Daday’s Handiwork: The Series...

Today, I am writing this post to start chronicling Jonjie’s do-it-yourself projects and handicraft…and will call it “Daday’s Handiwork”. The very first project the will be featured is the Eco-Friendly Dining Table.

He has a knack for transforming ordinary things into something special…something beautiful…something useful.

1. During our wedding preparation, he designed our invitation, created and handmade our giveaways. He worked closely with the cake designer on the design and decoration, and even built the three-tier cake stand. He coordinated the arrangement of the flowers in the reception venue.

Our Wedding Giveaways. Our "eyes and smile" was drawn by him using a sign pen...scanned and reproduced.

Prior to this, the Dove Cage on the right is floating in the middle of the swimming pool
along with other flower arrangements and floating candles.

2. A decade before “Tiny House Nation” or “Tiny Living” became popular in the United States, we already have our very own “tiny house”. Our Pueblocillo House in Dasmarinas, Cavite with a floor area of 30 square meters (4 x 5 meters on the ground floor plus 4 x 2.5 meters loft). Every nook and cranny were designed to be functional and every furniture fits perfectly into place.

The shelf on the left is a handmade Shoe Cabinet / Console Table. The Entertainment Console is another handmade project. The green rag on the upper right served as cover to hide our ironing board.

This is my reading area. The Altar on the right is located just above the stair. The shelf on the right was made to hold my sunflower collections and collection of books and magazines

This is a Working Kitchen, right below the loft. It is about 7.5 square meters. All the cabinets were customized...for dining and cooking essentials...so its clutter-free. The countertop is Ipil Wood measured and ordered from a sash factory. After we saved some money, we added table top stove burner with range hood and a microwave.

 

This is a 2.5 square meters bathroom...a tiny one. We have to find the right position for taking a bath. Jonjie fitted it with mirrors to make it look bigger than its actual size.

3. He landscaped the front yard of our “tiny house”, the first house we rented in Tarlac when we moved north last 2003 and every house  that we rented in Pampanga, 5 houses already as of 2015. 4. Through the course of our marriage, every flower arrangements for our home or as a gift and gift wraps every Christmas…all of which were either designed, conceptualized or made by him.

My first ever Sunflower Bouquet from Jonjie last Valentine Day 2013...a welcome surprise...he never gave me flowers on Valentine's Day, so its also a first. I normally received a bouquet from him...on an "no-occasion day". The rose petals were painstakingly arranged by Daniz as per his instruction. This is what i saw the moment I pen the door to our bedroom.

Sunflower arrangement for my 49th Birthday last July 2015

5. Even simple dishes became special when he applied his own “plating techniques”…use of plates or serving dishes or placemats…a tweak here and there…and voila!

Sunday Breakfast last November 08, 2014

6. And now, he’s into furniture.

If only I was able to take pictures of all his handiworks…but it was never too late…and this is the start.

If you can, I encourage you to take pictures and to documents every thing…every moments…all that really matters in your life. Not necessarily starting a blog, but is a good thing if you can…but making a records with dates and brief description.

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE. AND THE RIGHT THING IS NOW…

Footnote:

Jonjie is a licensed Mechanical Engineer…and he was good at his chosen profession. He loved to tinker not just with engines, machines and equipments and every tools related to it…but with any thing. Before I met him, he was into plastic scale models…cars, planes, dioramas, etc, etc, etc.

This is a sample of plastic model kit...with all the parts. Every parts are assembled and painted to resemble the real vehicle...some hobbyist added wiring. The scale of toy and model cars vary depending on the manufacturer...in the United States, 1:25 (6 to 7 inches) became the staple size for plastic promotional models, while European manufacturers went to 1:24 or 1:18 (about 9 inches long). 

This is one of Jonjie's scale model...P-51 Mustang Philippine Air Force. He had approximately 100 assembled models...cars, tanks, trucks, planes...stored in boxes in his parents' garage. His World War II Plane - Pacific Theater won Second Prize for Best in Paint in Harizon Plaza, Manila last 1993.

This is a sample of a diorama. From Wikipedia, "The current, popular understanding of the term "diorama" denotes a partially three-dimensional, full-size replica or scale model of a landscape typically showing historical events, nature scenes or cityscapes, for purposes of education or entertainment.One of the first uses of dioramas in a museum was in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Biological Museum opened in 1893. It had several dioramas, over three floors."