Key to my Heart - Anniversary (or Valentines Day!) Gift

My anniversary is in just a couple of days - and with the whirlwind of Christmas, and traveling to see family, I was a little behind on my anniversary gift (aka, had NO IDEA what I was going to do) :)
I had seen a similar idea to this one once upon a time, and it has been percolating in my mind for a while now.
The great thing that made it possible though, was this spectacular stash of antique keys!

My mom and I have a favorite antique shop in Concord, MA, which generally has a bowl FULL of unique and wonderful antique keys in all sizes and shapes. We have other fun plans for them, but the great thing about this Key to my Heart print, is that the keys are completely re-usable after you are done!
"But, what happens," you say, "if I don't have a spectacular stash of antique keys?"
Well...you could use regular house keys - or even if you only have 2 or 3 antique keys, you can use the same ones over and over again, and just point them in all different directions. Frankly, you could probably find fake antique keys in the jewelry department at the craft store. No matter what, I am sure it will turn out great:)

You will not believe what kind of "fabric" I used...(well, maybe you will).  This is a little square cut out from a canvas drop cloth!  Just a few bucks at the hardware store, and it works like a charm!  It is fairly thin, looks kindof like burlap to me, and has a thin plastic backing - great to keep the paint from soaking through. 

I cut mine about 9" x 11" so that I could trim it down to fit into an 8" x 10" frame if I wanted.  I made a heart shape in Word on the computer, nearly big enough to fill the page, and traced it very lightly with pencil in the middle of my fabric. 

 To imprint the keys onto the fabric, first lay down some squishy, soft fabric, like fleece, and then lay your canvas square on top of it.  That way, when you press the key down, the fabric will have some give, and conform around the bumps and shape of the key. 
With a paintbrush, spread on a generous layer of acrylic paint (I used black).

 Then, set it within the pencil outline of the heart.  Make sure that there is no excess paint on your fingers while you press.  I had a stack of baby wipes right next to me, and wiped my fingers in between setting the key down and pressing it in. 

 Carefully lift the key up, and immediately rinse it off with water.  The paint should come right off, making the key as good as new (or as good as old...hmm..).

 I wanted to put my husband's initial, and my initial, within the heart, so I used some rubber letter stamps for that.  I also added the year we were married, after adding a few more key imprints. 

 Sometimes I set down a few keys together before painting them, to make sure they were in a pattern I liked, but mostly I just winged it.
After I was finished, and the paint was dry, I erased the pencil tracing I had made of the heart.  The paint drys very quickly, and is permanent. 

 It looks great in a black frame, and I can't wait to give it to Sean!  Happy Anniversary to all, and I hope that maybe this will save some of you, trying to come up with a sweet, (last minute), home-made anniversary gift:)

I am linking to:

Making the World Cuter

Dittle Dattle

Me Making Do

Sugar Bee Craft Edition

Sassy Sites

Someday Crafts

Saturday Mornings

Ladybug Blessings

It's Sew Stinkin Cute

My Re-Purposed Life

Finding Fabulous

I Heart Naptime

Craft-O-Maniac

Tater Tots and Jello

Under the Table and Dreaming

All Thingz Related

Dear Lillie