A fingerprint or thumbprint heart keychain, backpack charm, or pendant is a unique, handmade, personalized craft and gift idea for kids and adults.
Use the step-by-step fingerprint heart keychain instructions below to make one-of-a-kind thumbprint charms and pendants that Moms, Dads, Grandparents, friends, lovers, and other relatives will treasure. Thumbprint heart keychains are a simple key ring craft and a homemade key to my heart gift idea that kids or adults can make with their actual fingerprints for loved ones at home or in the classroom. Each keychain craft features a loved one’s unique fingerprint to carry wherever you go.
This makes this easy heart craft idea perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day, Christmas, summer camp, anniversaries, memorials, wedding favors, and more! DIY thumbprint heart keychain charms make an excellent best friend gift, or a wonderful gift for a spouse, partner, lover, or even your child’s favorite teacher. Fingerprint keychains with a thumbprint heart are also a perfect memorial gift, as they can help you carry the prints of a loved one who has passed on to keep their heart with you forever.
These fingerprint key chains also make cool homemade backpack charms and pendants to give to friends. Or make them at summer camp as keepsakes to bring home. Alternatively, you can make thumbprint heart magnets, another easy, handmade gift idea and a fun craft idea for all ages. First published on May 5, 2018, this thumbprint heart craft post is updated and republished regularly to improve the content. You might also enjoy this list of homemade gifts kids can make.
DIY Fingerprint Heart Charms and Pendants for Keychains, Backpacks, Purses, and More!
Making thumbprint heart keychains and backpack charms offers a delightful blend of creativity, personalization, and practicality, making them a fantastic project for individuals of all ages. You might also enjoy making thumbprint heart necklaces.
These charming creations serve not only as unique and heartfelt gifts for loved ones on occasions such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, anniversaries, and birthdays but also as personalized tokens of affection that carry the unique imprint of the giver. This is why they are also a perfect memorial token.
They are also a fun Valentine’s Day gift kids can make and hand out to their classmates and friends. My daughter gave them to her classmates on Valentine’s Day a few years ago, and I still see them adorning their backpacks.
The beauty of homemade thumbprint or fingerprint heart keychains lies in their ability to turn a simple gesture into a lasting keepsake, encapsulating a moment in time. They can be customized with various colors, embellishments, and materials to match the recipient’s personality or the giver’s creativity. Just look at the rainbow of thumbprint heart pendants my daughter made below!
Beyond their role as keychains, these thumbprint hearts can adorn backpacks, purses, and other personal items, adding a personal touch to everyday objects. I love the fingerprint heart pendant crafts my daughter made and have them hanging from my keys, purse, and backpack. They’re just so cute!
These gorgeous fingerprint heart crafts also serve as thoughtful, DIY wedding favors, a way to celebrate friendship (give one to your BFF), or even as a classroom project to teach children about the importance of individuality and handmade gifts while making something for Mom, Dad, or the Grandparents for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Grandparent’s Day. Or, try making a Handprint Jewelry Dish or Ring Bowl.
How to Make a Fingerprint or Thumbprint Heart Keychain
Gather the fingerprint or thumbprint heart keychain-making supplies from the list of charm and pendant materials below, and follow the easy step-by-step directions to make DIY fingerprint heart keychains or fingerprint heart necklaces.
The step-by-step thumbprint heart keychain video tutorial is below the written instructions, while the keychain charm craft supply list is directly below. Another fun way to make a fingerprint heart keyring ornament can be found on Messy Little Monster. You might also enjoy crafting a Fingerprint Flower Necklace or keychain pendants and charms.
DIY Thumbprint Heart Keychain Supplies:
Select the thumbprint heart charm pendant shapes and pre-made necklaces you would like to use to make thumbprint heart keychains from the materials list below. Alternatively, you can use similar craft supplies to make thumbprint heart necklaces.
- Choose one of the following to make fingerprint hearts on cardstock:
- Cardstock
- Glue or adhesive, choose one of the following:
- Detail scissors
- Pendant trays with glass cabochon keychain-making options (choose at least one of the jewelry-making charms or pendants from the list below):
- 40x30mm oval pendant trays and 40x30mm oval cabochons
- Stainless steel square keychain pendant trays with square cabochons
- Keyring for thumbprint heart keychains:
- Metal swivel lanyard snap hook with keyring
Related: Best Heart Art Projects
DIY Fingerprint Heart Keychain Charm and Pendant Step-By-Step Craft Tutorial
Collect thumbprint heart charm and pendant craft supplies, and read through the instructions before starting this thumbprint heart craft, so you know the steps involved and what to expect. The step-by-step video tutorial is posted below the written DIY instructions that follow:
1. Make a thumbprint or fingerprint heart:
For each necklace pendant, stamp prints with fingertips or thumbs into the shape of a heart. Follow the easy instructions below to make a fingerprint or thumbprint heart.
- Press your pointer finger, pinky finger, or thumb into a fingerprint ink pad or acrylic paint.
- Thumbs make the largest prints, while pinky fingers make the smallest fingerprint heart prints.
- In the photographs and video tutorial, my daughter and I used fingerprint ink pads to make the fingerprint heart pendants and charms, but acrylic paint also works well.
- If you choose to use paint instead, use it sparingly. Thick fingerprint hearts will not work well when making keychains and backpack charms.
- Press the finger or thumb with ink or paint onto the paper at a slight angle.
- Press the finger or thumb back into the ink pad or paint to reapply more color if needed.
- Tilt the finger or thumb slightly in the opposite direction to the first print, to make the two upper lobes of the heart with a single rounded point at the bottom. Then, press it down so it slightly overlaps the first print to finish the fingerprint or thumbprint heart, as shown in the DIY video tutorial below.
- Allow fingerprint ink or paint to dry before moving on to the next step.
or acrylic paint.
2. Glue the fingerprint heart onto the back of a glass cabochon:
- Place a drop of Mod Podge, Diamond Glaze Adhesive, or B7000 Jewelry Glue on the back (flat side) of a square or oval glass cabochon.
- The video craft tutorial for this project below shows using Mod Podge for this step, but Diamond Glaze or B7000 work just as well, if not better.
- I don’t recommend using hot glue to make these fingerprint heart keychain crafts. It does not adhere well to glass and can become yellow over time.
- A little bit of glue or adhesive goes a long way. Don’t use too much; it can smear the thumbprint heart art print.
- Next, put the glass cabochon (with glue on its flat side) directly on top of the fingerprint heart, as shown in the video tutorial below.
- Press down to distribute the glue under the cabochon and remove any air bubbles.
- Allow the glue to dry overnight if possible.
, Diamond Glaze 
.
3. Cut away any remaining paper around the glass cabochon:
- Use small precision or detail scissors to trim and remove any excess paper surrounding the glass cabochon, as shown in the fingerprint heart charm video tutorial below.
4. Glue a glass cabochon with a fingerprint heart into the keychain pendant tray:
- Apply Mod Podge, diamond glaze adhesive, or B7000 Jewelry Glue to the inside of a square or oval pendant tray.
- Place a glass gem with a thumbprint heart into the pendant tray and press down to spread the glue throughout and remove any air bubbles.
- Hold firmly for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Wipe edges clean with a damp washcloth or wipe.
- Allow the fingerprint keychain ornament time to dry; overnight is best.
.5. Attach the thumbprint heart pendant to the keychain ring and clasp:
- Use your thumbnail to open the split ring of each keyring, and attach the lanyard swivel hook and the thumbprint heart pendant onto it as shown in the step-by-step DIY video tutorial below.
- Or, place the pendant on a necklace to make a thumbprint heart necklace!
Related: Homemade Gifts Kids Can Make
Fingerprint or Thumbprint Heart Keychain Video Tutorial
Watch the DIY video tutorial below for step-by-step instructions for making fingerprint heart keychains and thumbprint heart necklaces. You might also enjoy making fingerprint flower keychains and necklaces.
Related: Personalized Heart Candle Holder Gift Idea
More DIY Pendant necklaces and keychain charms
We have developed several fun and easy ways to use DIY pendants to make necklaces and keychain charms. Click on the links for all the DIY details!
- Fingerprint Art Necklaces, Fingerprint Art Keychains, and Backpack Charms
- Thumbprint Heart Necklaces
- Fingerprint Flower Necklaces or Keychains
- Picture Necklaces or Photo Keychains
Related: How to Start and Finish a Beaded Necklace or Bracelet
More Fingerprint Art & Thumbprint Crafts, and Gift Ideas
In addition to the fingerprint and thumbprint jewelry pendant and keychain charm crafts listed above. We have a few other super cool fingerprint art ideas and thumbprint crafts you can try with the kids!
- Fingerprint Art Magnets
- Thumbprint Heart Magnets
- Fingerprint Flower Magnets
- Thumbprint Heart Crafts and Gift Ideas
- Fingerprint Art Project Ideas
- Four Seasons Handprint and Fingerprint Art Project
- Christmas Wreath Fingerprint Art
- Fingerprint Snowman Art
- Easy Fingerprint Lights Christmas Tree Cards
- Fingerprint Christmas Tree Cards
- Thumb-Buggy Fingerprint Love Bug Crafts and Cards (pictured below)
Related: Heart Art Salt Painting
DIY Fingerprint Keychain Gift Idea
Make memories last with custom fingerprint keychains. Make them for your best friend or lover, help an ailing loved one make them as memorial gifts, or invite children of all ages to use their fingers and thumbs to create one-of-a-kind thumbprint heart keychains and fingerprint heart necklaces for relatives and friends.
These simple thumbprint heart crafts can foster a sense of accomplishment and artistic expression for kids and adults of all ages. The finished product provides a tangible symbol of love and connection, making them much more than just decorative items.
Fingerprint keychains make it easy to keep someone you love with you wherever you go. This makes Fingerprint and thumbprint heart keychains the perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, wedding anniversaries, memorials, or birthdays. They also make unique DIY wedding favors.
Simple crafts like these fingerprint keepsake gifts are always a favorite with friends and family. They will treasure these keepsake gifts for years. Fingerprint flower necklaces or keychains also make a wonderful handmade keychain charm gift that kids or adults can make.
Learn more about this craft’s author, photographer, and creator, Nell Regan Kartychok, and Rhythms of Play HERE!
If you like making Thumbprint Heart Keychains, you might also enjoy these arts and crafts:
- DIY Keepsake Gifts for Him or Her
- Valentine Crafts and Gifts Kids Can Make
- Gifts for Dad Kids Can Make
- Valentine’s Day Art Projects for Kids
- Heart Art Projects
- Homemade Gift Ideas Kids Can Make
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