This is a totally epic project. We call it the "Jellyfish Lamp." It consists of a melted record (preferably clear) and hanging lamp parts. It's very unique and everyone who sees it gasps.

Supplies you will need:
1. One Vinyl Record, preferably clear or transparent with tint. (look at garage sales, Salvation Army or used record stores)
2. 2 or 3 bead necklaces, cut into 8 or more strands
3. Hanging lamp parts (you can either take apart an old hanging lamp or you can buy the parts cheaply at a hardware store).
4. Electrical tape
5. Gorilla Glue (or a Hot Glue Gun)
6. Possibly two wire caps / wire twists

Step 1: Melt Record

After some trial and error we found that the record melting is fun and easy. Choose your largest cooking pot and fill most of the way up with water. Heat the water until it's almost boiling - record vinyl is very soft so you don't have to make it boil. Now dip one side of the record into the water. If you want to keep the paper label looking nice, only dip up to the edge of the label. Within seconds the section in the water will become soft and bendable. With your hands (it doesn't get very hot) bend that section of the record down. Now dip the next section in the water and bend it. It may take you a few bends to get it looking even. You can practice on an old record (to make record bowls). When you have a shape you like, you can run it under cold water to harden or simple set it on a glass or bowl to hold it's shape while it hardens.

Step 2: Light Fixture

We took the easy route and took apart an old hanging lamp from Ikea. You can also buy the lamps parts from a hardware store. Ours has a switch just above the lamp to turn it on and off (see photo).

If you take apart an old lamp like we did, you simply need to get the hanging wire through the record hole. We found that the easiest way to do this was to cut the cord/wire, then put it through the hole, then use electrical tape to reconnect the two wires. We drilled two small holes in the record label (see photo) to screw the light fixture into the record, but yours might simply hang in place with no screws.

Step 3: Just Bead It

Now to add the jellyfish tentacles.
-Cut your bead necklaces into strands about 8 inches long. We made 8 strands but you could use more or less than that.
-Using Gorilla Glue (or a hot glue gun), squeeze a dot of glue onto the inside of one of the outer folds of the record (see picture).
-Place the end of one of the bead strands in the glue dot and wait until it dries
-Repeat for each bead strand, trying to make the distance between strands roughly even.