Thursday, November 20, 2014

Yeah, I Decoupaged a Typewriter


In general, I’m a big fan of the Olivetti aesthetic. The Lexikon 80, the Lettera 22 and 32, are sleek and gorgeous, and the Valentine romps in my dreams like a far-too-expensive lover.
I’m far less enamored of the boxy look of the Lettera 33, and the Lettera 31 (aka The Dora) is downright ugly, especially in the all-too common putty color. I picked up a Dora last year some time, cleaned it up and freshly beribboned it, and was sad to see it’s also not a spectacular typing machine. It works, sure, but it feels cheap. I’ve heard similar things about the action of the Valentine, but at least it’s nice to look at.

So, I took my Dora and decoupaged it.




I’m also a big fan of the work of mystery dean Robert B. Parker, and I have a bad habit of picking up extra copies of his books whenever I see them on the used-book racks and bins. I decided to dedicate the Dora to Parker (and name it after him) by adorning the thing with pages from two of my favorite Spenser novels “Ceremony” and “Taming a Seahorse,” both part of the April Kyle trilogy.
Take pages, add Mod Podge, and -- tah-dah -- a somewhat more interesting typewriter.







6 comments:

  1. Ha! Nice, I hope it doesn't get sticky. (:

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    1. I'm keeping an eye on that, Ted. This is a first-time thing for me, and I am keen to see how well it fares.

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  2. This is clever and I agree with you on the aesthetics of this model. Why not modify it!

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    1. The nice thing about it is, it types as well as it ever did. Plus, when I hit a lull, I have something good to read right at hand!

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  3. Oh wow! I did this to a Smith Corona (plastic casing) as a final piece for my A-Level Art, so happy to find I'm not the only one! Looks great

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  4. This looks really awesome. Did you use a clear-coat spray or a brush-on clear protective product? If not, using one would help protect the printing from wear and dirt.

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