Tag Archives: DIY house

Giddy Again

24 Nov

The second online purchased DIY set finally arrived last week, and yes, I got giddy all over again. But as I have started on project number seven, the tea parlor, the latest purchases have to wait.

An exciting DIY set awaits!

This second parcel is a study, with shelves of books, a departure from the houses, cafes, and Japanese restaurant that I have completed. And like the earlier choice, an art studio, both sets are full of intricate and detailed pieces. I can’t wait to work on them!

I foresee finishing up the not-very-challenging project number seven by the coming weekend and will dive right into working on the study. The art studio and the fruit shop, which was purchased much earlier, will have to queue for later.

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Giddy with Excitement, Part 2

17 Nov

Just when I couldn’t gush or be more excited anymore over my latest DIY project number six, my latest set arrived in the mail! I was giddy with excitement all over.

During the 10.10 online shopping sale last month, I had purchased three DIY sets. And the recent 11.11 sale, I bought another two! I couldn’t help myself.

Parcel one of two arrived last Friday. With project number six nearing completion, I cannot decide which set to work on next.

This DIY artist’s studio is so apt for me

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My Little Japanese Restaurant, Part 2

13 Nov

Work has stalled for several days on my little Japanese restaurant. Not intentional, but a good stall because there’s work at the office that is more important than DIY projects.

I have not been in the office physically for long durations ever since the pandemic started. Occasionally, I go in once a week. But in the two weeks, I was in the office daily to work on a digital publication for our client.

I even reduced my weekday golf games to focus on this project, playing only on Tuesday. And after the game, I head for the office. I must say it has been a welcome busy with my energy directed towards layout formats, grids, fonts, and such instead of tiny sushi, chairs, and accessories.

The publication finally closed yesterday. And I have a little break from today onwards, so perhaps I can go back to complete project number six by the coming weekend without any interruption.

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My Little Japanese Restaurant

2 Nov

Project #6 started well two weeks ago but has slowed down because of circumstances. Number one being my golf schedule. Last week I played four times, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I would have played on Sunday too if it wasn’t for the rain and the course was closed. Then I also had to work.

I should be thankful that we are getting design work from our clients, and I have been going into the office daily with hubby. Even on golfing days, after lunch, I was in the office instead of staying at home. So in between the golfing days and the office, there was hardly time to focus on the DIY set.

And by the time we get home, prepare dinner, eat and clean up after that, there’s no more energy left. It is too tiring to sit at my station to concentrate on the set.

Well, the first floor of the main structure is up, and my little Japanese restaurant is starting to look good with what I have managed to complete so far. I’m just saving difficult tasks for later when I can sit down without interruption and focus.

Furniture and decor pieces are done!
Itty bitty pieces

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Giddy with Excitement

23 Oct

With the completion of DIY project number five, I wondered when my recent DIY set purchases would arrive. They are a Japanese restaurant, a fruit shop, and a tea shop. I didn’t have to wait long as the packages arrived on Monday morning.

I was giddy with excitement when all three packages arrived at the same time. Yay! I bought them during the 10/10 sale from my favorite online shopping site. Although the boxes were all crushed slightly, the items inside the boxes were intact. Thank goodness.

My new DIY sets to with on!

So I have started working on the Japanese restaurant first and keeping the two smaller sets for later. The best part of this project, all the packages are labeled accordingly, making life so much easier. And despite the instructions being in Chinese, it’s not a problem as I have Google Translate!

How to make miniature sushi!
An impressive piece to be used
Immaculate labeling of all the packages

I was thrilled upon opening the box to discover a music box inside! Oh yay, I didn’t even realize the purchase came with this. The last time I bought a music box intended for project number five, it did not fit at all. The measurements were off. So I fixed the music box to project number four instead, which worked out well.

Stay tuned to see the progress of my latest project number six, the Japanese restaurant.

Tiny cushions for tiny chairs

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Problematic Project #5, Part 2

20 Oct

I finally completed DIY project number five. Phew. Towards the end of the project, it was mostly frustration I felt. The instructions were vague, making the chandelier was challenging, and then I discovered there was another chair to make! That makes it nine chairs altogether.

Had to be creative to make the chandelier parts stick
Weighing down the lights for the glue to set
Chairs, chairs, and more chairs!

Project number five is a container cafe, and it has so many chairs. And I found assembling the chairs a bit funny, gluing paper to the chair seat and backrest. I bypassed this step and painted the chairs instead. Then again, making chairs from scratch isn’t the easiest either from experience dealing with the chairs in DIY project number four.

These are not the easiest to make

Overall, there’s so much paper, not just small pieces but big pieces to work with for surfaces of all sizes, come to think of it. After a while, it was ridiculous. Why so much paper? Argh.

Such a tiny cafe and one chandelier is not working. Hrmph.

And when I thought I was on the last stretch to finish the set, the wiring for the lights gave me problems! Sigh. One of the chandeliers could not light up, and I cannot figure it out. So I gave up fixing it. I am glad I persevered and completed the set. It will now be on display with the other completed projects on the dining table.

Project #5, a container cafe with 9 chairs!

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Problematic Project #5

16 Oct

I have been working on DIY project number five for almost three weeks now. And boy, does it have its challenges, unlike the previous projects. One would think that with the instructions in English, it would be a breeze.

Contrary to feeling good, I’m stressed instead. There were signs of problems at the outset, but I chose to ignore them. However, as I progressed along, the issues became more glaring.

There were missing pieces and incorrect sizes of paper in ratio to the corresponding wood. Luckily, I managed to figure out the solutions to overcome them.

Ice cream stick to the rescue again!

The most glaring problem was the lack of an inventory checklist. I had to rely on the pictorial guide in the manual, which wasn’t very clear to figure out things. Most of the packages are labeled ‘A’ – making it hard to find the pieces. When the instructions called for an item from package ‘A’ to paste to paper, I cannot find the said item. It was very exasperating.

Every pack is labeled ’A’!

The instruction manual is another issue. Printed in A4 and 14 points (sometimes 18 points) font-size does not necessarily mean they are clear! The instructions are vague, and I found myself at a loss sometimes.

Sigh. I come across as not enjoying working on this set. Well, I have to finish it regardless.

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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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