Techno Girl

That's me! Part time Techno Girl! Oh! I just love my computers, cell phones, PDA....all of it! So a couple of years ago, I thought....why not scrap it? I had a "dead" laptop and just couldn't really part with it. After all, my fingers had been tapping on it for the past 3 years. And my cell phone....well...it had been glued to my ear at one time (or so my hubby says!)

So, I got this brillant idea (well at least I thought it was brilliant) to take apart my laptop and re-create it in a cigar box! HA! Have you ever actually taken apart a laptop? It does require that you be able to see the microscopic screws used to hold it all together and in some cases.....to unsolder things! What a trip!

This is what I ended up with. The cigar box is mounted on cut out foam board (you need something pretty strong to support a cigar box!)



Across the top is part of the mother board. I used a jigsaw to cut out the letters for "techno" and wrapped them in silver tape. On the upper right hand is a lever and when you pull down on it, there are lights that light up around "techno". The batteries are hidden under the green strip. Sort of cute, huh?



This is "girl"....made from computer parts that were soldered apart. Her feet are the tabs that ejected CDs....so they actually move. I used "keys" to spell the word "girl".



She flips open and under her is my old cell phone. Yeah, you can tell...that's old! The cell phone was gutted, but it flips up and literally rings. Always gets a laugh out of anyone who looks at this one!



I believe it was Ertyl paper that I used for the cover of the cigar box. I embossed the cover of my laptop into the metal paper and then glued the Sony ID to the top. Looks a whole lot like my original laptop...just a whole lot smaller!



I had to cut some of the keys to make them fit...but I got most of them crammed into the space I had. The top is the physical screen from the laptop. That was such an experience....taking apart the monitor. I learned a lot though about what's inside a computer!



Did you know there are layers of screens? I sure didn't!! So I made layers of screens, edging them all with silver tape. I then printed out the story of how Kerry and I met online at yahoo.com....and that's the story and journaling for this project. I was able to recreate the actual yahoo screens of how we met. Pretty cool! OK...that photo was taken in 1998...the year we met!



The keyboard flips open (just like the laptop) and under that you will find my "hard drive"! LOLOL! OK...I journaled a bit about Scrapbook Technology and called it Scrapology. A pic of me there on the bottom in my old studio...man, was that a small, crammed space! ON the top...my old PDA and a CD book:



In the CD book, I talked about medical technology and how that benefited both of my sons. I talked about technology in religion and how we no longer need to limit what we believe to what someone behind a pulpit decides to talk about each week....we have the world at our fingertips!



Of course, the PDA opens up....and the back of the CD book is a CD dipped in 6 layers of UTEE, stamped, and inked with perfect pearls. Did I mention I did this in 2005? Long before I was part of the Ranger design team...I loved UTEE!!!



A close-up of the CD....I just love this one. Think it would make great ornaments or window hangers!



Would you look at this mess I called a studio? Yes....I had a foot bath and foot massager under my work table! Smart geek girl!



This is what the whole thing looks like unfolded. Amazing how much you can get inside a little 1" thick cigar box!



Here, I was showing how technology can build better photographs. I removed my husband from the photo and took years and weight off my in-laws. Yeah....now you will just have to wonder how many of my other photos I have altered! LOL!



And here I was showing how technology can restore the past....that pink photo is the original one that has been very nicely restored for future generations!



Wow! Anyone want to do an altered cigar box my way? Will take you about a week...but truly, this one sits in the entry way to our home and all who see it just love it.

Back to my original thoughts....if there is something in your life that you use on a daily basis....why not scrap it, alter it, keep it for the rest of your life? My cell phone, my laptop, my PDA....were treasures for 3 years and now they are a treasure for all time.

I am now on my second mac power book since the vaio, my 3rd or 4th cell phone...and I have traded in the pda as I use my iphone for that. I download photos from my iphone or camera into iphoto, then upload them to my picasa album where they are exported to my blogger. I LOVE technology! I'm truly a techno girl at heart....and playing with all this technology is what I love to do!