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Bumblebees symbolize hard work, community, and the beauty of nature. Creating a cute busy bee keychain embodies this thought and allows crafters to express their creativity making a fun little project with plenty of personality. Made with pony beads and cord, this cheerful bee is a natural choice for gardeners, beekeepers, nature lovers and anyone who's simply a fan of bees and bugs.
Attach the finished bumblebee to a key ring, backpack, garden tote, bag or zipper pull, or make several as handmade gifts for bee lovers, gardeners and beekeepers. It's also a fun summer camp, classroom or group craft and an inexpensive project to make in quantity for school, club and group fundraisers.
If you make this project please share your photos with us. With your permission we'll add it to the page and credit it to you.
The word craft has been around for more than a thousand years. Its Old English ancestor referred to strength, skill or knowledge rather than specifically to making decorative things. Over the centuries, its meaning became increasingly associated with skilled work and making things by hand. So when someone becomes good at a craft, they're using the word surprisingly close to one of its oldest meanings: they've developed a skill.
You will need one connector such as a 
Lanyard hook,
or any type of 
Key Ring.
Cord:
You will need about
2 yards of cord for your bumblebee.
There are lots of different types of cords you can use. We prefer a cord that is 1mm to 2mm thick because it helps your bumblebee keychain critter keep it's shape better. Alternatively, you can use a thinner cord and weave a little wire or a piece of pipe cleaner into your keychain bumblebee to help it keep it's shape that way. Either way works just fine but you can experiment with it to see which method you prefer.
One good choice is
Monofilament Cord
or
2mm metallic cording. Other good choices would be jute or hemp cord, leather necklace cord, rattail cord, shoelaces, ribbon, paracord, or a strong jewelry cord like tigertail.
Beads needed:
12 - Yellow Pony Beads.
Don't forget to include a few extra beads to your count if you want "dangles" at the bottom of your keychain.
Other Things Needed:
GlueOptional: For a stiffer bumblebee you can include a little wire or a pipe cleaner with your cord to help keep it's shape
Beading Wire
OR
Pipe Cleaners
3. After finishing the pattern tie a double knot or surgeon's knot in the cords at the bottom and apply glue to secure.
4. Weave your wire or pipe cleaner through your beaded bug keychain to make it stiffer and hold it's shape. You probably only need to do this on the first or second row.
(Seed beads or E beads can be used in place of pony beads to create smaller characters.)
The illustration below uses blue and red to show you how each cord side is threaded into the beads. Your cord, of course, will be all the same color.
32 - Black Pony Beads
