Modular for Friends set modules

   Making more room for new sets, kjw010 built a wonderful Modular for her daughter's Emma sets and calls it: Emma's Place.  She combined 3 sets into a townhouse style of building, which takes up less horizontal space, yet because it's Modular, each level can be accessed for playability.



   She has created a classic Heartlake City building that would also fit well into any LEGO town layout.  The middle section, with nearly floor-to-ceiling windows, topped with the upper level's traditional sloped roof and inset windows blends Friends style with her signature Modular design.  She did a similar build with several sets for a Modular Stable.



   In a collaboration with her daughter on this section, it houses Emma's Design Studio.  Checkout the rest of the Emma's Place to see the "action" in the top level and to be inspired for creating your own set modules!

Lovely Bright Green Friends House

   These colors together are so lovely to me.  It takes me back to my childhood and a favorite outfit with green & pink stripes and bubblegum-pink cherries.
   This house built in Friends style setting along a street of other houses fitting of Heartlake City was created by AlfredD.
 

   This is apparently from a larger layout presented at LEGOWORLD 2012.  For more inspired houses, visit the entire folder on Brickshelf.

X-wing Friendly

   A fighter spaceship can be built out of Friends bricks, just as Melan-E has done.  Bricks are bricks in the hobby of LEGO construction toys.  As long as there is "clutch power" the creativity factor is infinite.  Color combination is about personal taste; the re-creation of a known vessel or structure remains the same in overall shape.
   Pink5 is the name she has given to her creation.  After viewing it, you can read the story behind the name and the chosen genre.

      Here is what she wrote on her photo set description:
   "This build in no way is to make the statement of 'Girls like Star Wars too! Wooo!'. This build is for the people out there who either have kids or don't and intentionally or not, dictate what kids should like or shouldn't. I'm not saying that everyone does, but some do and I deal with those people on a daily basis. Its the people who walk into the store and say 'Wheres the girl LEGO?' or 'Why doesn't LEGO make anything for girls?' and its not necessarily your fault. Subconsciously you say these things because someone taught you long ago that blue is for boys and pink is for girls. And hey, when a young girl comes running into our store and heads straight for the Friends line, I say awesome and I ask her what her favourite Friends character is and what her favourite set is. And its amazing.

    But its the other times when a young girl is desperately trying to show her parents how cool the Spiderman sets are and her dad/mom says 'Sweetheart, that stuff is for boys, look at the pink stuff over there' that this built was made for.

    This image is to allow those out there to see something in a different light, in this case a different colour, and open your mind up to the possibility that yes, your daughter can like Star Wars (or Batman or Ninja Turtles or whatever they want) and that is awesome and absolutely normal :)"

   To view additional angles of this build see the full set for Pink5.

May the Fourth be with you Friends

   The super prolific builder "monsterbrick" Matt Armstrong has blended Friends bricks into a creation of a familiar character.  This he calls "R2-QT-Pi" and when you see it you'll quickly recognize a resemblance.

  
   The new slope bricks from the City Park Cafe set used on the feet may be my favorite adaptation used in this design.
   This droid is part of his astromech for the pi series, which will be on display at LEGOLAND California for Star Wars Days June 15th and 16th 2013.  Here is a straight front view of this creation.  Here you can see a 'companion' version.

Modular LEGO Friends Cafe

   In some cities, you just have to build 'up' due to space.  MOCer Jotabeeeeeee did this and achieved transforming a LEGO Friends City Park Cafe into a City Modular with wonderful details, while maintaining recognizable features.  Any Heartlake City resident would easily see their favorite hang-out spot has been expanded.  The customized signage is particularly sweet!

   For a few more photo angles and to see more City Modulars, take a stroll through the set.

Mia's Magic Tricks starring Mini-Fig twin assistants

   Are you seeing double or triple?  Gianni Spigno creates a scene with Friends bricks and two classic minifigures.  Even though they're classic, they can still share Mia's hair pieces ;-)

Have you blended Friends & classic well?  Send us a link to your creation.

Friends in Sydney

   Friends are showing up at LEGO fan events more & more these days.  It's great to see Kimberly's creation of Friends buildings & scenes blended with Paradisa.  The Sydney Brick Show 2013 was held in Australia (of course) and is an annual event; visit their official site for more photos, plus information on next year's show.



photo by pete white brick

   Here's a view down her Paradisa beach layout.

Giant Friends Puppy

   We go from mini-scale to Giant now with Paul Yperman's Giant Friends Puppy; apparently it's terrorizing a LEGO City scene.  Oh, my!

   For additional views of this adorable over-grown Friends Pet, visit his MOCpages.  He's also kindly added the LDD instructions file for anyone who owns enough brown bricks to try their hand at building it.
   Don't forget about necessary pet accessories too ;-)

Mini Yacht & House

   Re-working the math of LEGO set creation brick numbers by re-creating a design into mini-scale isn't as easy as it looks!  The LEGO Group designers have even started doing this with sets, such as the Modular building series.
   Here are a few mini-scaled creations in the Friends theme for you to enjoy.  See how easily you recognize them.

   Even without the added text of Dolphin Cruiser, most fans would know it's a mini version of the soon to be released yacht for LEGO Friends.  Nekodesign_th did a nice job at maintaining scale, as well as a fun way to present her creation!  How clever to have a Mini-Doll viewing it as an exhibit :-)  Be sure to check out her photostream for lots of other mini creations -- a town, a tank, a star destroyer and more.

   Taking the flagship set of LEGO Friends Olivia's House into the mini-scale, winkg4sez maintains creation integrity.  Once again, upon first glance a Friends fan would recognize this house.  Now you have to check out the interior that has also been re-created into mini -- with loads of details!

Bricking Bavaria LEGO Friends Beach scene

   Stop by the Pasing LEGO store to see this fun creation by 1wave in person -- it will be displayed in the "Windows in the Community" window April 6 - May 6th.  Or, just enjoy it here and dream of your own beach scenario!

   The boat is a fun design, as well as the snack stand.  We see more & more beach scenes created with LEGO Friends bricks and Mini-Dolls.  The colors and overall atmosphere of Heartlake City must be an inspiration.
   See if you recognize a few 'other' characters in another angle of this creation :-)

Flamingo Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Despite criticism that the Friends line is all about the colors pink and purple, I find there is really not that much of those colors included in the actual sets.  This makes it quite hard to actually build something with pink or purple as the predominant theme.  Alex Jones (Orion Pax) didn't seem to be held back much by this problem.  His Flamingo Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme is quite the riot of lavender mixed with shades of pink.  I see quite the assortment of Friends elements included in the build, along with Clikits and various other pieces. 

Check out Alex's webpage for detailed high-res shots.  I particularly like the tile with Mia's cards printed on them being used as the license plate. 

Cinema - Showing "Friends style"

   You may recognize this cinema design from the Town Plan -- it has been adapted into a Friend-ly style by Sanna. 

                                              by Sanna via her blog

   I like how the pink and tan blend with the classic LEGO red bricks she uses, rather than the dark red color which dominates the official set.  The way she blends these colors creates a more modern look.  It makes me hungry for a twist of red licorice!
   Modifying such well-known LEGO buildings to easily appear along the street in Heartlake City is a bold move.  Sanna accomplishes this with style!

Garden Room

   Global weather affects everyone; especially now that we are all connected via the Internet.  Knowing of a friend who can enjoy a Summer's day, while another drudges through another round of Winter's mix can lead to empathy.
   That's why just looking at Emma's Garden Room by Kristel can positively affect a person halfway around the globe!

Built in traditional Friends style and colors, this could easily be located near the back of Olivia's House!

Just like any solarium, conservatory or greenhouse, this Garden Room has a glass ceiling for maximum sunlight to grow plants and warm the soul.

   Kristel created a Potting Bench to showcase the lovely growing area in the Garden Room.  Attention to detail is superb.  This room has all the tools needed for successful growing!

   Sharing a sunny & cheery Garden Room with Friends is what it's all about.  There's a lovely sofa, fun potted-plants, table with stools to enjoy a cuppa ... something -- perhaps coffee, tea, or hot chocolate -- depending on your taste.
   Wait, is that a frog over there? :-)

   To enjoy a few more images of this delightful build, see the full set of Emma's Garden Room on her Flickr (kjw010).

Which little voice would you listen to?

   Harkening images of a cartoon in which a character has two opposing "figures" appear on each shoulder, with voices only that character can hear, giving advice on whether or not to follow-through with a specific deed is 6kyubi6's creation:

    Friends Mini-Dolls customized to represent two differing attitudes make this creation a nice appeal to fans from various angles.  The brick lettering is excellent too!  Both cars are fun and clever.
   The creator titled it:  "A ride to Hell or to Heaven, you choose!"

   So, which voice are you gonna listen to? :-)

In a Gal-City not far far away ...

   Stephanie and her friends enjoy their Star Wars obsession in her room, as re-created by Ninja_Nin in "Stephanie's Playroom" MOC:

   For anyone who thinks Friends and [insert your favorite theme here] are mutually exclusive ... well, think with your eyes!

   For additional fun with theme-blending, set mash-ups, Ninja_Nin also created a "Baby Rock Monsters Nursery" scene with Power Miners bricks & Friends bricks:

   So, if you read any hyperbole about LEGO Friends not being 'compatible' consider the source an unreliable one.  Of course they are compatible -- all LEGO Bricks are!  Says right there on the box, "Building toy" -- if you take the time to read facts.

Friends by the Sea

   Water activities are always fun.  In Cyndi Bourne's lively "Friends Beach" scene, you can see those girls are enjoying their day in the sun!

   She used a trip to Mexico as inspiration to build; initially this began as a practice for palm tree techniques.  There are a few more photos of her creation in her set on Flickr.

   Now that Heartlake City has its own pool, we will most likely be seeing more creations like the wonderful "Pool Party" Katie (eilonwy77) built last year:

 

   Katie also built her water-themed creation as part of exploring building techniques; for her, it was the curved wall and trees with inter-woven leaf branches.  For additional images & instructions, visit her set.

   Building techniques, old & new, are just one more aspect of LEGO Friends theme in getting more girls to have interest in construction play.  The prevalence of polygons in future technology is undeniable.  There's no reason new technology can't be fun too ;-)

Primary Park

   Inspired by the Friends slide, Toni (tonistokes529) decided she wanted to build a playground.
   While LEGO bricks have always come in primary colors: red, yellow, blue; those colors are also found in Friends sets.
   Visit her Primary Park and see just how Friendly it is!

   She built: a see-saw, stairs to funhouse with an adventure's wobbly bridge, vertical climb bars, monkey bars, climbing wall, sandbox, park bench seats, lovely tree for shade, swing set, basketball court, bicycle rack, and even a drinking fountain!  Whew!  That's a lot of fun packed into one park!

    Oh and hey -- there's that Friends slide (from Heartlake City Pool) which provided the motivation to push her building skills! 
   Most of these primary-colored-bricks you see here do come in Friends sets; some of these are from other System sets -- which all play nice together ;-)
  

   Bird's-eye-view (yes, actually that bird is a Friends' pet) looking like a typical playground found in every town & city across the globe.  Sure looks fun to me!

   Toni has even provided other fans a diagram of how she built the swings -- quite similar to the swing from Olivia's House, with just a seat change for Primary Park.

   Primarily known for pastel colors, LEGO Friends sets contain merely 10% of the color pink.  They also contain some nice technic building opportunities.
   Ready to have fun building your own park?  Head over to Toni's Primary Park set for inspiration by viewing additional close-up photos of the various playground equipment.
    

Friends at Classic-Castle

Classic-Castle.com recently announced the winners of their annual Colossal Castle Contest.  One of this year's side challenges was to use Friends elements in the castle creation.  Bruce posted several great examples in our forum.  Some were quite clever, and I wanted to highlight them here. 

Several models included the hedgehog.  SergeantChipmunk has one hiding under the tree by his watchtower.

Quarktaart's Radagast the Brown also features hedgehogs:

(As an aside, there is a -- Flickr group dedicated to finding Oscar the Hedgehog he shows up all over the place.) 

ElephantKnight used minidolls as elves in his secret gathering.  I think using the Friends as elves works really well here.  The different proportions are very effective at setting them apart as a different race of beings.

 

And finally, David Frank (Fraslund) turned a minidoll into Joan of Arc.

(Thanks to Bruce for the post on the forum.  For those who don't know, Bruce is an admin at Classic-Castle.com, and also created and writes for a whole host of LEGO blogs.)

Have A Break

When LegoManiac wrote the description on his Ice Cream Truck creation last April: 
 "Hey Girls it's time for Ice Cream!"
-"Yeah but be careful of calories if we want to keep our silouhette and don't look like the ugly LegoMinifigs!

   
    His comment was poking fun at how some people reacted to the new Mini-Dolls being so, well, new & different.  Some fans said: they would never own one; they threw them into the bin; others pined for the new brick colors in sets while not wanting to get those 'dolls' too -- yet in a nearly parallel universe, millions of girls, many new to LEGO building, squealed in delight at having a mini-figure which they could identify with on a personal level.  Those girls found a new avatar.
   This year we have an official Ice Cream Cart set to enjoy.
   Nearly a year later, it's easy to see how this "Have A Break" curvy & groovy Ice Cream Truck creation demonstrates many aspects which appeal to some girls.  The pink & orange colors evoke fond memories of a trip to Baskin-Robbins or Dunkin Donuts.  (Or, maybe even Scooby-Doo ;-)
   Since he so kindly provided a break-down of sections in this image, it will be fun to see what other fans create in the ice cream genre, or food truck category.
   Seriously, who doesn't love hearing that familiar medley of ice cream truck music echoing in their neighborhood?  You just have to look -- to see if it's on your street ;-)

Adventure Rover

Tyler Sky (bricksky) shows us that Friends can be found everywhere.

This Friend definitely looks ready for an adventure!

A House for a Teddy Bear

   A year ago I was thrilled & amazed when I came across Leda Kat's creation "A House for a Teddy Bear" built as a dedication to the children of Christchurch who lost their homes in the earthquake of February 22, 2011, for display at LABS2012, Christchurch NZ LEGO Show.

   Look at all the wonderful detail she put into this creation!  Yet, there are surprises you don't quite expect upon first glance -- see that blue "Dollhouse" sitting in the corner of the room?  Well, it opens to reveal more rooms, because it is "A House for a Teddy Bear" as the title suggests.  You can view it opened and additional images on her photostream.
   Meant as comfort for kids is perfectly fitting, given that LEGO bricks are first-and-foremost a child's building & play toy.  That we, as adults, enjoy using TLG's polygons as a hobby and art medium, just as Millie McKenzie does -- is secondary.  Yet she simply melds the two purposes together.
   The bricks from LEGO Friends sets used are also what sets this creation apart from past builds.  Being new on the market at the time, this also demonstrates a perfect blend of those bricks (a few new colors) in combination with bricks from many other existing themes TLG produces.
   I thought about this creation yesterday.  I remembered about the catastrophe occurring around this time of year.  Today when I found time to re-visited her creation (which I admit I have done several times this past year) it was chilling to me that it was actually February 22nd that the tragedy happened; which then became a catalyst for her inspiration.  Bringing familiarity to kids at a fan event gives extended life & purpose.
   Take some time to look around this room.  Open the doors to her dollhouse.  This creation exemplifies all that is good about expression through LEGO bricks -- no matter what type of fan you are -- there is some aspect here which will speak to you.

Alternate Set Builds

LegoMyMamma says that she makes a point of always trying to make an alternate set build out of each LEGO set she gets.  This means to use all of the bricks from one set to make something new.  As I think about it, trying to make an alternate build using the bricks of a set would be a great way to get your creative juices flowing.  I suppose it's like writing poetry; the limitations of form can inspire creative solutions.

A complaint that I've heard AFOLs (Adult Fans of LEGO) make is that a lot of parents don't understand that LEGO sets are meant to be temporary.  The point of LEGO is not just to make a set and keep it intact, although if you choose to, that is fine too.  But I have heard lots of stories of parents who glued their kids' LEGO sets together, so that it would stop "breaking."  This completely misses the point of LEGO as a reusable creative medium. 

We have even have an "Alternate Builds" topic on our Friends Bricks Forum to share these type of creations made with bricks from only one Friends set.  Here is a sampling of some of the alternate builds from that category:

Fujiia combined the Series 1 Animal Packs to make this "Island of Joy":

Debbie (Daisy a27) turned Emma's Design Studio into a Bedroom:

LegoMyMamma wondered where Rabbit goes when she "disappears" during Mia's Magic Tricks show:

Next time you're looking for inspiration, you might try making an alternate build.  If you do, we'd love to have you share in on our forum.

The Grand Clam

For Friends fans, first glance is all it takes to recognize elements of the theme so prevalent in this clever build by A Plastic Infinity.  Using bricks & pieces in unintended ways for creations is a particular fondness of mine.

 Breaking out of the shell, err, box of what some casual fans decry as 'limiting' when bricks are packaged in sets, rather than random offerings in buckets, takes a splash of imagination.  Sets are just another 'vessel' by which bricks get into the hands of builders.  They click the same.  Box art is just a suggestion; recently TLG began easing back into offering alternate build instructions -- as they did in the past.  Even after those configurations are built, fans using those same bricks can combine them with any other bricks LEGO offers for endless possibilities!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Friends Bricks community!

We are a worldwide community of Friends fans: Our members are AFOLs, TFOLs, Parents, Sisters and Brothers -- some seasoned LEGO fans & builders, and some newly discovering the love of building through Friends bricks. Our core purpose is sharing creations, reviews & news. Since the January 1st, 2012 launch of LEGO Friends, Heartlake City life has been inspiring us. Stop by www.FriendsBricks.com and join in the Friendship!

A Secret Garden

Fujiia brings us this lovely little corner of a secret garden. 

As she says, "You can find a fig tree, a fuchsia bush, some daisies and dandelions, what was supposed to be lavender, but let's say they're violets! Plus some edible and non-edible mushrooms! And then there's all the wildlife!! Kinda wanna be there right now… !"

Me too!  What a lovely little place.  Fujiia says this is not an elaborate construction, but I still see lots of neat little techniques:  the upside-down green plant pieces, the angles on the bushes, the hairbows in the flowers, the hanging vine-bits in the back.  Very nice.  And do you think Olivia is reading A Secret Garden, by any chance? 

House on a Stream

I've been feeling a bit mopey with the winter blahs.  Despite having the shortest amount of days, February always seems like such a depressingly long month; will we ever make it to spring... or summer?

Anita (tikitikitembo) brings us a little bit of summer beauty in this lovely little scene of a house on a stream.  (I suppose it is technically fall, since the apples are ripe; I didn't realize those apples came in red.) 

She says it was inspired both by Friends and by the great castle builder Luke Watkins Hutchinson (- Derfel Cadarn -).  How I wish I had such a blooming garden to wander around in, with such cute little critters for company. 

Cutest Cat Ever?

One of the LEGO Friends kittens provides the inspiration for this adorable sculpture by Ryan McNaught (The BrickMan). 



I bet she's not quite as cuddly as she looks, though!

A Friendly Game

Tikitikitembo treats us to a delightfully Friend-ly game of chess:



I imagine that if you threw out some nuts and fish into the center of the game board, the match would turn into quite the chaotic affair!
---------------
An Update:

 When we Tweeted Anita's Chess creation, a LEGO fan/Dad replied to us this: http://twitter.com/FriendsBricks/status/295156758240968705

Then, the next day he tweeted his daughter's own creation: http://instagram.com/p/U_uvIVM7Hm/

This is what Friends Bricks is all about -- inspiring others!

Friends Studio Session

Music has been part of the Friends scene for years.  Evoking memories of the "Tuff Stuff" band, MOCer Ola Ekblom eiffelben created a detailed studio:

Control room and music rooms

Olivia relaxed in the control room

For a few more close-ups of this groovy build with Friends bricks & Mini-Dolls, visit the entire set.

Carrot Maximizer? Check!

Debbie (Daisy a27) let her cute little Bunny loose in the laboratory.  Apparently Bunny has plans to take over the world:  "She only needs to produce 1 mutant bunny pair and in no time they will multiply, well...like rabbits."

Step 2 involves a "carrot maximizer!" 

I love the mix of Friends with DUPLO.  I also really want to see how mutant bunnies could take over the world, especially if they are as adorable as these ones!

Family Friend-ly Fun

I posted a super adorable picture of a little girl building her Friends sea plane over on the LEGO Friends Inspire Girls Globally blog.  When I told her mother Penelope Harris (princesspink 77), who posted the picture originally, she said "She loves her Lego! The girly feel to it has definitely got her more interested in Lego .... And OK Mummy might be having fun with them too!"  And then she linked to this fun photo of Mummy having fun with the Friends in the snow:

I thought it was an adorable photo, and I love how Friends can be fun not just for little girls (and boys), but for their mothers (and fathers) too.  I know I certainly have lots of fun building with Friends sets with my two children. 

Mix It Up

Martin (MorsLEGO) shows us that the Friends kitchen accessories can be useful well beyond the realm of the kitchen. 

A mixer and two knives make for a great micro space ship!  Here it is traversing an asteroid belt:

I bet this ship's lasers will cut through those asteroids like a knife through butter.