly became my go-to gift for hostesses, friends, teachers, neighbors, everyone this past holiday season. Best of all, the supplies are inexpensive, and assembly requires little-to-no craft expertise. If you’re looking for a great craft to make in bulk for any occasion, this is the perfect one to try. Let me show you!

Three round beads and 1 gold bead shown next to cord and keychain hardware

An Easy Craft Project

Every holiday season, I tend to go down some craft rabbit hole; and this year, I fell deep into the abyss of wooden beads. From garlands and ornaments, to bracelets, necklaces, and keychains…I came across so many stylish items I loved, but just knew I could make some myself. But in my very own style and my very own colors, for a lot cheaper (of course!) So I scooped up a bunch of beads in various sizes, shapes, and colors, not exactly sure what I was going to do with them.

Once I stopped over-thinking the countless colors, patterns, and designs I could make, I just started stringing beads together and came up with some combinations I loved. Then when I secured them to some key rings I had on hand, I knew I had come up with a clever, inexpensive, and handmade gift option for everyone on our holiday list.

Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

I was honestly quite surprised how quick and easy these DIY bead keychains were to make. Once you have your supplies assembled and some patterns figured out, stringing them together and knotting them off takes mere minutes. In fact, I was able to make dozens in just a few hours (below is just some of what I eventually made), making these a great option for scout troops, fundraisers, craft sales, or just to keep kids busy during the cold winter months.

Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

Best of all? Everyone seemed to really like them – we got so many compliments! Whether you put the keychain ring on your everyday keys, clip it to a purse as a bag charm, or use it to delineate special keys (like the one you give to neighbors when you’re on vacation), these are fun accessories that still look chic despite their handmade nature. (I may or may not still have a bunch on hand to gift whenever I need them!)

Supplies Needed

Here is what you need to make your own DIY wood bead keychains!

Red, white, blue, and gold wood beads shown with keychain hardware and leather cord on a white table

How to Make Colored Wood Beads

Instead of buying different bead colors, purchasing unfinished beads and then dying or painting them will give you a lot more flexibility with your design options (especially since these bags of beads will give you plenty of stash to make lots of keychains, garlands, ornaments, etc).

But how do you change the color of the wooden beads? There are two main options:

  1. Acrylic Craft Paint – Best if you want a painted, opaque appearance to your beads; here is a good method on how to do it.
  2. Fabric Dye – Best if you want a “stained” appearance to the beads, where you can still see the “grain”; here is a great tutorial.

After doing lots of research, I chose to stain my beads using fabric dye because I wanted to see the wood grain and re-color lots of beads as efficiently as possible. If you plan to make a lot of keychains, I highly recommend dying lots of beads at one time using the Mason jar method outlined here.

Bowls of red, blue, and pink wood beads shown alongside Rit fabric die

With a nice variety of unfinished (natural), stained, and painted beads, you’ll be ready to assemble a variety of designs like the ones shown below!

Three round beads and 1 gold bead shown next to cord and keychain hardware

How to Make DIY Bead Keychains | Step-By-Step

I’ll be showing how to assemble the longer keychain design (below), but the same steps apply to whatever bead pattern you choose. You’re more than welcome to follow my designs, but it’s also really fun to just play with the various beads you have on hand until you come up with a sequence you like!

Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

Gold Beads | Wood Beads | Geometric Beads | Keychain

Step 1 – Prepare the Key Ring & Cord

The first step is to secure the cording to the key chain hardware.

Keychain hardware
If not already, thread a lobster clasp onto a key ring.
Faux leather cord shown with pair of white scissors
Cut a length of cord about 12″ long.
Hands folding faux leather cord in half
Fold the cord in half, creating a loop at the top.
Cord being looped through keychain hardware
Feed the loop into the center of the key ring.
Hands pulling cord through keychain hardware
Pull the raw ends of the cord through the cord loop.
Hands tightening cord knot on keychain hardware
Pull the cord taught to cinch it around the key ring tightly.

Step 2 – String the Beads

The next step is to string your desired bead pattern onto the cording.

Bead pattern laid out on a while table
Lay out a row of beads in a pattern you like.
Hands pinching ends of cord together
Place the ends of both strands together; if necessary, trim the ends so they are even.
Hands stinging wood beads onto cord
String your beads onto both cords (at the same time), starting with the bead you want closest to the key ring.
Wood beads strung onto leather cord
Continue with all remaining beads.

Step 3 – Knot Off the Cord

Finally, you’ll need to knot off the cord to keep the beads in place.

Ends of leather cord tied into knot
Once all beads are in place, make a basic knot as close to the final the bead as possible.
Hands tightening knot at the end of a bead keychain
As you tighten the knot, roll it toward the beads to cinch them all together.
Long cord tails on end of beaded keychain
If the beads are too loose, un-do the knot and re-tie it until everything is tight.
Scissors snipping off ends of cord tails on bead keychain
Use a scissors to trim the excess cord length to your liking.

Step 4 – Repeat with Other Patterns

No matter what beads and pattern you want to use, the above steps still apply.

Below, I used three 1″ round beads and one geometric bead for a shorter keychain…

Three round beads and 1 gold bead shown next to cord and keychain hardware
Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

And below, I paired smaller gold beads with three geometric beads. All of these versions came together the exact same way, just with different beads and colors!

Three geometric beads and 2 gold beads shown next to cord and keychain hardware
Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

Other Fun Keychain DIYs!

I love making keychains for gifts, at a craft night, or just because! Here are some others we’ve tried and loved…

Red, white, blue, and gold wood bead keychains on a white table

If keychains aren’t quite your thing, this same technique can be used to make long garlands (for Christmas trees, mantels, around lamps/bowls, etc) and ornaments. I’ve got lots of beads left, and am excited to come up with some other fun creations! Stay tuned!

See You Soon!
Megan