ThriftyTreeHuggary: Easy UPcycled Clock

Speaking honestly, I'm not a big fan of the whole concept of "time." It seems like there is never enough of it in one day, you feel guilty if you waste it or don't get enough done in a certain amount of it. It forces us to rush around when we need to be somewhere, and it is seemingly a source of anxiety and panic more often than not. Heavy stuff, I know right :) I truly wish we never had to know the time! LIKE, NO JOKE, but we do. We all need to know the time and have some legitimate time telling object in our homes in this world (I suppose lol). Everything is intertwined with "time," in some silly way or another. You can't just show up to work any time you please or leave any time you want. Or if you favorite show comes on at 9 you'll miss it if you don't know the time. We are told from a young age to spend our time wisely, make thee most of our time, cherish the time we've shared with those near and dear to our hearts, that we can't go back in time, don't be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and that time is precious among many other time related tidbits of life insight. I guess, time diminishes some confusion and chaos in this complicated world, yet, creates other kinds of chaos like rushing about to be on time or the frequent confusion felt by the unsureness of the time in which we are suppose to be somewhere important and if we don't know that specific time, we panic. I guess you could say, time is not my favorite concept lol. I'd much rather mosey places leisurely like when the sun peaks at a certain point in the sky (and ban the whole concept of working when the moon is out, no one should have to be up before the sun, just saying lol) than feel time induced panic when I know I'm suppose to be somewhere important by such and such specific designated times. Sorry for the rant, JUST GETTING THAT OFF MY CHEST :) I know, Ain't nobody got time for that and I shouldn't be wasting your valuable time with my jargon ;)

So let's talk about up-cycling, recycling, and repurposing. It's truly awesome (unlike time lol) and it can be super fun, rewarding, and rarely panic inducing. To transform something that might have ended up in the trash into a lovely little treasure is not only good for all Earth's inhabitants, it makes us feel a sense of pride when it goes from blahness to beautiful. It is an art in itself to see the weird potential of random, rundown, everyday items as something other than what easily meets the eye and further, transform those average objects into unique, thrifty lil' masterpieces of sorts. Not only is it good for the environment and good for the wallet, it's pretty sweet for the soul!

I've been feeling pretty blah about this basic, worn down time telling device on my wall for quite some TIME now. Yeah, it served its purpose, but it was cracked and a lot bit whack. I believe it was my Grandma's kitchen clock at some point (no offense G-Ma) but it was most definitely not my style. I wouldn't have paid 10 dollars for that plain Jane time contraption unless it was the only time telling device left on Earth; it truly had NO CHARACTER, and was the definition of true blah designs! It def didn't tie into my eccentric, funky, eclectic decor lol. So, I started thinking how could I revive this old beast without just chucking it into the trash or without spending any extra cash?!? I looked around at random objects in my domain and I scrolled Pinterest for some nifty ideas, and OF COURSE, there was no shortage of funky clock inspiration! I so love Pinterest, and all the lovely, creative concoctions people come up with! I especially adore, the Eco-friendly, Upcycled and Recycled masterpieces these glorious geniuses make out of everyday objects or things that would be laying in landfills if not otherwise repurposed. Anyhow, after brainstorming and scouring my house staring at random objects and snooping around the Internet, I decided to turn an old piece of funky, vibrant, wall art, gifted to me many moons ago from my older brother, into my new clock! It was perfecto' and a really fun way to revive both of these old pieces without spending a single penny. Thrifty and Nifty folks <3 It even makes checking the time a little bit funner and that's a mega plus in my book!

Poor ol' clock has had a rough time :)

I started by carefully taking apart the old plastic clock, removing the tiny screws in the back, and removing the membrane or mechanical mechanisms that hold the "time."

I then, measured the pictures width and length with a basic ruler, located the center, and marked it lightly with a dot (in pencil). There, I drilled a basic hole and put those mechanisms removed from the old clock into the hole drilled in the center, similarly, to the way they were in the basic old blah clock. (I believe the hour hand goes on the bottom, then minute hand, and then seconds hand lastly, just in case you get fumbled up when taking it apart ;) I applied 2 long pieces of clear masking tape to the back to secure the mechanism in place, but if you prefer, use super glue, or whatever works for you best! (It is completely secure with the tape and won't be visible when on the wall, and it will also be easier for me to remove if I want to in the future or if the ol' beast fizzles out on me and needs replacing)

Next, I thought of how I wanted to display the numbers. Honestly, lovely penmanship is not my forte and I don't own stencils to to make nice legible anythings lol, SO, I decided to go through a few old magazines and look for numbers or relevant words or symbols that I could decoupage onto my clocks surface for easier reference of time. (I didn't want to have to decipher the time for my dude every time he tried to read my clock, ain't nobody got time for that lol) Though... you could do a wide variety of things to represent the numbers that flows with your decor or personal taste. You could print some neat #'s off the internet, paint Roman Numerals on, use random objects like buttons or seashells or really, whatever your heart desires!

I cut a few numbers and phrases out of an old magazine, laid them out on the pictures surface and played around with location and such. Obviously, you want the time hands to fall fairly near the true time so your not panicking or creating chaos with your up-cycled clock lol! I also didn't want to completely clutter up the picture with numbers so I choose to leave a few off here and there, but you can still easily tell what time it is and it serves its' main purpose, while not being too cookie cutter blah :)

Mix a little water into some some basic white glue with a small, funky paint brush (you just made Mod Podge for half the price) and put a thin layer underneath where you want each number to be. Just make sure it is a nice and thin layer so you don't get that crusty effect (icks). Place the relevant number back on the glue in its predesignated area and cover it again with another thin layer or two of the watered down glue/MOD PODGE. Repeat until all the desired numbers are glued on and in the desired locations with a few thin layers of the Mod Podge on top of each #. THEN... allow the little beaut to air dry and put it back up on your wall so you won't run late for any important dates!

Shazam! You just totally up-cycled a blah clock that was destined for the trash in the near future into a fun whala wall clock, all while doing something nice for the planet and all your fellow creatures! Bravo, my fellow thrifty tree huggers and may time treat you kindly ;)