Surprises From Klara!

I received a fun surprise in the mail from Klara Meijer on Saturday. Look at how cute these minis are:

Klara sells these adorable miniature accessories to support her daughter's missionary work in Brazil. If you look at this post on Klara's blog, you can see all of the miniature accessories on offer. If you are interested in purchasing some of these goodies, you can contact Klara directly.

Thank you, Klara, for your sweet gifts. I love them!

Don't forget the Big Miniatures Giveaway I am hosting! Go to the giveaway post to enter, if you haven't already. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Reminder: Big Miniatures Giveaway!

12/14/11 update: Enter the Big Miniatures Giveaway on the original post. Giveaway closes January 1, 2012. Good luck!

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a good day. Hubby and I went non-traditional yesterday by fixing a big pot of homemade lentil vegetable stew. We had Brussels sprouts on the side (one of my favorites)! :-)

If you haven't heard yet, I'm having a miniatures giveaway that I'm calling the Big Miniatures Giveaway! I was announcing the final winners of my previous giveaway when I announced this new one. Since this could be confusing, I thought I'd give you a link to the Big Miniatures Giveaway again here. Everyone is welcome to join through the last day, Sunday, January 1, 2012. I'll draw and announce the winner on Monday, Jauuary 2, 2012. Here's the url: http://www.plushpussycat.com/2011/11/big-miniatures-giveaway.html too (just in case!). Just go to one of the above links to enter the giveaway. :-)

Today I'm making some minis (secret ones!) and trying to avoid the holiday shopping craziness by staying home. Hope you are having fun, whatever you're doing. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Two New Winners (Cute Kawaii Giveaway)!

I did not hear back from either winner in the Cute Kawaii Giveaway, even after multiple attempts to reach them. As they say, "You snooze, you lose!" ;-) So I did a re-draw just now! This time there were 50 qualified entries for the giveaway (because we lost two and gained one whose membership I could not confirm before). I numbered them in chronological order from first entry to last entry. Then I used the random number generator to pick two winners. Drumroll, please!

Prize #1 goes to: Flor of Flor and FF

Prize #2 goes to: Caroline of Shop Cinderella Moments

Congratulations to the two lucky winners! Please email me your mailing addresses by end of day Thursday, 11/24/11 to claim your prizes. My email is pdxjbear (at) gmail.com. Thank you all for your patience with this giveaway. Don't forget that you can still enter my Big Miniatures Giveaway. If you haven't seen it, please take a look! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Big Miniatures Giveaway!

1/2/12 Update: The giveaway is now closed. There is a winner! See who won here.

OK, you know I love giveaways, and we're finally here! It's time for the Big Miniatures Giveaway I promised! My intention with these gifts is for you to feel pampered. And the scene should be romantic. First, how about some miniature blueberry cheesecake for two:

Miniature blueberry cheesecake by Sue's Little Things

Next, how about some 1:12 scale sexy silk lingerie:

Miniature silk corset made by me from a Dragonfly International kit

And finally, here's a beautiful hat, so after you've eaten your cheesecake and put on your silk lingerie, you put on your haute couture hat and clothes and face the world feeling like a million bucks:

1:12 Victorian ladies hat by Kat the Hat Lady

What do you think? Do you feel pampered? Is it romantic? :-)

This giveaway ends on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 12 midnight U.S. Pacific time. I will pick a winner (using a random number picker) on Monday, January 2, 2012 and will announce the winner that day. I must hear back from the winner by the end of Wednesday, January 4, 2012. If I don't, I will pick another winner (using a random number picker). This giveaway is open to anyone (who meets the below criteria) in the world. The postage is on me. 

To enter this giveaway, you must do three things: 

1) Be a follower / member (or become one now) of this blog using Google Friend Connect (on my right-hand sidebar). 
2) Leave a nice comment on this post.
3) Publish my giveaway on your blog (if you have a blog).

If you have any questions on how to do any of the above, email me at pdxjbear (at) gmail.com. I would be happy to help! Here's a picture to post on your blog's sidebar:

It's that simple! Good luck to everyone! I am so grateful to all of my Plushpussycat friends. Your presence makes blogging so worthwhile, not to mention FUN! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

I Won Beautiful Mini Blessings' Giveaway!

I know what you're thinking: "Jennifer won ANOTHER giveaway?!" I can hardly believe it myself! :-) Look what Kathi at Beautiful Mini Blessings made:

I WON IT! Wow! I am thrilled. Winning this prize will push me to do some work on the sweet cottage I won from Tam toum. It's going to be the shabby chic cottage of my dreams, and Kathi's prizes will go perfectly in there! I'm going over to the craft store now to get the needed supplies. :-)

Tomorrow morning I'm announcing my Big Miniatures Giveaway. I can't wait to show you the prizes and can't wait to give them to the winner! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Cute Kawaii Giveaway Winners!

Today is the big day! It is time to announce the winners of the giveaway. Because there were so many of you who responded to this giveaway, I have decided to open another cute kawaii giveaway in a few days, just after I open the Big Miniatures Giveaway. So stay tuned here for another chance to win some super-cute kawaii gifts.

Now it is time to announce the winners of THIS giveaway! There were 51 qualified entries for this giveaway. I numbered them in chronological order from first entry to last entry. Then I used a random number generator to pick two winners. Drumroll, please! Two prizes, two winners!

Prize #1

And the first prize goes to: msluna!

Prize #2

And the second prize goes to: Becca-san!

Congratulations to the two lucky winners! Contact me by Monday, November 21, 2011 at pdxjbear (at) gmail.com to claim your prizes. A big thank you to everyone who participated in the cute kawaii giveaway. Check back in the next few days for another cute kawaii giveaway. Who knows? You may be the lucky winner next time around! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Cute Things #1

I'm starting a new series here at Plushpussycat. You saw the title: it's called Cute Things. Each time I write a Cute Things post, I'll feature something cute that I own, or that someone made, or that I saw somewhere. You get the idea! It may be a miniature, a plushy, something vintage, or whatever.

For my first post today, I want to share this cute thing I found at a thrift store. I paid at most 25 cents for it. And it's super-cute! :-) It's a 78 rpm phonograph record from 1948, designed for a child. It measures 6 3/4 inches (17 cm) across. On one side of the record is the song "Three Little Kittens":

The second side has the song "Wash Your Hands, Brush Your Teeth":

I adore the vintage-style illustrations and the cute critters! I wish I could listen to it, but I don't have the kind of equipment needed. By the way, the blue gingham fabric in the background of these photos came from The Knittn' Kitten: Portland's Vintage Fabric and Craft Store. I find all kinds of vintage fabrics, ribbons, buttons, beads, and more there. They also have an online shop on Etsy.

So what do you think? Is the record cute? If so, what do you like about it? Did you ever have one (or something like it)? Does it remind you of anything? I want to know! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Secret Santa Plus Giveaway Updates

Do any of you remember Houndstooth Pup? He and Raccoon had a few adventures together. This year, Houndstooth is helping out Santa as an elf. He's busy making presents for Santa!

Houndstooth is here to tell you that Yoshi at Sweets and Dreams is holding a Secret Santa game on her blog. It is open internationally for all bloggers, and you can join until November 20, 2011. Yoshi is a new friend of Plushpussycat blog. Unfortunately, Plushpussycat is too busy to play Secret Santa this year, but it looks fun! :-) You might want to check out the Secret Santa game AND Yoshi's cute blog.

Speaking of cute, this is the last week to join Plushpussycat's cute kawaii giveaway! Friday, November 18, 2011 is the last day to enter, and the two winners will be announced on Saturday, November 19, 2011. Then we'll start our next giveaway, a miniatures giveaway! So keep your eyes on Houndstooth and Plushpussycat to stay on top of the latest news! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

What I Bought at the Show

I reported on my experience of the NW Dollhouse and Miniature show in my most recent post. Now I'll show you some of the things I bought! Some, however, must remain a surprise, as they will be part of my next blog giveaway! tee hee! :-)

I'll start with the sewing room. I bought a darling Victorian sewing pattern and a roll of mini ribbon from Dragonfly International. I adore them!

I also bought the trunk, which is leaning against the wall. As a child, when this house was built for me by my dad, I planned for this room to be an attic. Later, as an adult, I decided to make it a sewing room. Now it's a combination of the two! Newly resting on top of the trunk is a pattern ready to be cut from blue gingham (purchased from Sue's Little Things). Drora's scissors are ready to do the job:

Next comes the dollhouse study's bookcase. Look at all of the Buddhas and other Asian statues! Sans! gave me the one on the top left, and the rest, including the sampan on the bottom shelf, came from L and B Miniatures. Now we know that the residents of this dollhouse are real lovers of Asian art and culture!

Next, I bought some toiletries (the bottles) from L and B Miniatures and Victorian perfumes (the boxes) from Sue's Little Things:

And here's a Victorian-style basket from Sue's Little Things. Isn't it just like a kitty to lay down in something this cozy? ;-) The basket looks sweet with Klara's mini suitcase, purse, and shoes.

The man of the house needed his own toiletries (boxes from Sue's Little Things), so here they are in the medicine cabinet (which I haven't hung yet) that I purchased from Dot's Doll House.

Finally, here's the kitchen. In my most recent post, you saw the tiny brass candle holders and candles I bought. Now here are a few more sweet purchases for the kitchen. I love the vintage box of Borax,

the jar of cherries,

and the mini Bell's Seasoning box, all from Sue's Little Things.

As I said, the NW Dollhouse and Miniature Show was the most fun EVER! Thanks for taking a look at the photos of my purchases. All of the things I bought are really helping to complete the mood of my house. I can't wait to finish the miniature kits I bought from Dragonfly International. They will help to put some more finishing touches on Dad's Dollhouse! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Attended NW Dollhouse and Miniature Show!

I recently attended the Northwest Dollhouse and Miniature Show right here in Portland, Oregon. I had the most fun EVER! I picked up incredible miniatures and dollhouse miniature kits, ran into friends, met wonderful new people, saw beautiful miniature exhibits, and just had a ton of fun! Here's a preview photo of one mini that I bought at the show, a tiny pair of brass candle holders with tiny candles:

And now on to some highlights of who I met and what I bought. First, I met Debbie Laue of Dragonfly International:

She had beautiful miniatures, laces and trims, and mini-making kits, including Bonnie Lavish miniature flower kits, for sale. I bought several kits (including corset-, flower-, and hat-making kits), some mini lace and trim, and a couple of accessories for my mini sewing room from her. Check out her web site--you won't be disappointed! I'm so excited now--I have several miniature-making projects I can work on this winter--woohoo! Thank you, Deb!

Next, I met Sue Ayers and her sweet husband of Sue's Little Things.

Check out her ebay store for all of the amazing tiny minis (desserts, food boxes, and more) she sells. I bought some of her vintage boxed goods for my Victorian dollhouse (Dad's Dollhouse), but first I got caught in her close-out sale section for at least an hour. It was so much fun, with bargains galore! Later I went back and purchased some vintage Nutshell News magazines from her for 25 cents apiece! That's happy reading for me this winter too! Thank you, Sue!

Next, I met Barbara Colombana of L and B Miniatures. She makes beautiful dressed beds--many people were stopping by to look at them (see picture below). I bought two or three mini Buddhas from her, thinking that I would add them to Sans!' beautiful Buddha gift and put them all on the shelf in my Dad's Dollhouse study. Then I came back later and bought some lovely mini toiletry bottles, a little grab bag with a hot water bottle and a bar of soap for my mini bathroom, and several other items, including a lovely glass vase.

While there, we got to talking, and she gave me a whole box of miniature Buddhas (10-12 of them), since I said I had an interest in Asian art. Can you believe it?! I was in shock! You may remember that I had mentioned to Sans! that I would like a mini Buddha for my dollhouse, and she sent me a gorgeous one. Then I visited Dot's Doll House in Lincoln City and found another sweet Buddha statue. Then this happened at the miniature show--a whole box of tiny Buddhas! I was dumbfounded and so grateful at the same time! Thank you again, Barbara! L and B Miniatures of Santa Barbara, California can be reached at (805) 962-2939.

Those are the highlights. As I said, I bumped into miniaturist friends, including Sheri O'Brien of Oregon Dollhouse and the great folks at Country Store Miniatures. I finally met Dot of Dot's Doll House too. I spent the whole day at the show, and when I got home, my feet were aching from standing so long. Oh! but it was well worth it! I can't wait until next year's show! ;-) In my next post, I'll show you more of the minis I bought in their natural setting--the dollhouse! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Trip to Dot's Doll House in Lincoln City, Oregon

My husband and I recently took a trip to Linclon City, Oregon. The weather was gorgeous, and we had a great time. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Dot's Doll House. It is the biggest retail dollhouse miniatures shop (as of this writing) in Oregon. I first heard about it at my mini club meeting in August, and I was itching to get there, so we planned a trip around it. I'm so glad we did, because it was so much fun!

Hubby says I was in there a looooooong time! Probably three to four hours! There was so much to see! Dollhouses, vintage and antique miniatures, new miniature furniture and accessories--I felt like I was in heaven! :-)

While there, I found a couple of special miniatures for my Dad's Dollhouse. One was the Kwan Yin Bodhisattva of Compassion statue shown here on the mantle of Dad's Dollhouse:

What's amazing about this mini statue is that it is really similar to one we have at home that we bought on our way to our wedding! I love having things in my dollhouse that are special like that. See the real-scale statue here with the miniature one next to it:

Another wonderful find was this sweet miniature tea set with pink roses:

Dot's Dollhouse is located inside an incredible antiques mall called the Rocking Horse Mall. It's at 1542 NE Hwy 101, Lincoln City, Oregon 97367. The telephone number is (541) 994-4647. It is well worth a visit if you are touring the Oregon coast.

I'll leave you with a sunset photo taken from our Lincoln City hotel room:

Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Recent Giveaway Wins!

I can't wait to show you some recent prizes I won and to introduce you to the artisans who created them. I am so grateful to each of these people and so in awe of their work, both plushy and miniature. So, on to the prizes!

First, I'd like to show you what I won from Miniatures @ I.Love.Little.Things in Singapore. I provided some feedback when asked, and was then awarded two cute minis: a cup of tea in 1:6 scale and a piece of rainbow cake in 1:12 scale. Look at how cute they are:

Thank you ilovelittlethings! Your the best! :-)

Next, I received the cutest plush anime kitty kit from jennylovesbenny. Jenny makes the sweetest little bears and other cute plush critters and sells patterns and kits too. The complete kit I won, for making "Boots," came all the way from Australia and includes beautiful mohair, cotter pin joints, German glass eyes, instructions, patterns, and more! Isn't Boots adorable?!

Next, I received (from Greece!) Tam toum's semi-completed Greenleaf Primrose dollhouse that I won from the Miniature Stuff blog giveaway. Sadly, the dollhouse arrived in pieces, but thankfully all the pieces are there! The windowboxes and shutters mostly fell off, and the structure came apart, but nothing is really broken! This isn't a bad thing, actually, because it will make it easier to paint and decorate before I put it back together--woohoo! :-) Here's how the house looks now, before I do any decorating:

Finally, I won a lovely e-pattern from Gingermelon Dolls. She makes the cutest cute kawaii-inspired plushies! I just adore her particular spin on them. The e-pattern I won is for making these cute Bunny Babushkas:

OK, that's it for my prizes for now. I hope you've discovered at least one new artisan whose blog or work you would like to check out. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Second Prize Added to Kawaii Giveaway!

The cute kawaii giveaway has been very popular, AND my blog now has over 300 followers! Wow! Thank you to everyone who has become a friend of Plushpussycat--I love you all! :-) To celebrate 300+ followers, I'm adding a second prize to the cute kawaii giveaway--yay! Here's the second prize:

Prize #2 includes a cute kawaii mini purse, a plush Hello Kitty to hang on your phone or keyring, three cute badges from Tofu Cute (see more about this below), a smaller plastic Hello Kitty keyring, and four silver Hello Kitty charms. Fun, right? Here's a close-up on the silver charms:

So here's what I did: I took three of the Tofu Cute badges from prize #1 and added them to prize #2. Then I gave four silver Hello Kitty charms to each prize. Now both prizes have three badges each and four silver charms each--yay! Both prizes just got better--woohoo! :-)

You will automatically be eligible for both prizes when you enter the giveaway. I will draw two numbers. The first number I draw will win prize #1, and the second number I draw will win prize #2. The ONLY place you can enter the giveaway is on my original Cute Kawaii Giveaway! post. If you haven't entered the giveaway yet, you have until Friday, November 18 to enter. I will announce the two winners on Saturday, November 19.

Hope you like the prizes! Now you have a chance at two different ones! This is bound to be super-fun! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer