Mischievous Raccoon

With summer nearly over, frog brothers Freddie and Teddy go for one last visit to their favorite swimming hole. It's so private, they decide to do some nude sunbathing. Their swimsuits are drying in the sun on the nearby rocks....

Uh-oh! What's this? That mischievous Raccoon has slipped away with Freddie's and Teddy's swimsuits, right under their noses!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The frogs quickly find something handy to cover their private parts. "Thief! Thief!"

Stay tuned for the next installment of this story. You can see all of Plushpussycat's stories in one place. And don't forget about the Fall Giveaway happening right here on Plushpussycat! More giveaways to follow too! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Fall Blog Giveaway!

10/17/11 update: the giveaway is now closed to further entries. I will announce a winner in my next post, later today. :-)

Hello! I want to thank all of you who read my blog, AND I just love giveaways! :-) So, today I'm opening up the first of two or three giveaways to happen over the next three months. This one is fall themed, since here in the northern hemisphere we're moving into fall and gearing up for winter. Halloween is just around the corner too!

There are two prizes in this giveaway, and the winner takes both prizes. First, a handcrafted 1/12 scale miniature scarecrow for your fall porch or garden scene:

The second part of the prize is a handmade black plush cat with beautiful iridescent sky-blue glass button eyes. It was made from a repurposed vintage black cashmere coat by ALDDesigns (formerly Reborn As Art) on Etsy.com. It is so soft and snuggly and stands tall at 9 1/2 inches (24 cm):

The rules for participation in this giveaway:

1) You must be a follower (friend) of this blog with Google Friend Connect (on the right-hand sidebar of this blog). Join this site now, if you haven't already!

2) You must leave a comment on this blog post stating your desire to participate in this giveaway.

3) If you have a blog, please post this giveaway on your blog's sidebar, so more people can learn about it! Please spread the word! Thank you! :-)

This giveaway closes on Sunday, October 16, 2011. I will pick a name at random on Monday, October 17 and announce the winner that day! If the winner doesn't respond by Wednesday, October 19, I will pick a new winner at random.

Don't forget: there will be one or two more giveaways in the next three months. Stay tuned for future giveaways with more fun prizes! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Trip to Breitenbush Hot Springs

Last week my husband and I took a retreat in the middle of the week at Breitenbush Hot Springs. Breitenbush is a rustic hotsprings resort near Detroit, Oregon. We splurged and spent the night in a quaint cabin with indoor plumbing--yay! :-) Here is our little cabin: B1 or "Beautiful One" as the woman who checked us in said:

Here are a couple more shots of the nearby cabins. Maybe they'll provide inspiration for your next miniature project: a rustic cabin! ;-)

I love this picture of the cabin nestled in the woods:

We had such a good time. The food was delicious! The people were so friendly! The hotsprings were wonderful! My favorites were the ones located at the edge of a meadow, including one with a view of the nearby river. We got some cute pictures of the two of us in the hotsprings, but some things are best kept private. ;-) Instead, here's a link to official photos of the hotsprings on Breitenbush Hot Springs' web site. Aren't they beautiful?

Another highlight of our visit was a hike through old growth forest. We did a 4.7-mile loop, with some of it going straight up, but it was worth any suffering involved, as the views were magnificent and the sense of peace was palpable.

Thanks for taking this little journey with me! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Here's to Friendship!

Remember this photo? If you've hung around Plushpussycat from the beginning, you may remember the story of Houndstooth Pup and Raccoon. After an initial misunderstanding, the two critters became best friends:

As I was lying in bed early this morning, I thought about how grateful I am for the friendships I've made since starting this blog. Every time someone becomes a new follower of this blog or leaves a comment on one of my posts, I feel so touched. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to each and every one of you who is reading this post now and who stays in touch with this blog. Thank you so much! I'm sending a big hug to each one of you!

Some news:

If you follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you know that my handmade plush critters regularly get featured in Etsy treasuries. Right now, Plushpussycat is featured in a cool treasury called The (Cat) Eyes Have It!

I have so many miniature story vignettes in the works, so please continue to be patient as I develop the scenes and stories. Upcoming: more about the bunnies, including some twists and turns; a frog story; a bear story; another story with Raccoon; and many more! I recently simplified some other areas in my life so that I could spend more time creating my miniature story vignettes.

The other thing I want more time for is making miniatures. Caterina's Holiday Swap was so much fun, and I got a taste for making minis then. I want to make more! Once I've carved out time for that, I'll be able to participate in more mini swaps AND to hold another *giveaway*--yay! So hold on tight and invite your like-minded friends, because there is much more fun coming in the next weeks and months.

Thank you again for your friendship. I love following your blogs too! Without all of you who read this blog, I would just be talking to myself! I look forward to getting to know you all better over time. Here's to friendship! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer