Tick Tock, I found me a clock

Once upon a time I had a clock.  It was one of those monster clocks that people in China could read if they stood on the horizon and looked east.  Or west.  She hung over my mantle for a long time, looking fine, if I do say so myself....but then I found a vintage mirror that was going to need the mantle.  Vintage mirrors can be pushy like that.  B'bye clock.

Hubby started complaining right away that he missed the clock over the mantle.  He doesn't 'get' the whole I-Need-to-Change-My-Mantle-Decor sickness and wasn't really worried that the Chinese could see it.  Since then, I've been on the look out for a smaller clock for that room (it is soooo not going on my mantle no matter what the Mister says, thankyouverymuch).  Found a solid oak clock sitting on the clearance shelf at TJ Maxx in the standard 'honey' color and knew I could show it some love.  And here we go:

Here's my 'before' shot.  Use your imagination to visualize the clock face under that tape.

Wearing her first coat of Espresso paint

Highly technical method of rubbing candle wax over most of her grooves after she dried

Stiff bristled brush to wipe away excess wax lumps (stiff because never cleaned them after the last paint job)

Now it's getting exciting....I sprayed and oversprayed an ivory satin until it started crackling (usually when this crackling appears on an object I start using bad words, but this time it was on purpose)

Once she'd dried, I took a course piece of sandpaper over all her curvies so the brown paint would show thru. That's what the wax was for.  In some places I went down to the bare wood.  I wanted this girl to be excessively shabby.  Finished with a once-over using a 'between coats' fine sanding sponge, and my stiff bristle brush to clean her all up.

The result

Sweet!  And I do apologize to all my Chinese readers who won't be able to tell the time anymore.

This has been linked to A Soft Place to Land's DIY Day

If you're into all natural handmade soap....head over HERE for my first ever giveaway in honor of nothing in particular.  I just like taking pictures of my soap. :o)