3 Creative Professionals Find Inspiration with LEGO DOTS + LEGO® sets have long played a part in childhood creativity, but these iconic toys aren’t just for kids. Whether you’re an avid crafter or a parent of imaginative children, we’re willing to bet that you’ll find endless hours of innovation and fun in a package of LEGO® DOTS. To test our theory, we challenged three creative professionals (and parents) to make unconventional crafts using LEGO DOTS sets. Below, see their amazing results and find out why the latest LEGO creations are favorites for adults and kids alike. Devon Meves: An Invitation to Create Creativity is a huge part of my life; I’ve taught art in many settings, from elementary schools to museums and art centers. Currently, as a curriculum consultant and mom of two, it’s my job to design creative learning activities for clients as well as my own children. In 2016, I started my blog, U Ready, Teddy? as a way to combine my passion for the arts, creativity, and education. I loved playing with LEGO creations as a kid, and still do as an adult. My four-year-old son is obsessed with them, and I believe that building with LEGO sets has increased his concentration, problem-solving abilities, fine motor skills, and spatial awareness. Building together is a great way to make meaningful memories and it’s a tradition that my husband and I were excited to share with our kids. I used the LEGO DOTS for an open-ended art activity that I call an “Invitation to Create.” What interested me most about LEGO DOTS was the ability to make designs and patterns with tiny shapes, so I decided to put my own spin on paper dolls and have my kids decorate them. I printed black and white photos of the kids and cut them out, then we used the loose pieces from the Pineapple Pencil Holder and the Rainbow Jewelry Stand to design different outfits and accessories. My son added some of his own ideas, like a mustache and a silly hat, and created some colorful patterns on my existing designs. I wanted the activity to be flexible, so it could be done multiple times with different results. I was excited to discover that LEGO DOTS offer lots of pieces to embellish and create unique designs, so kids can continue to change them over time. My kids are always asking for new activities or art projects, which is why I like to come up with open-ended invitations to play that can be re-visited, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel again and again—no parent has time for that! I think LEGO DOTS are a great way to introduce kids to building without making them adhere to strict rules. With their bright colors and happy designs, LEGO DOTS can spark joy for the entire family! Kelly Finley: The Prettiest Piggy Bank I love working with colors and patterns to bring out joy in peoples’ homes. My interior design firm, Joy Street Design, creates functional spaces that feel comfortable, personal, and unexpected. While we often focus on the pretty aspects of our process, my favorite part of the job is to take unused spaces in homes and make them work better for families. It’s so satisfying to see people play in the rooms that we design. I actually didn’t play with LEGO sets as a kid, which surprises me as an adult. Now I play with them all the time! My family has several LEGO sets, and I spend lots of time building with my daughter. These little bricks represent classic and wholesome fun for my whole family. My daughter is really into receiving compensation for completing her chores, so we decided to build a piggy bank out of LEGO DOTS. Our goal was to create something cute that could sit on her nightstand, where she could deposit her coins. I started the process by building all of the items in the Desk Organizer and Pineapple Pencil Holder sets, so I could get a better understanding of how to use the pieces. Then, I took apart each item and separated all of the pieces by color. Using some of the traditional LEGO DOTS building techniques, I created a piggy bank with a sliding door and a slot for money. I added a fun face on the front and my daughter helped me decorate the rest. I love designing with kids because their imaginations are so wild. Children’s joy is infectious, and it makes you feel engaged with the design process in a unique way. When we got our LEGO DOTS, my daughter had so many crazy ideas (some of which were way beyond our skill level), but we were able to narrow them down and identify a craft that she would actually use. It was a joy to work together throughout our creative process with LEGO DOTS, and I can’t wait to see what she dreams up next. Alexis Middleton: Colorful Corkboard Wall Organizer I love helping people to make things, and I believe that anyone can be a creator. About ten years ago, I started a blog called Persia Lou, after my grandmother and great-grandmother, who taught me to crochet as a child. Since then, that little site has grown to include many types of crafting tutorials, allowing me to share my projects with people all over the world. Creating with my kids is also hugely satisfying—completing a project together always brings a huge smile to my face. Though I didn’t play with LEGO sets much as a kid, they’ve become a big staple in my household as a parent. All three of my children are huge LEGO fans, and I have spent many hours building and creating with them. Working with LEGO DOTS was something new and exciting for all of us. For this project, I decided to take concepts and bricks from different LEGO DOTS sets like the Creative Picture Frames, Rainbow Jewelry Stand, and Pineapple Pencil Holder to create a colorful corkboard system. As I was looking through the instruction booklets, I was really impressed by all of the different pattern possibilities. I created a mini mood board, where I collected inspiration, including images of Scandinavian folk art and Bargello needlework, and then I got to work. First, I created tulips, cacti, hearts, clouds, and other shapes from the little LEGO DOTS pieces. After experimenting and snapping photos of the designs I liked, I built the different elements for my corkboard wall organizer. Then, I painted three corkboards with shapes and colors inspired by LEGO DOTS. Finally, I glued thumbtacks to the back of the bricks to turn my LEGO creations into corkboard components. I had so much fun creating patterns and designs and was thrilled by the wide variety of looks you can create with just a few pieces! I love that there is so much room for personalization with LEGO DOTS. When my kids started playing with the sets, they each created something totally different. One figured out how to write his name in LEGO DOTS, while another created a 3D spinning bracelet. LEGO DOTS are especially great for kids who are concerned about making things the “right way,” because there’s no wrong way to build with them. There are so many possibilities with these little bricks! Click here to discover the full collection of LEGO DOTS.