Set your clock for Christmastime, already

  • By Jonetta Rose Coffin
  • Saturday, August 21, 2004 9:00pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

As the old saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun, and if you’ve been enjoying the summer so far, keep in mind that the holiday season will be on us before we know it.

Sorry.

But keeping time in mind, our Craft Corner holiday project for August is a decorative clock with a seasonal flair.

To make the clock, you’ll need to select a wooden base of some kind.

Bases with a predrilled hole in the center are available for clockmaking, or you can use any flat piece of wood and drill the hole yourself.

Choose a classic clock shape, or go for a more rustic look by selecting a piece of wood with bark still attached, such as the one used in our sample.

You can get a good wooden base for $5 to $7, but you can pay more if you want to.

Clockworks are generally available in the same section of the craft store as the wooden bases and cost from $7 to $10.

Since some clockworks kits have longer hands than others, be sure to choose a set with hands that fit the piece of wood you’ll be using.

The next step is to pick out a decorative paper that strikes your fancy.

Decorative papers are plentiful in the scrapbooking section at craft stores, and come in 12-by-12-inch squares that cost anywhere from 59 cents to $1.99.

Papers abound for the general fall and winter seasons, as well as for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa – just about any holiday or celebration you can name.

And if you find a wrapping paper that you like, it will work every bit as well as one of the scrapbook papers.

Once you’ve chosen a paper, select a craft paint or wood stain that matches the paper, and look for some holiday-themed stickers or other small embellishments – such as the little, sparkly, holly berries used in our sample – to mark the hours on the clock face.

Of course, you can always use the numbers in the clockworks kit to mark the hours if you like.

Now you’re ready to begin the actual clock-making process.

Start by painting the wooden base, using as many layers as necessary to cover it completely. Let the paint dry thoroughly, then apply a layer of decoupage medium.

While waiting for the decoupage medium to dry, prepare your paper by figuring the size and shape you’ll need to cover the clock face.

Cut a piece of paper about an inch larger around each side, then tear the edges randomly to give the paper a ragged look.

Be careful not to tear too deeply, though, as you need to allow for singeing the edges – the next step.

Working over a sink or other safe area with water available, singe the edges of the paper by burning them with a lighted match.

Proceed slowly by lighting a small portion of the edge at a time and blowing it out and repeating until you’ve gone completely around the paper.

Trust us, working in a safe area is a must here, as the flame can get away from you if you aren’t careful.

A singed-edge look can be achieved sans fire by using a brown ink pad and cotton swab. Just dab the swab with ink and brush onto the edges of the paper with outward strokes.

This look is fine, but we like the burned result best.

When finished with the paper, glue it securely onto the face of the clock with decoupage medium and let dry. Apply as many coats of medium as needed to achieve the look you desire.

You can use a glitter medium to give the clock an extra-festive look, but go easy. We went a bit overboard when making our sample, so that the pattern of our paper is all but lost when the light hits the glitter, as you can see in the photograph.

Let the decoupage medium dry thoroughly, then gently cut the little circle of paper from the center where the hole in the clock face is located.

Assemble the clockworks according to package directions and attach to the base.

Add the numbers or holiday embellishments to the clock face last, being careful to place them evenly around the face, and making sure that the hands clear the markers so that they sweep, unimpeded, around the clock.

E-mail Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com

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