Ticktock Terrific

Use a quilling technique to make a wonderfully practical clock from your empty milk bottles

14 January 2015

What You Need

• 8 clean two-litre plastic milk bottles
• hardboard clock face
• clock mechanism and hands
• black acrylic paint and roller, or spray paint
• craft knife, metal ruler and cutting board
• glue gun
• scissors

TIP First make a small hole in the bottle using a craft knife then insert the scissors and cut all the way around.

1 Use your scissors to cut up the milk bottles. Cut each bottle twice, going right around the bottle. The first cut should go around the bottom, about 3cm from the base, and the second cut just below the handle. You will be left with the wide, flat centre section of the bottle, which should be about 10cm in width.

2 Cut the pieces once across the width, so you have 8 long strips. Cut each strip into thinner strips of about 0.5cm. NOTE Varying the widths slightly will create a more visually interesting look.

3 Paint or spray paint the front and sides of your hardboard. Choose a colour that contrasts well with white plastic. Paint two to three even coats, allowing each coat to dry completely.

4 Turn over the board and measure to find the centre. Drill a hole, to fit your clock mechanism through later. Now start to attach your strips to your board using a quilling technique.

5 Curl a single strip to form a spiral. Either allow the spiral to unravel slightly or tighten it, to create different patterns.

6 Pinch one side to create a point, giving each spiral a ‘direction’. Apply glue to the board with a glue gun, then carefully hold a spiral onto the glue until the glue has set. Wait for the glue to set completely before starting with the next spiral. We started our design by placing a tight spiral in the centre and then worked our way out. Cover the entire surface of the clock in this way.

7 When the entire face is decorated, place the clock mechanism onto the back of the board, so that the centre of the mechanism protrudes through to the front of the board. Fit your clock hands onto the mechanism and press down firmly.

GOOD IDEA Make cards or light switches in the same way.

Source: Ideas Magazine