Watch Me DIY: Upcycled Thrift Store Clock

Every time I’m stumped about my next DIY, I typically just look at what I already have that’s broken or just needs a little TLC. A few months ago, my sister and I went thrift shopping and we found a basic wall clock that we thought could use a little extra love. It was only $2.00 so we ended up purchasing it and a decorative dish that was originally from Ikea. Upon bringing it home, we found that the clock didn’t work and the glass insert was broken. It was falling apart in so many ways so we just set it to the side to deal with later. Those of you who frequent your local thrift stores and flea markets know what I’m talking about. You have the “deal-with-it-later” pile that just keeps stacking up. Well today I figured I’d dissect the clock to create a wall art piece while also using the decorative bowl.

Now I’m definitely not saying you should go buy a clock, take the parts off and make another clock! That’s a bit too much. If you want to create something like this, I’d suggest purchasing the Hultet dish from Ikea and also buying a clock assembly kit to complete it. Most craft stores sell the clock hands and battery mechanisms for assembling. But I didn’t want to throw this faulty clock away, so I decided to use its parts to make some wall art.

The clock is pretty basic on its own, however I liked the modern look of the second, minute and hour hands so I decided to remove them. I will say, they were pretty difficult to remove. At the back, I had to pry off the battery component and pull upwards on the hands at the front just to remove them. If this inspires you to create a similar one, how you take off the parts depends on the make your specific clock. But for this one, let’s just say there was a lot of pulling and tugging, with a flat head screwdriver and knife involved!

The essential pieces I needed to reattach the hands to my bowl were the same pieces that held the hands in place on the original clock. I had to pay close attention to how it was assembled so that I could reassemble it correctly later. The piece in the photo above were the three parts that I needed to secure the hands in place.

To fit the parts through on the dish, I needed to drill a hole in the center. The piece that holds the clock’s hands will be inserted through that hole. What size drill bit did I use? Well the size of the hole on the old clock was the size drill bit needed to drill the hole in the new clock, which was about 1/4″. Because this is a decorative piece and not a working clock, all I needed to do was secure the center pin with hot glue to stabilize it.

The second, minute and hour hands fit perfectly on this new clock. In order to make it a working clock, you’d have to follow the instructions on your clock assembly kit. I improvised a little bit for this, but I love it. I think that’s what makes my DIYs extra special.

This dish worked perfectly for this DIY. Sure, I could’ve just let it sit on my coffee table, but I like it much better this way. There is a small lip at the back of the dish which makes it easy to hang on the wall using a nail or Command Strip. After assembling, you can keep it clear and undecorated if your prefer, though below you can see another idea on how to decorate it for a kids party.

It’s Party Time! This clock decor would be cute to display at a kids party or event. I cut washi tape in triangular strips to create confetti and adhered it to the clock in different spots. Using washi tape is a non-permanent, decorative option. One day it displays as mature wall art, and the next you’re using it for your kids party!

You can also create an “it’s bedtime” or “it’s playtime” option for your kids as well. Set the clock to your chosen time and hang! I think this clock is super fun on its own but also makes a wonderful party decoration. All in all, DIYing this clock cost us around $5.00 since we were able to get all the parts from our local thrift shop. I’m so glad I didn’t toss the old clock solely because it didn’t work. Reuse, reuse , reuse!
xoxo