Oh my goodness, this year is flying by and I realized I haven’t shared a fairy craft in quite some time. My bad. But that’s about to change. A few weeks back I saw the cutest little miniature clock makeovers over at Interior Frugalista and that got me thinking. Could I make a fairy grandfather clock that actually works using things I had in my craft stash? Well apparently, the answer is yes, coz this is what I ended up with.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

Isn’t it just soooooo adorable? It has all the mossy goodness one would normally associate with fairies.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

There’s even a few teeny, tiny mushrooms growing around the base of the grandfather clock.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

And it looks like the rare fairy hummingbird has taken up residence right at the top and laid a few eggs too.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

So in today’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to make your own fairy grandfather clock and all the little bits that make it so special. Right, before we get to those tutorials, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!

What you need

For the outer casing of the fairy grandfather clock

  • Balsa wood
  • An assortment of twigs
  • Broken wristwatch
  • Moss
  • Glue
  • Craft paint
  • Sharp craft knife or scroll saw
  • Beads, headpins, and gears
  • Downloadable basic plan

What you need to make the fairy grandfather clock

Fairy like adornments

Tiny Fairy Mushrooms

  • Glue gun
  • Toothpicks
  • Craft paint (red and white)

Fairy Bird’s Nest with Miniature Eggs

  • Coconut fiber
  • Spray Adhesive
  • Air Dry Clay

How to make a fantasy fairy grandfather clock

Prepping the wristwatch face

The wristwatch I used had two connector things that join the wristwatch to the strap. According to the people who know these things, they’re called lugs 😀 You’ll only need the bottom lug to hang the grandfather clock weights and pendulum from. Use whatever you have on hand to remove the top one.

Remove the top lug from the wrist watch

Making the body or outer casing

The body or outer casing of the fairy grandfather clock is made from balsa wood scraps. We normally have sheets of the stuff in our craft cupboard, that we use to make fairy water features and miniature bathroom sets. Sadly, all I had left were offcuts which were different thicknesses 🙁 Note to self – go buy more balsa wood!!! If you don’t have any balsa wood, sturdy cardboard will work too. Place the wristwatch clock face on a piece of balsa wood that’s at least 5 mm thick and use it to estimate how big to cut a square frame to house the clock.   

Position the clock face towards the top of the rectangle and play around with the twigs until you're happy with the layout

You need enough space all around the clock face to glue the sides of the outer casing on, plus a few fairy finger widths on each side. A fairy finger is about 1 mm wide 😀 Trace around the clock face and cut out with a sharp craft knife or scroll saw.

Trace around the outside of the watch clock face
Cut the balsa wood to fit the clock face

Don’t worry if it’s not a perfect fit. We’ll fix that later.

Cut the balsa wood to fit the clock face

Cut away some of the bottom so the lug fits snuggly.

Cut the balsa wood to fit the clock face

Flip the wristwatch over and press it into the square facepiece. It should leave indents where the windy thing goes and the top lug.

On the back of the balsa wood push the clock face in to make small indents

Use whatever you have on hand to make the indents deeper and test-fit the clock face inside the balsa wood facepiece.

Cut the balsa wood to fit the clock face

Measure that facepiece and triple it to get the height of the grandfather clock. Cut a back piece that’s as wide as the facepiece and three times as long. Cut two side pieces that are a little thinner in width than the back piece, and then cut a top and bottom piece.

The basic box frame that will form the body of the fairy grandfather clock

If you’re working from the downloadable basic plan, your pieces will look a little different. Since all my balsa wood scraps were different thicknesses, I had to make do with what I had.

Sand the edges smooth and paint all the pieces. Glue the grandfather clock casing pieces together (sides, back, top, and bottom). Put the square facepiece to one side. We’ll glue that on later when we’ve added a few other things. Glue a few small gears in the bottom open portion of the grandfather casing.

Making the clock pendulum and weights

String two wooden beads onto headpins to make the clock weights. And for the pendulum, I added a long tube bead to a piece of string.

Use beads to make the clock weights and pendulum

Hook or tie the weights and pendulum onto the bottom lug and use a small blob of super glue to secure them in place.

Putting the fairy grandfather clock together

Place the clock inside the square facepiece and glue a piece of cardstock over the back to secure it.

Assemble the frame and glue all the pieces together.

What the grandfather clock should look like before adding the twigs

Adding a little fairy magic

Alrighty, let’s turn this grandfather clock into something the fairies would be proud to add to their little abodes 😀 Fairies are creatures of nature and aren’t too fond of sharp boxy shapes. They prefer curves and flowing lines, so I glued a whole bunch of dry twigs and moss to disguise the outer casing.

Moss can be used to cover up any gaps between the twigs

Feel free to wonder around the garden and see what you can find. And if you have little ones, take them with you. They’re masters at spotting fairy friendly stuff.

Making tiny mushrooms

Of course, no fairy creations would be complete without the addition of a few tiny, magical mushrooms. To make these I adapted our thumbtack mushroom tutorial. Instead of hot gluing directly onto a thumbtack, I made a few small glue blobs on foil. Once the glue sets, you can paint the dots red using craft paint.

Paint the little glue dots red

To make small dots, use a toothpick dipped in white craft paint.

Use a toothpick to paint small dots on the mushroom tops

Wait for the paint to dry before removing the mushroom heads from the foil.

Peel the mushroom tops off the foil

To make teeny, tiny mushroom stalks, cut the tips off a toothpick and insert into the mushroom heads.

Cut the toothpicks and insert them inside the mushroom heads

So easy right?!! To finish off, glue a few mushroom stalks around the fairy grandfather clock.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

Add a teeny little bird’s nest at the top of the fairy grandfather clock.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

And you’re all done 😀

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock
Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock
Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

I would love to know what you think. Is it something you would make for your fairies?

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

If you like the idea of making a fairy grandfather clock that works, don’t forget to pin it for later.

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

Sharing caring 😉

Have you ever wanted to make a real working fairy grandfather clock? This tutorial will show you how and includes a downloadable template along with instructions to make teeny, tiny mushrooms and a fairy bird’s nest. #FairyCrafts #ACraftyMix #MiniatureGrandfatherClock

And if you’re looking for a few more fairy crafts to make, you’ll find a whole bunch on our blog, including:

We’ve also included some affiliate links below, so you don’t have to worry about finding some of the stuff we used to make this fairy grandfather clock. Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a very small commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and fairy craft ideas for you 😉

And if you prefer to buy rather than DIY, then maybe these beauties will appeal.

And as always, wishing you a wonderful, crafty week filled with lots of love. Thank you for popping in for a visit.

Made with love by a Crafty Mix