Gifts Galore!

One of the lovely side benefits of having blog friends in the miniatures community is the lovely gifts exchanged during the holiday season and on birthdays. My holidays have become so much sweeter since I started Plushpussycat blog, and this year has been no exception. Can you see how happy Strawberry Shortcake is?

It's no wonder! She received this exquisite hand-knitted sweater from Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog. I love the colors, and the yarn is so delicate and soft. Maria, however, didn't stop with the gorgeous sweater! Even my little baby Sylvanian Families bunny got a pretty crocheted dress. Now she feels like a princess!

Maria also sent all of these treasures:

Oops! Maria also sent yummy chocolates, but they didn't
make it into this photo! ;-)

She sent so many cute things that I can use in upcoming scenes. Everything is so lovingly made and darling. Thank you so much for your beautiful, thoughtful gifts, Maria. You are a treasured friend!

Next up, I received some exquisitely made miniatures, including handmade miniature paper flowers, from Drora of Drora's Minimundo blog:

Pictures cannot do these beauties justice, but believe me, they're even more gorgeous in person. I know that some of these flowers will go on the front stoop of Bluebelle's Cake Shop. :-) I adore the delicate knitting basket and handmade Santa and elf that Drora included too. Drora is such a talented artist and special friend. Thank you so much for all of these thoughtful and beautiful gifts!

Last but not least, I received a special package from Birgit of BiWuBaren on the Blog:

Birgit sent a beautiful handmade card with a picture of Flutterby the bear inside, some delicious marzipan candy, a darling glass piggy that reminds me of my guinea pig Rufus, a gorgeous handmade wreath that is already hanging in Strawberry Shortcake's house, another beautiful wooden ornament, and a special raccoon friend for her "darling" Raccoon! Too cute! Thank you so much for these special and thoughtful gifts, Birgit. I'm so grateful for your friendship.

What amazing friends! Thank you all for brightening my holidays. And thank you to everyone reading this post and to those who leave comments. I appreciate you all so much! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Bear Cabin!

Finally, Sophie the bear really has a home of her own. Flossy the bunny kindly let her stay at Cupcake Cottage as long as she liked, but Sophie really wanted her own place where she could express her own personality. Not to say anything disrespectful about Flossy, but her place was just too "girly" for Sophie. :-)

Now that she's in her own home, she has prepared a delicious banana pancake feast for herself and her dog, Luna:

Gorgeous banana pancake set by Kim Saulter.

It looks so yummy, but where's Sophie? She's not by the stove:

Where is she, then? Oh, dear! All that cooking has exhausted Sophie, and she and Luna are taking a much-needed rest. The pancakes will have to wait!

Welcome to my new followers. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Don't forget the mini desserts giveaway with gorgeous cakes and pie by Kim Saulter. You can still enter it on the giveaway post. Thank you to everyone for your visits and your sweet comments. Until next time, keep it fun! xo Jennifer

First Snow!

Hello everyone! It's the first day of snow for us here in Portland, Oregon. We haven't seen snow for many months. Brrr! It's very cold here! Coincidentally, I received a darling giveaway prize from Jane of Jane Cherie blog:

It's a mini Lalaloopsy doll named Holly Sleighbells. Just looking at her makes me smile. She comes with the darling accessories you see, including the popsicle, sled, reindeer, and red bag of toys. Oops! She dropped her popsicle! ;-)

I just love following Jane Cherie's blog. She speaks from the heart, and she shows us the things that are happening in her life, which are also interesting. I've learned so much about dollhouses, Sylvanian Families, Lalaloopsy dolls, vintage children's books, and so much more! I highly recommend Jane's blog. Thank you again, Jane. I love my prize!

Speaking of Sylvanian Families, someone new has moved into the 1960 tin dollhouse I received from my father last Christmas:

Mama cat has just baked some yummy bread and is pulling it out of the oven for a tasty breakfast treat. It will be perfect on such a cold winter day! There's so much going on with the tin dollhouse that I'll have to show you more later. :-)

Oh, don't forget! I have a giveaway going on with three prizes, all amazing mini desserts made by Kim Saulter. Leave a comment on the giveaway post to enter!

Thank you all for your ongoing support of this blog. I appreciate your comments so much! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Miniature Dessert Giveaway!!!

*Note: This giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced on Saturday, January 11, 2014. Please check out my home page for any current giveaways. There will be another giveaway soon!*

Please forgive Flossy and Sophie for not getting up from their chairs to greet you, for their paws are so tired. You see, they've been busy, busy, busy, as have I, and they must rest. Still, I promised a fall giveaway, and now it is nearly winter, so here it is, my friends!

This last summer, I purchased several miniature desserts from Kim Saulter of It's a Miniature Life with all of you in mind. Her desserts are truly works of mini art, so I know you won't be disappointed. This is my way of thanking all of the followers, both new and old, of Plushpussycat. There are three prizes for three winners in this giveaway:

As you can see, there's a cheery yellow bundt cake on a shabby chic cake stand on the left.

In the middle, there's a creamy banana cake on a delicate glass cake stand with doily.

And on the right, there's all-American apple pie on a cutting board with tea towel. Yummy!

This giveaway ends Thursday, January 9, 2014, and I'll announce the winners on Saturday, January 11, 2014. I'll pick the three winners randomly from the pool of qualified entries. I must hear back from the winners by end of day Friday, January 17, 2014. If I don't, I'll pick (an)other winner(s). This giveaway is open to anyone anywhere who meets the below criteria. The postage will be paid by me.

Giveaway requirements:

1) Be a follower / member of this blog (or become one now) using Google Friend Connect (on my top right-hand sidebar). (Required)
2) Leave a comment on this post. (Required)
3) I would love it if you added a link on your blog with my giveaway photo, but you do not need to do this to enter. For help in how to post a giveaway photo on your blog's sidebar, there are instructions here. Feel free to post the giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or other social media too. Thank you!

Thank you to all of the friends of Plushpussycat, and good luck in the draw! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

P.S. I've missed everyone. I've been so busy selling greeting cards and working on new miniature projects that I've fallen behind on my blog reading and fallen behind on updating this blog as often as I'd like. Know that I am thinking of all of you and looking forward to catching up soon! :-)

Happy Halloween, Strawberry Shortcake Style!

Strawberry Shortcake decided to dress as a witch for Halloween this year...

And I decided to dress as Strawberry Shortcake!

Me dressed as Strawberry Shortcake

It's difficult to tell from this photo (which is how I intended it!), but this was a skimpy outfit with tight bust, thigh-high stockings, and a skirt that barely covered my bottom. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I had such a fun night!

Hubby dressed as a hippy

Hubby and I went to a Halloween party with my favorite local Portland band, the Midnight Serenaders. Most guests were dressed in chic black and white 1920s-style outfits, but there were a few of us with colorful costumes! I was even recognized as Strawberry Shortcake by a younger woman who used to have a Strawberry Shortcake doll when she was a child. One of the tell-tale signs is the green and white striped stockings, worn by all of the dolls in the series. ;-)

Hope you have a great Halloween! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Hello Kitty Dollhouse Review!

Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue are getting ready for a big party. All of their friends are invited, so it should be a blast! Strawberry Shortcake is visualizing how much fun she's going to have with all of her friends.

Meanwhile, Lemon Meringue is putting the last-minute touches on the party food. With so many guests expected, there has to be lots of tasty food!

This is the Hello Kitty dollhouse I styled for these and my other recent Strawberry Shortcake scenes. It's a wooden dollhouse with nine repositional decal stickers, wooden furniture, and wooden Hello Kitty and her twin sister Mimmy figures. It weighs approximately 15 pounds (6.8 kg), which makes it easy to pick up and carry. I haven't used any of the decals or the figures, but I am using most of the furniture (the pink and purple pieces with Hello Kitty on them).

The Hello Kitty dollhouse comes together easily with screws and pre-drilled holes. Once you "build" the dollhouse, which only took me 30 minutes, its dimensions are 24.5 inches (62 cm) tall by 18 inches (46 cm) wide by 12 inches (30.5 cm) deep. It works great with my 1:12 scale miniature furniture.

The front door, which is 6 inches (15 cm) tall, stays closed with a magnet, which is really nice. I love the heart-shaped cut-outs in the roof and front door, and the window frames are cute too! Here you can see the inside of the house with stickers, figures, and furniture:

I bought the Hello Kitty dollhouse at ToysRus (I got these two dollhouse photos from their web site too). It's on sale for under $45. Not only is this house great for kids, it's fun for adults too, at least this one! :-) What do you think--do you like it as much as I do? Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Strawberry Shortcake in the Bedroom

How's that for a title, eh? ;-) Seriously, though, last time I showed some photos of my vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their newly-decorated Hello Kitty dollhouse, I only showed the downstairs (kitchen and living room). Now here are some additional dolls in the upstairs bedroom. First, Orange Blossom, who you met last time, with a new teddy bear I made:

Next, it's Strawberry Shortcake herself! This doll is a special "sleeper" doll (her eyes open and close):

Finally (for today), there's Cafe Ole. She was a Mexican doll in the Strawberry Shortcake international doll series:

The girls had a sleep-over (slumber party). Cafe Ole is still in her nightgown and cap, trying to wake up. :-) Don't those big fuzzy slippers look comfortable?

This doll stuff is a blast! I've had so much fun decorating the house, gathering the dolls, and finding clothes for them. I was thrilled to see your comments last time. So many of you remembered these dolls, and even if you didn't, they seemed to resonate with you. If you have/had these dolls, now or previously, which are/were your favorites? Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Spot the Difference

Last post I mentioned that there was something different about Cupcake Cottage's shabby chic bedroom.

Did anyone notice the big difference? OK, I'll tell you what happened and what has changed.

Last year, Mely gave me a gorgeous bedding set, telling me that she'd made it for Dad's Dollhouse. I was afraid that her gorgeous work wouldn't be noticed because of the garish wallpaper in Dad's Dollhouse bedroom, so instead I decorated Cupcake Cottage's bedroom with her bedding in mind.

Then, just recently, I spontaneously tried her bedding in Dad's Dollhouse, and viola! Mely's beautiful bedding looked PERFECT in Dad's Dollhouse, even toning down the wallpaper (which, incidentally, was the same wallpaper in my real life parent's bedroom in the 70s and 80s).

Mely's bedding still looks gorgeous, but she has improved the bedroom decor 1000%. Thank you, Mely! I should have listened to you the first time. ;-) You've made the bedroom in Dad's Dollhouse a very special place.

I only need to build one last piece of furniture from a kit, and Dad's Dollhouse will really be complete. Once I've built the hoosier cabinet for the kitchen, I will show you the completed house. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

P.S. Now I'm using a vintage handkerchief as a bedspread in Cupcake Cottage, and I love how the room turned out.

Gifts From Jane of MiniFanaticus

Now that Sophie is back living in Flossy's house, Cupcake Cottage, both of them can show you the gorgeous and thoughtful gifts we received from Jane of MiniFanaticus blog. First off, we have lovely autumn leaves, roasted veggies, and caramel apples to get us in the fall spirit!

The roasted veggies look incredible, with roasted winter squash included too! Jane knows that Flossy is a vegetarian, as all bunnies are, so this gift is especially thoughtful. Of course, Sophie will gladly share in all this delicious food!

Now Sophie wants to show you the gorgeous shabby chic pumpkins Jane sent. They're at the foot of the fireplace in Flossy's bedroom, and there's even a tiny one on the mantle. What incredible artistry!

Finally, we want to show you a beautiful feminine candle that Jane made. It's resting on Flossy's bed along with the darling diary and pen that Mary gave us.

Jane also included beautiful beads, supplies for making miniature polymer clay foods, and lovely papers for mini fun. Thank you so much, Jane! You've really brightened our autumn and provided so many craft supplies for creative inspiration! It's so nice having sweet blog friends like Jane. :-)

Something in the final photo has given a clue to our next post. I'll tell you the full story within a few days. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Let Me Introduce You...

...to my vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their new Hello Kitty dollhouse!

Plates, spoons, and tiny vintage desserts by IDreamofMini on Etsy.

I was never much of a "doll person" until I saw this line of vintage dolls from 1979. And then, of course, they HAD to have a house, so I put this one together in a flash and had so much fun decorating it! It felt like when I built a dollhouse for my Barbie dolls from cardboard boxes at age twelve. :-)

I'll tell you more about the dollhouse and show you more of the dolls in future posts. This is just a taste. ;-) Hey, but where is Strawberry Shortcake? Don't worry, I'll introduce her very soon. :-)

So this is the new interest I mentioned. BTW, I recently received some amazing miniature gifts in the mail from Jane of MiniFanaticus. I'll show them next. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Catch-Up Time

Hello my dear blog friends! Yes, I'm still alive and healthy--I've just been too busy to post. So much has happened since my last post that it's now catch-up time. ;-)

First off, I had that little pick-a name-for-the-bird giveaway contest, and this is what I sent to Fabiola for picking the perfect name, Bluebelle:

I made the items in the first two photos, and the kitty was from my personal collection. Fabiola has written a beautiful post with photos of my gifts on her blog. Thank you, Faby!

Next, many of you have asked about the Portland Miniature Show. It was such a fun weekend! I like to search for bargains in the "garage sale" baskets on many of the vendors' tables. These are usually accessories or furniture pieces from the vendor's own collection that she no longer wants, and the prices are marked very low. I found many wonderful treasures in these baskets, and I bought very little else! ;-)

One item that I bought at full price was this tiny shabby chic doll bed made by Milestone Miniatures:

The pink chair (both items shown in Cupcake Cottage's bedroom nook) is from the same artist, but from last year's show.

Another purchase was a small cottage dollhouse kit (the Sweet Heart dollhouse kit by Dura-Craft) for just $10:

Buying this dollhouse kit led me to realize that I don't want large dollhouses anymore. Instead, I want several small, lightweight dollhouses, like a little village of dollhouses for my critters. After thinking it through, I sold Sophie the bear's Brambleberry Farmhouse to a good friend who will take wonderful care of it. And now Sophie has moved back to Cupcake Cottage with Flossy the bunny. Sophie was getting lonely in that big house all by herself, and now Flossy and Sophie can spend more time together again--yay!

There were no ribbons at the show for my "Puppy in the Cake Shop" exhibit, but it was still fun and a good learning experience. I'm not sorry I brought my exhibit to the show. I met wonderful people as a result, and I saw a different side of the show by being a little more of an "insider."

Why have I been gone so long? First, I was on a short vacation, and then I'll let you in on a little secret. I've found a new interest that has taken me away from blogland for the last few weeks, but not forever. This new interest is very compatible with the things I already do on my blog. So next post, I will show some photos of this new hobby of mine. I think you will be surprised! :-)

OK, that's enough catching up for now. I've missed you all and your wonderful blogs. Thank you in advance for your precious comments. I read them all, and they really make my day. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Portland Miniature Show!

The Portland Miniature Show will take place Saturday, September 14-15, 2013. This year I will exhibit "Puppy in the Cake Shop." Yesterday I spent a few hours gluing and tacking down almost everything in Bluebelle's shop. I don't want anything falling down while people are viewing the exhibits! ;-) My husband helped me by making a plexiglass cover for the shop too--thank you, sweetie!

I would love to see you at the show! The hours are 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Voting happens all day Saturday, and Sunday the ribbons go on the prize-winning exhibits.

The Portland Miniature Show will be held at the Holiday Inn - Portland Airport, 8439 NE Columbia Blvd, Portland, OR 97220. Admission is $7.00 for adults and free for children under 12. Go to the Portland Miniature Show web site for additional information, including a $1.00 off coupon, map, list of dealers, list of exhibitors, and more.

Hope to see some of you there! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Flossy's Feeling Flustered

Flossy's feeling a bit flustered. She's expecting Sophie the bear at her door any minute, but first she must feed her baby and eat some breakfast herself. Good thing for healthy, quick smoothies! Flossy whips up a smoothie for herself while preparing milk for her new baby.

Sophie is going to take Flossy to the new cake shop. Don't worry Flossy, you'll feel better soon!

I've been very busy with distributing my greeting cards locally. My cards are now in eleven stores in the Portland area, and they are selling quickly. It's an exciting time but doesn't allow as much time for making miniatures. I'm in the middle of a mini cake project that I hope I can finish soon. I hope you are all well. Thank you for your sweet comments and blog friendships. Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Bluebelle Has Been Busy Baking

Bluebelle* the bluebird has been busy baking cakes in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's visit to the cake shop.

She got up very early to bake her cakes, so there would be plenty of time to frost them before her cake shop customers arrived.

Bluebelle baked two new chocolate cakes--one with chocolate frosting and one with strawberry buttercream frosting. She frosted the cakes generously in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's delight.

Bluebelle baked the cakes with lots of love. She is so excited about Sophie and Flossy's visit!

* Did you notice that the new bluebird character now has a name? Both Fabiola and then Lucille suggested the name "Bluebelle." Each thought of the name on her own, and I think it's perfect. Both Faby and Lucille have won their choice of any item in my Etsy shop, plus Faby has also won a handmade miniature cake of her choice. Congratulations you two! And thank you so much to everyone who left name suggestions. They were all sweet names, but "Bluebelle" instantly felt right to me. I'm sorry there couldn't have been more winners this time, but I'll have another giveaway in the fall. You'll have another chance then! :-)

If you had won the giveaway, which item from my shop would you have chosen? Or would you prefer a cake, and if so, what kind? I'm interested to know your answers. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer