We've been featured yet again on the Ikea Hackers Website for our custom clock for "The Office Remodel Project"! We're excited that others get to see the clock and can use the idea in their own creative projects.
www.ikeahackers.net
Custom Clock
For a fun clock for the pop-art inspired home office in a previous post, we decided to go custom. From spare fabric used on pillows and curtains in the office and a $10 clock from Ikea, we created a fun and coordinated clock for our clients. If you’re interested in making one for yourself, here’s how:
STEP 1: GATHER MATERIALS.
A wall clock that is suitable for taking apart and accepting of glue and/or tape, scissors, fabric glue, fabric, an inexpensive paintbrush, paper adhesive (such as double-sided tape), computer drawing program (such as Photoshop, Paint, GIMP, etc.), a box cutter, and small hand saw.
STEP 2: FABRIC STRIPS.
Cut strips of fabric to cover the plastic area of the clock. Allow for about a half-inch (or 1 centimeter) of fabric on the clock face, to about a half-inch to an inch (1-2cm) over the edge on the back. The first strip can be the pattern for the rest. It doesn't have to be too exact.
STEP 3: GLUE THE FABRIC TO THE CLOCK.
With some fabric glue and the paintbrush, squeeze glue onto about 2-3 inches of the plastic clock area and brush it to cover evenly. A larger size area is possible but the glue may dry prematurely. Lay the strips across. They will have to overlap - it is best to put a little glue on the underside of the overlapping pieces. Wrapping the pieces around the back of the clock a little bit ensures a clean finish. Be sure to pull any extraneous threads off before adhering to the clock.
STEP 4: ADD A FINISHING BAND TO THE UNDERSIDE.
This is optional, it just gives a nice finish to the clock and helps prevent the fabric strips from coming off and threads from unraveling. More fabric glue and a 1 to 1.5-inch strip of fabric finishes off the jagged edges.
STEP 5: CREATE A NEW CLOCK FACE.
Remove the clear plastic face of the clock and the hands. A Google seach for “clock face template” will help you find a good template with which to begin. Find a good font and type the numbers in. You may have to print, cut the center hole, and position it on the clock a few times making sure the numbers are in the right place. Using basic inexpensive printer paper lets you see the original clock face through your printed face, allowing you to line up the new numbers to the original. A few tries may be necessary. When you print, print the numbers and the center hole, but not the border. Our final clock face print was on thicker stock paper. If you prefer to go in the lo-tech direction, just go to the next step and cut out the face circle from some heavy paper stock, then draw the numbers on yourself with a marker, paint, crayon, whatever looks fun. Options such as photos of your kids' faces, roman numerals, fruit, letters, buttons, flowers, any kind of photos, cartoons, etc., are fun in place of numbers.
STEP 6: CUT OUT THE CLOCK FACE.
Using the clear plastic clock part as a stencil, draw a circle around it on the back of your clock face paper. Cut a little on the inside of the line. For the center hole, a box cutter knife works pretty well.
STEP 7: PUT ON THE NEW CLOCK FACE.
Using double-sided tape or a tape runner (available at a craft store in the scrapbooking section), attach the new clock face right over the old one, which will also cover up the raw fabric ends. Make certain your "12 o'clock" is at the TOP of the clock (look at the underside and find the mounting hole).
STEP 8: ASSEMBLING THE CLOCK.
Put the hands back on. The next part might be a bit more difficult. Due to all of the fabric and the overlapping, the clear plastic may no longer fit back in the clock. To get it to fit, we sawed 6 small grooves into the plastic which allow the plastic to compress a bit when fitting it back in. Only cut the grooves about half way down, or they may start to split. Once this is complete, put the plastic back in the clock carefully and evenly.
*An alternative to this method is to glue the fabric to the end of the clock plastic but not down and onto the face of the clock. A paper or fabric circle can be used to finish the ends and the clear plastic will fit just the same as it originally did. You can also leave the clear plastic off the clock if you choose, just be sure you don't have any jokers around the place or you might find you're curiously late often.
STEP 9: HANG THE CLOCK.
Grab an appropriate battery, set the time, and hang the clock. An easy way to hang a clock or piece of art is to screw a screw half way through a paint stir stick. Hang the clock onto the screw in the stick, then put the stick up to the wall and position the clock. Once you have the perfect position, remove the clock and tap the screw in the stick into the wall just a bit to make a mark. This is where you will put the screw on which the clock will hang.
Art by Form & Function
Art by Form & Function
"Cayman Sunset"
(c) 2008
"She Comes Swimming"
(c) 2012
Above are two paintings of art commissioned by Form & Function for our clients. As in our blog, "It's All About The Art", we sometimes create custom pieces of art for our clients.
It's All About The Art
Sometimes a design project calls for custom artwork, and sometimes a project calls for budget artwork. A simple solution to either challenge is to make it yourself. It may sound daunting, but it's actually easy and can be a lot of fun. Below are some tips.
Supplies: Inexpensive paints, brushes, and canvases can be found at local craft stores like Michael's. If you'd like to frame your art with a regular store-bought frame (not a canvas frame, buy flat canvases - they're the least expensive option and often come in packages of three or four.
Supplies: Inexpensive paints, brushes, and canvases can be found at local craft stores like Michael's. If you'd like to frame your art with a regular store-bought frame (not a canvas frame, buy flat canvases - they're the least expensive option and often come in packages of three or four.
Paint Mediums: Mediums such as gel, stucco, sand, etc., are an inexpensive and fun way to jazz up your art. Simply mix them in with your paint to give different effects.
Multimedia Projects: Use a variety of items such as paper, newspaper, beads, plant pieces and leaves, and fabric strips and incorporate it into your art.
Involve the Family: Make it fun and personal by letting your kids have a go. Give them a subject or idea to develop into art and see what develops. Kids make the most exciting abstract art. One client of ours who has three children wanted some art in her kitchen. She asked each of them to paint an apple. She got three completely different images of apples - each child's own interpretation. Framing each and placing them above the sink together not only makes a cohesive and creative display, but makes her smile every time she looks at them.
Other Options: If you'd prefer something other than painting, here's a few other ideas.
• Book Bits: For a child's nursery or kid's room, find a book with thick, cardboard-like pages with simple graphics, such as animals, drawings, etc. Find a frame that is approximately 2-4 inches larger than the book page. Mount it in the center of the frame with double-stick foam tape. The extra space in the frame acts as your mat, Deep frames work best and give a gallery-like look. Mounting multiple pieces from the same book in one area becomes an art display that looks professional and feels cohesive.
• Fabrics & Papers: If you've got some pretty fabrics or papers, you can frame them as art. It's a beautiful alternative! Fabric stores often have small inexpensive pieces of beautiful fabric in front of the large rolls. Craft stores have fancy papers in the scrapbooking aisles which are inexpensive and beautiful.
• Leaves & Flowers: First, press under a large heavy book until dry and flat. For framing, the easiest and most simple solution is to use the board that comes in the back of a frame. Most are either white or black and are pretty nice, and you can mount them directly to this. Poster board or cardboard is another option, and you can even cover that with paper or fabric before you place the leaves and flowers.
If you've got any other ideas for making your own art, we'd love to hear about them!
What Exactly Is ReDesign?
In today’s economy, it’s getting more and more difficult to afford to have one’s home completely designed. Let’s be realistic, shall we? Wouldn’t you rather get the latest iPhone or streaming television box than pay someone to tell you what furniture you should have or where you should put this or that or what color your walls should be?
Design-related television programs are turning more toward showing people affordable options, people are buying more home products from stores such as Target, HomeGoods, Ikea…but not all of us are design-oriented and we could still use a little help.
So, where’s the middle ground? Most of us like to live in a nice place, but don’t necessarily know how to achieve that, and really don’t want to pay a lot for it. We get that. So, here's where redesign comes in.
What is redesign? It’s designing your room or home with furniture, accessories, and textiles (rugs, curtains, etc.) you already own. It’s adding form and function to what already makes your home comfortable. It’s bringing in a designer with a fresh look on your room – with design skills, with organization skills – to help you get your home up to your liking. It works to fit your budget – you can purchase items to add to the design – or you don’t have to purchase a thing. The designer provides you with ideas, advice, floor plans, and even a list of recommended stores in your area to help you find what you need at a price you can afford. And the bottom line…our designer’s fees are affordable.
So try it. Give us a call. Let us redesign your home. Feel the fresh and new…and feel the familiar…all at the same time!
