Add a large pallet wood clock to your home without spending lots of money or needing power tools.

Making unique home decor out of paper is an obsession of mine. I love the look on peoples face when I tell them that something is paper, not metal, wood or something else it appears to be.

It all started with this Anthropologie mirror knock off and then I was ready to stretch myself to make other cool decor from paper.

So I set out to make a working clock from paper. This beautiful clock looks like a pallet wood clock with metal numbers on top. But instead, everything but the working clock hands are made out of paper!

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Rustic wall clock made hanging on a pale gray wall.

You may be thinking a paper clock is flimsy. Of course it is not as heavy as an actual wood clock would be.

But that is actually something I love about paper home decor. You can easily hang your paper wall clock without needing to put holes in the walls. The lightweight clock is hung with just a Command strip.

And yes, if you toss something at it, it will break. But after I hung my paper clock on the wall, no one ever touched it. It just looks amazing and fills a gap on my wall for less than $10 in supplies.

Small white console table with farmhouse decor on it and the paper wall clock hanging above it.

Not only will you have fun making the paper wall clock, but you will also have fun when you shock your visitors by telling them you made it out of paper!

This easy to make pallet wall clock craft is perfect for:

Anyone who likes to craft with their Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker
Someone in a rental or dorm who cannot damage walls by hanging traditional decor
Anyone who likes to save money and still have a beautiful home

Whatever reason you have for creating a fun new clock, I hope you have as much fun as I did!

Angled photo of the pallet wood clock with working clock hands.

And if you like this clock, make sure to check out this rusted blue steel clock that is also made out of paper!

Rusted blue steel clock made out of paper hanging on a beadboard wall.

How to Make a Rustic Paper Clock

Supplies:

Pallet wood clock template
- The template for the clock was free for my subscribers until 03/14/21. Now they are available to purchase in the shop. Make sure to subscribe so you will be notified of new freebies!
(17) 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of cardstock
Printer
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Hammered metal spray paint
Foam board
X-acto knife
Clock mechanism kit
Optional: Electronic cutting machine like a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker

Cut out the pieces

The clock is made up of a center piece and 12 outer sections. Then there are 6 pieces that make up the numbers that sit on top of the clock.

There are 3 different pallet wood textures on the outer sections, so each outer section will need to be printed and cut out 4 times.

Before cutting out the center pieces, add a hole the size indicated by the clock mechanism you purchased to the center of it and the center template.

If using a Silhouette or Cricut cutting machine, use the Print & Cut feature on the 1 center and 12 outer pieces.

The numbers and center template do not need to be printed first, but it is critical that if the other pieces are resized to accommodate the Print & Cut then these pieces be resized the same amount so they fit together properly.

All the pieces for the pallet clock cut out and ready for assembly.

After cutting out the center template, use that template to cut out a piece of foam board.

Make sure to also cut out the hole you added to the center for your clock mechanism.

I like to use a sharp x-acto knife to cut the foam board cleanly. Scissors will squish the edges of the foam board.

The center template piece and foam board piece cut out from it with an x-acto knife next to it.

Fold and assemble the pieces

Fold along all the dotted pieces on the outer sections.

Folding the outer piece along all the dotted lines.

Start glueing it together by first glueing the tabs around the outside to the sides. It will start to look like an odd shaped box.

I love using hot glue for my 3D paper crafts since it dries quickly and hold permanently. But you do need to work quickly to make sure the glue does not dry before the pieces are positioned.

The outer section piece being assembled.

Finish each outer piece by glueing the back piece down with glue on the tabs.

Then assemble the center piece by again folding along all the dotted lines.

The center piece of the wall clock being folded.

The glueing the tabs on the sides to the piece next to it to create a 12 sided shape.

Glue the piece of foam board cut to the center template inside the assembled center.

Assemble the Clock

Using the hot glue, attach the outer sections around the center and to each other.

Take a minute to lay them out in the pattern you want. I recommend not making it a repetitive pattern, but instead make it more random so you do not notice the repeat in the wood texture.

The pallet wood pieces assembled and glued together.

Glue together the numbers by lining them up in order. In case you get confused with roman numbers, here it the order from 1-12:

I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII

To line up the numbers properly, there is a tab on the one side of each number piece. Glue it to the back of the previous piece.

Continue around in a circle and make sure to keep all the tabs to the back.

The number pieces laying next to each other to be assembled.

Use the hammered metal spray paint to paint the numbers and let them dry.

Center the numbers over your assembled clock. Once it’s in position, attach it to the clock with hot glue making sure to keep it centered.

The painted numbers attached to the pallet wood clock.

Add the clock mechanism and hands to the center of the clock. Finger tighten it down to the foam board. Then add your battery and set the time!

To hang your new pallet wood clock it easy! Since it is made out of paper, you only need to use a Command picture hanging strip on the back.

If your clock mechanism sticks out the back a little bit, add the Command strip to the back of it and hang. If not, add it to the back of the top clock section.

The completed pallet wood wall clock made from paper on the wall.

And now you can enjoy your new clock. Once assembled, no one will guess it was made out of paper!

How to Make a Wall Clock out of Paper

Yield: 1 wall clock

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Estimated Cost: $5-$10

Decorate your home on a budget with amazing paper crafts for home decor. This rustic working clock looks like it was made from pallet wood with metal numbers.

Materials

Pallet wood clock template
8 1/2 x 11 sheets of cardstock
Glue sticks
Hammered metal spray paint
Foam board
Clock mechanism kit

Tools

Printer
Hot glue gun
X-acto knife
Optional: Electronic cutting machine like a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Maker

Instructions

Cut out all the pieces for the clock. Before cutting out the center pieces, add a hole the size indicated by the clock mechanism you purchased to the center of it and the center template.
After cutting out the center template, use that template to cut out a piece of foam board including the hole you added to the center for your clock mechanism.
Assemble the center and outer pieces by folding along all the dotted lines. Then glue the tabs to create the 3D shape.
Lay out the outer pieces around the center in the pattern you want.
Assemble the clock by attaching the outer sections around the center and to each other with hot glue.
Glue together the numbers by lining them up in order then glueing them into a circle by securing the tabs to the next piece with hot glue.
Spray paint the numbers with hammered metal paint.
Center the numbers over your assembled clock. Once it's in position, attach it to the clock with hot glue making sure to keep it centered.
Add the clock mechanism and hands to the center of the clock. Then add your battery and set the time!