LEGO Idea Fridays: Special Musical Blog Edition

As part of my LEGO-related YouTube channel, Molly Makes Stuff Up, I occasionally check out Ideas.Lego.com, a place where people from around the world post their LEGO creations in the hopes of them someday becoming an official set. The website also hosts periodic contests. The most recent one, Music To Our Ears, is currently in the fan voting phase. The build that gets the most fan votes will win all kinds of cool prizes, but all the builds, winners or not, are going to be considered for LEGO Ideas.

So the other day I filmed a video where I looked at these finalists, but there was a problem with my sound on the recording. Sigh. Since I don't have it in me to re-record the video, I thought I'd do a blog post instead! So today I'm going to be looking at the 10 finalists for the Music To Our Ears contest, and picking my favorites.

All photos below were directly yoinked from this page, and credit goes there.

P.S.: I know today is not actually Friday. But answer me this: Does time even matter anymore?

The Finalists...

Legendary Stratocaster by TOMOELL

These are nice! I've seen LEGO guitar replicas before, but these are taking it to a new level. They look tiny, but they must be at least 4-5 inches wide. Great details and variety across the five models.

Ludwig van Beethoven by Stevenhoward27

This is really cool! I love the ink bottle and the spilled ink, the pen, and the sheet music. Those are some crafty LEGO techniques, right there.

Daft Punk concert with LEGO Night Mode by RobotRock

I wasn't sure what this was at first, but... it's cool! Yay lights!

Long Live Queen by BrickskipperMx

This is a great tribute to the band Queen, and I can see this build becoming an official set, as it would complement the Beatles Yellow Submarine set that came out a few years ago. I love the lettering, the shape of the build, and even the earthy color choices.

Jazz Quartet by Hsinwei Chi

Absolutely incredible. Instantly recognizable. Such personable miniland-scale folks. 

LEGORILLAZ by yop1172

I'm not familiar with the band Gorillaz, so there was no instant recognition from me here. Still, you can tell a lot of love went into this build.

The Last Organ Grinder by Roldan A.G.

This is super cool, especially if you take a look inside (see the website), but I can't help asking -- where's the monkey?

Mr. Radio by MrMaestro

I do love me some vintage hardware, and this is a beauty. If this was just a model of the outside of a radio, I might give it a pass, but it actually opens up and you can see the "insides." Now, if only it played real music...

Sony Walkman TPS-L2 1:1 by Patrick60

Now, this is my kind of build. Nostalgia factor? Totally. Scale model of real-life object? Yes, please. The attention to detail here is well worth noting. Alas, I'd still rather own the real thing.

Musical Modular by Okay

I absolutely love this. From the guitar on the front to the clarinet on the corner, from the piano sidewalk to the music-note windows, from the music-loving minfigs to the record player on the roof. Dang. Can this be the next official Modular? I'd buy it.

So....

In conclusion, I would like to see sets made out of the following:

As for my vote for the contest? It goes to JAZZ QUARTET. It looks simple (yet totally isn't), it's recognizable, and it's got so much personality. Great job!

If you'd like to look at all these builds in more detail (including some backs-of-MOCs and MOC innards!), just head on over to Ideas.LEGO.com.

The Corona Chronicles: Chapter 5

So here we are.

4/14

I had to go to the grocery store today. I wore a mask and gloves and did all that, and I am telling you, it was an incredible experience. The store was way less crowded than usual, and nearly everyone was good about maintaining their distance. Getting around the store was like trying to play a video game -- maneuvering around obstacles, waiting for the koopas to pass before making a tight turn into aisle six, avoiding areas with people in them. Though, to be honest, I usually do those things anyway... this time, though, it felt like a game? Guys, it's been a really long time since I've gotten out.

Well, I still go on walks almost daily. And yesterday I was able to make a very special trip to the Oregon Humane Society, where I was able to adopt this very purry senior fellow...



He's a little skittish, but mostly mellow. And he sleeps 80% of the time. He's good about using his litter box, and he has the loveliest purr. His name is Marleaux, and he is a good boy.

4/15

Why did nobody tell me that the tax deadline got postponed to July? I was not informed of this. Nope, I filed my taxes like a good girl, and now you tell me I could have procrastinated? I feel cheated somehow.


4/19

Things I miss...

Going out to eat
Going to IKEA
Going to GoodWill

...

Apparently, not much.


4/21



First trip to Costco in six weeks. There was a line to get in, and the line followed this bizarre course they'd created using wooden pallets, snakes of shopping carts, and other obstacles. The interiors were less crowded than usual. Managed to get toilet paper, of which there was plenty. I've been to Fred Meyer 3-4 times since all this began, and they've always been completely out. Go Costco. (I also managed to fill a prescription here of a med that was -- you guessed it -- completely OUT at FM.)


4/22

Before the pandemic, I tutored a 5th grader once a week. Now we're going to try doing it over Zoom. We had our first session today. It went okay, but was kind of exhausting? His assignment for next time: Choose ONE Zoom background, and stick with it. Watching a kid fly from the moon to the Golden Gate Bridge to the Mohave dessert and back, over and over, is a bit much.

Later...

I saw this article, and related: https://www.bustle.com/p/feeling-calm-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-is-a-valid-reaction-experts-say-22810728

Some days I'm a little kooky, but other days I'm totally fine! Am I repressing my anxiety? Nah, I don't think so. Two points stood out:

"You may also be finding some aspects of isolation soothing, especially if you're introverted by nature."

Yep. Check.

And...

"Previous experience with trauma can also make people more chill."

Hello, I've been through so much worse. 

Although earlier I had some chest pains and immediately became convinced that I had an undiagnosed case of the Corona Virus, which had resulted in a collapsed lung, and that my doom was imminent... but two hours later, I'm fine now? So I guess I'll live to see tomorrow.

Glossy Time Capsules #22: Family Circle - December, 1976

Glossy Time Capsules #22

Family Circle

December, 1976

Price: 39 cents

* * *

Throughout this project, I've featured Family Circle quite a few times. We've visited 1942, 1965, 1986, and 1980 and 1982. Now it's time to visit the 1970s!

This issue is huge! It has 236 pages, and there were over 100 pages that I felt compelled to photograph. I tried to bring that number down for this blog, but it wasn't easy! I hope I did this issue justice, anyway.

So this was the December, 1976, issue, and naturally, there was much ado about The Holidays....

Gift suggestions were aplenty!

Stamps, rodents, and steering wheel covers. Groovy.

True Value had plenty of gifts to choose from...

ATARI! PONG!

True Value may have had a lot to offer, but they weren't nearly as persistent as Sears, who bought out numerous full-page ads and had them scattered throughout this magazine....

Pooh-rated.

Other companies felt they needed a gimmick to catch the reader's attention. Coronet paper towels may be pretty, but who can resist an offer for a wallet that can hold 24 credit cards?

And clearly you would run like lightning to your nearest grocery store after discovering THIS coupon...

SEVEN WHOLE CENTS, baby.

Not every ad featured something that exciting. There were the usual ads for detergent...

Appliances...

Cleaning products...

And that perennial favorite, toothpaste...

As this was a family magazine, there were plenty of ads for toys....

Bless the pre-Elmo Sesame Street days!

No Family Circle would be complete without a section devoted to tacky craft ideas and questionable recipes...

And there were, of course, articles...

This article is all about then-rising trend of wives running way from their families. Yikes!

And then there's this one...

Hey, it's the former Shirley Temple!

See her expression? I'd have that look, too, if I was being interviewed by this guy...

"Her figure was more ample than I would have liked, and her golden hair had turned to black, but the sparkle in her eyes was undiminished."

You tell him, Shirley!

Hey, let's take a look at food. Who doesn't love food? I love food!

Nothing healthy here -- Just the way I like it!

Onward to Beauty!

"I'm Sand."

Ugh, why so much blonde?

Meanwhile, in Entertainment, they asked celebrities of the day how they handle all the Holiday treats & goodies without gaining too much weight.

I especially love the juxtaposition of these two...



 Mala's all like "blah blah blah, feasting, fasting, Zigzag diet, liquids, willpower, blah, blah, blah..."

And Loretta's like, "I do Yoga. Annnd we're done."

Ah, the music of 1976...



And in TV & Movies...



A ballet version of Little Women?! How do I get my hands on this?

And now, the moment you all have been waiting for...

NEAT STUFF YOU SHOULD BUY!

Surprise! It's soap! That's a terrible surprise.

Live, Laugh, Love?

Nope!

"etc." was good enough for people in the 70s.

Give the gift of "music"... annnnd instantly regret it..

So that's 1976. 44 years ago, this hunk of dead trees was sprawled on coffee tables throughout the land. Those toy ads were making kids' letters to Santa even longer. Those recipes were inspiring culinary disasters from coast to coast.

And this face was beckoning to one and all, ready to sell you chocolate and haunt your nightmares eternal...

For more Glossy Time Capsules, click here!