Flossy and Sophie Celebrate Halloween

Hi Everyone! I hope you're having a super-fun Halloween! Here's an updated version of a photo from a while back that I felt like showing again. Flossy and Sophie just LOVE dressing up in costume AND eating delicious treats! Happy Halloween from Cupcake Cottage!

Hope you're having lots of fun and collecting lots of candy! Until next time, keep it fun! ;-) xoxo Jennifer

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

Halloween Preparations at Cupcake Cottage

Flossy and Sophie have, each in her own way, been preparing Cupcake Cottage for Halloween.

Sophie carved a jack-o-lantern from a pumpkin, while Flossy gathered fallen leaves outside to use for festive holiday decorations.

 
Flossy got so enthused that she even decorated herself with one of the leaves!

The best part is, Flossy can hide behind the apple bowl and sneak chocolate chip cookies and cookie dough undetected! ;-)

Speaking of Halloween, I won this wonderful House of Miniatures desk kit from Victoria of Dark Squirrel's Miniature Asylum blog:

Victoria sent my prize so quickly, wrapped it so beautifully, and included a set of beautiful drippy candles, one of which I used in the scene above. Victoria has gorgeous things in her Etsy shop, including some shabby pumpkins that are amazingly realistic looking! Thank you again, Victoria!

Sophie was very excited about carving a pumpkin after seeing this post at A Small Hearts Desire blog--thanks for the inspiration, Karen! The leaves in the scene above, by the way, are made from real fallen leaves that I ran through a tiny leaf-shaped punch (but don't give away the secret to Flossy, OK?)!

There'll be something fun going on at Cupcake Cottage on Halloween day, so please do pop back here for a visit, won't you? Until then, keep up the Halloween spirit! xoxo Jennifer

Dollar Store Halloween Fun! Plus Challenge

After seeing some of the things that fellow miniaturists have been finding at the Dollar Store, I've been stalking my local shops. See what I found here? A package of drinking straws with four jack-o-lanterns per straw! My husband used a hacksaw to separate the four pumpkins from one another. Each pumpkin is approximately 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) tall.

Pretty nice potential here for dollhouse miniature Halloween scenes, wouldn't you say?

Now onto the challenge: Ninni from Finland at Nipsun Nopotykset blog challenged me to answer some interview-type questions here on my blog. So here goes:

1. How and when did you start your miniature hobby?

I originally started my miniature hobby when my Dad built me my first dollhouse at around age 9 or 10. Several decades went by, when I'd almost forgotten about my interest in miniatures, but I saved my dollhouse. Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I made some plushies with the idea of selling them. As I was starting to photograph them, I thought of my miniatures collection and pulled some out to use as props in my photos. I started this blog, miniaturists found it, and my interest in the hobby was re-ignited. I turned some of my plushy photographs into greeting cards, and now I have a business selling them in local shops.

2. What would you want to do in miniature size?

I like to create miniature dioramas and scenes using my own playful handmade plush characters, recycled and repurposed materials, and dollhouse miniatures. I take photos of these scenes, and some of them become greeting cards. The type of scenes I create are whimsical with touches of shabby chic and vintage styles. I intend to create more scenes along these lines.

3. What kind of miniatures interest you the most?

I love sweet, cute, whimsical, and romantic-style miniatures the most. I love to purchase miniatures from individual artists who create in these styles. Examples include Lovejoy Bears, CuteinMiniature, and FloraDollhouse.

I also enjoy repurposing found objects and "shabbifying" old dollhouse furniture. Recycling is fun!

4. Mention five things you like.

1. Positive people.
2. Having fun!
3. Animals.
4. Needle felting, sewing by hand, and making miniatures.
5. Photographing miniature scenes and blogging.

5. Mention five things that you don't like.

1. Drama and negativity.
2. Mainstream media.
3. Cruelty and bullying.
4. Politics.
5. Social networking.

6. What is your biggest dream?

I just take one day at a time and see where it leads me.

7. Tell about some tradition you have in your home place/country.

In Portland, people spend a lot of time in bookstores and coffee shops during our rainy, dark winters. I love exploring bookstores and libraries.

8. If you could choose any place you wanted in the world, where would you want to live?

I like living in Portland, Oregon. It is green and beautiful, progressive and fun!

9. In which countries have you been? And which did you like the most? 

I spent a few years in SE Asia and have been to Mexico and Canada. My favorite place was the island of Bali in Indonesia. It was a tropical paradise with lovely people and an interesting culture.

10.Tell something interesting about Finland? OR What do you know about Finland?

Finland is known for its natural beauty and its peace-loving citizens. It's renowned for being a wonderful place to live!

Thank you for the fun challenge, Ninni! OK, that's it for me today. I'll have something fun to show you this weekend! xoxo Jennifer