Birthday Cards and a Winner!

Hi everyone! Let me share a little good news with you before I announce the winner to the followers giveaway. I don't know if you realize it, but my greeting cards are available in four brick-and-mortar stores now, and they're selling really well. A fifth store is in the works too! Here's my latest, a birthday card called "Tomcat is Ready to Party."

Inside, the card reads, "Happy birthday! It's time to party!" Tomcat is such a sweetheart! So that is some of why we're partying here at Plushpussycat. This card, as well as my others, is available online in my Plushpussycat Etsy shop. Check out the new three birthday card combo pack! There's a six birthday card combo pack too.

Of course, another reason we've been partying here is to celebrate 700+ Plushpussycat blog followers. Thank you, my friends. It is so good to have you all here. One of you is the lucky winner of my followers giveaway. The winner will take home the minis on this table:

and these three miniature bottle openers:

I used Random.org to pick the winner. So, without further ado, the winner is:

Sandy of  Gammy's Little House blog!

Congratulations Sandy! Please email me your mailing address, and I'll get your prize off to you right away! And for everyone else, I'm planning more giveaways for the very near future, so stay tuned for that. Thanks for sharing in my successes, and keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Last Day!

Are you already a follower of Plushpussycat blog? If so, today is your last chance to join my giveaway just for you! If you're interested, go to my giveaway post and leave a nice comment. I will pick a name at random on Friday and announce the winner on Saturday. I'm even going to throw in these three dollhouse miniature bottle openers on top of the original prize:

I'm adding the three bottle openers in the foreground to the existing prize!

While you're looking at this photo, don't you love that basket of bread? Maria Ireland of Pretty Things Ireland blog made all of those cute artisan breads for a swap we did--I just adore them! She also gave me the cute wine bottle. Thanks again, Maria!

I'll see you all on Saturday to announce the winner of this special giveaway to thank all of my 700+ blog friends. You making blogging a real joy! Keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Gorgeous Gifts From Flor and FF!

I recently admired some beautiful miniature lavender plants on Flor's blog, Flor and FF. I asked Flor if she would mind doing a swap with me--those plants were amazing! See what I mean?

Thankfully, Flor said yes, and she sent me all of these treasures, including a tiny bunny that I had previously admired on her blog. Wow! What thoughtful gifts. She even made me a few special shabby chic items for Cupcake Cottage!

Here is one of the items that I sent to Flor. It's a miniature white silk corset with pink silk trim. I hope she likes it!

Did you all catch the fact that I'm having a blog giveaway for existing blog followers? It ends in a couple of days, so if you're interested in joining, please leave a comment on my previous post. Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

A Lavender Dilly Plus More Fun!

Blueberry muffins with fresh strawberries and tea.

I don't know about you, but when I find a new shop that I love, it's a thrill. I discovered A Lavender Dilly on Etsy back in March, and I've made several purchases from the shop since then. Look at these gorgeous plates:

So many choices, so little time!

I always wanted some mini blue willow dishes, and now I have them. There are so many designs to choose from--these are just some of my favorites.

And here's the first item I bought from A Lavender Dilly, a pile of shabby books. They're so fun! One book even has a faint coffee mug ring on it! How's that for realism? It's always been a pleasure buying from Carrie at A Lavender Dilly too. Her customer service is top notch, and she has always included something free with my purchases--yay! Plus, isn't it fun anticipating receiving a package from far away? I love it.

A Lavender Dilly's shabby books in Dad's Dollhouse study.

I love A Lavender Dilly, and I love all of my blog friends, so here's a giveaway just for you. If you're one of my existing 700+ (!) followers, and you'd like to be included in the giveaway, just leave a nice comment below. No need to post this giveaway on your blog. Leave your comment by midnight on Thursday, July 26, 2012, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday, July, 28, 2012. That's one week away!

What you could win:

Giveaway Prize!

I purchased one of Carrie's traditional tea towel sets with you all in mind. Also included is a set of three miniature books made by me, three miniature magazines, a mini bottle of olive oil, and a cup and saucer. I hope you like it, my friends!

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a lot to celebrate, so there will be more giveaways in the very near future. I'll tell you more then. Keep it fun, and good luck in the draw! xoxo Jennifer

Breakfast Time at Cupcake Cottage

It's breakfast time at Cupcake Cottage. There's bread with jam and milk, fresh strawberries, and of course, cupcakes! Everything touching the green cloth came from LugArt petit on Etsy, including the tiny tea towel and oven mitt.

Next, we see another tea towel from LugArt petit, this time at the shabby kitchen sink. It's almost time to wash the breakfast dishes!

And finally, in preparation for a mid-morning chocolate chip cookie break, we see another one of their cute oven mitts in the background:

Two of the nicest people you'll ever meet, LugArt petit is the work of sisters Maria Jose and Monica from Barcelona. They're currently having an adorable blog giveaway. Don't miss the chance to win a miniature purse with matching shoes! They also take custom orders in their shop. You can look at their sold orders, as well as their current shop listings, for ideas on what to order.

I hope you enjoyed this little morning visit to Cupcake Cottage. These are some of my first photos since I relocated to the new dollhouse. It sure has a lot more room! Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

P.S. I have several things to celebrate, including 700 blog friends! Look for my giveaway in the next few days! :-)

P.P.S. Does anyone know how to get rid of the white highlighting around some of my text in this post? I'm not sure what is causing it. Thanks in advance!

Another Dollhouse?

I can't believe I did it again: I added another dollhouse to my collection. Friends told me about it. It's the kind of feminine, romantic house I love, and it already has a cedar shake roof, gingerbread galore, a stairway, and working windows and doors--woohoo!

I wasn't planning on adding another house to my collection. I already have Dad's Dollhouse, the 1960s mid-century modern ranch dollhouse, and the house I won in a giveaway that has featured both the 1920s Lover's Cottage and shabby chic Cupcake Cottage inside (not at the same time, of course!).

I never want to have too many projects that are overwhelming to me, so I was a little concerned about adding this house to my collection. Once I got it home, however, I realized that it is just perfect for my yet-unrealized miniature dreams.

The shabby chic kitchen that is known as Cupcake Cottage fits on the spacious first floor, and the second floor could house a dreamy bedroom and a little nook for a young child's room--fun!

Adding this one makes a total of four dollhouses for me. How about you? Do you have a number of dollhouses or roomboxes? If so, how many do you have? What feels like a comfortable number for you, and how many is too many? ;-)

Does anyone recognize the brand of this dollhouse? I researched online but found nothing. I'm also not sure about its architectural style. It says "Victorian" to me, but does it have a specific style, such as Queen Anne? I would be grateful for any information. Thank you in advance for your help! Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Precious Swap Gifts From Carmen of Mi Pequena Evasion

As a regular reader of Mi Pequena Evasion blog, I can't help but notice that Carmen is extremely prolific at making miniatures. Each blog post, she shows the miniatures she has made. She makes about ten times as many miniatures as I do in the same amount of time! And she's so resourceful and creative too!

So recently, when I was looking at her latest blog post, there they were again: her adorable miniature daisy plants growing out of old tin cans. I finally decided to ask Carmen if she would mind doing a swap with me. All I wanted was a couple of her daisies. Here's what she sent me--wow!

The gorgeous orchid went straight into Dad's Dollhouse. And Carmen's beautiful hyacinth fits perfectly in my shabby chic Cupcake Cottage:

And look at these adorable miniature shabby plates she sent me, with pictures of my own little plush characters. Oh my! It took my breath away when I found them. There's Plushpussycat herself, Mama Mouse, Raccoon, Tomcat, Bella the Bride Bunny, and Houndstooth Pup!

She also sent tiny embroidery kits and miniature embroidery pattern books. So sweet!

Thank you so much, Carmen! You are so thoughtful! I love everything you sent me. My swap gifts to you are on their way. I hope you like them as much as I like your gifts to me! Keep having fun, everyone! xoxo Jennifer

Exquisite Swap Gifts From Norma of make mine mini

I remember the first time I came across Norma's make mine mini blog--her miniature photos and letters literally took my breath away! Recently, I asked Norma if she would do a swap with me for some of her mini mail. I received her precious package yesterday, and look at the exquisite miniature memory box she sent me!

The envelopes are filled with tiny letters, the postcards are double-sided, and the photos are clear and beautiful. 

The biggest mini photograph is a picture of Norma's mother as a child with all of her possessions around her. The framed photo is of Norma's uncle in his WWI uniform. The box lid image is a photo of some of Norma's mother's toys, taken around 1920, and was hand colored at the time. Knowing these details makes the items that much more precious.

And luckily, just in time for Norma's gift, I finally wallpapered Dad's Dollhouse study, the better to show off her beautiful work!

Thank you for your special present, Norma! I will treasure it always! You can see my gifts to Norma on her latest blog post. Here's to more fun! xoxo Jennifer

Summer School for Raccoon

That Raccoon! He was so busy during the school year with his pranks and naughtiness, that now he has to go to summer school to make up his missed classes. Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog must have taken pity on him, because she sent him not one but two backpacks for all of his books. See! He has to wear one and carry the other, both full of books!

Thank you, Maria! You helped Raccoon out when he's been feeling a little bit dejected. Awww! Poor Raccoon!

Maria also sent two gorgeous handmade foot rests, both of which have taken up residence in Dad's Dollhouse. See this sweet pink one? It matches the bathroom perfectly and has become Kitty's favorite bed. Isn't that just like a cat?

And this precious blue one is perfect for the master bedroom, that is if anyone can find room to sit on the overcrowded loveseat!

Here are the first things I found when I opened Maria's package: this fun Leprechaun for good luck and a gorgeous bread basket lined with vintage-style fabric. Thank you so much, Maria! I love all of your gifts! They're even more special because they came from you!

Let's see if Raccoon can make it through summer school and stay out of trouble, shall we? Keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer