Crafts With Electric Clocks

Rustic or contemporary, clocks and clock supplies are fun craft materials.

Electric clocks and clock-making supplies come in all shapes and sizes, making them fun and versatile materials for crafting projects. Often battery-powered and easy to assemble, electric clock movements are great for every room of the house. Whether renewing an old clock or making a new one, there are several ways to craft with electric clocks.

New Old Clocks

Dress up a plain wall clock by replacing the paper dial.

For an inexpensive electric clock craft, revitalize an old, circular wall clock by replacing the paper dial. Using the old dial as a pattern, trace and cut out a new dial to paint or embellish. For a painted dial with both texture and splashes of color, use watercolor paper and spatter paint with a stiff brush. Another idea for a replacement clock dial is a collage. With a thin mixture of water and glue and a paintbrush, layer bits or shapes of different-color tissue paper.

Clock Kits

For a botanical-themed clock, decoupage a sunflower in the center of the dial.

There are numerous kits available in stores and online that include movements and unfinished, predrilled wooden plates. For a rustic clock, stain or distress the wood and add numbers with a punch stamp or wood burner. Other finishing options for these clocks include stencil-painted designs, decoupage and faux finishes. One faux finishing technique is crackling, using a light and dark paint and crackle medium.

Clock Inserts

Make an adorable birdhouse clock by placing an insert in the front hole.

An insert is a small, working clock with the parts already assembled and ready for placement in a frame or box. A cute clock insert craft is a birdhouse clock. Using an unfinished wooden birdhouse purchased at a craft store and a friction-fit insert, a birdhouse clock makes for a fast and fun project for the entire family. Paint or stain the birdhouse and place a circular clock insert into the hole on the front of the house. For added embellishment, glue twigs or bark to the roof of the birdhouse.

Recycled Clock Parts

Bend an ornate clock hand to make a cuff ring.

Other electric clock crafts are those that turn old clocks into something new. Using its different parts, an old or damaged clock receives new life when recycled for craft projects. The bezel and glass front are great for framing photos, while wooden mantle clock frames, when turned upside down, make decorative wall-mounted shelves. Old metal hands are also useful for jewelry making. Use ornate hands to make pendants, or bend to make rings or cuff bracelets.

References

• HGTV; Clocks; 2011
• Craft Site Directory; Clockmaking; 2011