Well, what is this? The year is over. The project is finished. There are no more Joker cards. But, there is still a couple of things I wish to say about this project. It has been an incredible experience. It was challenging, rewarding, difficult, sometimes annoying and strenuous, and it had its highlights and lowlights. First, let’s focus on the highlights.
Through the year, I’ve learned many new and different things, skills, stuff about myself, and who knows what else. And, I made some awesome things (and some not so much). It was a bit hard to decide which would be the top 5 for me, so there are some honorable mentions. and I think it’s fitting to start with them. In no particular order, they are: origami goat, photo, dream come true, cocktail (this one mostly because it was at sea and it is maybe my favorite photo of a project), leather cases, bespoke buttonholes, glass etching, croissants (they would’ve been in top 5 if I made them better), bomber jacket (it would’ve been in the top 5 if I haven’t made it too small) and a knife block (it would’ve been in top 5 but I didn’t want two woodworking projects there).
If choosing the top 5 was hard, putting them in order is even harder, so I’m not sure if this list is in a particular order either. But now, without further ado, top 5:
5. Make a keyboard
Regular readers have surely noticed that keyboards are one of my main hobbies now. I still can’t put my finger on it why, but they are really satisfying to make. However, this one is special for another reason. This one was a birthday gift for my girlfriend, so even though it could be much, much technically better it will always be significant for me. The shape of the keyboard is an inside joke between us, and the keys are the ones she jokingly asked for. When my friend and I were building our own keyboards we were trying to convince everyone that they need one, and she said that she would need a keyboard with only two keys, for her favorite two emojis.
4. Make a notebook using Japanese bookbinding technique
Ain’t this a clunky title? But, I have decided early on that all post titles would start with the word “make” because this was a making challenge, so this was the way I could fit all I wanted in that format. This project comes from my fascination with Japanese craftsmanship and handwork. I stumbled upon this techniques years ago end I wanted to use it ever since but I never had a real reason for it. This project came as the perfect excuse. I really love how it came out and the aesthetic of it.
3. Make a lamp
This is definitely one of the best-looking and cleanest projects I’ve made. The only reason it is not higher on the list is that it was really easy to make. There is nothing bad with that, I just wanted to reward some of the higher effort projects. On top of looking great, I really needed a bedside lamp, so that is an added bonus. Making something is great on its own, but it is a whole another level when you make something that you use later on.
2. Make a shadow box
If we are talking about best-looking projects, we can’t skip the shadow box. This wouldn’t have happened without my girlfriend since I basically stole the idea from her because she made one for me as a gift. I also took this double exposure idea from Pinterest, and the theme was, of course, my favorite TV show of all time – Doctor Who. The head silhouette is the tenth Doctor – David Tennant and in the background, we can see the Tardis and his most popular companion, Rose. Cutting out the trees was exhausting but it was all worth it in the end. This is not a difficult project conceptually, but the execution is difficult.
1. Make a kitchen wall panel storage thingy (with a spice rack)
Another clunky title. But, I think it is my favorite project of the year. It is functional, simple, and good-looking (in my opinion, although, I should probably paint 3D printed parts). This is the project that came out of necessity because I had a lack of storage in the kitchen, and it is always nice to have spices at hand so voila! I got the idea browsing the IKEA website when I’ve seen a similar thing but a lot bigger and for a garden. And being a maker, the logical thought was: I can make this, and probably cheaper.
As you can expect, I will make a “Worst 5” list too, but for now, I’ll enjoy the high points of the project.