WFMW - Christmas Edition 2

Works-For-Me Wednesday isn't necessarily Christmas-y again this week but my post is another Christmas idea.

There are always people that you'd like to give a little gift to - the baby-sitter, neighbor, co-worker, teacher, party host/hostess, etc. The list goes on and on and buying or baking for all these folks can get a little pricey!

Here's an inexpensive gift that is fun and easy to make. We took these to our church's Christmas Crafts Exchange and they were a hit. It's a bowl made out of an old vinyl record.

One GROOVY Bowl

Here's how you make one. (We made about 13 in just about an hour.) I saw it done on The Rachael Ray Show and then I googled it and found these directions at Everything2.

If you don't have any vinyl albums that you want to part with, check your local Goodwill or Thrift store. We bought ours for less than a dollar per album.

• Preheat your oven to 200° F., and remove all but the bottom rack.


• Pull up a chair by the oven so you can sit and watch easily.


• You'll need a coffee can. We used a smaller 13 oz. can. Although an oven safe bowl can work but will make a wider shallower bowl. Place said can on a cookie sheet on the bottom rack.


• Put the LP centered on the can, close the oven door. Make sure to choose which side you want to show in the bottom of the bowl and pace that side facing downward.


• Do not leave the kitchen! Watch the record droop over the coffee can. It only takes 1-2 minutes!


• Open the oven, pull out the bottom rack as far as it will go. (We pulled the cookie sheet onto the oven door - don't worry, it's light.) Put on some oven mitts or work gloves, and start shaping your new bowl. It's a little like crimping the edge of a pie crust.


• It'll be doing a clamshell wavey thing. You can make a new ridge by lightly grabbing a bulging out ridge between your thumb and fingers and slowly pushing. It helps if you have another person helping.


• The bowl cools pretty quickly and won't be malleable forever - by pulling out that bottom rack, you're letting it slowly cool while you work it. This is a good thing! If you find that the bowl has cooled down too much and you don't yet like the shape, slide it back into the oven for a count of about five seconds. Put it out and shape again.


• Once you start to have the shape you like, and the vinyl is hardening but still workable, you can lift it off the coffee can flip it over and work with it a little more.


• Let the record cool for five minutes or so, and there you have it! A piece of nostalgia in bowl form.

Yes of course, it does have a hole in the middle, so you probably won't be using it to hold your salsa or ranch dip but it's great for popcorn, chips, Cheetos, Hersey's kisses, hard candies, keys, spare change, etc.. It also makes a great conversation piece. Fill it with peppermint candies and take it to the Christmas party to give to the hostess.

Here are some other things you need to know. LP bowls don't go in the dishwasher - you went to all that work to get it that shape, you don't want it to melt! ! And don't immerse them in water unless you want the label in the center of the LP to come off. However, as long as you don't put wet or harder to clean than buttered popcorn in the bowl (don't butter the popcorn in the bowl) a dishtowel with warm, soapy water on it run around the edges will keep your bowl clean.

At one of the website I found while looking for this, some guy was worried about fumes from the vinyl melting - hence the low oven temperature. Don't turn up the heat trying to speed the process, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated and run your oven fan. And skip this little project if you have someone in your home who is sensitive to stuff like that. Honestly, we had NO trouble with this at all, just wanted you all to be safe.

COOL bowls that are fun, cheap and quick to make - Works for me!

Don't forget to visit Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW ideas. What a good way to get through the middle of the week!