Flip flop, flip flop… this sound reminds me of summer. I desperately wish it was summer. But until then I make my own summer, with summer tunes, white wine and a cute flip flop keyring… when I can’t wear it, I put it on my keyring.
Years ago when I came to Cape Town I got some souvenirs at an african market for my friends at home. There I also found this clever keyring, a tiny flip flop with the South African flag and “Cape Town” written on it. Taste changes and I am not into Cape Town souvenirs anymore, especially as I live here for some time already. But the idea of a flip flop keyring stuck in my head.
So here is my version of it.
For your flip flop keyring you need:
- leather scraps (two different colours)
- nylon thread 0.6mm
- small beads
- printed template (download it here)
- sharp scissors
- pin
- marker
- strong tape
- leather glue or super glue
- punch pliers
- keyring
1 – Cut out the flip flop template. Place it on the back side of the leather, trace it and cut it out. Remember that you need to flip the template around before you place it on the second piece of leather (so you can glue them back to back together later).
2 – Stick the pin through the leather you want as the upper sole (see marks on template) to make holes. Wiggle the pin a little bit to widen the hole enough to fit the nylon thread through.
3 – Cut two pieces of nylon thread approx. 10 cm / 4″ long (you will trim any excess later). Stick both pieces through the toe hole of the leather sole. Tape the nylon threads to the bottom of the leather sole, so they won’t slip through.
4 -Start threading the beads, two beads on both nylon threads and then separate the threads and 10 beads on each thread.
5 – Stick the nylon threads through the holes, tighten it carefully, tape the threads to the bottom of the sole and cut off excess thread.
6 – Apply glue generously to the bottom of the the flip flop sole and glue the second leather sole on (backside to backside).
7 – Punch a hole through back end of the flip flop and put it on the keyring. Done.
I even thought about putting the tiny shoe on a necklace or make a pair of teeny tiny ones and wearing them as earrings. Yay or nay, what do you think?
