This is a tutorial for how to make Chapstick holders with Cricut cutting machines. My chapstick holder SVG templates are free and included if you want to make your own!
Who doesn’t need another lip balm? I’m personally always losing lip balms left and right so it made total sense to make one of these keychain holders. Hopefully, I don’t lose my keys too. ha
I’ve tried every lip balm under the sun. From the grocery store brand Eos and Chaptsticks to the super fancy boutique brands that cost 10x the amount. I’ve gone through organic, no paraben all-natural phases to cute packing only lip balms. I’ve tried everything short of making my own lip balm, which apparently is easier than you think.
While amateur apothecary is not really my thing, crafting is, so I decided the next best thing to making my own lip balm was to make my own lip balm holder.
These Chapstick or lip gloss keychain holders make for the perfect handmade gift. Even if you don’t use this a keychain, it makes for a perfect little storage kit for a lip balm that can slide in and out of pockets and purses. I love making little handmade gifts that actually have a purpose.
Most people sew these keychain holders together but I didn’t want to get out the sewing machine much less try to sew faux leather. You do need a little bit more clearance around the lip balm if you do choose to glue this piece together as opposed to sewing.
In terms of which glue to use, I tested a bunch on faux leather from general polymer-based glues like Tacky Glue to a glue gun to rubber cement. A glue gun could work if you have stronger glue sticks like the Gorilla brand one but I would highly recommend E6000 which is an industrial-strength glue with medium viscosity. It just stinks and isn’t great for you to inhale so be sure to assemble these in a well-ventilated area.
I would stick to the Chapstick size lip balms for this particular design or else the keychain gets too big.
It was so easy and fun to make, I designed a few faux leather Chapstick holder template. Both the printable and SVG cut file templates are all available for free in my resource library.
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Materials for Faux Leather Cricut Lip Balm Keychains
Faux Leather – I actually used this freebie faux leather bag I had sitting around but there are lots of affordable faux leather sheets available on Amazon.
E6000 – This stuff isn’t the healthiest to be inhaling but it is necessary to keep the keychain together.
HTV – or any kind of Iron On vinyl. I just got an assorted set from Amazon.
Cutting Machine – I use a Cricut. Check out my recommendations for Cricut machines and accessories for beginners for more info.
You could do this with Scissors as well but the cutting machine sure makes things go faster.
How to make a faux leather Chapstick holder
First, use the template to cut the faux leather. This is the trickiest part because faux leather can vary so much.
I used a stiffer faux leather piece recycled from an unused handbag.
I like to stick the fuzzy part to some transfer tape and then have it go on the mat transfer tape side down. I find most faux leather has some texture to it and just putting the smooth part down on even a strong grip mat is not quite enough grip.
I do this so I don’t get extra material on my mat. With this method, I can also use just the standard grip mat.
You can cut faux leather with both the Cricut Explorer or Cricut Maker. If your leather is less than 1mm, then the fine point blade should be sufficient. Mine was about 1mm so I chose to use the deep point blade.
If you have a Cricut Maker and have the rotary knife blade, I would highly recommend it for thicker tougher leather.
If you are buying leather sheets from Amazon, there are a lot of options originally meant for bow making. I personally love all the pastels and metallic faux leather sheets but they are not as stiff and can be difficult to cut with a blade. If you have super soft and stretchy faux leather, you will have to use the rotary blade with the Cricut Maker.
After cutting the template, its time to apply the glue. I like just using a q-tip mostly because it is disposable. Anything you’re willing to sacrifice will do.
I apply glue to the side without the lip balm slit. I apply a ring around the outer edge.
I then fold the opposite side down and apply some pressure while it is drying.
E6000 dries pretty fast, like at most an hour.
You may want to pre-insert the keychain ring before gluing but it is not necessary.
At this point, you could also iron on your designs.
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