Christmas 2013
2012 meant American Girl Dolls and a mountain of clothes that I spent over a month sewing. This year we're not doing anything quite so time-consuming, but hopefully they will be happy & surprised (so don't tell them!).
12/11 - I scored a pair of laptops from a friend of mine at work (he got them as they were pulled from service at his wife's school). Add a can of adhesion promoter and 2 cans of spray paint (Satin Green Apple & Satin French Lilac) & my girls are getting really cute laptops for Christmas!
So far (today) we've disassembled the laptops, applied appropriate masking and painted the first colour (green, they will each be 2-tone). Plan is Friday we'll paint the purple on each (one is green with purple trim, the other purple with green trim) & Monday we'll reassemble & hopefully start to load an OS and software.
So far (today) we've disassembled the laptops, applied appropriate masking and painted the first colour (green, they will each be 2-tone). Plan is Friday we'll paint the purple on each (one is green with purple trim, the other purple with green trim) & Monday we'll reassemble & hopefully start to load an OS and software.
Hannah's Screen
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Hannah's Laptop
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12/12 - Hannah's green laptop is done* & Phoebe's purple laptop just needs the second colour on the screen. There is an asterisk next to Hannah's being done because it occurred to me rather late to paint their power bricks to match & they're still drying. By mid-day tomorrow, they should be all done!
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Final assembly pictures of Hannah's tomorrow!
12/13 - Ok, I lied. No picture if Hannah's laptop today because I want to unveil both at the same time. Here are some pictures of Phoebe's as it currently sits - her screen is far to recently painted to handle it enough to attach it will likely sit off until tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm installing Windows on it using an external monitor.
If you look closely, you'll notice the power bricks painted to match the laptops - I think the girls are going to love them!
If you look closely, you'll notice the power bricks painted to match the laptops - I think the girls are going to love them!
12/14 - Here's what you've been waiting for: completed laptop pictures! Still lots to do setting them up, but they are physically done & look great!
12/21 - So, except that the laptops were given to me, they would be a lot more than we would have spent on the girls, given what else they are already getting. For that reason + I like the girls to take their time and enjoy everything they get for Christmas, the laptops will be held back until later Christmas Day. The trick is, the girls know they are getting something painted these colours (they picked out the paint months ago). If the laptops tended to overheat, I'd make simple portable desks that they could use underneath in bed, but no such luck - they run great! So, I decided to make them some new phones (they have an intercom system that uses phones).
They aren't 100% done yet, but they are 100% functional. I need to add a backplate (to mount them) and secure the phone cord, but otherwise they are done!