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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Interview with Lorie Beshara of Rock and Roll Coasters

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You’ve seen their work in Rebecca’s column, and now you get to hear about the couple behind Rock and Roll Coasters.

What is your craft / art / creative endeavor?

My husband and I make drink coasters using 45 rpm records. We use records that aren’t playable because of scratches and skipping.

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How did you get started? Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you’re doing now?

I sold records on line for 8 years. 45’s were my specialty. I was throwing away about 60% of them because they were scratched and sounded bad. I was getting ready to throw away more and it was breaking my heart. I was looking at them and it suddenly occured to me how cute they would look as coasters. Tom (my husband) is very creative and figured out how to make them. It took about a year to make them look really good.

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Do you work alone? With a team? Do you engage your family or friends in the work? What is your process? How do you ensure you get your work done yet still have a life?

My husband and I work together.

We first cut the record down square from 7 inch to 4×4 inches. Then we go through 3 sealing processes. We also include the little yellow thingy (45 adapter) Tom pours them in Epoxy resin (like used on bartops). He free pours them, we don’t use a mold. They cure for about 3 days. We work about 9 hours a day and do about 27 shows a year starting in March.

That’s become our life and we have a great time doing it.

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Where do you sell your work? Which venues are your favorites? Do you prefer selling online or in person? Do you attend shows or fairs? Is your work in a gallery or brick-and-mortar store?

We sell on Etsy. Hopefully we’ll have a website of our own soon. We love selling in person. The coasters are much more striking in person and it’s fun to talk about the music and what people love. We do Fine Arts and Craft fairs just around Colorado.

We’ve tried selling in stores but in shows we display about 600 coasters so that people can build their own sets. That makes it really hard for a retail store.

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The black that you see around the label is the vinyl. These are not just the labels or pictures of the labels. You can’t see the grooves too well because the resin is poured about 1/4 inch thick.

Quite a few original artists own our coasters such as: Denise & the Delicates, Bertie Higgins, Pat Boone, Jay Ferguson, Lou Christie etc….

Thanks Lorie!

And if you would like to be interviewed, just head over to DIY Interviews.

My Black Dress

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My Black Dress: I discovered my passion in Fashion three years ago and just entered a fashion school without any knowledge of clothing construction or pattern-making. Now I can bring any design in my mind or on paper into reality. I purely love sewing, designing, draping–in fact, the whole process of making clothes. I work on every single piece with my soul, passion, heart, and love. I would not put anything on my store that I am not proud of. Each peice is truely well-made and one of a kind. Enjoy!!

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Product Showcase: Starry Night

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Here is a fact that almost everyone who knows me will tell you – I love stars. I’ve always been fascinated by them, both the actual stars in the night sky and anything with their shape on it. I’m so into stars that I even have 12 of them tattooed in various places on my body! This week, I’ve rounded up some fabulous star-themed handmade goodies for your enjoyment.

The inspiration for the earrings up top started with the finish, which Caroline, the artist, discovered by accident one day while working with a piece of silver. She realised that just by using a steel file, she could create a wonderful shimmer effect on the surface of the silver. Caroline has always loved star shapes in jewellery – “I feel the shape is simple, yet fun and also timeless…so what would be better than a star that gently shimmers in the light. ”

I love this print by Deb of Champignons, it reminds me of looking up at the night sky and feeling very small indeed. Deb was inspired by the juxtaposition of big things like cosmic hares and stars and tiny things we treasure and keep safe. She says, “I’ve always liked the idea of tiny world systems, there’s nothing to say that worlds have to be giant, either, so there might be tiny worlds all over the place, with stars and hares and even smaller worlds within them.”

How adorable is this zombie/stars colourful print? “The idea behind the little zombie lovers is to share some love!” says designer Rhi, who intends the expression of the zombie about to recieve the heart to depict warmth, shyness and surprise. Rhi paints these designs with the hope that someone can give the painting to another, as a gift that says ‘I love you’ in an alternative way.

Nautical stars like the ones in this cushion cover remind me of my husband, who has one tattooed on his forearm. Ruth was inspired by her daughter, who loves skulls and pirates – she also thought the red and black stripes were very piratey! “I just love being creative with fabric, it is a bit of an obsession!! I am always looking out for beautiful, luxurious and quirky fabrics.”