Tuesday, October 9, 2018

DIY Clamshell Laptop for Your Favorite Doll

Left, Cut and trim the pattern for a doll laptop below. Draw around it on top of scrap pieces of cardboard
 or cardstock. (laptop is 2 1/2" x 1 3/4") Center, the laptops shut. Right, the laptops open with monitors on display.
Double the size of this trendy doll laptop design for your Lindsey Bergaman doll.
 
       The "clamshell" shape of this pretend, laptop computer is made by layering and pressing corrugated cardboard pieces together. Don't let the finished product intimidate you! The process is a simple one and a child as young as 10 can do it.
       It is also important to use wood putty and a light weight sandpaper for the process, so make sure that you have all of the supplies on hand before beginning. I have linked to similar crafts below for those of you who are looking to craft something a bit simpler; all of these options are very good as well.

Supply List:
  • scrap corrugated cardboard
  • masking tape
  • scissors 
  • wood putty 
  • sandpaper
  • Mod Podge (optional)
  • white school glue
  • spray paint or acrylic liquid paint or nail polish
  • metallic adhesive tape (alternative)
  • tiny stickers for your laptop logo icon and the monitor screen
  • printable keyboards from Google image search
  • picture for monitor (screen saver)
  • black tape or paper for touchpad
Step-by-Step Instructions:
  1. Cut and trim the pattern for a doll laptop below. Draw around it on top of scrap pieces of cardboard or cardstock. (laptop is 2 1/2" x 1 3/4")
  2. Glue together two pieces of cardboard for both the top and bottom of the laptop, so that you will have four cardboard cutouts in total to make the computer.
  3. Use masking tape then to cover all of the surfaces neatly. Trimming excess tape around the corners as you go.
  4. Apply a very thin layer of wood putty to the outside surfaces of both the top and bottom of the laptop. This application will fill the cracks and help to create a subtle dome-like surface (clamshell) for both the top and bottom pieces of your play laptop computer.
  5. After the laptop pieces have dried overnight, lightly sand the top, bottom and edges of the surfaces where you have applied the wood putty.
  6. You may wish to repeat step 4 and 5 in order to achieve a perfected looking surface. Remember, this is a learning process. Do not become overly anxious about your first efforts. It takes perseverance and practice to achieve the best results.
  7. With the metallic adhesive tape, hinge the top and bottom laptop pieces together from the inside of the laptop only. If you tape this hinge from both sides the laptop may not close properly. If you haven't any metallic adhesive tape you can use the masking tape. I suggest the metallic adhesive because it can take more wear, tear and play.
  8. Open the laptop and lay it face down to either spray paint it or to apply any liquid acrylic paint of your own choosing.
  9. Paint these surfaces with several even coats and let them dry.
  10. Print and cut keyboard clipart (above link). Apply these with Mod Podge or white glue if that is all you have on hand.
  11. Cut and stick a smaller square from the black tape and apply this for the touchpad.
  12. Cut a screen saver from a picture you like in a magazine and apply this with glue to the inside of your tiny laptop. 
  13. Don't forget to glue a tiny sticker for your laptop's logo icon on the topside of your doll's computer.
  14. Let the glue and paint cure for a day before handling the tiny laptop.
The finished doll laptops.
 
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