Time for Crafts

Turning Clocks into Works of Art

Oct 13, 2007 Kristin Abraham

An inexpensive clock can easily be turned into a personalized work of art or a craft project for your kids.

Timepieces have been focal points since their creation. Sundials held places of prominence in villages, watches are treasured gifts and often used to mark special occasions, clocks in the home range from elaborate grandfather clocks to whimsical Kit Kat Clocks with swishing tails. Since the inception of digital clocks these timepieces have become less decoration and more functional home pieces. And with cell phones and computers at arm’s reach, clocks are becoming even less important in the home.

It’s time to turn your guest’s eyes back to the hands of time with a little craftwork. Adventurous crafters can go to a hobby store and purchase the tools and parts necessary to make a clock from scratch, but everyone else can make a work of art with a simple, cheap wall clock.

The first step is picking your clock. Purchase an inexpensive one that has a removable plastic cover; then, remove the cover. Slide the hands off the face; make sure you put them nearby because you’ll need to reattach them when you’re done.

The background of your clock can be almost anything. Wallpaper works very well, but photocopied images are also an excellent choice. If you’re feeling extra creative and have a little spare time you can create a collage of photos for the background. If you’re looking for a great kitchen accent piece, research antique cooking products, like old Campbell Soup ads, the Morton’s Salt girl, or antique Coca-Cola signs and print these images. Artists can go wild and paint their own art deco pieces. The only real limit here is your own imagination.

Once you have your background, use the clock face to trace a template onto your work of art and cut out your new face. You can attach the face using a spray adhesive, standard glue, or a glue stick; whichever you prefer. Then, carefully put the hands back in place and reattach the plastic cover.

These little works of art aren’t necessarily timeless home fashion statements, but they are very inexpensive and can be changed as frequently or as infrequently as you want. You can also create multiple clocks for different rooms of the house, or use several clocks in one large display or grouping.

They can also be used as a teaching tool for your children. The basics of telling time are obviously the same, but their interest will be piqued as they can draw their own pictures for their room clocks.

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