Laptop Love

I've been in a creative mood this week, and I decided to take it out on my notebook pc:

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Many people like to personalize their laptops with a unique bumper sticker or something similar. I couldn't find the right sticker, so I ended up doing my own thing. I took a bit of inspiration from the week of spirals I posted this last November, especially the pop art mosaic spiral. First, I painted a black background, then used some decoupage medium (gooey stuff that dries hard and clear) to seal in the tiles. The "tiles" are bits of scrapbook and origami paper, mixed with a few photos and a few of my fractals.

The most difficult part was trying to keep track of my design. I had a blueprint on paper, and the paper bits sorted (in a muffin tin) by color, but having fingers covered in glue and limited working space made it a slow process. I'm happy with the way it turned out, in the end. The spiral looks a bit like a wave. I didn't plan that, but I like it. With the "adapt" sticker stuck in the middle, it describes my entire outlook on life. That is, when we find ourselves in the midst of a chaotic and converging world, we must adapt to the resulting change.... Or, as I like to say, ride the waves.

Ok, I'll admit, I like it because it's as girly as it is geeky... With pink paisleys and butterflies on the inside, my decoupage-covered laptop says "girls dig gadgets too".

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Unrelated note: I haven't just been playing with crafts. I have been straightening out my schedule for school, as well. That was trickier than arranging sticky paper tiles--while I have been admitted to the University of Colorado at Boulder, I'm not able to take any classes there until the summer. I'll still be up there, going through orientations, planning my future, etc., but for now, I'm taking a few online classes at home. (If anyone is curious, they're an art appreciation course and the second section of an intro to psychology course that I started last year. Neither is required for degrees in environmental studies or philosophy, but I find them interesting subjects nonetheless.) In addition to playing with paper and dealing with school, I went out of town this last weekend. It's been a pleasant break, but after this, I'm looking forward to getting back to some serious writing.

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It may not be required by a curriculum committee, but I think you'll find introductory psychology very relevant to environmental studies, and very useful. Enjoy.

Thanks, etbnc! I'm sorry to be a little slow in response; I've barely had time to think, lately. I happen to agree with you on the relevance of introductory psychology to environmental studies. In the first section of the same class, we went over the basics of neuroscience, and I had a chance to look at natural neural networks. That seemed considerably relevant, plus it was simply fascinating. In this one, I'm actually looking forward to the discussions of mental illnesses. I'm sure if I find something applicable, I'll be posting about it! :)

hello i just had a question for you. did you primer your laptop first and then paint? also, did you take apart the laptop or just paint with it all still together?

i have been wanting to do this for a while and was super excited when i found someone else who did something similar.^.^

CherylP, I didn't do near that much work! I left the laptop intact, and used masking tape to mask the outside edges, and then used black acrylic paint straight on the metal (or plastic? I'm not sure what it is.) Then, I used "modge podge" to make the mosaic, which also acted as a sealer and final coat. It was pretty a pretty basic approach, and it has proven to be pretty durable so far.

Btw, I'm glad to see other "crafty" folks out there! Have fun with yours! :)

I'm so glad to see this! I want to do something similar to my laptop and am freaked out by having such an expensive canvas, IYKWIM. I've done tons of other decoupage projects- lightswitch covers are a favorite. Anyhoo, thanks for posting, I just might do it- especially since I've got a box full of clippings all ready to go. :-)

how can i get one of these for my daughter and my grand daughter.

By kali channel (not verified) on 29 Mar 2008 #permalink

hey i like That Guitar it's like toatally Kewl