Handmade with a Past: Tuesday’s Top Recycled Etsy Find

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a stack of old vinyl records lying around, maybe from your parents’ collection or that time you bought a crate of random records at a garage sale. Well, here’s a genius way to breathe new life into those vintage treasures: this recycled long-play record art piece. It’s not just a nod to the past; it’s a way to keep it alive in a modern, stylish form.

I’ve always loved the tactile feel of a record and the ritual of playing one—there’s just something special about it. So when I found these upcycled records turned into artwork, I instantly thought about how cool it would be to give a second life to my own collection (which is currently collecting dust in the attic). It’s like the record is back from its own time-travel journey, with a fresh purpose and a whole new vibe.

Whether you’re a music lover or just someone who appreciates unique, eco-friendly art, this recycled record will be a conversation starter in your home. Plus, it’s an awesome way to keep the nostalgia alive without cluttering your space.

Why it rocks:

Crafted from recycled long-play records
A nostalgic, eco-friendly art piece for your walls
Perfect for music lovers, retro enthusiasts, or anyone looking to add character to their home decor

Give your old records a chance to shine again, all while adding some sustainable flair to your living room.

Read These Next

It might seem weird to feature a book about protest movements around the Fourth of July, but as Rise Up! Powerful Protests in American History reminds us, protest is patriotic and part of the very fabric of American life from the beginning.

This picture book, written by history teacher Rachel C. Katz and illustrated by Sophie Bass, tells a rhyming story of how Americans have stood up throughout the nation’s history to protest and spread the word about injustice and unsafe conditions. From the Boston Tea Party to modern movements like the Standing Rock pipeline protests and the Obergefell case, it touches on women’s rights, environmental activism, civil rights, Pride, access for disabled people and more.

The illustrations, often based on historic protest signs and artwork, help tell the stories, while a timeline, map, and overview of each event for further discussion. Readers will learn about Silent Spring and The Jungle, the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, the Seneca Falls convention, Robert Smalls, the Delano Grape Strike and the movement to un-dam the Klamath River, to name a few.

Each event includes a few bullet points to provide context about what happened, why and what the result was. The book reminds readers that protests are not always effective, or don’t always get the people involved what they want right away (since it took women 72 years to get the right to vote after Seneca Falls, for example).

This book is a great way to introduce kids to the long and proud history of protest movements in the United States and could prompt discussions about current events and things happening that they might want to see changed. It could also be used to start kids researching different protests discussed in the book for further learning. You can talk about how art can educate people and encourage kids to make their own art pieces to educate others about something important to them.

Rise Up! is a great starting point for learning about the history of protest and the effects it has had on American history. The publisher’s website has more resources for teaching with this book at the link below.

About the book: 48 pages, hardcover. Published 2025 by Barefoot Books. Suggested retail price $17.99.

Read These Next

Have you read?