BrickCan 2016 - My First Lego Convention

I recently attended my first Lego conference after becoming an AFOL last fall. BrickCan was absolutely amazing, especially since it was the first of (hopefully) many more to come. The four days just flew by and I'm still so filled with inspiration and motivation from all of it.  

That's 'The Wall' from Game of Thrones up there, which one the People's Choice award. Congrats guys!  That wall sure has a presence!

 Birds eye view of the show floor.

 Huge pirate scene from the Abbotsford LUG

 This was my favourite MOC of the show, I love steampunk and movement - although I am very intimidated by technic and motors.... You can't tell from this pic, but the waterfall 'falls' down the cliff, the elevator lift on the left goes up and down, and the water on the ground moves with waves!  Congrats Ray for winning best in Show!

 This is one of my all-time favourite collaborative MOC's.  Alice Finch has been an inspiration to me since I came out of my Dark Ages.

 I participated in my first Speed-build contest and also my first 'Draft'.  Both were extremely enjoyable!

 Some of the creations were just huge in their size and scope, next year I am going to go bigger!

 That's my Elves treehouse MOC on the left, quite small but I love it.

 This tree still blows my mind... so beautiful

 This is the VLC's group MOC that we submitted, such a great idea and collaborative effort!  My classroom is there, along with many other rooms, I was so proud to be a part of it.

 This beauty was crafted by Anuradha Pehrson - My new source of inspiration!  I just love her style, her use of colour, and interesting architecture.

 I took Miko with me on the last day so he could have some fun in the kids area.

And of course he had to try cotton candy for the first time ;)

Cozy Winter Cabin MOC

I finally finished my Winter Cabin MOC that I've been working on for months!  I had to stop because I literally ran out of pieces.  I either need to buy a bunch of lego, or tear down some of my other MOC's.... A hard decision either way.  I may have to concentrate on building Micro's for awhile :)

Cabin

 Bridge

 Waterfall

Hidden cave, complete with stalagmite.

Wood chopping area in the backyard.

Fully furnished interior with fireplace, table, chairs, lamp and plant.

Bloedel Conservatory and VanDusen Gardens

Around Here...

 Assembled our forth dining chair in preparation for our upcoming visitors!

 Finally got around to putting up some wall hangings, our world map and a display frame for Miko's creations.

 I'm also trying to make our home more accessible for Miko, Montessori style :)

 We are sure having fun with our childhood lego sets!

 Miko getting in on the Lego action

 Finally hung up this adorable quilt from Miko's Great Grandma

 We went to the pool for the first time since last winter, boy was it a different experience!  It's much, much easier now that Miko can stand, walk and follow instructions.  I think he had just as much fun playing in the lockers as he did in the pool :)

My First Lego Contest Entry - Christmas Goodies Advent Calendar

 I have entered my first Lego building competition, and I could not be happier about it! I had so much fun building these little treats, and luckily for me, I didn't have to spend to much time or use too many lego bricks to pull it off :)

 You can read about the contest details here.

You can also see my pictures on my flickr page here.  I have these sitting out on a little Christmas tray and they make me smile whenever I pass by.

Ordinary Days

 Enjoying the fire truck at the Library

 The Lego Store continues to amaze me with their customer service!  I asked if they had any foliage/flower pieces hiding in the back and they filled a bucket for me ;)  Glad I asked!

 The Pick a Brick wall is awesome :)

 Cold enough for our winter hats

 We went to the gymnastics club down the street for the first time and we both had a blast.  We will be going back once a week if Miko's nap schedule allows for it.

 My homemade light-box setup

 Grocery shopping trips are getting a lot more complicated/difficult now.... By the time we get to the checkout Miko is 'done' and often resorts to tossing numerous items out of the cart.  He can also reach all the strategically placed goodies next to the check out.  I made him a very quick shopping list as a trial run (because I never know if he will destroy it instantly or throw it out of  the cart).  It kept his attention for about 20 minutes, which is great, but we usually end up shopping for over an hour so.... I am open to suggestions for dealing with this stage!

I'm working on a homemade advent calendar this year, will post more on Dec 1st when it is completed and hanging on the wall :)