Tag Archives: felting

DIY Project #25, Part 3

30 Jan

Finally, DIY project number 25 is a wrap! It took me six months, the longest ever, to complete a miniature set. And I had forgotten the sense of satisfaction and achievement upon completion because I had neglected my craft work for so long. So it’s nice to feel this positivity and accomplishment.

I should get back into doing my miniatures more this year. Last year, I was so busy with other activities and travel, and there was hardly any time for my hobbies. I did no carving, minimal felting, and only occasional miniature work.

My sweet little Jam Shop
Details of the shop

Perhaps this year, the priority is to focus on these activities again and have an enjoyable time.

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The Halfway Mark

1 Jul

As the saying goes, time goes by when you’re having fun or being busy. Suddenly we have reached the halfway mark for 2022! Goodness, what happened in the past six months? Was I having so much fun or being so busy – I don’t seem to recall!

The pandemic is still here, and we are so used to it now. After all, it’s two and a half years already since the beginning of the outbreak. And the country has been revising the SOPs constantly to circumnavigate the ever-evolving situation.

Despite the constant rules updates and changes, one thing has remained. People are still masking up whenever being out in public, especially indoors, although it is not a must now for open areas. The public has been ingrained since day one to do this. It’s a good and safe practice to contain the virus spread. Our mask supply is never-ending too!

This year, my crafting of DIY miniatures is taking less of my time because I started wool felting, and also my golf games have picked up. I suppose one can’t have it all. We’ll see how the second half of the year goes for me as far as my miniatures are concerned. There’s still a mountain of supplies waiting for me, and I intend to buy more!

Felting is quite a therapeutic activity whenever I want to do something. This activity takes less time, and the finished piece is just as rewarding and satisfying.

Carving has halted big time because it’s too messy and dusty. However, I still have a three-Gnomes piece to complete before the year ends. With six months left, I should be able to, I think. I need to find the time and focus on the activity.

Let’s hope the second half of the year will be exciting and not just fun and busy so that when we look back at 2022, it will be a year to remember and not be lumped together with the past two forgettable years.

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Such Cutie Pies

20 Jun

Sometimes we need something different to do to rejuvenate. Instead of wallowing and being out of sorts, I changed my routine to keep busy.

And I find Pinterest is one of the best apps for ideas. The various boards I have to gather visual ideas are very inspiring.

I needle felted something different over the weekend. Staying away from the true and tested Miffy bunny, tortoises, and characters that I am familiar with, I went with felting a new character. And I went the extra mile to add the necessary parts to make practical keychains out of them!

My latest characters

My two Yetis are simply adorable! It’s a gem of a find from Pinterest. I guess I will be felting a few more of this cutie pie character.

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Increasing the Stash

24 May

Just when I depleted my DIY miniature stash, I increased it again! I have been slow crafting my miniatures this year compared to the last two years under lockdown during the pandemic. My current supply of miniature sets has been collecting dust, and I attribute this slowdown to playing more golf and the new felting hobby.

Despite completing only one set (number 23) recently and in the midst of another now, I felt that I needed to increase my stash of DIY miniatures. There seems to be a sense of insecurity when I take a box from the mountain of miniature sets. Funny.

Three weeks ago, Lady Luck was shining on me as the sets that I had been eyeing were on sale on my favorite online shopping site. The series of six was on offer, and it was tough to decide whether to buy all six or be selective on which ones to get. Decisions, decisions!

One box is dented but insides not damaged luckily

In the end, I picked only three sets. Although my mountain of DIY miniatures sets saw a decrease by two, these three latest purchases have reinstated the security level. Yes, I feel a little more secure now, and crafting miniatures have never been more pleasant!

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A Little Role Play

17 May

Since I took forever to complete DIY project number 23, I decided to play with it. Being my only classroom setting kit, a little role play for some fun. As I happened to have three felted Miffy bunnies (I gave the others away), they are the perfect size for the classroom!

The little classroom

Add in Hedwig, the learned owl, to teach the classroom – this little fun makes up for the lengthy duration I took to complete the set. If I had more felted characters done up, I would have one busy township bustling with activities. All those DIY sets that I have completed would have a better use than just being in the Ikea display cabinet.

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Wrapping Up DIY Project #23

13 May

DIY project number 23 has been such a challenge. After five months, I’m glad to say DIY project number 23 is a done deal. Well, almost. Not so much of it is hard to construct, but more because of my commitment to staying focused to get it done. When there are other things to do, crafting miniatures takes a backseat.

DIY project number 23

The structure and furniture pieces were all completed some time ago. However, I left things unattended, diverting to felting Miffy rabbits and cute tortoises in between playing golf. The finishing details were the schoolbags and ceiling lights which I decided to skip doing for practical reasons, or call it customizing, if you may.

The opted out pieces

The set will sit in the Ikea display cabinet with the other completed miniature projects. So being in the display cabinet, ceiling lights are pointless because it is too tight a space to touch anything in there. In other words, I have not turned on the lights of any of the sets for some time already. As for the bags, well, I find them too tedious to make, so I’m leaving them out now, but I may change my mind. We shall see.

I have also decided not to take a long break and will jump right into DIY project number 24, which is a much smaller set; hence, the time to complete it will not take so long. I hope I will be more focused on it once I get started.

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Oh My Hedwig!

9 May

We were out at the mall one day, and the display caught my eye. An owl specifically, Hedwig, the owl from the Harry Potter Charms Collection Series 1. How cute it looked! Although I love owls, I am not a Harry Potter fan per se, so I took a photo of it instead of making an impulse buy.

A few days later, I looked at the photo again to admire the cutie pie and thought, why not try felting it? And within days, my version of Hedwig came about. I think mine looks as good, if not better than the original!

My cutie pie Hedwig

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Big and Cute

26 Apr

As I progress with my new felting hobby, I find that the characters that I do get bigger each time. And they are just as cute. Maybe because I found a bag of beads to make the eyes, the size of the characters has to be proportionate to the beads.

Another cutie pie!

My latest character, another turtle, is such a cutie pie! A large piece does not necessarily mean harder to make – it only requires more material, which I have. I now felt each character with the off-white wool as the base, followed by color wool to dress it up.

It’s been a fun learning experience, and I find myself making a whole range of characters, unlike carving, where I stick to one or two shapes because wood is harder to manipulate. But both have their appeal, and I certainly enjoy felting and carving.

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DIY Project #23, Part 3

18 Apr

DIY project number 23 has stalled big time. Right after the Lunar New Year, I was so busy with my golf routine that crafting miniatures was relegated to become a thing of the past – a pandemic lockdown activity to kill time. My initial apprehension at my pace and fear of it stalling came true. Sigh.

I have to admit, I did not set a deadline, nor am I committed to completing the project. Hence, the stall. Occasionally, I find myself felting instead as this activity takes less time. Am I losing interest in crafting miniatures?

Bearing in mind, I still have eight sets waiting for me and a dozen more on my wishlist on the online shopping site that I intend to buy! I need to find the time, stay focused and prioritize my crafting time.

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Let the Felting Begin, Part 2

11 Mar

It is nice when I don’t have to worry about supply when I’m felting. When I first started on this new hobby, subliminally, I was mindful of not having enough wool regardless of color and was making tiny characters.

Now, this predicament is no longer an issue to bother me. The second turtle character, completed in a day, was much bigger than the first one but equally just as cute.

Bigger but just as cute
Turtle number two

Perhaps from now on, I should start felting bigger characters instead of tiny ones? They are easier to handle after all, and supply is no longer an issue. Let’s see what I can make next. Such fun I’m having!

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