Projects - FrankenSmaug and Seasons - Color and Desperation

So it was a busy week last week - busy as in making, repairing and re-doing things. The end products were good, everyone was happy with their repairs and the money gained went into my "State Fair and Renaissance Festival with Sharon" fund. That time is quickly approaching and we go through money like water for the four-and-a-half days that she visits. I save all year for it and it's worth every penny. 

"FrankenSmaug" is my laptop. The initial repair resulted
in the two screws barely seen on the left. The newest
repairs have resulted in the two right-hand screws, the
binder clip on the lower right, and the copper strip at the
top right. *Sigh* - the things I do to keep my laptop
operational! 

I'll start with my computer - FrankenSmaug. My Toshiba is feeling it's age a bit, but it's still schlepped back and forth from home to the store and back every day. It weighs a ton, but it works. The weakness with Toshiba laptops (and Lenovo too, if the internet is to be believed) are the hinges attaching the screen to the keyboard. Some months ago I changed out the left-hand hinge. I should have replaced the right-hand one at the same time because here I was, six months or so later, with the need to tear the computer apart once more. 

It's nerve-wracking to tear a computer apart. I'm not trained, just jumping into the deep end because I can't afford the $300+ (and the time away without the laptop computer). So I had the second hinge available (they are sold as a set) as well as the screws, and I had done it once, so I had the basic knowledge of how to repeat the process. The computer wasn't happy about it, though. The plastic hinge cover in the black section was half-broken with no way to attach it back, and the actual lid wasn't able to be pushed back into place quite enough. 

Thus the fixes - the screws, of course, because they attach the new hinge inside the lid to the keyboard section. The binder clip is keeping that last bit of gap that the screen now has, firmly in place, and the copper hinge cover that I fashioned to replace the broken plastic one is actually working quite well (and it's a fashion statement - LOL). Poor FrankenSmaug. It's been an eventful life, living with me. Still, he turns on just fine, works well, and now is as unique as Smaug himself was - the last living dragon in Middle Earth. 

"Seasons" was a chance for me to play
with color. I've been beading these
carrier beads for a few months now, and
they really needed to be put into a
more permanent form instead of banging
around in a plastic baggie. 

The other thing I was working on last week was my State Fair entry - "Seasons". It's a beadwork necklace that I designed to play with color. I worked the colors through a circle, each one featuring one old and one new color: AB, BC, CD, DE, etc until the last one which returned to A - JA. Progressing like this produces a circular movement of color and I designed two different patterns to showcase it. With wooden filler beads and touches of gold filled beads and chain, it turned into a rather fun project. I actually got it to the State Fair on time. I doubt it will win any awards, but that really wasn't my goal. I just had fun and wanted to share some ideas with other. 

So, I'm tight on time and calling this done here before running off to the pool. It's going to be a crazy-busy week, so I'd best get moving on it. Have a wonderful Monday and I'll be back tomorrow.