Colmar Town Leisure Years BN Build

Title: Colmar Town (Leisure Years)
Brand: YUXUEWEN
Begun: June 1, 2024
Completed: June 8, 2024
Purchased from Amazon in February, this nook stayed in my TBB (to be built) stash for several months before I attempted it. Not only because I knew it would be a challenging build, but also because it was intended as a gift to celebrate a precious friend's retirement after nearly 3 decades of service in public education. This amazing woman has seen and done it all, and she remains passionate about our students, schools, and community. It was simply time for her to begin a new stage in her journey. Her retirement will in no way be filled with lazy days, but she will have the time and energy to focus on the things and people that need her the most.
As I expected, the build itself was challenging. This is not the type of kit where you pop the pieces out of a panel of wood and slide them into place tongue in groove. As you'll see, these pieces come individually cut out already, which is nice because you don't have to smooth out any burrs. They're organized into plastic bags with similar types of pieces but remain unlabeled. In all fairness, it would be really difficult to label some of these pieces that have no flat sides and are less than 1 cm in length, width, or height. You get a materials list in the instruction booklet, which lists each piece, its dimensions, and the quantity you should find. The manufacturers are very generous with materials and give you more than you need.
The build takes patience, perseverance, and the ability to shake it off when you make a mistake to undo it and try again. Note: I didn't say "if you make a mistake..." This was my 23rd build, and I've gotten fairly confident with putting these microworlds together. I've learned a lot of tips and tricks to work around oopsies, and I've experimented with doing things my own way that make sense to me instead of how they're presented in the instructions. Sometimes that works, others it doesn't. In the end, this is a hobby designed (to me at least) to foster peace, restoration, and relaxation. If I allow myself to get frustrated by a mistake, I've lost the purpose of the activity.
In the end, Colmar Town is a stunning little getaway with a dockside al fresco cafe. If I close my eyes, I can imagine leaning back in my chair on the dock, drinking in the sunshine leaking through the overhead canopy of flowers, breathing in the delightful scents from the nearby bakery, coffee shop, and bouquets lining the docks, and getting lost in the rhythmic slapping of the waves against the dock supports. Peace. It's here. Join me.
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