How to Turn Cork Trivets into Color Block Clocks

The coolest thing about these color block clocks is the color combos. We chose two paint colors for each clock that when mixed together make a totally new and beautiful color! It’s a basic painting concept that not only allows for a totally customizable palate, but also makes the most of your materials. We decided to try out three combinations to see what striking hues we could create.

Materials (makes 3 clocks!):

– 3 cork trivets ($7 for all three on Amazon)

– 3 hanging clock kits ($7 per kit on Amazon)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Bright Aqua Green ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Cadmium Orange ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Phthalocyanine Blue ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Bright Yellow Green ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Naphthol Crimson ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

– Liquitex Basics Acrylic Light Blue Violet ($4 on Blick Art Materials)

Tools:
– power drill

– painter’s tape

– paint brushes

– scissors

– mixing palette (a paper plate is fine)

– water cup

– paper towels

Instructions:

1. Spray paint your clock hands the color of your choosing and let dry.

2. Measure the center of your cork trivet to determine where the clock hands should be placed. Mark this point with an “X” and drill a hole with your power tool large enough to fit the clock part. Wipe away any debris.

3. Tape off your cork trivets to create the shapes you want to paint on your clock and smooth out to prevent any color bleeding.

4. Paint each complementary color in the desired shape on your cork trivet.

5. Mix your complementary colors together until colors are well blended. Paint new third color in the desired shape on your cork trivet. Let dry. Add two or three coats of paint depending on the color.

6. Once clocks have dried, slowly peel away tape away from the cork trivet. Use your paint brush to touch up any spaces you’d like more filled in.

7. Assemble clocks by inserting clock back and hands on each clock. Now it’s ready to hang on your wall!

First off, we’re going to change up each clock color. Take just the hands out of each kit and spray paint whichever color you like. We went with black, white, and left one pair gold.

Next up, you’ll need to use a drill to make holes in each trivet for your clock. Use a ruler to measure the center of each trivet. Drill there!

Now it’s time to get creative. Use painter’s tape to make geometric designs, stripes, and the like. As you can see in the background, we used a spare piece of cork to test out our color palettes and designs. You can also do this on a piece of paper.

For our first color combo, we’ll combine blue and yellow green to make teal!

Next up, orange and aqua green. How cool is the gray color that results?

Last, red and light blue violet. Don’t forget to paint those sides! We recommend doing 2-3 coats of paint, depending on the color.

Now the best part ever. The peel and reveal! Peel off the tape and revel at those clean lines and bright color blocks. Use a paint brush to fill in any gaps as needed.

Okay, maybe this is the best part ever?

It seriously takes 2 minutes to assemble a clock. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself gifting clocks to all of your friends and family after making this project.

And there you have it!

If you’ve got loved ones in far away places, you could also make each clock a different time zone, a la our Hoop Clocks.

We totally pimped out our workspace with color block clocks, and a few other projects from the Brit + Co. archive, specifically Concrete Lace Planters and Spray Paint Wall Art.

Which color combo is your favorite?

What does your workspace look like? Any DIY projects on the wall or on your desk? Tell us in the comments below.