Easy custom clock face update

In my craft room, I had an old inexpensive clock that didn’t really match the rest of the space. It had a simple faux wood-grain face. I decided to update it to better match my craft room and make it more fun and interesting. Keep reading below for a description of how I completed this easy custom clock face update.

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Project overview

The first step for this project was to disassemble the clock. It turns out that for most clocks, you can easily disassemble them by removing a few screws. Once I did that, I was able to slide out the back of the clock, including the mechanism and the clock hands, out of the back of the frame. I then carefully removed the hands of the clock and used a wrench to remove the nut holding the clock hands and mechanism in place.

Once the clock was completely disassembled, I measured the clock face including the hole for the clock mechanism. Once I had the correct dimensions, I used my Cricut to cut out a neutral gray background for the clock face. As for the design, I discovered a really cute clock on Etsy that served as the inspiration for my project. The inspiration clock features a random cute French Bulldog. I obviously wanted to feature my actual cute English Bulldog.

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Brain had already taken a photo of Baxter and turned it into vector tracing art that could be cut in layers on my Cricut Maker. If you are interested in creating something similar with a photo of your pet, he used this YouTube video by Logos by Nick. It took him a couple of hours to convert the photo into a usable layered image, but I think it was definitely worth it. I then determined how big I needed to cut the layers to form Baxter’s face based on where I wanted it to fit on the clock face. 

Construction

Once I had all the pieces cut to size, I placed the gray background piece onto the clock face. I used the ‘hinge method’ to get it centered correctly (you can find videos of how to do this on YouTube). Next, I needed to stack all of the layers of Baxter’s face. This was my first time layering a project and this one was quite large. I had a hard time getting the layers lined up. I have since read about the ‘parchment paper’ method to help with layering and will plan to use it in the future. 

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Next, I used a piece of tracing paper to trace over the clock face so I could get an exact impression of the shape. I cut the tracing paper along the tracing impression to use as a stencil and then placed it over Baxter’s face to mark where to cut off the bottom portion. This ensured that Baxter’s face would line up perfectly with the shape of the clock. Once Baxter’s face was cut to size, I again used the ‘hinge method’ to get it lined up and placed it in position on the clock face.

Conclusion

And that is really all there is to it. Once all of the vinyl was applied to the clock face I carefully reassembled the clock and hung it on my craft room wall. I love the way this clock turned out. In fact, I loved the way the Baxter art looked so much that I decided to make tumblers with the same art (if you haven’t already seen them, you can view them on my  Instagram and Facebook pages). I made one for myself that says ‘Dog Mom’ and one for my mother-in-law (who doesn’t have any human grandchildren) that says ‘Dog Grandma.’

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Supplies needed

If you want to make over or personalize a clock, you will only need a few items to complete this project.

1. A clock (you could also make your own by purchasing a clock making kit)
2. Vinyl in the desired colors (you could also easily use craft paper)
3. Small screwdriver
4. Ruler or measuring tape
5. Tracing paper (or any other thin paper that you could use to trace the exact shape of the clock face)
6. Cricut Maker or other cutting machine (you could also cut out your design from vinyl or craft paper by hand)
7. Transfer tape or adhesive for craft paper
8. Pencil
9. Scissors

If you are looking for more crafty inspiration, check out my posts on how to make candles and how to make a custom bulletin boards.

What do you think of this project? Have you put photos or images of your pets on any of your home décor? I am so glad you visited us at Jack and Bax. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter (sign up available either on the right sidebar or at the bottom of the page). And please follow us on Instagram and Facebook so that you don’t miss any of our upcoming projects!