Friday, March 26, 2021

March Table Scraps Challenge - 45 Record Mug Rugs

"Put some records on and let's dance!"  That's what my 1969 Talking PJ Barbie doll said—or at least that's how I remember it.  She didn't talk for long, though, because I had the bright idea to take her in the bathtub with me.  After that she just gargled/garbled for a little bit before her "talker" broke completely.  Wah-wah.


She was groovy, though, in her mod orange and pink outfit and blonde pigtails.  I actually think I liked her better silent, where I could supply the dialog.

Now I feel like such a geezer talking about records, but records were the thing until the 1980s when CDs came along.  Now even those are passe, along with words like burn and rip (as it pertains to copying them).  


I had an extensive record collection when I was a kid/teenager/young adult.  As a kid, I spent many an allowance on buying 45s so I could hear the latest songs by favorite artists like The Beatles, The Bee Gees, various Motown groups, etc.

One day I came home from elementary school to find my toddler brother playing with my record player on the landing of the stairs.  As he finished "listening to" (aka scratching) each record, he flung it like a Frisbee against the walls of the stairwell where it shattered to pieces!  I cried inconsolably as I riffled through what was left in my records box and took stock of the damage.

As my allowance increased with each birthday (and we got a better stereo), I started buying 33 rpm LP records.  Simon & Garfunkel, Carole King, James Taylor, and so many more, all the way through the early 1980s.  Remember Columbia Record Club, anyone?  You could get 12 albums for a penny, or something like that, when you joined the club, and then they'd send you one a month at regular prices until you canceled.  I don't know how many times I joined/canceled record clubs, but that's how I amassed a lot of my collection as a young adult.

So when I saw some cute record-shaped mug rugs online recently, a wave of delight and nostalgia rushed over me and I knew I had to try making some for the next round of the Table Scraps Challenge.

Somehow, though, the month of March almost got away from me (I blame getting shingles, which I'm still currently dealing with).  But yesterday I got it together and started making the first one.  I was trying to recall cool label designs from the days of my 45s, and one that stood out in memory was the Apple label on Hey Jude/Revolution by The Beatles.  


I had a scrap of vintage apple print, a thrift store find from a few years ago.  Not perfect, but close enough to convey the idea, I think.

For the second one, I just picked a fun scrap of bright pink and orange.  I wasn't consciously thinking of my old PJ Barbie's outfit, but may have been channeling that vibe.


These are fun to make!  Kind of like potato chips, you don't want to stop at just one.  The instructions I followed are HERE.  


I posted a picture of these on my Facebook page today, and my (curious/destructive as a little kid) brother commented that they were "cool!"  I didn't have the heart to bring up the record-flinging incident that he was probably too young to remember anyhow.  He did go on to do stints as a radio disc jockey and mobile music DJ, so he learned something from the experience, I think.  How to push his sister's buttons, if nothing else!

10 comments:

The Joyful Quilter said...

OMG!!! Those are the coolest mug rugs EVER!!! Thanks for sharing the link for the instructions (and for joining in the TABLE SCRAPS Challenge.

Verveine&Lin said...

Ohhh, vos tapis de tasses sont magnifiques ! J'ai beaucoup ri avec les histoires de votre frère !!!

Anonymous said...

These record mug rugs are so awesome..., er groovy! I totally dig them! Seriously, despite the 70s jargon I keep throwing in. I remember records and record clubs - although honestly, by the time I joined a record club I was buying CDs. I was a late bloomer in that regard.

Carol R. said...

records are making a comeback - someone finally realized they are cool :) Love your mugrugs... might have to make some for myself. :)

Marei said...

Love these! A touch of nostalgia. I stopped buying 45's in the mid 60's. Only "albums" after that, well until 8-tracks came along! Then cassettes& CDs. Amazing how many times I've paid for the dane music! Unloaded the last of my albums in the early 2000's when our turntable bit the dust.

Quiltdivajulie said...

OMIGOSH - I had that very same 45 (Hey Jude). Cool coasters.

Kaja said...

I bought a record player recently and fished all my old vinyl out of its boxes - almost every LP is still perfectly playable. I love these coasters - they are, as Julie says, very cool.

Susie H said...

Oh Paulette, what a funny yet sad story. Kid siblings can be the best & worst for us. Oh well, love the mug rugs. I loved Carole King's Tapestry album so much that later I bought the CD. I still remember most of the words to all the songs! Nice trip down Memory Lane for me.

chrisknits said...

Those are adorable!!! What a neat idea.

QuiltGranma said...

What a fun idea to make mug rugs that resemble (loosely) old records! Thank you for sharing those memories. I didn't buy many albums, but did get into the cassette tapes, even taping favorite programs off the radio! Most I can still play today, and still enjoy them. (till they get sucked into the machine and get ruined!)