When I became a toy photographer, I never thought I’d be doing photo shoots with toy flowers! But as the LEGO Group expands its offerings into the realm of adult consumers (and adult fans of LEGO aka AFOLs), we’re seeing more and more sets designed as home decor or gifts for all ages. Recently I reviewed the LEGO Bonsai Tree and Flower Bouquet, and today I’m looking at two small flower sets: Tulips and Roses.

These two sets are affordably priced (under $14 USD) and easy to build, even for those new to the LEGO brick building process. The flowers are relatively sturdy, but I did find that the tulip petals fell off occasionally during handling to arrange them in vases. They’re easy to put back, though, so not much of a problem.

Finding the right vase for three tulips

The sets are flowers only, with no vase provided. I found the tulips to be quite a challenge when it came to finding a vase of the right size, and one that held them in an eye-pleasing formation. It’s easiest to show rather than tell:

  • My usual size of vase was too tall, as well as too sparkly.
  • Even a Mason jar was a bit too deep.
  • A tall shot glass actually worked well for the short, slender stems, but was a bit unstable.
  • In my search for household items of the right size, an empty spice jar was about right. With a little paint and beautification, it could work well.
  • This $2 vase from Michael’s worked nicely, especially with some pebbles in the bottom.

The final results

While I don’t see a lot of toy photography potential in these flowers, they can make a fun oversized item for the background of a toy photo. If you come up with some other ways to use them, tag me (@mightysmallstories on Instagram or teddideppner on MeWe) when you post your photo!

Meanwhile, if you’re wondering how these little flower sets might look in your home or office, here are a few examples to inspire you!

Conclusion

I really like the roses. They work beautifully together as a grace note next to almost anything in my house. Their leaves are posable and with one stem curved and the other straight, they have a pleasing organic visual appeal. In these photos, I left them as-designed in the instruction book—both sets of leaves at the same level. But later I moved the two leaves on the straight stem up a notch so they are offset from the others. A subtle but very pleasing improvement, to my artist’s eye.

If you’re wondering what to get your loved one, crush or mother for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, a date, a birthday or any other special occasion, I’d recommend this cute little set of roses! If you can find it, that is. It’s currently “out of stock” on the LEGO website.

I don’t care for the tulips as much. They’re skinny and straight, and their leaves look strange pointing up like that. They are each exactly the same height, with their leaves at the same heights, which doesn’t feel organic. The leaves also spin freely, which means that their weight pulls them both to the same side when they lean out of the vase. Still, I think they do make a nice addition to the LEGO Flower Bouquet in my guest bathroom!

See when I post more LEGO shots at @mightysmallstories on Instagram