How to make a DIY clock

I am excited to share with you how to make a DIY clock for your home for under $4.00!  

Does it make you feel good when you find the perfect piece for your home?  

Friends and family visit and they ask where did you find that piece?  It's one of a kind... could be something you made... or something you found at a salvage yard and there is not another out there just like it...

Custom pieces for your home do not have to cost a lot.  We do a lot of unique things here at the cottage.

Whether it is something we have picked up from an auction, a barn sale, something we have made, or whatever the case may be, we love unique items.

It always amazes me when people think an item has to cost a lot in order to find a unique piece.  One does not go hand in hand with the other.

You can totally have a custom look and I will show you a piece I worked on after a long week at work.

I picked up this standard clock for $3.88!  Yes, under $4.00 for this clock from Walmart.

I have spoke about the many fond memories I have of visiting Longaberger with Mr. VS, Mom, and my sister.  We loved those outings.  

Each visit was different and was like Disney World for people like us who love to fill their home with decorations... oh yeah, it was that good, at least in my opinion.  

We floated and flittered about Longaberger Homestead, because I do not think my feet ever hit the ground while I was looking, searching, and adding items to my every growing list of must have's!

I loved that you could pick up unique items and I really enjoyed the calendars they had out for sale every year too.

This is one of those calendars I picked up on one of our many outings. 

Once the calendar year is over, do you throw away your calendar?  Or do you hang on to it thinking you will find the perfect thing to do with it? 

Obviously I hung on to mine... I always have ideas, but never seem to figure out the perfect thing and do not want to ruin an item in case it does not turn out.

Well, me stepping outside my comfort zone decided hey, I have a calendar that has been sitting around for years, why not use it?

Done!  

I decided to try my hand at creating a custom clock, and you know what?  It turned out.  I plan to give it to my mom.  She was an avid Longaberger collector and has so many things throughout her home, you just may be amazed.

Guess what?  She does not have a Longaberger clock though and that is where our project today comes in...

I removed the screws from the back of the clock and then removed the hands from the clock as well.

Then I removed the glass and used it as a template for how I wanted the picture to set in the clock.

The glass was a little bigger than the inside of the clock, so I had to do some surgery... trimming a bit off all the way around our circle.

Then I placed the picture inside the clock and added the hands back to the clock.  When you place the backing where the battery goes, make sure you have it right side up.

I had it upside down and I had to completely remove all of the screws again to get the battery part right side up and put the hands back in place.

After you have that in place, you can put the clock back into the frame and begin screwing the backplate back on again.

Viola, you have yourself a custom clock for $3.88!

Not bad for an hour's worth of time.  I am sure it would have taken less time had I paid closer attention to the upside down battery piece.  I will have to see where she hangs this one in her home.

I love clocks.  I am not sure why, but antique clocks are a weakness for me.  Fortunately, the antique ones go for more money than I am willing to spend so we do not have many around our cottage.

Growing up, I had an affinity for grandfather clocks.  I loved when they would chime and the sun and the moon would circle around.  I was always fascinated by this.

As I have gotten older, my attraction to grandfather clocks has dissipated with time.  I am not even sure where I would put it if I had one, and two, they are kind of clunky.

I much prefer ones that hang on the wall and do not take up floor space.  Now, a Swedish Mora Clock?  You may have me there... I love them, along with Cuckoo Clocks...

They do make Mora Clocks that are reproductions and can hang on the wall, but I have never taken the step to purchase one.

Cuckoo Clocks?  I am still searching out the perfect one.  My mom has one that was her grandmother's and I loved it when she would wind it up everyday.  That little bird jumping out and cuckooing was a highlight of my childhood.  It always made me smile.

Sound, music... do not even get me started on church bells... I have always loved them all.

Do you know growing up my best friend and I would hurry home from school everyday and sit outside and just listen to the church bells?  It was the way we wound down after a day in elementary school. 

Usually it involved also eating a bowl of ice cream on her back porch... sometimes Rocky Road, or Chocolate, or Vanilla, or Strawberry.  They always had about 8 different ice creams on hand at any given time.  Oh the good ole' days... 

Do you ever think back to childhood and wonder where did time fly off to?  I do... I remember when I was a kid and thinking 30 years old was super old, then I hit 30, then 40... you get the idea.  Wow, time does fly... I recall 20 like it was yesterday... 

Well, we can table growing older (notice I said older, not old) for another day... time... clocks... custom looks... we do end up covering it all on any given day around here, don't we.  Oh well, keeps things interesting and we would never want to be dull...   😉

What do you think?  Will you try your hand at creating a custom piece for your home that does not cost a lot to make?

I do love it when a idea creates a project that turns into the perfect piece for a home.  Do you want to know something else?  We now have 11 other projects to create.  Yeah for me! 

Glad I held on to that calendar for all these years so I could create a DIY clock for mom.  Sometimes it is nice to give a present to someone just because... those are my favorite gifts...    

Happy Saturday!  I hope I get to enjoy a little relaxing this weekend since it has been pretty hectic lately around the cottage.