One mobile abridged library, comin' up

[slipjig3]

My new used Oldsmobile, a.k.a. Harold the Hoopty Car, desperately needs a bumper sticker. Originally, I was going to order a Trogdor the Burninator thing, but you can only get it as part of a $12 four-pak, and they're charging something like five bucks in shipping, aaaaaaaand I'm not going there, thank you. Plan #2 was to scan in the "Harold the Hoopty Car" card from our Chez Geek set, enlarge it somewhat, get it copied onto a full-sheet magnet, and cut it out, but I don't know how weatherproof it would be. Plan #3—rifling through random catalogs—is excellent for reminding yourself of how many craptastic bumper stickers are on the market today.

Congratulations, dear reader. You've officially been designated Plan #4.

Any suggestions as to where I might be able to procure a good sticker or two? Any and all suggestions will be considered.

Comments

[catamorphism.livejournal.com]

http://nancybuttons.com/ and http://mushycat.com/ - but warning, you might spend your entire savings, and/or run out of space on your bumper.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

D'oh! Can't believe I forgot Mushycat!

[daev.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew where I could find a car magnet that I once saw.

It was a yellow patriotic support the troops ribbon but in small script it read

    just pretend everything is okay

[icarusfallen8.livejournal.com]

A local store carries ones that say 'Needless Waste' or something like that on a black ribbon. My coworkers copy was stolen in under a day.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

And therein is the problem with magnets.

[rubian77.livejournal.com]

Welllll, iff'n you were closer to Williamsport, Maryland, there's a cute little Pagan shop that sells funny bumper stickers. Like the one my husband got: "I'm the man in this house and I have my wife's permission to say so." or: "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup." Plus the usual assorted "Straight but not narrow"-type ones.

OOoh! Or you can hang out in DC or a college town until the Hare Krishnas sell you one for a penny.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

*gigglefits*

Or, I could just stay patient and pick one up at Arisia. The trouble is that "staying patient" bit.

[icarusfallen8.livejournal.com]

I just sent my friend "Blimix" an email asking for his suggestions on making your own, as he has some experience on the topic. I'd helped him laminate a few of them a while back (something I could do for you). Office supply stores has preadhesive magnet sheets that you could try, but I'm not sure how strong the magnet is.

[icarusfallen8.livejournal.com]

My response:

The bumper stickers I made myself worked very poorly. I tried spraying them
with fixative and covering them with clear packing tape, but they weathered
badly anyway, and the color ink faded in the sunlight. (The black ink faded
much more slowly.) I never got around to trying laminating, because I
couldn't think of a good way to secure them. (I had printed earlier ones on
label paper.) Epoxy would do it, but then I'd never be able to remove them.
The packing tape also weathered badly, eventually becoming brittle, and
refusing to come off in a couple of spots.

I eventually went to the custom printing store at Crossgates Mall (Mugs N'
More). I gave them the text for three of my four bumper stickers, and the
URL for the graphical one I had designed ("Jingoism"). They did the
printing with all weatherproof materials, and I've been pretty happy with
the results. But the color one is fading in the sunlight again. (Luckily,
I had outlined the letters in black to help the contrast, so the word is
still legible even though the image as a whole is nearly gone.)

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Thank you much for the info! All stuff I was wondering about, actually.

[icarusfallen8.livejournal.com]

I talked to my coworker yesterday about bumper sticker making. She told me about a sticker factory in Albany. Behind the factory if a dumpster where they throw out the ends of rolls of stickers. Sometimes they have multiple feet of still usable blank white sticker material. Also sometimes there are some amusing stickers in there. I plan to stop by some night and do a dumpster dive. If you are still looking to make a Hoopty sticker, I'll save you some.

[knotwork.livejournal.com]

Maybe you could have you own made by Cafe Press?
(http://www.cafepress.com/cp/customize/)

I haven't purchased bumper stickers from them, but I have purchased other things. Unless someone reports otherwise, I'd trust them to have their printing processes worked out based on the other things I've purchased from them.

And, if your sticker(s) are really cool, you might make a few bucks when OTHER PEOPLE order them too!

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Oo! Oo! *happyclaps* Me likes! (And thanks to zarhooie for further info on Café Press via e-mail.)

And HEY: I have been horrible about keeping in touch lately; I am so, so, so sorry. How's you doing?

[malefica-v.livejournal.com]

www.northernsun.com

They're a left-of-lefty vendor of stickers/buttons/shirts in the Twin Cities. Mighty fine!

Also, my favorite bumper sticker is one that I got from goats.com. I have a spare that came to me for free, and if you want it, it's yours. It says, "Republicans for Voldemort"
-- I bought the t-shirt.

[slipjig.livejournal.com]

Actually, Northern Sun was the one I was originally checking; I decided, though, that I wasn't sure I wanted to go explicitly political. May change my mind, though. (Oh, and thank you for the offer, but I've only read the first book, and the sticker would probably be better suited in the employ of a true fan. Love it, though.)

[malefica-v.livejournal.com]

Sad story, sorta:
I work in a cube farm. My cube being cornermost AND having a giant window view of the Mississippi River (eagles!!), I've got some leeway to decorate my 3 walls with some personality. I put up one of those stickers.

The sad part: NOBODY got it. One of the 2 Republicans I get along with said, "Who's Voldemort?" She knew I was being snarky, but had no idea...

*chortle*