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New Project Awaits

24 Aug

When I completed the second DIY project, the 3-story bungalow, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I was very motivated by my patience and skills, so much so, I purchased another set to work on! The latest set, also another cafe arrived last week.

My latest DIY to work on

This latest online-purchased set appealed to me because it had minimal fabrics. And its footprint is not very big to clutter the display space when completed.

The parts to another cafe

However, excited as I am, I am not starting on it just yet as I am still working on the 2-story set. Progress has been slow because of the sofa and pillows, and that unexpected bedside table problem. Luckily I managed to resolve that, and I hope to finish this set soonest possible so that I can start on the new one in queue.

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Tiny Pillows Challenge

21 Aug
Deft hands are required to handle these!

Working on the 2-story set that I took over has not been easy. There are so many pillows to make compared to the previous set. Being so tiny, the pillows are harder to hold and glue, and slows down my progress.

And as if this is not enough a deterrent, I discovered two pieces are missing to make the bedside table! I searched high and low, thinking they could have fallen out but nope, the two pieces were not included at all.

For several days, the problem was on my mind. How do I fix this? One night, the solution presented itself as I spotted a pack of ice cream sticks in my art taboret. It might just work because the sticks are of the same thickness.

So I cut the sizes that were required, and I even had orange acrylic paint to paint up the panels. And before I knew it, the bedside table was completed. Phew. With the problem resolved, I hope no further issues as I continue on.

DIY a DIY project!

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Taking Over

18 Aug

I have taken over M2’s two-story DIY set because she has given up working on it. She has lost interest and has no patience at all. For me, I just cannot bear the thought of it staying unfinished, and collecting dust. So I find myself working on it everyday.

The ground floor is almost complete except for the living room’s sofa and pillows. However, much effort is needed for the first floor that has yet to be put together.

Every night, as I walk past the dining table and seeing the two completed projects, I’d play with the lights to admire the structures. The lighted pieces spur me on to stay focused so that this third set can join the other two to be displayed. But it has been slow.

There are more pillows in this set to work on, and it takes time for the glue to set. I’m not complaining though as I have gotten it down to a pat to do the pillows properly.

I’m sure there will be further progress this week. With Thursday being a public holiday, and I am not playing golf for once, I can focus on this.

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Another Proud Moment

14 Aug
My beautiful home

The two-story bungalow is finally complete! Yay. Towards the end of the project, I was sidetracked with my busy golf schedule, cooking, and my unfortunate mishap. But all’s good now.

The set has been very challenging from the start. From wiring, wall alignments to dealing with fabrics, it was a test of patience and skills. But I suppose I can be forgiven if the set has not been perfect because after all, this was my first DIY project.

Gaps in the wall and windows but not obvious at a glance
Messy wiring & difficult sofas

The wiring was stressful compared to the cafe because firstly, it’s a much bigger set, and secondly, there are more light points. The biggest challenge, however, was dealing with fabrics. The pillows! Ugh. The last few pillows delayed the completion of the set. I sat myself down and got this over and done with when I couldn’t do other things much because of my recent fall.

Citizens of Gigglesville testing the sofas before the pillows were added

It was another proud and exciting moment when I switched on the lights. I could feel a sense of accomplishment. So now, this piece is being displayed on the dining table, together with the cafe.

Looks gorgeous when lighted up!

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A Proud Moment, Part 2

31 Jul

The completed DIY cafe now sits at the dining table and I find myself switching on the lights now and then to admire the handiwork. There’s a sense of satisfaction and joy when I do this.

Until now, I still find myself in awe of the tiny pieces that I had managed to put together. I’m glad M2 helped wherever she could since I don’t think I could have handled gluing the teeny-weeny props deftly on my own.

Plants that were so hard to make and glue up

The decor and overall ambiance of the compact cafe are very busy and packed with so many things. There’s always something to discover or a new angle to admire. When I look at the unfinished bungalow to compare especially the first floor, it looks very empty because things are so spread out. Well, I shouldn’t compare because both sets are different altogether.

Once the swimming pool is up and the lights are functioning, I am sure my DIY bungalow will be equally impressive too.

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A Proud Moment

27 Jul

It was a proud moment when the lights came on brightly. The DIY cafe project was finally completed over the weekend! Yay.

I must admit I procrastinated on the remaining three hanging plants, thus causing a delay to complete the cafe. I had to push myself. When I finally got going, things were moving.

After glueing the plants, I checked the circuit of the wiring again to ensure all lights were functioning. A quick tab to identify each wire and a proper grouping of all the wires, I beamed just as brightly as the lights the moment I switched on the battery pack.

The items in the cafe are so detailed. I could go on marveling and photographing them, and at the same moment, be totally impressed with my ability to complete this DIY project. All that patience and aggravation were worth it.

Top floor
Ground floor

So now that this set is done, I will attempt to complete the 3-story bungalow which has been unattended and collecting dust. It will be done, I can do it!

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Diversion, Part 2

14 Jul

The DIY cafe diversion has been very encouraging within a short time. Even the wiring for the lights is much easier. Learning from this experience, one should choose a DIY project with more paper than fabric if one does not wish to be aggravated and end up with more glue on the fingers than the parts.

The wiring cleverly taped to a crossbeam before painting

I have to say again the difference between the three DIY pieces is the choice of material. The two houses had more fabrics to deal with whereas the cafe had mostly paper. For me, the paper-based teeny weeny pieces are must easier to deal with over fabric. Then again, this is a matter of preference as some may think otherwise.

A few more potted plants and it’s complete

Nonetheless, I am now at the tail-end of finishing up the set. The structure and furnishings has been completed and what’s left are just several plants still to put together and it can be proudly displayed. I can’t wait.

Like the top floor, a few potted plants to decorate

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Diversion

10 Jul

There has been no further progress with the DIY 3-story and 2-story houses. Work has stalled because both M2 and I have been very discouraged and aggravated when we have to deal with gluing fabric on wood.

So, we have channeled our energy to focus on hubby’s DIY set instead. It’s not a house like ours, but more of a cafe with lots of plants. And progress on this set has been so much more encouraging because we don’t have to deal with fabrics. None of the parts to assemble the 2-story cafe had any fabrics for us to work with.

Tiny… tiny… tiny!!!

The difference between this cafe and the other two houses is the choice of material. There are lots of paper to fold and glue for the props and these are tinier than the props of the other two houses! Skills to deftly handle them is a must. But the tiniest prop is not paper-based. The coffee grinder had very delicate parts to it and I managed to glue them together.

Smallest coffee grinder EVER!

It has been a good diversion and I guess once the cafe is completed, I will revert to my 3-story bungalow.

Left section of ground level

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It’s So Tedious, Part 2

3 Jul

The DIY house project has been such a challenge. While it’s a nice change from carving, it’s truly a test of patience and skills. Putting little pieces of furniture and accessories together is not the easiest hobby on earth, especially when it comes to gluing fabric. It’s so darn hard!

My two kitchen chairs took several days to complete because the fabric, upon gluing, wasn’t bonding with the wood well. I had to use clothes pegs to hold them down so that they can set properly to dry. And it took several attempts as I ended up having more glue on my fingers than the pieces!

Once the kitchen chairs were finally completed, I worked on another equally aggravating set of chairs for the bedroom. And if I thought this was the ultimate test of patience and skills, making tiny pillows take the cake! I’ve managed only three pillows so far and have procrastinated on the last two.

Tiny chairs and tinier pillows to aggravate you!

On a brighter note, the ground floor has been completed and it looks impressive despite an initial misalignment of the chandelier. The chandelier had to be moved so that it’s directly over the coffee table when the sofas were put in place. All’s good now. Phew.

Top: Chandelier was off; bottom: my pretty ground floor

A few days later, the first floor was also completed as I got those darn chairs glued properly. It’s only a matter of time now to shift my energy and focus on the open-top floor with the swimming pool.

Fancy staying in this place? Hehehe

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It’s So Tedious

29 Jun

When it comes to furnishing the little DIY home, it’s so tedious. It’s not as easy as the instructions show. And it takes patience and accuracy to ensure the alignment is precise.

I started off working painstakingly on the itty bitty pieces of furniture and accessories once the main structure was put together. Then focused on the kitchen area.

The kitchen: before and after the wall cabinets, light and top floor were up

When that section was completed, I worked on more itty bitty pieces of furniture and the bathroom on the first floor.

Shower area walls are not straight!

The wiring of the whole structure to be lighted up was tough because things were very delicate and fine. Generally, while it has been slow, I’m rather pleased with the progress.

 

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