Why the record player?

My Wife built this record player for me back when we were just dating. At the time I hadn't gotten into vinyl, yet. I was living in a beat up old trailer home while going to college. The trailer had an 8-track player with speakers built into the ceiling. I would go with her on cheap dates to local thrift stores so we could pick up cheap 8-tracks and other fun stuff. She saw me eyeing up the vinyl a couple of times. I was mostly oggling old Jesus Music records. I didn't have anything to play them on though, so back in the crate each of them went.

That Christmas I was very surprised to find a giant gift placed out for me at her parent's house! Even more surprised to find this beauty, inside.

It's built out of an old Peruvian beauty bench stool and and an old Columbia Records suitcase record player, also from Peru. She stripped and stained the bench inside her parent's garage due to the weather. Then she cut the suitcase player apart and set it inside the bench. To finish it off she went online and found whatever cool looking album art she could and mod podged it all over.

I love this old player. I can stack 7 records up and it'll play one at a time. It plays 78's, 45's, 33's, and even 16's! I wish some of these modern spoken word artists, like Levi The Poet or Chris Bernstorf, would release some 16 rpm records. I'd REALLY love the full Streetlight Bible released on 16 rmp, when it's finished!

It's amazing how powerful a gift can be when it's hand-made! If my Wife had just bought a record player, I can tell it would not be posted on here. This record player is more valuable to me then any fancy off the shelf one!

What have you made or received from others that's been memorable to you?