Review - The Cutebee Mrs Hunt Bakery miniature wooden craft kit

I received this craft kit in exchange for a review

Today I'm sharing a review of the Cutebee miniature craft kit Mrs Hunt Bakery. This kit is completed by slotting small wooden components together to produce a sweet little bakery shop filled with breads, cakes and other delicious goods. It's a part of the City Walk series which contains a number of different shops, and the miniature kit is recommended for ages 14+.

The craft kit comes neatly packaged and contains everything that you need apart from glue and batteries. 

Inside the box is a selection of wooden sheets with press out parts, as well as some moulded plastic pieces, the electrical components for the lights, a screwdriver and hinges and the instruction booklet.

The first thing to do is to find some batteries and check that the lights are working, then you can start to work through the instructions. I found them clear and easy to follow, with a logical progression through the kit. You just press out the pieces that you need for each part and slot them together. Some of the pieces require glue so you may need to wait for things to dry, but you can always skip ahead and come back when it's ready.

I loved watching the bakery come together. The little pieces are so sweet! The printing on the wooden sheets is really good quality and looks very realistic. I didn't have any problems with pieces not fitting together. There are spares for some of the more fiddly pieces in case you break them, but that wasn't a problem for me.

The pieces fit together well and look really good. You can work on the kit a little bit at a time as each section only takes a few minutes to put together, so you can pick it up and put it down as you get chance.

The finished bakery has a hinged part to the side which can open up to reveal the side wall which I thought was a lovely part of the design. The front door also opens and closes.

The bakery is perfect for displaying on a bookcase, and the solid construction and plastic windows keep the inside free from dust. The kit also contains a lighting kit to highlight different parts of the construction which is easily accessed from outside the casing.

I've put together a few tips in case you are considering working on one of these kits!

Tips for completing a Cutebee wooden miniature craft kit

Before starting, set up your work area. Find a tray or box to keep pieces that aren't needed yet, and make space to spread out all the wooden sheets so you can easily find the one that you need as sometimes a component requires pieces from several different sheets.

Press out the pieces as you need them so that you don't lose track

If a piece doesn't pop out straight away there is a small wooden piece that you can use as a tool to help. As you get going with the kit it becomes easier as you get the hang of it, so don't force it.

You need to provide your own glue, and batteries for the lights.

When slotting pieces together, double check the orientation because some are designed to be viewed from only one angle and you need to make sure the printed side is facing the right way.

Take time to follow the instructions carefully and check the assembly order.

Don't throw anything away until the end as some of the pieces are tiny and easily missed.

Don't rush, take the time to enjoy the process as well as the finished product.

If you enjoyed this review you might also like to see my review of the Christmas Wish Store Book Nook - Review - The CuteBee Christmas Wish Store Book Nook craft kit.

Review - The CuteBee Christmas Wish Store Book Nook craft kit

I received this craft kit in exchange for a review

Earlier this year I shared a preview review for the CuteBee Book Nook craft kit with a Christmas theme, and I'm delighted to say that I have now finished this lovely kit and I can share a full review!

The Christmas Wish Store Book Nook is designed to sit on a bookshelf and offer a glimpse into a magical world nestled within. This kit has a Christmas theme, and not only does it feature Christmas toys, gifts and decorations it also has interactive elements - there are cleverly positioned lights which can be turned on and off, the Christmas tree can be rotated using a cog at the back, and there is even a music box tucked inside for some Christmas music!

The kit contains almost everything that you need to create the book nook - all that you need to supply is some glue and batteries. The kit is very well packaged in a handy box which you can use to keep everything together while you are working on it. 

You complete the kit by carefully working through the instruction booklet. Most of the elements that you need for the construction are small wooden pieces which are pressed out from clearly labelled wooden sheets. It's best to pop them out as you need them, otherwise you would easily get into a muddle! I found that all the pieces were easy to remove from the backing. Some of the very tiny or fragile parts have a spare in case you have any problems with removal or build.

I found it very straightforward to work through the instructions and assemble each component at a time. Some of the parts aren't needed until later on, so it's helpful to have a box or somewhere to keep pieces as you build them, and make sure that you don't miss the step to add them later on! You do need to be quite firm when it comes to pressing the pieces out and slotting them together, sometimes I was a little timid but you do need to use a small amount of force. 

I didn't add much extra glue apart from where it was recommended, but if a piece felt a little loose I added a small amount just to make sure it remained sturdy. You need to make sure to follow the instructions very carefully - for example the pieces are printed on one side and you need to make sure that the printed side will be the one facing outwards when complete.

There are several lightbulbs that need to be secured in the correct places. There is no wiring involved but you do need to be careful to make sure that you are working with the right piece of wire as they are all different lengths. This was a little fiddy in places but not too complicated.

When finished the book nook forms a sealed unit with a plastic sheet at the front to keep it dust free. I did have to make one modification, because I found that the sensor for the lights didn't work through the wood as it is supposed to. I ended up cutting a small corner from the top of the box and posting the wires through so that the switch is accessible from the outside. It's not the prettiest solution, but it's much easier than having to remove the front each time to turn the lights on and off.

Below is a photograph with the plastic front removed so that you can see the inside fully without reflectio. There is a lot of detail inside, and I love the bright colours and cute elements. The printing on the pieces is really clear. There are also some plastic pieces which are glued in place, like the tree and snowman at the front. Several of the elements are accessorised with shiny tinsel, for some sparkle when the lights are turned on.

I really enjoyed putting this kit together - it was complicated enough to be challenging but still fun to put together. I assembled it over several evenings and I found it an absorbing craft that I wanted to keep working on. I loved clipping together all the tiny pieces and seeing how it all fitted together so beautifully to make a really sweet little festive decoration.

There are lots more of these craft kits in the series and they would make a great gift for the crafty person in your life.