Alphasmart, pimped

I never really worry that I'll have trouble finding a boy to marry me, if I'm ever in the market again. I disassemble and paint my own electronics, for God's sake. (It's actually automobile vinyl color, which doesn't build up like paint and molds perfectly to all the little details, so it appears to have been made in this color.)

 

The idea was to make my alphasmart more like a personal notebook--funky stickers (which I took enormous care not to overthink, or getting them all lined up would have driven me crazy ... I basically just decided that keepin' it real equated smushing them onto the keys with my thumb) and purty colors. I wanted a sort of visual uniqueness that is actually psychologically important, when you work at home and have difficulty switching tasks. I wasn't just painting for fun, but to create a visual cue; I see that robin's egg blue and I know it's time to write.

 

I like that the blue paint and the stickers combine to give it a sort of retro "ancient office equipment" feel, complete with spaces between the letters. The underside is "envy green," a neon green that peeks out on the sides, just to update the look a little.

 

I'm very happy with how it turned out. Word to the wise: You will suffer 182 stages of panic as you apply thin coat after thin coat and the color hardly changes--or changes to a pukey color from the black showing through. The bright green especially looked absolutely horrid for most of the day! Just keep going and hope for the best.

 

I figured out a plan of attack with inspiration from this pioneer in Alphasmart pimpage: flickr.com/photos/vrf/148170146/

Done