DIY project number 30 is such a joy to build. Firstly, everything is so big compared to the past few that I have completed. Those were tiny miniatures, and project number 30 is hardly one!
Although there were occasions I stopped working on the project, the pace has been quite good. The main structure is up, and all the furniture pieces are complete. I believe I can wrap it up within a week or so! Whee.
I wanted to build something special for DIY project number 30, a significant milestone. Several weeks ago, my favorite online shopping website had its 6/6 sales, and something caught my eye!
As it is, I have eight boxes of miniature piling up in my stash, yet I wanted to purchase another. Hoarder. And so, with a click on the mouse, I bought my latest miniature set to be my DIY project number 30. It didn’t take long to arrive; I’m a happy camper.
I started DIY project number 30 last week. Thirty! That’s how many I have done since the pandemic broke three years ago. The first year, I crafted so many; the second year, lesser; and this third year, I have slowed down so much. Oh well, there is a valid reason for this decline.
During the first year, when we had all those lockdowns and MCO (Movement Control Order), I was speed-building miniatures to pass the time at home. In the second year, when the restrictions were lesser, I was back to playing golf, going out, and traveling, and my hobbies – carving and building miniatures, took a backseat. Hence, not that much craft work to show.
With everything opened and the economy in full swing again this year, I find myself busier than ever and going out more. Staying home is only to avoid the heatwave outside. So spending time on my hobbies is much less this year. Nonetheless, however less it has been, I have arrived at number 30 for my miniatures. What a milestone!
I finally completed DIY project number 29 three days ago. It was the finishing touches to wrap it up. Working with fabric – cloth, felt, or PU leather is not my favorite. It is so hard to get these materials to stick to each other. I always end up with more glue on my fingers than the piece in hand!
The other thing I don’t fancy is using thin wires to make tiny pieces of furniture legs or lights, such as a table or standing lamp. Wires are flimsy, and it’s tough to shape and glue them together. Add in the lighting wires, and the assembly, most times, is a disaster waiting to happen if I am not patient with the challenge. Then I have to modify or start all over again.
The standing lamp construction did not look stable, in my opinion. The task called for sticking the light cables to the skinny wire stand. I had doubts the structure could hold and carry the weight of the lampshade too. I tried and failed.
So I had to improvise. Otherwise, DIY project number 29 would be incomplete. I used a straw to make the stand of the lamp. And it held the wire and light cables inside effortlessly and neatly. The blue straw, unfortunately, does not quite blend with the overall color scheme, but I’m okay with it. The stand lamp looks more solid than what was in the manual.
With the switch and the battery added, DIY project number 29 now sits nicely on the open shelves with a dust cover. Whee!
DIY project number 29 is coming along slowly. I’m okay with the pace because I’m simply taking my time. There have been distractions, but good ones, like going away for the weekend to hubby’s hometown. And then, of course, there were the golf games. But all in all, I’m pleased with how the project is progressing.
The biggest challenge is working on the sofa chair, as fabric materials are hard to handle. Now, I cannot don’t do the sofa chair because it is the main piece of furniture in this little layout. Just have to be positive to get it done.
After procrastinating for days, I finally mustered enough energy to start DIY project number 29. The unbearable heat is taking its toll on me to be a sloth and do nothing. It is not healthy.
So project number 29 is from the same series as project number 27. It is a slightly bigger set than number 28, which was minuscule. Although there are even larger sets to work on, I’m avoiding them now. My Ikea display cabinet, sadly, has no more space to display the big units. Oh well, time to buy another display cabinet!
Luckily, number 29 came with dust covers, just like number 28, so I can display it anywhere upon completion. I only hope my pace will not stutter due to the heat. Onwards with crafting my miniatures!
I am feeling like a sloth lately because of the hot weather. Two weeks ago, I completed DIY project number 28, and since then, the mood is not there to start the next one. Although number 28 is a done deal, the wiring mess is eating at me. So I have decided to fix it before I begin project number 29.
The switch is so tiny, and the wires so delicate that the connections fell apart! I was aghast; my fingers were more clumsy than deft! How do I fix the mess when all parts involved are so minuscule?
I had to borrow a soldering iron hand tool to do the job. Let’s hope this works. Otherwise, all the effort to put the lights in place for this beautiful tiny house will come to naught without a switch. Keep the sloth away, and get the job done!
I finally completed DIY project number 28 over the weekend after six weeks. I think it could have been a lesser duration. The two public holiday breaks and the recent trips up North to hubby’s hometown derailed my momentum. Oh well.
This set is the tiniest house that I have built compared to the others. Everything is so minuscule, the flowers especially and the pieces of furniture. On top of this, this is also the first set with two hinges on the structure (roof and front façade of the house) to open and close – a very different setup from the others.
Although there were frustrating moments because of the size and mistakes (misreading the instructions), I took on the challenge. My biggest bane now is the wiring for the lights. It is so messy! In most of the projects that I have done, the lighting wiring is not so complicated, and this set shouldn’t be as well.
This mess aside, I’m pleased with how this set turned out. Onwards with the next one!
When it rains, I complain; when it doesn’t, I complain too. It’s a never-ending love-hate cycle as far as Mother Nature and the weather is concerned. The constant rain pre- and post-Chinese New Year has subsided; now it’s the heat! Unbearable. Cities nationwide and in South East Asia are recording crazy high numbers on the heat index.
I feel like I’m living in a giant oven despite being indoors at home with high ceilings and open windows for ventilation. This week, I’m taking a break from golf, so minimal exposure to the outdoors. It is mind-numbing heat that makes me want to stay home.
However, being indoors, sitting and staying put, and working on my miniatures, is no better. It is just as hot! And hiding in the air-con bedroom 24/7 is not the solution. When will this end? Sigh.
Sunday was not a golf day but a good day for some me-time and my craft. I worked on DIY project number 28, and there was much progress. But this project is taking a little longer because we have been traveling up North to hubby’s hometown more frequently than before.
Anyway, back to the project in hand – all the eenie meenie pieces of furniture are on track to being assembled. It’s hard to hold them, so two tweezers are required to hold onto them when I apply the glue. And several times, I messed up because I did not read the instructions properly.
Then again, the manual is in Chinese, and during those mess-ups, I did not use GoogleTranslate on my iPhone to do the job well. I assumed and thus messed up. One just cannot be complacent when it comes to dealing with tiny things here.
The biggest challenge will be the hinges. This piece is very different from the others that I have worked on. The frontage wall and roof are not glued down but hinged to open and close. Interesting. Well, I hope I can complete the set before the end of the month!
Angieneering 
Remarks