Image via ReadyMade

Looking for an easy, cheap DIY project to put those old cassette tapes to good use?

Display some music history and clear clutter in your entryway with a cassette tape coat hanger. It’s a piece of cake with ReadyMade’s easy-to-follow instructions.

Jeff McClure, the mastermind behind the idea, had this to say about his inspiration for the project: “Like most people, I love music. I have switched over to CDs and MP3 files, but I can’t bring myself to throw any of my old cassette tapes into the trash. I love their classic, iconic look, and I made these hooks to reuse a few of the tapes as a place to hang my hat.”

Although cassette tapes went out of vogue decades ago, there’s something very modern about the look of this coat hanger. I never considered how perfectly the right screw would fit into the holes in cassette tapes… Ideas for other cassette tape-related projects are already percolating in my brain!

One thing to keep in mind when planning your own cassette tape coat hanger is that each hook can only handle up to 10 pounds. Hats, scarves, and light jackets get the green light; hang winter jackets and heavy purses and bags at your own risk.

Now find your drill and fine-tooth saw and get to work!

via ReadyMade

Photo by Alyce Santoro via Flickr

Sonic Fabric, woven from a 50/50 blend of recycled cassette tape and cotton, can actually be played. Just run a tape head over the fabric. It sings a different tune than what was originally recorded on the tape, however, sounding more like scratching a record or radio static.

But as Sonic Fabric’s creator Alyce Santoro explains, being able to play back the tape as is isn’t really the point:  “To me it’s the concept that makes it meaningful…all those sounds mixed together to form a totally unique new sound.”

For an excellent example of how Sonic Fabric both looks and sounds, check out footage from this 2004 Phish show. Jon Fishman, the band’s percussionist, not only models a dress woven from Sonic Fabric, but also proves that it can indeed double as a musical instrument.

So how was this crazy singing fabric idea born? Growing up, Alyce’s dad employed a strand of cassette tape as his “tell tail,” a small bit of fabric or yarn sailors use to determine the direction of the wind:

“When I was a kid I used to imagine that I could hear Cat Stevens or Beethoven’s 6th …wafting out into the air if the wind hit the tell-tail just the right way. Years later, I learned about Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags…[that are] hung outdoors…where their blessings can be activated and sent off into the world on the wind. It seemed a natural progression to me to combine these two concepts…”

The Sonic Fabric shop has a variety of goodies for sale. Right now neck ties and strings of flags are all the rage. If you’re feeling crafty and want to design your own fashion statement (or musical instrument), you can also buy Sonic Fabric by the yard.

Get It Here: Sonic Fabric (Ties $140, Flags $50, Yardage – contact for details)

via Crafting a Green World

Photo via Etsy

Like your drinks served on the rocks? How about on rock albums? Husband and wife team INOUDID’s Attic are purging their old record collection by repurposing album covers into coasters and LPs into bowls. Before you vinyl fanatics start having panic attacks, let me reassure you that I am sympathetic to your cause (see related posts here and here). Fortunately, so is INOUDID’s Attic.

The couple did right by LP connoisseurs by putting their old records up for sale. Strangely enough, they had a hard time finding people that needed to have Hall & Oates’ Big Bam Boom, Ratt’s Out of the Cellar, or the Pointer Sisters’ Break Out on vinyl.

They also had a ton of records that were too damaged to be playable. Instead of doing the easy thing – chucking them in the garbage – they came up with this eco-friendlier solution.

The album cover is divided into nine coasters that are affixed to 3 3/4″ by 3 3/4″ by 1/2″ birch plywood, then protected with a clear moisture-resistant finish. The best part? You can arrange the puzzle-like pieces to recreate the album artwork!

The record itself is heated and reshaped into a shallow bowl. Perfect for holding the coasters, your 325+ remote controls , or whatever else is currently cluttering your coffee table. And when you knock over your drink while excitedly telling your house guests about your new purchase, both the coasters and the bowl can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth.

INOUDID’s Attic has quite the selection, but once a coaster & bowl set is gone, it’s gone. Don’t let someone else beat you to Ted Nugent’s Weekend Warriors, and remember: “This can’t last forever…doesn’t get much better, no better than this.”

Get it Here:  INOUDID’s Attic on Etsy ($30)

Photo via Etsy

Artist Cat Bishop has set quite the goal for herself: to create 1,000 pieces of what she terms “assemblage art.” Cat scours flea markets and thrift stores for materials, which range from kitchenware to cameras to clocks. Characters – human, animal, and even robot – emerge from cleverly mixing and matching objects.

From an interview with the artist on Etsy:

“My inspiration really comes from the vintage objects that I work with and the thrill of finding them…I can get way too excited over old painted croquet balls or a trashed motorcycle gas tank that I know just needs to [be] reincarnated into a duck. I also love the shapes, lines, and colors of 1950s design. It’s so stylized and easily recognizable…”

Lucky for us music lovers, there are quite a few creations that incorporate instruments – mostly of the kiddie variety, but that’s way more fun, right? Pictured here is my personal favorite, “Slim the Cowboy,” one of many carnival-themed items in Cat’s collection. With a rainbow xylophone torso, croquet ball head, and porcelain boots, he’s one colorful and crazy dude. Plus, he can be posed!

If you’re looking for something to hang on the wall, check out “The Lounge Singer,” whose xylophone aesthetic is similar to Slim the Cowboy’s, or Piano Cat, constructed from a red toy piano, art deco car dashboard clock, and yarn spindle. For something a little less flashy, there’s Giraffe Girl (made with a neutral-toned xylophone, wooden cigar box, and doll legs) and her mate Giraffe Boy (crafted from a trumpet, spinning drum head, and sewing machine drawer).

Cat’s sculptures are very affordable, but if you love what you see and your budget is a little tight, you can also buy prints of her artwork.

Get it Here: Artsy on Etsy (Sculptures $28 – $324; Prints $14)

Photo via Etsy

If you’ve ever taken a peek inside a piano, you were no doubt impressed by how complicated an instrument it is. All those strings and tuning pins and dampers and hammers… In fact, your average piano has over 10,000 moving parts. No wonder these things are so big!

When properly maintained, pianos can last decades. But even the most cared for pianos will eventually age beyond repair. What happens then?

Melsville is giving retired pianos new life by reusing the “action” – the parts that work together to produce sound – to make jewelry and accessories. She states in her bio:

There is excitement in discovering “new” parts and imagining their possible uses. I have an appreciation for the simple mechanics, detailed architectural shaping, and the warmth and antique quality of the wood that makes up the inner workings of the piano.

After removing and disassembling the action, Melsville cleans, sands, reshapes, and stains the individual pieces to create her designs. Her piano hair sticks, pictured here, were once “stickers” from an upright piano. Each one is adorned with a colorful glass or metal bead. Also check out her equally charming pins, pendants, and earrings.

Get it here: Melsville’s Etsy Shop ($10-$35)

Photo via BTC Elements

I am having a hard time believing that that these Pop Rock & Roll Earrings by designer Millie Hilgert are made from recycled records and not from those tasty lollipops you got at the bank as a kid.

However she achieves their candylicious color and shine, you gotta admit these earrings are pretty darn cute. And like other stuff crafted from vinyl featured on this blog, no rare LPs were harmed in the process.

Speaking of process, Millie Hilgert hand-cuts and hand-crafts these earrings herself. You can see more of her rock & roll-inspired repurposed handiwork at Etsy.

Get it here: BTC Elements ($18)