Tag Archives: craft

DIY Project #29, Part 3

23 Jun

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!

Flimsy looking stand lamp

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

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DIY Project #29

19 May

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.

Project number 29

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!

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Fixing the Mess

12 May

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?

Tiny and skinny maketh a mess

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!

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Crazy Weather

5 May

It has been unbearably hot lately. The heatwave is just too much to handle. But it rains also, and when it rains, it floods. We are going through a spell of crazy weather now.

I try to do less, play less golf, and move less. The thought of sitting down and starting the next miniature does not even appeal, likewise using my brain to think, read, or write. Ugh.

The heat does crazy things to the mind, and my sloth lifestyle is returning! I hope this will not last because it is not productive.

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The Heat is On

14 Apr

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.

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DIY Project #28, Part 2

11 Apr

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.

My little Happy House

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!

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DIY Project #27, Part 3

20 Mar

Last week, I completed DIY project number 27. It took me three weeks because I took a week off from working on it. Thus, a two-week job, and not longer, being such a small set.

I found this set to be very different from the past ones that I’ve worked on. The pieces were smaller, and there were more paper-based props. Man, it was tough. But all in all, I think it was a good challenge.

With a dust cover provided, DIY project number 27 now sits outside and not in the Ikea display cabinet! Yay, this was a bonus because the cabinet has so many of the completed sets. I jumped right into number 28 immediately. On a roll here!

DIY project #27

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DIY Project #27, Part 2

24 Feb

The latest miniature project, number 27, has kicked off! I opted for the Elegant Studio set. So far, it’s going well. However, the challenge lies in understanding the manual, which is in Chinese and not English. But with the Google Translate app, this minor challenge is hardly one with the phone in hand to do the job!

The bonus of this set is the dust cover that came with it. So upon completion, I don’t have to worry about crowding my Ikea display cabinet. I can decide where to place this Elegant Studio anywhere in the house. Nice!

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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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