The LEGO UP! House

Hello my friends! It has been much too long since my last post and I have missed connecting and being inspired by all the creative things you've been up to. I am going to keep this post positive so we'll move right on in to my newest creative pursuit. For the 'why' of the absence, I'll leave that at the end. If you don't like sad news, just ignore it.

My son Ande and I have always enjoyed seeing Disney and Pixar films together. Since the first Toy Story movie, it has kind of been our thing. Since he is a fully grown up thirty-something-man, our opportunities to see new movies together face significant challenges. But we still try to fold watching them into our family gatherings. We both hope that one day he will have a little one to share them with.

This year for Christmas, knowing that I had limited time, Ande and his fiancé Alexis (Lex) bought me the LEGO UP! movie house. It is absolutely adorable, so I couldn't resist getting started on it right away! What a joy it was to assemble! It kept my mind occupied and when it did wander, it wandered to happy times.

Russ has assembled many LEGO sets in the last few years, mostly Star Wars space ships. Each time I dust them I worry that they will fall to the ground, pieces exploding everywhere. Yikes! So I decided to glue mine together as I assembled. I read so many differing and conflicting recommendations for adhesives, but finally decided on Testors Liquid Plastic Cement. I would not recommend it as after letting the first pieces sit for a day or so, they came right apart. Next time, when I have more time, I will order Le Glue and give that a try. Luckily, my kit only included four bags and roughly 500 pieces. One of Russ' had 8000!!!

First came Russell, the boy scout who was working on his last badge: Helping the Elderly. His figure is adorable and so detailed - right down to his backpack loaded with camping equipment.

The rest of bag 1 consisted of mostly the first floor of the house. It was great to see so many of the references from the movie included in the details. Like the compass, the front door with all the locks Carl installed to keep the changing world away and the giant painting of Paradise Falls above the fireplace. I wish they'd had a way to incorporate Ellie's chair alongside Carl's like in the movie. Seeing her empty seat next to Carl's in the movie conveyed his loneliness for her in such an impactful way.

Bag 2 started off with Carl. One side of his LEGO face is smiling, and the other sports his all too familiar frown. I chose to display the smile, of course! I love that LEGO included his walker. And what a great head of hair he has for an old guy! I think this may all be 1/4" scale, as Carl and Russell are both about 1-1/2" tall.

By the end of bag 2 we see the bay windows and the second story taking shape.

Bag 3 starts off with Doug the faithful dog. The kit also includes his irresistible distraction, Squirrel (you'll see him later).

By the end of bag 3 we have a roof, the chimney, Carl's bed and TV and even Ellie and Carl's Adventure Book stored in an old crate!

The final bag was all about the balloons and display details. The kit provided a wedge for two fence pieces, a helium tank, the mailbox and Squirrel. 

It was cute but I thought the house deserved an actual display base so I set to work making one. I created the base using two pieces of 4-3/4" x 7" art board laminated together. I added a piece of model railroad grass to the top and lined the edges of the board with 1/8" x 1/4" basswood painted green to match the grass.

I wanted to keep the integrity of the LEGO set while honoring the original house and yard in the movie. So in Design Space I replicated the LEGO fence in the kit but also kept the gate design from the movie animation. 

Movie Screenshot

Lego fence, my fence and gate pieces.

I used Kraft cardboard for the fences and gate so I made several layers to laminate together. I made the gate wide so that I could trim to fit once the fences were in place.

The LEGO fences had bottom boards that lifted them off the ground, so I made basswood frames to tuck my fence board pieces into.

The movie house had decorative round finials on each gate post. I had some in my stash and made them sturdy by using a toothpick "biscuit" to join all the pieces.

Here are the fence sections installed on the display base. The gate functions with three kraft card hinges, glue welded, painted then Mod Podged for a secure bond.

Of course I had to take the opportunity to add some fun detail. I deconstructed the LEGO fence display piece and included some of the pieces on the display board. The helium tank will now sit next to the house. The mailbox has been installed (with toothpick) next to the gate (like in the movie house) and has a few blades of long grass, missed by the mower, protruding from the base. I installed two Squeeze Me bushes to the front corners of the yard. They are mounted on kraft card circles dusted with potting soil and secured with hairspray. And a couple art board pavers have been added. Squirrel has a permanent place on the fence post, affixed with a toothpick, and will drive Doug to distraction whenever he goes out for "business", lol!

And here's the display complete with the LEGO UP! house and all the characters that come with it. I hope to add a dust cover, one day.

And here's another peek inside...

What a fun distraction and a beautiful reminder of life's wonderful things! Thanks Ande and Lex! 💗

I hope to be back as soon as I can and to catch up on everyone's blog posts as I find the time.

Give all your loved ones some extra love today.

xo xo,

Jodi

Last July my mom began to experience significant back pain. She really dislikes going to doctors so decided to try and manage it on her own. I sent CBDs, some with THC and some without to try and give her some relief until the pain subsided or she agreed to see a doctor. The THC ones were great because she could finally get some sleep. Fast forward to November and her back pain still shadowed her days. I flew down with my daughter and mom finally saw a doctor. That doctor referred her to a urologist and a couple weeks later she got an explanation for her symptoms: cancer. Since then my family and I have moved into a new and sobering reality. Since then Mom has had more challenges, no real answers, no real plan and an unexpected hospital stay after an alarming complication. Back and forth my brother and I go to Arizona, to support, spend time, encourage and love my parents through this process. We are all praying for a better picture and a plan after her surgery on January 19th. The first surgery was postponed for a month in the hope of getting mom strong enough to have it. A blood transfusion helped her to feel much stronger so she may have one more before the surgery. If there is a bit of good news it is that her back pain has mysteriously disappeared. Minis, though an invaluable source of calm and joy for me, have obviously taken a back seat. I'll do what I can when I can and post as it is possible. Small and portable projects might be the answer in the near future. Your prayers and good thoughts for our family are so appreciated!