Meeting Maggie Rudy of MousesHouses!

I've written about Maggie Rudy here before. Perhaps you already know this talented creature maker, author, illustrator, and photographer from her MousesHouses blog or from her first book, The House That Mouse Built. Her latest book is called I Wish I Had a Pet, and I was able to meet her in person for a book reading at Green Bean Books! Here the two of us enjoy a casual moment:

Photo taken by Jennifer Green of Green Bean Books.

We were blog friends, but we had never met in person. I enjoyed a little bit of private time with Maggie (it pays to arrive early!), in which she offered guidance and some oh-so-appreciated praise of my work (which I will treasure forever!). Do I sound a little bit starstruck? Probably because I am. :-) What a kind, gracious, humble, and gifted person. Thank you so much, Maggie!

Maggie Rudy reading from her latest book, I Wish I Had a Pet.

A number of fans, both young and old, came to hear Maggie speak. We were treated to a reading of her new book, a short lecture about her creative process, and a question and answer period, followed by a book signing. I could have stayed there for hours soaking up her humor and wisdom. What a thrill to meet someone whose work I admire so much!

Maggie's creative process: first she sketches out her ideas.

Then she creates her creatures and sets.

The House That Mouse Built is one of my all-time favorite books, and this new book, I Wish I Had a Pet, is destined to become another classic loved by both children and adults everywhere. It is so sweet and a fun way to introduce the responsibilities involved in having a pet to children (adults too, actually!). Maggie even created a diorama for the bookstore with part of one of the scenes from her book:

Maggie Rudy's diorama at Green Bean Books. Come see it!

My diorama had been in the bookstore's main diorama box since April 15, but I gladly made way for Maggie's display. Now you can still view my diorama, but it's in the second diorama box, near the back of the store:

My diorama, a scene from one of my early greeting cards.

Be sure and check out Green Bean Books if you're in the Portland area. It is one of my all-time favorite bookstores, and there are dollhouse miniatures and Re-Ment miniatures for sale, as well as books and toys. Maggie's blog is MousesHouses and is not to be missed! Her books are available from bookstores everywhere, including Green Bean Books. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Celebrating a Success!

I recently shared about seeing Maggie Rudy's MousesHouses diorama at Green Bean Books. It was an amazing experience, for several reasons. After viewing the diorama, my husband and I started chatting with the owner, Jennifer Green. She and I both expressed our love for Maggie's book, The House That Mouse Built, and my hubby bought me this adorable plushy finger puppet, Daisy, from Green Bean's plushy-dispensing machine:

Daisy the finger puppet plush

Then my husband whispered to me, "Give her one of your business cards." I resisted a couple of times (too shy!), but finally I sheepishly pulled out my business cards and said something like, "I make plushies too, with little story vignettes, and now they're greeting cards." I'm sure it was more jumbled than that, but by then two people (including Jennifer) had gathered around my business cards oohing and ahhing, and a third person came out of nowhere and said, "Can I have one of your cards too?"

Jennifer Green, owner of Green Bean Books

I was so embarassed that I was blushing, especially after Jennifer said, "I might want to carry your cards in my shop." Wow! I'd sold a bunch of my greeting cards to friends and family, but so far never in a brick and mortar shop. It was the next step I wanted to take with my cards, but I hadn't pursued it. As I left, I said that I would call to set up a time to show her my cards.

One week went by (how embarassing!), and I got an email from Jennifer. She'd looked at my blog and wanted to know if I'd be interested in selling her some cards for her shop AND if I'd be interested in doing a diorama in the store "like the box Maggie Rudy's display was in." OMG!!! A diorama in the box where the MousesHouses diorama just was?! What an honor and a thrill! I think you can imagine how I felt! :-DDD

See my cards?! 

Here's the bottom line: My greeting cards are now available at Green Bean Books, AND my miniature diorama will be featured at Green Bean Books for six weeks starting in March!!! Woohoo!

Daisy and Snoop getting to know each other!

P.S. Daisy now has a boyfriend named Snoop! Aren't they an adorable couple? ;-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

P.P.S. Tomorrow is the last day to enter my New Giveaway! The prize includes a secret miniature and all five of my greeting cards!

MousesHouses at Green Bean Books!

I've been following Maggie Rudy's MousesHouses blog for a few months now (I love her book The House That Mouse Built too), and then I saw that one of her dioramas could be seen at Green Bean Books here in Portland, Oregon. Here's the diorama I saw live: MousesHouses: Winter!

Cute diorama door made from recycled yardsticks

It was so fun to see her work in person. It was inside this cute door in one of the store's bookshelves. You opened the door, and inside, in a mini space of 11 1/2 inches by 11 1/2 inches (29 cm by 29 cm), with a depth of 10 inches (25.5 cm), was Maggie Rudy's adorable scene. I was struck by how tiny her mice were, and after having previously viewed the same scene on her blog, I was really impressed by how much expression she could show on the mouse faces when working in such a small scale. Definitely a thrill!

Giant Yeti in front window at Green Bean Books

A second thrill was discovering Green Bean Books itself. The giant yeti/abominable snowman in the front window (made by owner Jennifer Green) sets the scene for what you will find inside the store. It's an adorable bookstore with so many fun, quirky features. My favorite of them is the vintage cigarette machine that has become a cute plushy-dispensing machine. How fun! I couldn't resist buying a plushy. Her name is Daisy, and she's a finger puppet. More about Daisy later! :-)

Cigarette machine turned fun plushy dispenser!

Jennifer also has a fantastic mustache-dispensing machine!

Oh, to be a kid again!

Doesn't this look fun?! Needless to say, it's a wonderful store, and I had a great time. But there's so much more to tell, and it will have to be in a near-future blog post. In that post, I will show you Daisy the finger puppet plush, and let you in on a huge secret and wonderful surprise! So stay tuned! ;-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer