Make a moving turntable greeting card from a floppy disk

This week's How-To Tuesday project is a movable record player greeting card made from an upcycled floppy disk. 

I volunteer weekly at the SCRAP Reuse Store, which gives me a lot of time to think about how to reuse odd items in art and craft projects -- for instance, a box of 3.5" floppy disks. 

The actual disk part of the floppy disk looks suspiciously like a record, and it only takes a few minutes to turn it into a personalized turntable greeting card. The best part is that the card is assembled with brads so the record spins and the player arm moves, too. 

For this project you'll need:

• an old floppy disk
  
• a screwdriver
  
• scissors
  
• hole punches
  
• blank greeting cards or cardstock to make your own
  
• small brads
  
• cardstock or corrugated paper for the record player arm
• embellishment items: stamps, collage paper, glue stick, etc.
  

Start by busting into the floppy disk. Pull off the protective flap and slide the screwdriver between the plastic sides and twist to pop it open. 

At this point I always remember past teachers' admonishments to never! touch! the disk! 

Ha! I'm touching the disk!

Here are the guts of the floppy. For this project you'll just be using the magnetic disk itself, but if you have ideas for reusing the other parts I'd love to hear them. 

Lay the disk on the card and mark spots in the middle of the disk and where the arm of the record player will be located. 

Punch these with small holes. You can use a narrow punch like this one, a darning needle, or whatever else you have handy. 

Attach the disk to the card with a brad. I like to punch a larger circle of paper to go between them. 

Cut a thin strip of stiff paper to be the arm of the turntable. Punch a small hole in one end and attach it with the second brad. 

Now decorate the card however you like. I tend to favor silly music-themed puns cut from old magazines, but maybe that's just me.

And you're done! Sit back and admire your work.

(By the way, if you like the cards but don't have the time to make them yourself, they're also available in my Etsy shop.)

[Update 4/20/09: This tutorial is now on Instructables, where you can view it step-by-step or download a PDF to print.]