Indulge me for a minute... I was six years old and Bob Dylan was blaring from the state of the art sophistication, that was our family stereo.
Mesmerised by the repetitious tuning of the table, I had no idea that the vinyl disc spinning before me was to be fairly short lived in our ever technology moving society. And that there would be millions of them waiting patiently in boxes destined for charity shops, and unfortunately, also for landfill, in twenty years time...
My dad had a substantial LP collection. Even now, if he happens to come over when I have an vinyl creation on the go, he never fails to dissect every title, possible checking that I haven't raided his much loved collection, possibly hoping to add a few more to it.
LP's a readily available from most good charity shops. My local sells them for 50 cents a record, and I have been known to pick up the odd dozen freebee, when their stashes become too great.
What to look for in an LP? Non-ridged ones work for me. And preferably not visibly scratched if you want them to look aesthetically pleasing on the eye. Here are a few DIY projects in which I have used the mighty LP...
I had a LOT of gaps on the wall after our world rattled in Christchurch, some art broke, some I have yet to put back up, and some are lost in the depths of our storage garage.
Quite frankly, I missed my beautiful children's faces smiling back at me, so I set about making some shake proof photo frames of my own.
Take that Mother Nature!
I decided upon LP records as my base for several reasons.
1) If they fall off the wall and break, 50 cents and some mod podge will get you a new one.
2) Re/up-cycling is my way of saving my planet.
3) We are a rock and roll kinda family. So they just fit.
They were remarkably simple to create.
I just cut some photos the same shape as the LP sticker in the centre (I used black and white photos to keep with my rock and roll theme), coat the back of the photo with a thin layer of Mod Podge, stick to the LP, let dry, and pop a few coats over the top of the entire record.
Easy!
To adhere, I used the very technical process of slapping some Blu Tak dots on the back, and pressing them hard against the wall.
I think the beauty of these baby's comes when you group them together on your wall. They are fab for a large bare spaces which need maximum impact!
My son is a rock star.
So, last year, we borrowed his awesomeness and themed his 2nd Birthday party around, well, him!
I used the smaller 45" LP's for the invitation backing, solely due to the fact that they were postable.
Now, I promise you, I am no whiz on the computer. But somehow, after several failed attempts, I managed to create a printable which had all the party details amongst it, and also which fit perfectly over the middle LP sticker. I used a light and slightly textured card stock, paper would work equally well.
Again, I used Mod Podge to secure, though I didn't see any need to coat over the whole shebang, as durability wasn't an issue.
Coupled with a Rocking birthday cake and a bunch of two year olds with musical instruments, his festivities were a swinging success...
Kid's love their name in lights don't they!
I decided, around the same time of the Rock Star Birthday, to make a name sign for Kai's door, which we used on the wall for his party too.
Which is why I chose musical themed paper...
I purchased a couple of MDF unpainted wooden letters, these are readily available from good craft stores, as well as the big chain stores such as Lincraft and Spotlight.
With a quick paint (of the letters), Podge (of the sheet music paper to a 45" LP) and PVA (of the painted letters to the decorated LP's), it was all done!
As with the photo art, I simply used Blu Tack to secure them to his door.
By now, would it be fair of me to say, that you all think I have a garage full of hoarded LP's? I don't. At least I don't think I do.
I've been unable to access that particular room for sometime now, due to the million boxes of hoarded fabric that align the entrance. But I do have more LP DIY ideas. This, is only part one. Best you stay tuned (see what I did there?), for more on this symphonic adventure.
Until then, keep rocking. You know you want to!
