It's "Time" for Some Mixed Media!

Hello everyone, Lynne here today for my Susan K. Weckesser Design Team post, and I am sharing my latest re-purposed item, a $3 clock I found in my local second-hand store.  I LOVE combing second-hand stores and garage sales to find those overlooked treasures that I can make new again.  As I am packing up my studio getting ready to move, several of these treasures have been revealed, like this lovely little clock that I found stashed at the back of large storage cabinet. 

Now I wish I had taken a photo of the original clock (which was all black and quite chipped) so that you can see the amazing transformation it has made, but since I didn't I will just focus on this lovely new Mixed Media Clock.  To me "mixed media" means mixing different techniques and different products to produce a new item and that is what I did today.

To start I dismantled my clock which came apart quite easily into three pieces - a case, a board with the clock elements attached and a back cover.  Next I removed all three hands of the clock, which pulled off quite easily, and put them somewhere safe.  

Then, using Susan's Live in Color paper line, I cut and pasted to create a mini, three-dimensional page on the clock face, making sure that the hands of the clock would be able to easily pass above my items on their way around the dial.  As always, a layer of Ranger's Stickles and Close to my Heart Liquid Glass finished off my new clock face background.

I then painted the case and back cover, making sure the glass face was protected with masking tape. I used a crackle medium to create the weathered wood look - something I have been wanting to try - and it was surprisingly EASY! The hardest part of the entire process was choosing what colors to use for my base coat and main coat, so I used my back cover as a test piece...which is why the front and back have two slightly different looks.  I ended up choosing a dark turquoise as my base and a lighter teal as my main coat.

To create the crackle effect, all you need to do is paint each piece three times; first with a base coat, then with the crackle medium, and lastly with your final color.  It is REALLY important the you allow each coat to dry thoroughly before painting on the next layer.  I did use my heat gun to speed up the process slightly, but I gave each coat at least 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step. 

Now to get lovely crackling here's what I have learned:  1) the third coat is easier to apply if the paint is little bit thinner, so I add a tiny bit of water to make it the consistency of milk, rather than cream.  2) that you don't need a lot of paint to get lovely cracks, and 3) try to NOT to paint over an already painted area, it just clumps up.

The cracking happens as the paint dries, so if your paint is thin it happens quickly and you get large cracks, if your paint is thick it takes longer and the cracks are more subtle.  After everything had dried I painted one more time with ModPodge to add a few more paper elements to the clock frame and to seal the clock.

Now that I have discovered how easy it is to get this look, I foresee a lot more re-purposed furniture in my future (smile).  Note:  I used a crackle medium by Plaid which I picked up at my local WalMart, a large 8oz bottle was only $9.00.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you remember this post the next time you visit your local second-hand store!

Design Team Member Lynne Mizera

Products used on this project:
Susan K. Weckesser Live in Color cardstock
Plaid Folkart Crackle Medium
Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint: Titanium White; Cobalt Turquois; Teal
Zip Dry Scrapbook Glue
Ranger Stickles
CTMH Liquid Glass
Glossy ModPodge
Foam Pop Dots