The little French clock

There’s a new/old French clock strutting her stuff up there on my kitchen counter.

She wasn’t always this pretty!!

No. . . this little French clock started life in a different guise.

She was a gift from a relative . . . and while I liked her a bit, she wasn’t exactly what I would have chosen for me.

The funny thing about gifts from relatives is that awkward situation of what to do with an item that isn’t. . . umm, your taste. Do you stick it in a cupboard and bring it out when they visit? Perhaps you use it for a wee while then dispose of it at the nearest thrift store. . . or maybe you just fess up and say “what were you thinking”. . . of course that last option would be entirely dependent on who gave it to you I suppose.

Soooo. . . in our house this chubby cupcake carrying waiter clock was perched on our kitchen bench for a couple of years. Right there between the microwave and tea caddies. . . okay, so it was kind of squeezed in and hidden from view.

The chubby waiter stayed there until we moved, at which time he was packed in a box marked kitchen counter tops and made the 1250 kilometre journey to our cottage by the sea. I really cannot explain why he was unpacked and placed yet again on the kitchen bench. It’s not like we don’t have other lovely clocks around.

So a few days ago I was sitting in my kitchen and I glanced over at the chubby waiter. His battery obviously died a while back because he’s been stuck on 10:30 for way too long.

I decided that this ugly, now faded chubby waiter had to go. . . . but I quite liked having a simple clock in the corner of the kitchen, so a make-over was the answer.

It couldn’t have been simpler. Unscrew the clock from the black metal frame. Dismantle clock hands and paint over the chubby waiter with Light Mocha coloured paint. Distress the edges of the clock face with a grubby finger. . . that would be a finger dipped in black paint then wiped off to leave the grubby paint finger!

Design a clock graphic using graphics from The Graphic Fairy . . . well I’ve already done that part and you are welcome to download the graphic here.

Simply print off the new clock face and adhere to front of clock. Seal with a couple of coats of matt varnish spray and then reattach the clock movement. . . and in my case, pop in a new battery and you are set to go.

Doesn’t she look pretty now!

I’m linking up this week at some fabulous link parties including these:The Graphics Fairy, French Country Cottage, The Vintage Farmhouse, 36th Avenue, Clean and Scentsible, Live Laugh Rowe, The Common Ground, The DIY Dreamer, At The Picket Fence, The Cottage Market, Nifty Thrifty Sunday & Power of Pinterest with Fox Hollow and DebbieDoo’s.