Using flash drive to setup & install?

This may have already been ask, if so, please forgive my laziness in not looking.

If I were to take a flash drive & put F18 on it (with persistence) & do all my tweaks & mods to set it up as I want it, could I then use it's installer to put all that work on my systems HD?

I only have one machine now & I really don't want to be without something when I transition & this looks like a doable plan, if it works. - I have a LOT of cleaning up to do on this machine & will make my backups virtually useless. (clonezilla image files)

Thanks for any replies.