GREEN GABLES BOOK DOLLHOUSE
This is part of a series inspired by stories and the homes that shape them. The form is a book, with the facade of the home on the front cover and its pages holding the rooms. Character minifigures, furniture, and accessories can be used to recreate scenes from the book.
The Green Gables version portrays Green Gables Heritage Place, which now operates as a museum for L. M. Montgomery and her written works. In the novel “Anne of Green Gables,” it is the home Anne Shirley shares with Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Each of these minifigures are represented and have bedrooms. Anne’s bedroom includes a writing desk and mannequin for her puffed sleeve dress. The living room has a fireplace and rocking chair for Matthew to rest after a long day on the farm. The kitchen has a cast iron stove and plenty of counter space for Marilla to make a variety of family recipes.
ORCHARD HOUSE BOOK DOLLHOUSE
This is part of a series inspired by stories and the homes that shape them. The form is a book, with the facade of the home on the front cover and its pages holding the rooms. Character minifigures, furniture, and accessories can be used to recreate scenes from the book.
The Orchard House version portrays the facade of Louisa May Alcott’s childhood home and the setting for the home of the March sisters in her novel “Little Women.” Each of the young girls (Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy) are represented as minifigures with their own bedrooms and rooms for their artistic mediums. Meg and Marmee share the kitchen while trying to make currant preserves for a pie. Beth plays piano by the fireplace in the living room. Amy has an art studio with an easel and trunk for her dresses. Jo alternates between the desk and couch while scribbling her stories late into the night.
PINK CITY CAFE
This café is part of a collaborative build within my local LUG. A portion of the city has been taken over by pink painters, including this mixed use café/apartment and its neighboring courtyard. In the daylight, minifigs can admire the contrasting shades of pink in the walls, terrace tiles, and other decorative elements. At night, the glowing pink lights reveal its cozy interior ambience.
PUPPIES
Phoebe and Yuki are the cutest members of my family. Even though they are both Maltese Yorkie mixes, they have very different looks and personalities. Yuki is a ball of energy that will pose for whoever looks her way, while Phoebe prefers to watch the action from the sidelines. I took inspiration and sculptural tips for these builds from the LEGO Creator 3 in 1 animal sets.
HABITATS
Habitats provide small, structured spaces for storytelling. Individual habitats capture little moments, while a stack can express a greater theme by combining them. I carefully consider the arrangement of each habitat to achieve this. Placement details are crucial in making a stack and its overarching story cohesive. I do this through posing minigures, developing a back of the stack, or dramatic lighting effects.
HOTPOT
Hotpot is an important meal my family shares to celebrate lunar new year. We love to sit around the large bowl of broth and add ingredients, while reminiscing old memories and making new ones. It is a way for us to honor our Chinese heritage, spend time together, and of course eat delicious food. This hotpot boasts a selection of salmon, tofu, mixed greens, quail eggs, mushrooms, and dumplings.
My sister, Anika, built the rotating platform that supports all the ingredients and contributed to staging all the elements.
I built the hotpot and smaller serving bowls, and also decided the representation for the various food items.
We appreciate concepts depicted in the LEGO Spring Festival sets and wanted to combine those with our personal experiences.
SEED PART CHALLENGES
These builds are made for monthly challenges with my local LUG. They provide opportunities for exploring unique uses of medium through quick exercises. The surprise of each challenge helps me flex the creative muscle beyond my expectations and push me out of my comfort zone as a designer. They remind me to find humor and a whimsical spirit throughout the design process.
THE LITTLE MERMAID
This build was created during the LEGO Inside Tour design challenge. I was inspired by the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, which I had seen just prior to the tour events. Because it began as a story by Hans Christian Andersen, the container takes the form of a book, with an iconic seashell and patch of seaweed on its covers, and opens to display the little mermaid under the sea with her trove of treasures or walking on land. This transformation can be re-enacted with the exchange of the mermaid tail for the human legs.
BAM GR MOC COMPETITION
These builds were made for a local Bricks and Minifigs MOC Competition. Each day a store employee would roll a die to randomly select a letter of the alphabet and participants would have 24 hours to submit a build starting with that letter. The quick thinking required to create a build under those constraints brought out new sculptural ideas and techniques to explore.
(E)motions won first place amongst all the builds submitted in the AFOL category throughout the 5 day competition.
TRANQUIL BONSAI GARDEN
This build combines the official Bonsai Tree and Tranquil Garden sets. The bonsai tree is modified to more closely resemble the branches of the cherry blossom trees in the tranquil garden. It seemingly grows out of and is perched above the tranquil garden. The natural elements have been arranged to portray a balanced and luminous composition.
