Happy Friday and welcome back! Another 10K Club entry from first-time contributor, Maria Rosaria Di Pietro (a.k.a marodipietro). Many years of watching, and loving, Gilmore Girls plus an introduction to LEGO Ideas equals GILMORE GIRLS HOUSE. Show your support for Maria in the comments!
ABOUT YOURSELF
- Who are you?
Hi! I’m Maria Rosaria Di Pietro.
- Where are you from?
I’m from Palermo, Italy, but I’ve been living in Milan for ten years.
- How old are you?
I’m 37-years-old.
- What do you study or do for a living?
I’m an internal auditor in a bank in Milan.
- What hobbies do you have?
I like photography, cooking, painting, drawing and obviously playing with LEGO bricks.
- Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website that you can share with us?
No, I haven’t.
- Have you created any LEGO MOCs (my own creations) that you’re particularly proud of? What is it, why are you proud of it and do you have a photo of it?
I have created my second project about New Girl Loft and it is uploaded on LEGO Ideas. Now, I’m working on my third idea but it’s still an idea.
- How and when did your interest in LEGO products come about?
I have liked playing with LEGO bricks since I was young. Then I met my husband and he also likes LEGO bricks, so we started collecting them. We often like to spend our time looking at the latest in-store, choosing our new set and building it together.
- What is the LEGO hobby to you? What does it mean to you? How does it fit in your life? E.g. build, display, meetups, play the games or 'just' watch the cartoons.
Building LEGO MOCs, for me, is a moment of relaxation. Building sets represents also a moment of sharing with my family. When we complete them and play with them, I feel like I'm in a movie scene or in a TV series that I love.
- What is your favourite LEGO theme (current or past)? Why? And has any theme inspired your building style or preference in any particular way?
Disney is my favourite theme because I love all Disney productions. Even if I’m 37 I still enjoy watching cartoons. Nevertheless, the Friends theme inspired me!
- What is your favourite official LEGO set ever? Why?
I love Disney Castle. It contains so many details from my favourite films! I love it but I haven't bought it yet.
- What is your favourite LEGO element? Why?
I like minifigures. I like to try all the combinations of pieces to reach the faithful copies of the original characters (hair, faces, clothes etc.
- Is there a LEGO designer (official LEGO designer or fan designer) who you are inspired by and look up to? Who and why?
I discovered LEGO Ideas a few months ago when I decided to create Gilmore Girls House, so I don’t follow any designer in particular yet.
- Is there one or more particular LEGO related websites (not official LEGO websites) that you visit often and/or are inspired by?
Not any particular website but I like the LEGO Masters TV Show.
ABOUT YOUR PROJECT
- Where did your interest in this particular model come from?
I have been watching this TV series since I was at school. I like the setting, the characters, the dialogue and the storytelling. My mother says that I speak like the protagonist Lorelai!
- How long was the process of making the project, and what did you have to research as well. What kind of prep, research and design phases did you go through to produce your creation?
A few months ago I was in a store and I thought that there are a lot of sets for children and for guys, but what would a thirty-year-old woman want to find when walking into a LEGO store? I wondered "Which set would I like to find and buy immediately?" I thought I could build something about my favourite TV series, Gilmore Girls. I made the draft on paper and then I discovered that I could use specific software to build it!
- What special challenges did you face creating the model? What was the most difficult part to recreate?
I enjoyed designing the Gilmore Girls House and the more it looked like the original, the more I wanted to hurry up and complete it!
The most difficult part was the external arcade and how to open it.
- If you could talk to yourself before you started on this project, what would you tell them? What do you know now that you wish you knew then?
“Does it make you feel good? Just do it - why not?!”
- How long did it take to complete the model? Did you finish it fairly quickly, or did it take a long time? And how did the build time compare to the time you spent promoting your Product Idea to reach 10,000 supporters?
I completed my project in a month and a half, and then it took the same time to promote it - 45 days more or less.
- How did it feel when you reached the magic 10,000 votes and how long did it take?
I always knew that Gilmore Girls has many fans around the world but I didn't think that my idea, born in my room watching TV on the sofa, would become the desire of many girls! I have received so many messages of support from fans all over the world and when I reached the goal of 10k, I realised that we need to believe in our ideas and we should never underestimate ourselves!
- Approximately how many LEGO bricks did you use to create your model?
Now it is 2987 pieces, but the first version exceeded 3000 pieces because I made more details and many other characters. Someone has noticed the lack of Lane or Kirk.
- What is your favourite building technique or part/section that you’ve incorporated into your Product Idea?
I’m very proud of the window in Rory’s room and Lorelai’s Car. It’s my first LEGO car!
- If you built your model digitally, what software did you use to build and render your model?
I used Studio.
- If you used custom stickers or prints for your design, how did you create them or where did you get them?
I only used the pieces available. I would have done the red flower lamp, it's so iconic!
ABOUT LEGO IDEAS
- Do you have any useful advice about creating a successful LEGO Ideas project?
Build something you like!
- What (if any) methods did you use to advertise and attract support to your Product Idea?
I promoted my idea with my family, friends and Gilmore Girls fans on social media.
- What is your favourite LEGO Ideas Product Idea (besides your own of course)? Are there any Product Ideas you think have been overlooked?
I like Polaroid and also Sand Castle.
- What is it about the platform that attracts you? What tips would you give to anyone who is thinking about uploading an idea?
Social media really allows us to reach people in real-time. It’s incredible!
- Do you have plans to submit any other Product Ideas in the future? If yes, can you give us a hint of what that might be?
I already have a second idea for LEGO ideas and it's inspired by another more recent TV series, New Girl. I think that other passions could inspire new projects (cooking and music, for example).
