Discover 15 DIY bag charms and keychains with beads, clay, crochet and more to make for yourself or give as special gifts.
Hello friends! Welcome to another Craft Friday!
Sometimes the smallest handmade things bring the biggest smiles… and this week, we are exploring a collection of little accessories with plenty of personality! Think colorful beads, sparkling fish, tiny books, sweet mushrooms and even a lip gloss that gets to join the fun.
These DIY bag charms and keychains offer a lovely way to personalize a purse, dress up a tote or make a thoughtful gift with someone special in mind. Some involve simple stringing and assembling, while others invite you to try a little crochet, clay work or hand stitching.
So grab your favorite cup of something delicious… let’s see which little treasure catches your eye! Each source link will take you to the creator’s project page.
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1.Colorful Beaded and Chain Bag Charms
Maxie shares two ways to create a bag charm… colorful strands of beads and chains decorated with little dangling treasures. I love how much room there is to make this personal, whether you choose a favorite color combination or charms that celebrate the things you enjoy.
Source: Maxie Elise
2.Custom Bag Charms with Beads and Knotted Cord
This playful project from Perkins on Parkway brings together knotted cord, beaded safety pins, bead stacks and charm chains for a mix of textures and shapes. You can choose the elements you love and combine them into a little collection that feels entirely your own.
Source: Perkins on Parkway
3.Beaded Fish Bag Charms
Leslie turns simple felt fish into sparkling little characters with colorful beads, sequins and plenty of handmade detail. She includes fish templates and discusses both stitching and gluing the embellishments… a wonderful option for anyone who enjoys adding texture and a little shimmer. Take it a step further and create your favorite animal??? Possibilities are limitless!
Source: My 100 Year Old Home
4.Pom-Pom and Tassel Bag Charm
Country Peony combines a fluffy rainbow pom-pom with colorful tassels and beads for an accessory that practically brings its own happy mood. The photo instructions and video demonstrate how to use pom-pom and tassel makers, then bring everything together on a clasp.
Source: Country Peony
5.Miniature Book Keychains
These tiny books from Arielle’s Bindery have real paper pages and decorative covers… such a lovely little idea for the reader in your life! Arielle shares photographs and a walkthrough of her making process, including how she uses cereal box cardboard and paper scraps to build the miniature books.
Source: Arielle’s Bindery
6.Creative Beaded Keychains and Bag Charms
Smyks offers several beaded designs to explore, including a dimensional heart that gives this familiar craft a different look. There are instructions and photographs throughout, with links to additional techniques for some of the more involved designs.
Source: Smyks
7.Celtic Crochet Bag Charm
Jennifer creates a beautiful interwoven Celtic knot using a small amount of cotton yarn and a few basic crochet stitches. The free pattern includes video help for both right and left handed crocheters… and an optional bead adds a lovely finishing touch.
Source: Celtic Knot Crochet
8.Crochet Mushroom Bag Charm and Lip Balm Holder
Jessica’s little toadstool has a clever secret… its hollow stem can hold a tube of lip balm! Follow the free crochet pattern and video to make the useful version, or add stuffing to the stem if you prefer a purely decorative mushroom charm.
Source: Jess Crafting
9.Beaded Bag Charms in Two Styles
Rachel shows how to make dangling strands of beads as well as decorative loops that stretch across the front of a bag. Her tutorial also shares ideas for choosing colors and finding unusual beads… including giving pieces from old necklaces and bracelets another chance to shine.
Source: The Crafted Life
10.Custom Beaded Bag Charms with Handmade Details
Kari combines colorful cord, pony beads and novelty shapes into cheerful accessories that look right at home on a favorite tote. You can work with purchased beads or follow the linked companion tutorial to create your own polymer clay pieces for an extra personal touch.
Source: The Polka Dot Chair
11.Whimsical Miniature Clay Charms
Ashley’s tiny teapot, cat, camera and other clay creations offer so many possibilities for a charm collection with personality. Her tutorial walks through shaping, painting and finishing the pieces with UV resin… she displays hers on a decorative chain, but also suggests using them as bag charms.
Source: At Home with Ashley
12.Lip Gloss Keychains with Beads and Charms
Maxie gives an everyday lip gloss or balm a playful makeover with a clasp, decorative charms and a little beaded strand. Adding an initial makes it especially personal… a fun gift idea that combines something pretty with something useful.
Source: Maxie Elise
13.Mickey Mouse Inspired Clay Bag Charms
Kari stacks handmade polymer clay shapes to suggest Mickey’s familiar ears, glove, red pants and yellow shoes. The photographed tutorial takes you through making and assembling the pieces… a cheerful choice for a Disney fan or someone planning a special park visit.
Source: The Polka Dot Chair
14.Floral Rainbow Bag Charm
Natasha uses a floral rainbow stamp, color and shrink plastic to make a little charm that joins a chunky keychain. It is a creative way to put your stamps to work on something you can carry… and the tutorial explains how she colors, shrinks and attaches the finished piece.
Source: Hero Arts
15.Halloween Bag Charms with Spooky Personality
Ashton brings together pumpkin beads, ghosts, ribbons and layered chains for a bag that is ready to celebrate Halloween. One especially clever detail is using lightweight ghost and cat ornaments as statement charms… a lovely reminder to look beyond the jewelry aisle for inspiration!
Source: Ashton SeditaA Little Handmade Personality to Take Along
Did one of these little creations make you smile? I love that you can start with a single charm and a few favorite beads… then let the colors, shapes and little details tell the rest of the story.
Before shopping, take a peek through your craft supplies. You may already have some beads, yarn or a forgotten piece of jewelry waiting for a new purpose.
Whether you make something for yourself or surprise a friend with a thoughtful little gift, I hope this collection gives you a happy reason to sit down and create. Let me know which one you would love to try… I always enjoy hearing what catches your eye!
Sending hugs, Andrea @ The Cottage Market
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