This week’s DIY project is upcycling albums into decorative bowls. When CDs took over, vinyl records ended up in the sales bin at Goodwill. Although, albums are making a come-back, there’s plenty of old vinyl out there waiting for a new life.

I saw this idea months ago and was surprised at how easy and fast record bowls are to make.

Any album or 45 will work. It doesn’t matter if they have scratches or marks. Look for interesting artists, or songs and labels that are in decent condition.

Center an album over an oven-proof bowl. I used metal. For the 45, I tried a can. The size of your “mold” will determine the size of the finished bowl. 

Heat your oven to 200 degrees. Set the bowl and record on a cookie sheet and place it in the center of the oven.

It took less than ten minutes for the record to melt. Remove from the oven and immediately pull the mold from the melted bowl. If it cools too fast and sticks to the metal bowl, pop it back into the oven for a few minutes to soften it again and then remove it. Be careful, each piece is hot, but the record cools off quickly.