Gifts From Maria, Kikka, and Drora

More birthday gifts have arrived! I feel so grateful to have such sweet blog friends. First, Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog sent all of these darling handmade gifts, plus some yummy chocolates that didn't make it into the photo ;-) :

The red sweater on the left is being modeled by Orange Blossom in the top photo. It's a perfect fit! And here's a close-up photo of the sweet beach bag and hand painted teapot Maria made, using a Sylvanian Families bed that Maria thoughtfully sent as a backdrop:

Aren't they pretty? I love the bag's vintage-style fabric and the teapot's fun colors!

Kikka of Pieni Sammakko blog sent all of these lovelies, including both handmade and vintage minis, beautiful fabric, cute Moomin stickers and two cute cards, one for Easter and one for my birthday:

Here's a close-up of Kikka's handmade gifts. The pink box in the front is a tiny box of Hello Kitty bandages with even tinier bandages inside--too cute! The two yellow boxes on the right are boxes of Easter Peeps. Kikka scanned a real life box to make them! Everything is so pretty, including the spring daffodils!

And finally (for today), Drora of Drora's Minimundo blog sent these gorgeous gifts with a beautiful card:

Just in front of the card are two halvah bars--yummy! Drora's minis are always so special. She even made me a matching basket of flowers to go with the basket she sent for Christmas. The pair look lovely together on Flossy's porch. :-)

Here's a close-up of the darling teapots Drora sent. They're so pretty and cute!

Thank you Maria, Kikka, and Drora! Your thoughtful and beautiful miniature gifts, and especially your gifts of friendship, are such treasures! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

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

Sweet Miniature Gifts

After doing a search online for cuddle sacks (cloth bags) made specifically for guinea pigs like my Rufus, I suddenly thought of something: Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog had made me the sweetest miniature cloth bag for our first miniatures swap. See:

It's perfect! Little Gino loves it! Thank you again, Maria!

Speaking of sweet gifts, yesterday I received a precious surprise package from Drora of Drora's Minimundo blog. Look at the sweet gifts she made for me:

That fancy purse belongs on Plushpussycat's arm, and that rug beater has already moved to Dad's Dollhouse. I always wanted a miniature rug beater! Drora's handmade miniature flowers are exquisite, and these daisies are no exception. The snowman teapot and doll are so cute, and the seashell box is really delicate. Thank you so much, Drora! Your gifts are all so precious to me.

I have so many cute little things to show you before the end of the year, so stay tuned! And until next time, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Dollhouse Miniature Purchases and Gifts in San Francisco

Hi Everyone! You remember my recent trip to San Francisco to see Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog? I showed you some snapshots from our wonderful time together. Now I'll show what I bought and the precious gifts I received from Maria. First, I bought one of these items at The Hobby Company of San Francisco. Can you guess which item I bought there?

If you guessed the miniature chocolate pudding in the parfait glass, you were right! Here's everything I bought that day. The mass on the left is a pile of rubber black bats, just in time for Halloween. The beads on the right are for making miniature cake stands. I didn't buy much, did I?

On the other hand, Maria gave me so many precious gifts that I think my bag was bulkier than when I left my house that morning loaded with food for my trip! First, Maria had Irish chocolate for me:

I have a bunch of food allergies, and I really shouldn't have, but I ended up eating a lot of this chocolate and sharing just a little with friends. So naughty of me, but it was so good! Really yummy chocolate, Maria! Thank you very much! ;-)

Next, Maria gave me a gorgeous special Irish handmade glass guardian angel in a beautiful fabric-lined box. I'll treasure it always, Maria! Thank you again for your sweetness!

Finally, Maria made me so many beautiful dollhouse miniatures. Not only these,

but these too:

I was and am so overwhelmed with Maria's sweetness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. Now I'll have all of these treasures (minus the yummy chocolate!) to remind me of our special day together in San Francisco. I hope I have the chance to meet many more of you, my dear blog friends, in the future. If you're half as nice as Maria, we'll have a sweet time together. :-) Until then, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

I Met a Blog Friend for Real!

Remember the saying, "Blog friends are real friends"? Last week I got to meet a blog friend in real life, and it was wonderful!!!

You see, Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog was traveling to San Francisco. Portland is just over 600 miles (1000 km) away from San Francisco and a little shorter than a two-hour airplane flight. Years ago I'd flown to San Francisco for the day to attend a friend's wedding, so why couldn't I do it again?

Maria, her sister, and her daughter 

So that's what I did last Thursday. I flew down and spent five wonderful, fun hours with Maria, her sister, and Maria's daughter. They were all such lovely people, and we had a blast together! Maria is warm and friendly, just as you'd expect. She's a good hugger too! We chatted non-stop and giggled nearly the whole time. :-)

First we went to The Hobby Company of San Francisco for dollhouse miniatures, of course! They had a small but nice selection of dollhouses, miniatures, and diorama supplies. Maria and I both found a few miniatures there. They also had a small but lovely selection of beads, which caught everyone's attention, especially Maria's daughter, who makes gorgeous jewelry.

Next, we ran around like real tourists taking photographs of houses and all of the gorgeous flowers in bloom:

And then we walked to Baker's Beach and sat on the sand next to the Golden Gate Bridge:

Maria and me, Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Finally, we took a long and crowded bus ride, down steep hills through Chinatown, back to where we started, so that I could catch my plane back home. I was very sad to say goodbye to all three of them. They were the loveliest people, so warmhearted and fun. Thank you, Maria and family! It was wonderful spending time with you! Blog friends are so much fun! xoxo Jennifer