Cheap Halloween Craft: Creepy Cuckoo Clock Prop

This is a cheap craft and you can be really creative with your haunted clock Halloween prop. Mine cost a dollar to make, since I used an old radio box and holiday craft supplies I had lying around the house.

Cardboard box
Scrap cardboard
Box cutter
Ruler
Pencil
Tape
Compass or circle template
Glue
Paint, stickers and other decorative supplies
Brass page fastener
Wire
A "cuckoo" figure

CLOCK FORM: Decide the shape you want your haunted clock to take and use a cardboard box, a box cutter and masking tape to create that shape from your box. Mine is "house" shaped with a sloped roof. I cut a triangular point (slightly curved) on the front and back of the box, then I just cut away at the sides to remove the top half of the box. I bent a strip taped it down to cover the roof. I cut additional scrap cardboard into large squares, like shingles, and glued them on the roof.

Cut a circle from scrap cardboard the size you want the face of the clock. It should be about ½ the size of the clock. My clock is 13 inches wide, 14 inches from bottom to peak, so my face is 7 inches.

Cut out the circle from scrap cardboard and lay it on top of the clock for now so you can plan the designs around it. Create details and decorations with the scrap cardboard.

DOORS: Decide where you want them and draw a vertical line. Draw a horizontal line beneath it, straight across, so you have what looks like an upside-down "T." Make a final mark across the top of the vertical line. Go straight across, or make it curved as I did.

Make sure you like the placement of the doors. Make sure they're not too big; you don't want them touching the edges or the face of the clock. Make sure they are even and straight. If you don't like them, now is the time to erase and try again.

When your doors are perfect, cut through the slit marks with a box cutter. Remember to leave a part of the outer edges attached. This attached piece acts like a hinge. Pry the doors open.

CLOCK BASE: Paint the front, sides, bottom and roof of the haunted clock. Paint both sides of the doors. Add details to give it interest. I dry brushed some shading around some of my trim to give it more depth with shadows and made lines on the roof shingles to give the impression of wood.

FACE, HANDS AND PENDULUM: Make the haunted clock face on a piece of paper. I used Adobe Photoshop, but you can also paint it, stencil, use stickers or scrapbooking supplies. It's a Halloween craft, so be creative. It doesn't have to be perfect. Since you are doing it on separate paper, you don't have to worry about messing it up as you can always start over.

Make two cardboard hands. The big hand should be slightly bigger than the radius of your face (measurement from center to end), and the small hand should be slightly shorter than the radius. Paint them the color you desire. They can be as simple as two straight, narrow strips of painted cardboard, or as elaborate as ornate slithering snakes with jeweled eyes- it's up to you

To assemble the face and hands, cut and paint two ½ inch diameter circles. Glue the paper face onto the cardboard circle. In the center of the ½ inch circles, make a tiny "x" with the tip of the box cutter. Make an "x" on the bottom end of the hands, and in the dead center of the face. Push a brass page fastener through the "x" in the shorter clock hand, then layer on a ½ inch circle, the big hand, another circle, and push the remaining tip of the brass fastener through the center of the clock face. Spread the fasteners on the back.

Cut out the shape of a circle, a spider or some other creative shape and glue it to a long, narrow strip of cardboard. Paint it as desired and set the pendulum aside.

THE CUCKOO: Dig through your holiday craft supplies or pick up something small at the dollar store. The figure should be lightweight, and about the same size as, or a little larger than, the door. Attach the back end of your cuckoo figure to a piece of sturdy wire, like a piece of hanger. Mine is Styrofoam, so I simply poked the hanger into the rear. You might have to tape or glue your wire, but try to make it look neat.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Glue on the clock face, making sure to center it just as you like.

Take a piece of scrap cardboard that is slightly larger than your clock doors and paint it black. Let it dry. Turn your clock over and cut an opening in the back. Put the cardboard inside and cover the opening of the doors by taping the scrap black cardboard to the inside of the clock.

Poke a hole in the center of the cardboard in the doorway. Thread the other end of the wire through the hole until you like the reach of the cuckoo figure from the haunted clock. Bend the wire slightly to give it a slight down curve. When you are satisfied with the wire and your cuckoo figure, bend the end of the wire inside the box down so it's flat and tape it into place well.

Lay the clock on it's back. Cut a small, rectangular hole in the center of the bottom. Place the top edge of the pendulum inside, bend it back and tape it to the inside bottom of the box. Add some thin chains or other cheap craft elements if you like.

Hang your Halloween prop in a prominent place and enjoy it.