Q: I'm in the process of creating a nursery and I have decided on a travel theme. I work for an airline and my husband works for a space company. I don't want to go overboard and do too much in the room. I have something though that I would like to use but need some creative minds to help me find a use. We have been collecting hotel room keys as long as we have been together and have probably 200 of them. Can you suggest anything that I can create using them? And if not in a baby room somewhere else in the house instead? Thank you!
Sent by Marietta
Editor: You have a ways to go before you can do what Holiday Inn did last year when they built a pop-up hotel room in Manhattan with 200,000 key cards! Readers, what clever ideas do you have for Marietta?
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What about a huge shadow box? Expensive maybe but if you did it yourself it could be a great statement piece. Or you could make them into a mobile.
You could make simple wall art by lining them all up and framing it. Here's an example with Muni tickets: http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/05/before-after-muni-pass-wall-art-door-desk.html
Or you could make a chandelier by drilling little holes on one end of the keys and hanging them from rings. Kind of like so: http://www.readymade.com/blog/design/2010/06/23/fork-fun
Good luck!
You could use the cards to spell the baby's name. Might be easy if attached to cardboard or precut wooden letters.
I was thinking along the lines of AtPlay - a name collage. Sort of like this photo, but in my head it's neater with the cards straight, not askew.
http://www.theowalkerfund.com/userimages/Theo_name_collage_2.jpg
If you have a biggish blank wall you could drill holes in them, attach with jump rings, and make a "curtain" that would have some movement. http://www.curbly.com/alexrussell/posts/732-not-your-mother-s-beaded-curtain
Or do the chandelier idea like @meginsf said... possibly spray painting the ugly sides in one color to unify the interior of the mobile.
i think they would make a really nice memory book. you could just put them together real simple and neat. it would be fun to look at and remember all those trips.
Depending on your window size, you could use the jump ring "curtain" idea for the valance with a neutral pair of curtains or pull-down shade. 200 would give you 40 by 5.
We put Loteria cards in a photo mobile (http://www.amazon.com/Wee-Gallery-wg201-Mobile-Kikkerland/dp/B00274S8BA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306539370&sr=8-1) and my 3mo old son loves it. He will stare at that thing for an hour! I would advise making a mobile or some sort of hanging sculpture that lets the cards spin and click together. Post some picks to show us what you came up with!
my mother and step-father have been doing this for years! They purchased a small wooden cabinet with a glass door (think medicine cabinet that can be placed on the floor) and affixed tiny hooks to the walls behind the small shelves. Then they hung each key. They also have a small white tag hanging from each one with the location and date. While they have a ton of key cards, they also have some pretty interesting keys from hotels around the world (tassles, brass objects, etc...) so it makes for an interesting and eye-catching display/conversation piece. Good luck with your collection!
I once thought of doing something similar, but with Starbucks giftcards that I had once collected with all the fun coffee art. I had planned to line them up and frame them into an art piece. But I like the curtain ideas! Good luck!
If you drill small holes in the corners of each card, you can link them together with jump rings to create a lampshade. I've never tried it with key cards, but it works great with photographic slides. Just be sure to use a 60 watt or lower bulb so the plastic doesn't get hot.
you could also make a banner that is so popular now. using jump rings or hot glue them to ribbon and hang it up. you could also fix them together and use them for a christmas tree streamer.
I'm thinking attach the cards to a ring and create a baby book. It could be one you pen, have numbers, colors, the alphabet-whatever you'd like. Then it can be easily attached to the stroller so when you're out-and-about your little one has something to explore. We have some touch and feel cards on my daughter's stroller and she loves flipping through them on our walks.
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2011/05/sneak-peek-allen-hemberger.html
Scroll down through this house tour and look at what they did with similar sized cards.