DIY Vinyl Bowl

This upcycle is a gift I received for my birthday, and loved so much that I wanted to share it! The beauty of this is that you can make the bowl personal, by choosing a record which has meaning. For example, this record was chosen for me because of the spelling error on the vinyl; to young to remember instead of too young to remember and my reputation among my friends as a word nerd.

You Will Need

a vinyl

a tumbler/pint glass

baking tray

oven 

Where To Find 

Vinyls - Vinyls can be found in charity shops or second hand music shops. Obscure bands can start off from pretty cheap (less than a pound/dollar) and there's a super-massive range of vinyls out there, so you're bound to find a title which resonates eventually.

How To Make A DIY Vinyl Bowl 

-Place an upturned glass on a baking tray, with the vinyl on top. Make sure the centre of the vinyl meets the centre of the base of the glass; the vinyl is going to mold itself to the shape of the glass and it'll end up wonky otherwise! 

-Place your strange tower of glass and vinyl into a heated oven at around 100 degrees Celcius/ 210 degrees Fahrenheit. 

-Leave in the oven until the vinyl melts into the shape of the glass; this usually takes 2-4 minutes. 

-Remove from the oven and leave for ~15 minutes to cool. 

The great thing about vinyl bowls is that if you're not happy with the results, you can just stick it back in the oven to re-melt and try again (though maybe use a different glass or let it completely cool first, they're not that heatproof!

Let me know if you have a go at making your own vinyl bowl. Is was easy, right?

Happy Upcycling!

DIY Tumblr Wall

In an era where tenancy agreements have page after page of rules and requirements stipulating all the do's and (especially) don'ts of living, decorating your home can be like navigating through a minefield. Not damaging the walls is a common rule (especially in student accommodation) however, leaving the walls bare can make a place seem somewhat empty. Luckily, there are ways of decorating walls without leaving behind any evidence afterwards!

You Will Need
white tack
washi tape
cards and leaflets
a large center piece (optional)

Where To Find
Washi tape - If you've never used washi tape, it's a sort of patterned masking tape, great for arts and crafts. I purchased these tapes from Ebay user joeandflo whose store has a variety of tapes available and at great prices.
Postcards - Unfortunately, I don't have a cornucopia of friends dotted around the planet and ready to send me regional postcards. Luckily, a website exists to do just that! It's called Postcrossing and in exchange for sending a postcard to someone else, you get a random one back - the more postcards you send, the more you receive.
Cards - Just had a birthday or a public holiday? Save up the cards you like and add them to your wall display!
Leaflets - Museums and art galleries often have cute and quirky leaflets related to the exhibitions. These change regularly, and best of all, they're free!

The best thing about this decor is that its temporary; it can be moved around and adapted as you add new pieces or change things to suit the rest of the room. My center piece is currently a glow in the dark map as I like having a focal point to work outwards from, however, it works just as well without one.

Let me know if you try to make a Tumblr wall of your own. Did you add any other interesting pieces to your wall?

Happy Upcycling!