Tag Archives: DIY miniature

First Project of 2026!

10 Mar

I finally made myself work on a DIY project this year, my first project of 2026 after such a long break from an activity that I once loved and dedicated a lot of time to. Yay! As you know, during the Lunar New Year, I wasn’t feeling festive, and the weather during this time was terrible, alternating between hot and wet; it wasn’t pleasant.

Playing my games daily on the iPad was so addictive and unhealthy that I decided to recalibrate my routine. Time for crafting! I had stopped my crafting for quite a while, and all those unboxed miniatures that I had aspired to build are collecting dust! Ugh.

However, I did not unearth a box from the tower of miniatures. There are eight boxes altogether, projects of different sizes and difficulty. Instead, I bought a whole new type of model to work on. It is a mechanical piece that looks overwhelming but does not require glue. Looks like fun, yet intimidating.

The infinite cycle Marble Run Spaceport did pose a challenge, but only for a short while. I took five days to complete the DIY kit, several hours each day. Upon completion, there was a sense of achievement as the kit was a Level Four in difficulty!

My first DIY project for the year!

The mechanical part featured a USB-C connection, which was quite impressive, and not a battery pack like all my previous miniatures that required one for the lights. Amazing how things have changed and improved since my last build.

Now that I have completed the kit, where can I keep or display the spaceport without collecting dust? Sigh. A win for personal satisfaction, but a no-win for storage. With this niggling display situation, should I even attempt the remaining eight boxes? Something to consider for this year.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two More Weeks, Part 2

23 Dec

While I excitedly recounted my travel highlights for 2025, I regrettably noticed a decline in my other activities. My carving dwindled to just a few pieces, and building miniature creations has become a thing of the past!

Instead of sitting to create, I sit and play my games on the iPad Mini. Too much at times! I do feel guilty, but I can’t seem to break away from this addiction. And it’s just two games—two silly games only—that sometimes take up to mindless and endless hours on the device. So bad! Ugh.

Perhaps in 2026, I should reconsider my sedentary activities and return to carving or building miniatures. There were other games that I was playing on the iPad, but I managed to tear myself away from them and even deleted them. However, Homescapes and Tasty Travels are still keeping their hold on me. I need to be stronger!

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

DIY Project #33, Part 2

3 Jun

I completed DIY project number 33 within a week, just as I had predicted. It took only five days to finish since I played golf on one day and had a full-day meeting with a client on another. I still work, in case this fact is forgotten! Hahaha.

Anyway, project number 33 was such a breeze. Every step was a snap-on or sticker-on that took away some of the challenges. Nevertheless, it was rather enjoyable. My only problem now is my IKEA display cabinet is packed to the max with all the past projects. There is no more space for a new addition.

Leaving it on the table will subject the bookshop to collecting dust in no time if I don’t cover it up. So, I ordered some display casings to protect the completed kit from dust. They should arrive soon.

Will I start project number 34 soon? I may divert to carving instead. We shall see.

DIY project #33

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

DIY Project #33

27 May

Over the weekend, I officially started working on DIY project #33. And it has been such a breeze putting things together. I don’t recall the past projects being this easy. And I have done 32 kits until now! By the way, project #32 is my first incomplete kit because I stopped for too long.

Anyway, this kit is definitely an improvement from past kits because I have yet to use glue to bind pieces to become one. Most wood pieces now have interlocking joint extrusions, a feature absent in earlier kits, especially for the walls and flooring. This new feature makes connecting the pieces effortless! But I use a hammer, though–instead of glue–to ensure the interlocking is secure.

The surfaces of the main floor and some walls are pre-printed, so no cutting of paper or gluing is needed. Paper pieces that require cutting are pre-cut with crease lines for folding! And some are as stickers instead. How convenient is that? And pieces without joint extrusions are secured with double-sided tape, provided with the kit! I’m like, what? I don’t need my glue anymore! I love it!

I chose to skip playing golf or pickleball this time and instead focused on crafting, and it turned out to be a good decision, as I made a lot of progress. I anticipate that project #33 will wrap within a short time. Awesome!

Progress of DIY project #33

Tags: , , , , , ,

It’s a Long Tail

23 May

I thought I was at the tail end of my illness, but nope, it has persisted. I have been feeling so sapped, it’s very tiring, physically and mentally. There has been no will to write or do anything, hence a delayed post this week. This darn virus is so persistent!

But today–after my third visit to the doctor–there’s a breakthrough! I’m feeling slightly better, and what better way to move forward than to begin DIY project number 33! Yay.

Tags: , , , , ,

A Lovely Gift

13 May

Mother’s Day is always a family affair, celebrating the three mothers in the family on Sunday – Mom, myself, and my sister-in-law. A sumptuous lunch and fun jabber to catch up with everyone.

This year, I received a lovely gift. It’s been almost two years since I last worked on building miniatures, and this gift is the perfect one to kickstart this activity again.

Project number 32 was the last miniature I worked on from October 2023, but sadly, I never completed it. I had golf, travel, and games on the iPad Mini, keeping me busy. At this point, I’m not sure if I can complete the set because it’s too tiny.

Anyway, maybe it’s long overdue to spend time building miniatures again. And of late, my golf sucks, and I find no joy in playing, so the timing is just nice to go back to doing things that gave me so much joy.

My Mother’s Day gift. Love it!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Stalled at Homescapes, Part 3

26 Jul

I was stalled at Homescapes again the past few days. It looks like the updates are for only 50 levels each time. I was at Level 15398, thinking I could go on, but I had to wait for Level 15401 to open when I completed the last two levels in no time.

Why is this game so addictive?

Well, it’s good that I had a packed golf schedule to occupy my time rather than being home to play Homescapes. I didn’t even sit at my workstation to look at my incomplete miniature, left unattended and collecting dust for the last six months.

Level 15401 opened this morning, and I’m just taking my time to play until I get stalled again. I’m too fast for the developer of the game!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Stalled at Homescapes, Part 2

23 Jul

Last week, I thought I had a break from Homescapes when I could not progress beyond Level 15350 – the game released the new levels the next day! Uh oh. So, building miniatures is a no-go again.

I try to limit my time on my iPad Mini, keeping the activity to just reading the news and watching videos on YouTube. But, as far as Homescapes is concerned, it’s hard not to play it.

I am now at Level 15398. Will I complete all the latest levels before I hit a snag again and stall? We will find out.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Stalled at Homescapes

19 Jul

My three-year-old iPad Mini5 has always been my go-to device at home instead of my iPhone for games, news, and movies. The game I have been playing a lot is Homescapes, having downloaded the game a year later after getting the iPad and playing daily.

But yesterday, I found I could not progress further! I have completed Level 15350, and Level 15351, in black and white, is not ready. Wow. Perhaps the timing is right with this pause because I find myself staring at my device too much if I am at home.

What do I do now that my favorite game has stalled? Hmm, I should revert to crafting my miniatures! That’s what I should do – something to consider and rethink my dependency on the iPad at home.

Waiting for Level 15351 to release!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lovely Bites

25 Jun

Since the COVID-19 pandemic dwindled and became a thing of the past, our home activities have reduced to nil as going out and outdoor activities resumed full swing. Working on my DIY miniatures has decreased as I went back to playing golf more frequently. Likewise, hubby has stopped baking. I decided to keep the kitchen stand mixer in storage because there’s no use for it – no more baking by hubby.

Two days ago, M1 had the urge to bake. And out came the kitchen stand mixer after so long. I came home from golf to find these lovely melon buns sitting on the counter to cool. Not only were they gorgeous to look at, but they tasted good. Yum!

Yum, yum, yum!

Should the mixer remain available or back in storage after this? We have to see the urge. I should be thankful for the unexpected baked goods and not ask too much.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries