Christmas Ornaments

Hello Lovelies! Have you started decorating for the holidays?

This is what our Christmas tree looks like. It's a fresh Fraser Fir tree, meticulously and ceremoniously chosen at a plant nursery in our neighborhood. Once we find "the one", we load it up on top of the car, bring it home, and set it up in a tree stand filled with water. My husband cuts away the netting and we take a whiff of the intoxicating scent of fresh pine. Then we string on the lights and hang the ornaments!

Our colors are white and silver, reminiscent of newly fallen snow on Christmas morning -- very calm yet festive. When we eventually get tired of this scheme, we can easily add another set of ornaments in a new color like red or gold. But for now, it will remain white and silver.

The ornaments were purchased in department stores, dollar stores and craft markets. Some were gifts, some were handmade. But over the years, we've made it a point to pick up an ornament when we travel. I love the thought of ornaments, no matter how inexpensive, of having a story to tell. 

This week, I'll share with you the ornaments I recently found, starting with this:

It's a sand dollar. By adding a piece of twine, it can be hung on the tree...TADA! I'm not sure if this is a real sand dollar or just a replica. It's delicate and looks very real.

It's a souvenir from a day at the beach, specifically from The Sand House in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. {I really hope the store wasn't damaged by Hurricane Sandy!}

The Sand House is a delightful store with treasures from 

the sea like shells...

and starfish...

and many nautical-themed gifts.

When I see this sand dollar ornament, I'm reminded of trips to the beach with family and friends.

I'm reminded of blue skies, warm rays of sunshine and the scent of sunscreen lotion.

And I'm reminded of care-free days in colorful suits, with no agenda except chasing the waves.

The Brick Man

Hooray, it's Friday! I hope all the Lego architecture this week has left you both nostalgic and inspired on the possibility of humble Lego bricks.

via Nathan Sawaya

Last Tuesday, I told you about an artist who created the Lego lions for the New York Public Library.  Well, this guy's very talented.

via Nathan Sawaya

 He can make other animals like hawks...

via Nathan Sawaya

...and insects like bees.

via Nathan Sawaya

 He can make landmarks like the Statue of Liberty...

via Nathan Sawaya

...the Brooklyn Bridge,

via Nathan Sawaya

 ...and the Battle of Iwo Jima.

via Nathan Sawaya

He can make famous people out of Lego, too.

Can you guess who this is?

Yup, it's Elvis Presley.

via Nathan Sawaya

This is the band One Direction. 

via Nathan Sawaya

He's Nathan Sawaya {and his Lego alter ego}, a New York-based artist using Lego as his medium. He's world renowned and he's quite funny. You can read more about him here.

Wishing you a thrilling weekend!

Storytelling through Lego

I've been blogging about Lego and all the cool things you can build with it. Here's another creative use for Lego -- you can tell a story.

Or more specifically, tell the story of Jesus Christ, the way Brendan Powell Smith did in "The Brick Bible". 

Isn't reading more fun with pictures? That's what this book provides, and each photo was made with Lego! Whether or not you know the story of Jesus, this book is one entertaining read. Well, because Jesus did have a colorful life, and it's fascinating to see the Bible reinterpreted through a toy most of us are familiar with.

The birth of Jesus 

 The wedding feast at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine

 Jesus walks on water

 The Last Supper

 The crucifixion

The Resurrection

Blah to TADA!, right? You can read more about The Brick Testament here.

Legos in London

When I visited London over the summer, I was drawn into this toy store:

 Hamleys along Regent Street

I wasn't looking for anything in particular. On the top floor, I stumbled on this:

A Lego version of the Queen! 

I secretly did a curtsy in her presence. 

And look! A scene from last year's Royal Wedding. These sculptures really look like Prince Charles, Duchess Kate, Prince William and Prince Harry.   

The crown jewels

Call me, maybe?

A British Guard

The red phone booths that you'll still see all

over the city.

I may not have seen the Royals while I was in London, but this was good enough. Have a lovely day!

Landmarks in Lego

When I was little, I enjoyed playing with Lego. It's a toy that my brother and I shared. I'd make girly stuff like a little village and he would make cars, helicopters and all those things little boys are fond of. When our youngest brother came along, he inherited all the Lego we eventually outgrew. That was a lot of Lego!

I'm reuniting with one of my favorite toys. I can't help it. I've been seeing them everywhere.  

Remember the lions that stand guard at 

the New York Public Library? 

They're immortalized in Lego!

They're the handiwork of Nathan Sawaya, made to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the lion sculptures. The Lego versions are on display at the library's lobby.

They are 5 feet 2 1/2 inches long, half the size of the original sculptures. Aren't these impressive? From blah gray bricks, they're now TADA! works of art.

And just look at what Lego came out with:

I know adults would love assembling these as much as the kids! They make great souvenirs from a recent trip, too.

The Land of Lego

I hope you had a nice weekend my dears. This week, it's all about one of my favorite childhood toys: LEGO!

via controlling craziness

I think Lego is such a wonderful toy for older children. Plain, blah bricks become TADA! with a little bit of imagination. Growing up, I loved building a lot of Lego houses using the white windows with green shutters,  a white door, and I even landscaped with pine trees and flowers. My houses were usually bungalows, sometimes with a swimming pool, but never one of this kind:

These look like the brownstones you would see in Manhattan. My 7-year old self would never have dreamed of this on my own. This is just one of the masterpieces you'd find at the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center, New York:

Check out this sign.

 It's made entirely of little Lego people!

They are painted in single colors and 

attached to a large Lego mat. 

I wonder what the population of this sign is?

Here's a witty take on an iconic statue... 

...Atlas on 5th Avenue {Rockefeller Center}.

Lego's version of the "Wisdom" panel on 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Rockefeller Center is always bustling and this is the 

Lego version, ice skating rink included! 

I love this Volkswagen Campervan, especially the doors

and checkerboard tiles inside!  

For you Star Wars fanatics -- the mighty Death Star. 

 Chewbacca and a few Stormtroopers 

 Ah, Darth Vader.

For Harry Potter fans, there's a whole Lego collection for you! 

Albus Dumbledore 

 Harry Potter

Lord Voldemort

My, my, Lego is such a classic toy spanning generations...I think that's TADA!