did anyone hear about how bob dylan was pulled over and detained in new jersey? apparently he didn't have id on him... i mean he's bob dylan, does he really need id? the cops had no idea who he was and mistook him for a hobo. the cops were in their 20's and it made me sad and surprised to think that there are people who who haven't heard his songs and have no idea of the influence he's had on music. luckily most of the hip kids in my class did know who is and were excited that the project for the day involved record albums, believe it or not although these kids are 12-16 most of them had listened to music on record- appreciating the bumps and hisses of a song that comes into the world via vinyl and needle...
we decided to give some old record new life by transforming them into boxes, books and bowls...they excitedly pawed through the stacks of albums i brought in picking the ones that spoke to them... then we got started...
HOW TO MAKE A BOOK FROM A RECORD ALBUM COVER...
what you need:
record album cover
blank sheets of paper 20-100 depending on how thick you want your book
ball chain & fasteners, twine, ribbon or other notion to bind your book together
hole punch
ruler
pencil
scissors
what to do:
1. pick out a cool record album cover and pry apart the edges so the front and back become 2 separate pieces… most albums are pretty old and easy to pry apart but use some scissors to help it along if you need to.
2. decide what size you’d like your book to be and using a your ruler, pencil and scissors cut the front and back covers to size
3.cut the sheets of paper 1/4 of an inch smaller on the top and one side than the size of your cover
4. punch a hole near the top and bottom of the left hand side of the front cover
5. place a few sheets of paper under the front cover and using the holes you punched as templates punch holes in the same spots in the paper. repeat this until all your paper and the back cover has holes
6. feed the ball chain, twine or ribbon through the top left of holes and secure it with a knot or by hooking the fasteners onto the ball chain. repeat this for the set of holes on the bottom left.
start sketching, drawing and writing in your new book! rock on!
HOW TO MAKE RECORD ALBUM BOWLS:
what you need:
record album
oven
bowl to mold the album into
oven safe bowl
baking sheet
what to do:
1. heat the oven to 200 degrees
2. place the oven safe bowl upside down on the cookie sheet and put the album on top of the bottom of the bowl. put everything in the pre-heated oven for about 3 minutes or until you see the sides of the album start to droop. (don’t leave it in too long or it will start to emit stinky toxic fumes)
3. once the album is pliable take it out and set it in your other bowl. (don’t dilly dally as the album will start to harden immediately!)
4. place it in the bowl and press down in the center so the sides start to curve, use your hands to help mold it into shape.
5. let the album sit in the bowl for about 10 minutes so it can set.
6. use your new rock’n’roll bowl for anything except food!
RECORD ALBUM BOX
what you need:
record album cover
exacto knife
ruler
pencil
glue gun
scissors
what to do:
1. pick out a cool record album cover and pry apart the edges so the front and back become 2 separate pieces… most albums are pretty old and easy to pry apart but use some scissors to help it along if you need to.
2. lay down the front cover face down on the table and using your pencil and ruler make a parallel line 2 inches from the edge. do the same for the other 3 sides. (however many inches your line is from the edge is how tall your finished box will be… so if you want a taller box measure out 3 inches and for a shorter box measure out 1 inch)
3. using your exacto knife run it very lightly over the four lines you drew (this scoring of the cardboard makes it easier to fold)
4. to create the tabs you will fold in to secure your box, simply cut in from the right side and then the left side of the horizontal lines you drew but only until you hit the vertical lines
5. carefully fold the album cover inward along the lines you scored (you can see your cover begin to look like a box!)
6. apply hot glue to the tabs you created on the long sides then fold them in. quickly fold the short side to meet the tabs and press down to secure the glue. (if you don’t have a glue gun… you can tape the tabs, or use regular glue and clothespins to hold the box together until the glue dries) repeat this for the other side of the box.
7. repeat steps 2-6 for the back of the cover, except make your first measurement for your lines 2/16th of an inch larger than your original measurement. for example: if the measurement for the top of the box is 2 inches, the measurement for the bottom of the box will be 2 2/16th of an inch. (this will allow the bottom to be slightly smaller so that the top fits over it)
8. use your new box to hold anything and everything from cd’s to jewelry to keepsakes!
