Watch my Watches

 

I have a plethora of watches.

(I love that word - plethora!)

Most of my watches are in a box waiting for either new batteries or watch bands. I currently have 2 that actually keep time.

It got me to thinking - what do people do with their ‘old’ watches that are no longer usable?

Is there a watch graveyard someplace, where good watches go to rest?

In a throw-away society, do we just toss the old ones into the landfills?

So, I went on a quest to find ways to repurpose watches, creatively.

I found some really great ideas!

Taking just the watch faces and removing the bands, you can create a unique conversation piece that is also functional.

You can find clock works and ‘hands’ at most hobby stores. Then you just drill a hole in the center of your base and mount the clockworks. Then using a sturdy glue (like E-6000, or Gorilla Glue) glue the watch faces in the proper place. Attach a hanger on the back.

Here is a slightly different take on a watch-decorated clock-

Shadow boxes are a perfect place for memorabilia, and these that have a treasured watch included are just charming. What a beautiful way to remember an ancestor.

I also like this ‘memory wall’ with assorted items, each individually framed but hung in a pleasing arrangement with similar frames. Of course I have to point out the watch!

If you have quite a few watches, here is an unusual and striking Christmas decoration -

Things that make this work are the jeweled brooch at the top as a star, and the finished wooden base. Glue your watch faces onto a base of styrofoam cone or other sturdy material. Then fill in between the watch faces with pearls from broken necklaces. If you use styrofoam be sure to attach securely to a heavier base so it doesn’t topple over.

More watch faces? Here’s an idea:

Posted by Kaye Watts, Pinterest

This montage includes some watch chain bands or bracelets, and some old keys. Again, fill in empty spaces with pearls or beads from broken jewelry. Even use watch parts from broken watches!  You can make this on a wooden frame or mirror. 

Again, E-6000 or Gorilla Glue or something similar that can hold different finishes together works well.

Don’t have very many watches to play with? Choose a smaller width frame to cover, or use more beads in between. You can also check out local thrift stores, or start asking your friends for their non-working watches. Most have at least one or two in a drawer somewhere, and would be happy to donate to your creative cause.

Making jewelry with watches just makes sense.

Do I think that because I love beads?

VintageFrivolity 

Attach some jump rings to 2 close-to-matching watch faces and add some beads and perhaps a charm or two, and then an earring finding. Even though the watch faces are not exact matches they are close enough in shape and size to make a pretty set.

Yesterday’s Trash Art

You can make a unique necklace using the same jewelry techniques as the earrings. You will need jump rings, charms and beads and chain if desired. You can also bead a chain for the necklace.

Here is a choker highlighting just the watch faces with no beads or ‘frills’.

You might need a matching bracelet, although I would probably wear just one or the other to set off the uniqueness of your repurposed watch jewelry.

I love broken jewelry art. Finding some clever interpretations using watches has been fun. I truly love recycling and keeping things out of the landfills.

I would have never thought to put this Bible verse with watches, but it goes together perfectly!

With this next framed art you only need 3 watches -

I like the use of a watch band as a scarf.

Clever Christmas tree wall decor -

Posted on Pinterest by Connie Rachel

The added rhinestones in between as accents really make it festive.

I LOVE this next framed piece:

The post on Pinterest was in Russian, so I don’t know who made it.

There are many different ways you can incorporate old watches into new jewelry. I think these birdhouse/watch pins are very clever, unusual, and really cute!

Credit to Amy Kopperude

Using a variety of beads, each of these watch ‘people’ are unique:

JunkintheTrunk Antique Mall

I certainly wouldn’t have thought of spider pins, yet here are a few!

Credit to Amy Kopperude

These necklaces have used the watch cases more than the clock faces:

…and these bracelets haven’t used the watch faces at all, but only the bands!

This next idea could be worn, but also would look special in a grouping, framed.

BuzzFeed

That could be a great 50th Anniversary present too!

I want to finish with a couple of good display ideas for you. The first one needs a bit of wall space, but wow!

The last idea for you uses a decorative glass jar.

Certainly use a recycled jar if you have one the right size, or even a drinking glass. I would fill the center with matching buttons, cuff links, or small pins for added oomph.

What will you do with your unworkable watches?

‘Til next time,

Inkspired

Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?

 

Courtesy Button Lovers, Pinterest

Buttons!

What would we do without them?

We sew them on to keep things closed,

or to keep things open.

We add them to our clothing for fashion. 

We use them in our home decorations.

We give them to children to play with, or to learn basic skills.

We make them into jewelry.

Oh what a wonderful thing -

Buttons!

In Walt Disney’s animated movie 

‘Alice in Wonderland’

Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum ask if Alice wants to play “Button, Button”?

We dye them to all the colors of the rainbow.

We make them out of plastic, horn, bone, twigs, metal, and precious gems.

Buttons made from coconuts 

Humans have been in love with buttons for a very long time.

. E stepp N.

In fact, for a very long time!

The oldest button found so far is one made of shell from 7000 BCE in Pakistan.

Feel free to count those zeroes again!

Archeologists found more discs with holes drilled in them made from ivory, clay, stone and bone. These dated back to 4000 - 5000 BCE.

Recyclart

In ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ 

Willy references the game “button, button”.

Being the crafty person I am, I became curious about what others were creating with their buttons, besides utilitarian uses?

Handmade by Taylor Friese

Is it anything I would like to do? Is it anything I think I would like to teach at my local Senior Center?

Courtesy Carol Cahill, Pinterest

Well, I found a plethora of button projects! Let’s look at just a few.

The first 2 fall into the category of 

‘Useful objects’

Courtesy Leslie Price, Pinterest

Courtesy Crafts and Creativity 

What cute ideas to put in your sewing/craft area! They are both so simple I’m not even going to give directions.

In season 2 of ‘Dexter’s Laboratory’ Dee Dee says “Button, button, who’s got the button?” before pressing a red button to take off in a hovercraft.

Many of the button crafts I have to show you don’t even have to know how to sew.

Here’s another one that only needs glue:

Courtesy StylesatLife

You could make this with anyone’s color scheme and give as a charming gift.

Wouldn’t it be great filled with jelly beans?

Another no-sew project:

I found many postings of this on Pinterest; no idea of original idea.

I would add a backing cut slightly smaller than the finished coaster. You could use stiffened fabric, leather scraps, thin cork sheets…

The title of the Twilight Zone episode ‘Button, Button’ is a reference to the childhood game.

Next I have a few simple ornaments:

Dana; Sara Srogi; Pinterest

Glue some popsicle sticks together for the base. (Do this on wax paper to prevent messes on your table!) Then glue on different sizes of buttons. Add thread or ribbon for a hanger.

A simple craft for young ones to do also.

firefliesandmudpies.com

There is a tutorial for this, but really you just need buttons, glue, ribbon for hanging and a stiffened piece of felt for the base. 

Budget idea: use poster board or shirt insert cardboard for the base instead.

Charlotte Prow; Pinterest 

You will need buttons, glue, scraps of felt and an old plaid scarf and twine to make the snowman ornament.

Are you in love with buttons yet?

Courtesy Carol Cahill; Pinterest

In ‘Lost in Space’ Season 2, Episode ‘The Curse of Cousin Smith’ Major West refers to the ‘old childhood game of button, button, who has the button

I found so many wonderful

 ideas of how to use buttons in your card making. Let’s start with Christmas cards. Here are a wfe :

Ellen Roberts 

Canadian Living

Scrapbook.com

Next are a few general cards wit:

Wordpress.com

Talita Rodrigues Nunes

H.Skelly for Splitcoaststampers Community; Pinterest

…and 2 more:

KEA

Archzine.net

There are many different styles of button flowers out there.

These are just a couple:

The Shabby Tree

Becky Crockett

Here is a diagram to help you make the above button flowers:

Julie Fitzgerald posted this on Pinterest 

Crochet, anyone?

Love Crochet 

Buttons and felt seem to go 

together so well:

chocolatecupcake 

Not On The High Street

Instructables

You could easily make these into pins or magnets.

In ‘Little Men’ by Louisa May Alcott (published 1871) the Plumfield children reference playing ‘Button, button, who’s got the button?’

So what is this game/nursery rhyme I keepreferring to?to?

It’s a children’s game that has existed well before 1871 (see above).

to play:

Children stand in a circle with 1 in the center. They all hold out their hands, palms up and next to each other. The ‘it’ player has a button. ‘It’ goes around the circle and pretends to put the button in each child’s hands. ‘It does drop it into one child’s hands, but everyone pretends they have it. Then the first child guesses who might have the button.

“Button, button, who has the button? Is it ____?”

You go around the circle with each child having a turn, until the real button holder is guessed. The child who guesses correctly is the new ‘it’.

Kathy Spitsen, Pinterest

Let’s get fashionable with our buttons!

Pinterest

If you can do jump rings you could use this same idea and make a necklace.

Here’s a project that takes embroidery thread and beads:

Patti Bishop posted this on Pinterest

Is your button not quite the right color?

Here’s a clever trick to custom paint wood buttons:

Threads magazine

I love this next fashion statement:

The credits for this are in Cyrillic. Sorry.

I have got to try this one.

Hot glue gun and Aleene’s Tacky glue here I come!

Okay blogspot has gone haywire on me and is doing really weird things with punctuation

and spacing GAAAhhhhhh

Time to stop!

Til next time

inkspired

I keep trying to fix the problem but have found no solution yet that works. I am so sorry for the messy look on this. It’s not how I typed it, truly!

😢 😭 😡