By Kendrea Rhodes
Everyone has a Lego story. Most include fun memories of creativity and time flying, lost in the peace of play. But every now and then, someone talks about the pain of packing up, or of stepping on a hidden piece in the carpet. It all adds to the memories. The fact that Lego, as a toy company, is still going strong after 90 years is testament to its quality, design and adaptability, which is something that Lobethal local, Nadia Lazor, of Bricking Awesome Designs, can attest to.
Nadia has a passion for all things Lego, particularly creating bespoke designs. This began over a decade ago when she was introduced to an adult Lego community, and after years of creating Lego masterpieces for herself, she presented at her first public Lego show in Adelaide, 2018. Brickalaide (Kidz Gigantic Day Out!) increased her confidence as a Lego artist and designer, so she attended more and more shows.
In 2021 she won the “Hills Onkabrix Most Intriguing” award at the Rotary Club’s Onkabrix show in Oakbank. The show resulted in so many requests to purchase her work, it inspired her to explore the logistics of running her own business. Not long after Onkabrix she opened Bricking Awesome Designs from her home in Lobethal.
Nadia has a dedicated workshop and has taken over an entire front room of her house. She describes it as “organised chaos”, but really, it’s very organised. Such a colourful treat to walk into Nadia’s Lego world, with wall-to-wall Lego creations like bouquets of flowers, vehicles, people, buildings, animals, rockets, farmyards, a large “Thank you CFS” sign and so many more.
With the support of her whole family, Nadia regularly attends the Lions Market in Woodside as a stall holder. Her children enjoy the excitement of market day and get up early to help, while her partner works on anything and everything behind-the-scenes. Besides custom design requests and artwork, Nadia takes her ready-made staple items to the market, such as bookmarks, earrings, Christmas tree decorations, fidgets, infinity cubes, cards, signs, art. It’s also the perfect time to discuss custom pieces that Nadia can create for you.
Nadia has been artistic most of her life, always drawing and designing. This feeds into her Lego passion with creative results like a real-life portrait of her cat. She has had several requests for family pet portraits and can work from a photograph. Nadia said that she will give anything a go using Lego! In the past she has created bespoke Pokemon characters, family pet portraits, and a custom made LA Lakers piece which was one of her favourites. She also makes cards for all occasions, which were a real hit at the markets last Christmas.
The cards (pictured above) are approximately 13cm square, come with envelopes and are easily posted. They travel well because the Lego design is very sturdy, despite not being glued down. This feature creates further benefits, as the cards double as gifts in addition to greetings and sentiments. It solves that old card quandary after the occasions when the recipient wonders, “what do I do with it now?” Nadia said that the ability to pull apart the Lego design and create a new one or add the bricks to your existing collection is an added bonus.
“The old 1950s Lego bricks work with today’s bricks. Nothing is wasted, the product is timeless. Don’t buy new if you don’t have to,” she said.
And for those traveling through Lobethal, there’s a special treat: on display in the front window of Centennial Hall is Nadia’s Lego street scene depicting Lobethal Main Street. It was commissioned by the Rotary Club of Onkaparinga for the 2021 Lobethal Lights.
Nadia can be contacted on 0427 231142, via email pasat14@gmail.com, Instagram and Facebook (Bricking Awesome Designs) or on her website: brickingawesomedesigns.com. Or you could visit the Lions Market in Woodside on Saturday the 19th of February, it’s well worth seeing her creations in person.
Story By Kendrea Rhodes.
