There is a stack of Polaroids in my nightstand drawer that are not fit for presentation – no, no they aren’t smutty or inappropriate subject matter, but just not good enough to be displayed. Most are of Little Bit, a few of Pancake and one of a couple of friends who normally are super photogenic, but the camera failed them and their facial expressions are too hilarious to discard.
Since Polaroid is an extinct brand, I find it near impossible to dispose of any recent developed print no matter how unattractive or out of focus. This is especially true when it comes to photos of Little Bit. The colors aren’t vivid as I am shooting with the last of 2yr expired film. However, after reading a post on Photojojo, the abandon Polaroids are finding a new purpose.
The d.i.y. Polaroid project (which you can read on Photojojo’s site) is great, but I couldn’t just re-post it without a proper test and application – I have a responsibility to my readers! There are a few tweaks worth mentioning if you are going to recycle Polaroids as paperless scratch pads.
1) Place the magnetic tape on the back of the photo prior to writing a message. The dry erase marker smudges easily.
2) Magnetic tape forms a rather weak hold; so don’t expect to place anything between the magnet & metal. It was my experience that the magnetic tape would only adhere to certain metals like the kitchen cabinet, but not the metal front door.
3) Dry erasers or soft cloths work best and eliminate any trace of marker.
I love this project because it fits perfectly under the tenets of the Jeanie brand – repurpose • reuse • renew.
Finding function in the form,
xxoo.
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