[Freebuild] Embervale Advent Calendar 2023 - Winter Nights

[Kai NRG]

I love the way these combine into larger scenes!  The gingerbread thief is really great too.

[Yperio_Bricks]

The gingerbread thief is a another great minifigure. The dark orange cookie and dark blue are great complementary colors and you make good use of the superhero head. And that mouse is just so sweet!

[Aurore]

@Kai NRG Thank you! The idea of larger scenes came from traditional Christmas Villages...This year I don't make any, so the parts of this Advent Calendar end up decorating the fireplace mantel! 

@Yperio_Bricks Thank you! I initially planned a different character with this Batman head, but eventually found out it would be perfect for a thief. I love the print, it's so expressive!

[GeoBrick]

Beautiful little scenes here. Can't wait to see them all combined at the end of the calendar. I didn't know that 1x1 rounded corner brick already existed in white. Its just perfect for use in a snow landscape.

[zoth33]

19 hours ago, Aurore said:

@zoth33 Thank you! The torso is from a 2014 Chima minifig called Stealthor.

i thought it was chima but wasn't sure.  thanks for responding.

I really need to get a few of those mice pieces.   That vignette looks nice with the snow.   

[Aurore]

Day 6 : Kitten and Log Pile

Alrune – “More than often, what lurks in darkness and frightens the town guards is small, cute, fluffy, and able to melt hearts with a single meow.”
Dresghar – “Taken literally, it sounds rather frightening indeed.”
Alrune – “Well, now that you mention it…guess what kind of spell I’ve been experimenting with lately?”

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@GeoBrick Thank you very much! The 1x1 quarter dome brick is indeed a treat for snowy landscapes, I love it! 

@zoth33 The mouse is incredibly cute! I wish it would reappear in sets, or in BAM...

Edited December 7, 2023 by Aurore

[Kai NRG]

What a great way to get the logs to be snow covered!

[Eyrezer]

What a treat to see this calendar return! They are great illustrations that sometimes less is more, especially with a well-placed NPU or minifig design. 

How long does it take you to plan these? Do you plan it all out in advance?

[Aurore]

@Kai NRG Thank you! It's so easy and obvious, yet for some reason it took me some time to get it right...

@Eyrezer Thank you so much! I have started planning for this calendar in early november, and had all first 17 builds ready and photographed by november 19. As of today, the builds for the 18th to the 21th are ready - photos planned for this weekend...but I only have a rough idea of what will be for the 22th-24th!  

[Simon_S]

very cool little builds :-). I like how they form larger scenes. There are so many nice techniques used in here. I especially like the snow covered logs. I will look forward to the new builds!

[Aurore]

Day 7 : Hearth Gnomes

Alrune – “In spite of their unsightly appearance and sometimes mischievous attitude, Hearth Gnomes are benevolent creatures who are a great help for the villagers. They come at night, when the village is asleep, and carry out chores for every household that leaves food and wine for them.”

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@Simon_S Thank you very much!

Edited December 8, 2023 by Aurore

[Kai NRG]

Ha, what fun!  Such a good color for these guys.  Where are those heads from?

[Yperio_Bricks]

Another fun build with the gnomes! The snowy logs look great too!

[Aurore]

@Kai NRG Thank you! The head comes from the Silver Horn Demon from Monkie Kid (both of my gnomes actually have the exact same head, just different sides )

@Yperio_Bricks Thank you very much!

[zoth33]

5 hours ago, Kai NRG said:

Ha, what fun!  Such a good color for these guys.  Where are those heads from?

They are great for customizing figs.  I've used them for tieflings  

 

The hearth gnomes is such a fun idea nice job.  those dreamzzz small fig bodies are so useful.  

Edited December 7, 2023 by zoth33

[Aurore]

Day 8 : Little Owl on Tree

Dresghar – “My owls see everything…”

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@zoth33 Thank you! I can't claim the idea behind the Hearth Gnomes though, there are creatures like them all over European Folklore! According to legends, there was a tribe of them in a cave a few km away from the village I come from... 

Edited December 9, 2023 by Aurore

[Frike]

Whoah, what are those branch(?) pieces!? That makes for a very simple yet elegant tree.

[Aurore]

Day 9 : Somnambulist

Evrart – “The miller’s daughter. She takes a stroll almost every night in the village, fully asleep. Cold, snow, locked doors – nothing stops her!”

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Which leads us to the second scene of this Advent Calendar!

Dresghar - "Who would have thought that such a tiny, backwater village would be so busy at night?"

 

@Frike The branches are based on part 1566! I had initially ordered a bunch of them to build a vineyard and/or espaliers, but eventually found them useful for normal trees too.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Aurore

[Kai NRG]

Those new stalk pieces make for a lovely winter tree.  And of course, the owl is just adorable!  A sleepwalker is a great concept too.  I really like the night theme you kept throughout these six.  Looking forward to the rest of the month!

[Yperio_Bricks]

Great to see the builds together. There's a lot going on in the village at night!

[Aurore]

Day 10 : Wooden Bridge

Dresghar – “Bridges are more than just functional structures: they are also symbols, transitions from one world to another.”

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@Kai NRG Thank you very much! I'm so glad you enjoyed the night theme!

@Yperio_Bricks Thank you! Embervale is definitely less quiet at night than expected...

Edited December 11, 2023 by Aurore

[Frike]

I believe you will have a very hard time beating that little wooden bridge with other minibuilds. It's just about perfect!

[Aurore]

@Frike Thank you so much!  My personal favourites are the ones for the 17 and 22...

[Aurore]

Day 11 : Evrart gathering Ingredients

Evrart – “It needs to be picked under moonlight, she said. Of utmost importance for my research, she said. And who ends up freezing in the middle of nowhere to dig roots? Certainly not her…”

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Edited December 12, 2023 by Aurore

[Sympatik Brick]

Nice use of the round tile 2x2 with a hole.

Always an amazing amount of details on a tiny 4x4 baseplate…