The last post about our DIY projects was written over two years ago! We’ve since built even more stuff, what with the months of MCO this year and trying to keep physically & mentally sound at the same time.
The majority of these DIYs are woodworking projects because my husband and I are currently interested in it–me coming up with the solution/design while he executes most of the process. We’ve come to terms with the fact that DIYs are just part of our life here (literally–it’s impossible to buy such products off the shelf because there aren’t many stores/options to begin with!) and it always brings much joy and satisfaction to make things on your own.
Plant Stands
It’s funny to share this now because the base of this has since come off due to the limited surface area for the glue to work on. 😛 (We probably didn’t know about pocket holes back then.) I’ve swapped metal legs for it and now use it as a stand for our recycle bin in the kitchen.This one still works! But the snake plant has reduced to a small version (due to root rot–common struggle I face with houseplants) and my monstera deliciosa now sits in the stand instead.
Shelves and racks
One of our earliest woodworking projects. I cringe at the stain effect now–it’s too shiny and thick for my taste. (We’ve now learned to use wood sealer prior to staining, and also to dilute/wipe down the stain with thinner to get lighter coats.)Before assembly: look at the pale wood! Most of our wood came from discarded pallets, purchased at a junkyard/recycling centre.These are kitchen shelves made for family members. Clearly this wasn’t made of wood pallets, but 1″ thick plywood purchased from a timber mill. Only the legs were recycled wood.
Pre-finishing. Note the discovery of how to use pocket holes!
Kitchen racks made for our own kitchen. We used to have mismatched plastic racks that became warped over time. Wood looks much better. Side story: I experienced an angle grinder accident on my index finger trying to round those corners (with sandpaper attachment). I had to get stitches at the hospital! But alhamdulillah my finger is fine now, minus a scar.
This is recent, because I decided the bedroom needs more floor space. It’s pretty handy to have towels hung on the bathroom door, actually! Though you would think PVC pipes wouldn’t add up to much cost-wise–nope–this costed us around RM50 in materials, including the spray paint. Not cheap, but still worth it.
Tables and benches
Another early project made for a family member: we had to revisit it after a few months to add some extra structure and refinish the wood. Alhamdulillah, I believe it is still standing and functional.This was inspired by the previous table, because we don’t have a coffee table in the living room so a side table is quite useful. Unfortunately some minions played with UHU glue on the table surface one day so the reality today is not as pretty and flawless as in the above photos.Found a picture of the 5-year-old helping to paint. Like it or not, the kids are always involved in some way with our projects. I believe the exposure is healthy, they know the names of tools and when to close their ears if we’re using power tools!I like this bench for its storage function. And so that the kids have somewhere to sit on other than my bed (this bench sits in the master bedroom). We simply bought a cheap shelf from the supermarket and made the bench top for it. I’ve also used the same technique to make headboards for the boys’ room.
Lights
When your overhead lighting consists of only downlights, you need to DIY some alternatives (for cost reasons too–we very rarely need to have two or three bulbs switched on at once in the same space!). You’ll never guess how I got the sphere shape…Yes, an exercise ball. Covered in glue. Then deflated. The process wasn’t that bad. I just decided to add a metal frame inside the globe afterwards in order to have a reasonable way to hang it up.One of my favourite projects, because I wasn’t even sure how it would turn out! This is for the boys’ bedroom. I dilligently collected driftwood from our beach outings, and scouted for LED fairy lights that were 1) cool white, and 2) plug-in instead of using batteries. Coolest night light ever!
Miscellaneous
It’s a hanger organiser! I know, big deal, but really–I find that small solutions make chores so much more enjoyable and efficient. Our old hanger organiser lasted a good few years, until the cardboard failed. This new rack was made from leftover PVC pipes attached to our woodworking workbench that sits in the laundry room. It swivels out of the way when I’m not hanging up the laundry.
Hope this was useful, or entertaining at least. I mostly post project photos on Facebook but it seems like a good idea to document them in a series like this too. Stay alive and safe, everybody!
What do you think?