Try This DIY Found Clock Project

Keeping an eye out for used--and reusable--objects can yield a house full of stuff you love but aren't quite sure what to do with. Why not turn those bits and pieces into a clock?

On this week's Decor It Yourself, the team travels to New York's East Village, the home of Etsy shop NewYorkClocks, where designer Andria shows you how to turn anything—from a postcard or photo to a cookie tin or pancake box—into a working timepiece. (While she orders her clock mechanisms, hands, and washers online, you could take apart a clock you already own if the face is broken or the hanger no longer works.) Drill a hole through the center of your item, install the battery pack on the back, and then screw on the minute and hour hands on the front. Pop in an AA battery (rechargeable please!) and there you have it: a working clock with a background of your choice. (These instructions don't include numbers, but you could easily write in your own.)

In the video, Andria Alefhi uses a small storage tin as an example; imagine turning a similar tin into a desk clock that would also keep your pens and pencils within easy reach, or giving those vintage travel postcards you found in your mom's attic a permanent spot as on-top-of-the-piano timekeepers. Even a framed image or collage would work—just make sure the hands stand out from the background to keep them visible.