Have you ever thought about decorating with all those old records? Remember Journey, The Eagles, and all those other bands you used to listen to? Framed covers from your favorite LPs can turn an old record into a work of art. There are several ways to display the best of your record collection.
Album Art Border
Instead of a simple wallpaper border, you can use two strips of chair rail molding, spaced 12 inches apart, to showcase a strip of your favorite records. Album artists probably never got the attention they deserve. If you don't have enough space on each wall to display a 12 inch strip of albums, you can use molding in smaller spaces, custom cut to fit your collection.
Making Your Own Album Art Wallpaper
You can actually make your own wallpaper with vintage record album art. You'll have to have color copies made of each cover and it may be difficult to find a copier that's capable of scanning a 12 inch surface. You may have more luck with the 45's than the full size LP's.
Lay one copy at a time in a tray of wallpaper adhesive and smooth it onto your wall. You can line them up straight, especially if you're using the same cover over and over again. It would be so much fun to have a copy of every record in your collection, then create an entire custom wallpaper layout using each record. It would look like a pile of records on your wall. You could even lay them out according to color in a pattern that complements the rest of your decor.
Covering Ugly Furniture
Try using your record albums to decorate ugly furniture. If your coffee table needs a makeover, cover it with the old LPs. You can cover the sides of a bookcase, too. Sand the surface so that the album sticks, then cover with a layer of modge podge. Stick the album onto the modge podge and allow it to dry. Paint over the top of the album with the modge podge, too. It will dry shiny and be water resistant. You could also cover the table top with plexiglass.
Making a Quilt of Vintage LP's
Once again, make copies of the album art and apply an iron-on fabric medium. Read the package directions for your specific product, you'll probably need to allow it to dry and then iron it onto your fabric. You can transfer photos using this method as well. Imagine making a quilt of your favorite albums & concert photos. What a fun way to decorate the guest room.
Use your imagination to think of other ways you can use that old record collection in your decorating. You can find a few extra records at thrift shops and yard sales. In fact, you can probably get some for free just by telling friends and family about your plan. Who knows, you may end up making record album cover pillowcases for Christmas.
