DIY Record album shrines (and biz card holders too!)

Last year, one of our local collectors gave us two huge bins of old, scratched record albums. She didn't want to donate them because of the poor condition, and didn't want to throw them away because they were really cool. So she gave them to us!



There are so many amazing album artists out there, including my favorite, Christine Claringbold of Eye Pop Art. Check out her work, you will flip from happiness, I swear!

So this is my "spin" on a record album craft: Mini-shrines. Oh, and business card holders! Forgive me if they have already been created before, I hope they haven't. It feels good to think you came up with something different, even though there is no such thing, lol!

 First you need to mark your album with chalk so you'll know where to cut. Use a pair of dollar store scissors. Wave the embossing gun over the vinyl for about a minute until you can see the record slump a bit.

 Okay - cut! If it cools before you finish, just heat the area up again. When you get to the label, you can cut through it or cut just before.

 Place the piece on a flat surface and set a heavy book on top to flatten it out.
Now, set the piece over a "ridge" - like a thick book or box, something with clean, thick, sharp edges - and wave the heat gun over the area you want to bend. When you see it go soft, bend it and even pull the vinyl down for an even crease.

 For a shrine, you'll only need one bend, make sure the base you create is long enough for the shrine to stand upright. If it falls over, just reheat and bend again until it stands. Rub off any chalk marks. Hold in place until it cools and then use Aleene's® Paper Glaze and Crafty Chica® Chunky Glitters™ to decorate.

 To make a business card holder, you'll need to cut all the way to the center of the album and make two bends on the piece. I used a wood ruler pressed down at the bottom to make sure I molded the album flat on the bottom. There are all kinds of other variations you can try!

Felicidades,