And the Winner Is...

Big thanks to everyone who entered and posted the giveaway on social media. It was fun to see some old friends and to meet new friends too. So now it's time to pick the winner of the giveaway!

Sophie will have the honor of picking the name from the basket.

Without further ado, the winner of the dollhouse miniature sewing box is:

Dark Squirrel Victoria

Congratulations to the lucky winner! Please contact me to send me your address, Victoria. Again, thank you to everyone who participated. Big hugs, everyone! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Five-Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

Thank you, everyone, for your lovely comments on my last post. It's good to know that there are still dedicated bloggers out there. Since that's the case, it's finally time to celebrate the five-year anniversary of this blog, which happened back in February - oops! 😃

Flossy and Sophie are modeling the prize:

I had a giveaway a few years ago that featured a sewing box like this one. That giveaway was very popular, so when I recently found this second one, I decided to give a sewing box as a prize again. Hope you like it! It is 1:12 scale and has a lid that opens and a drawer that pulls out. The box is made from wood.

To join this giveaway for a chance at the prize above, just:

1) Be a member of this blog or become one now using the Google Friend Connect gadget on my blog's right-hand sidebar.

2) Leave a positive comment on this blog post stating your intention to participate.

3) Not required, but very much appreciated: Please post this giveaway (with a photo and link back to this post) on your blog and/or Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, etc. For help in how to post a giveaway photo on your blog's sidebar, there are instructions here.

This giveaway will end Thursday, November 10, 2016, and I'll announce the winner on Friday, November 11, 2016. Thank you, and good luck everyone! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Hello, Hello!

Hi All! I've missed each and every one of you. Sadly, just as Facebook has taken many people away from blogging, Instagram has done that for me. I've been creating stories with Blythe dolls there, and I'm starting to work Flossy, Sophie and Bluebelle into the stories now too. In case you're interested, I'm at www.instagram.com/blythegrl.

This blog allowed me to express an interest in plushies and miniatures that has now turned into a successful greeting card business. Along the way, I met amazing, sweet, and generous people and had a ton of fun. I'm grateful for all of it.

Back in January, I promised a blog giveaway. If there are still readers of this blog, there will be a giveaway. :-)

But first, Flossy and Sophie want to say hi. They're busy as always, having fun baking goodies in Cupcake Cottage. Here, they're taking a break from baking for a yummy snack, including bubble tea.

You may have noticed that there's been a change at Cupcake Cottage too! Sophie no longer hides the fact that she eats her natural diet alongside the amazing cupcakes and cakes that she and Flossy bake together:

Let's face it, we need both! Healthy with a sweet treat go hand in hand. Maybe Flossy will eat more salads now too! ;-)

I hope you're all well and having fun. Blogland is a wonderful place full of friendships that can last a lifetime. Big hugs! xoxo Jennifer

Season's Greetings From Cupcake Cottage!

Hello! The giveaway has closed. I will announce the winner tomorrow.

The title of this post is the name of my latest greeting card. I finally made a holiday greeting card at the request of several store buyers and individual customers. Flossy and Sophie are in their element, baking goodies for the holidays in Cupcake Cottage's kitchen:

It was fun putting this card together, setting up the scene, getting the elements and lighting just so. I made a lot of the miniatures myself, but some special people contributed some of the holiday decor that you see too. Inside, the card reads "Season's Greetings." I've made the card so that it is appropriate for Christmas, solstice, the new year, and so on. I hope you like it!

Life and card selling have kept me so busy lately that I haven't had time to write a new post, visit other blogs (so sorry for that), or hold my promised 4-year blog anniversary giveaway from around April of this year. Now it's finally time to announce the giveaway! The prize is any six of my greeting cards, you choose which cards and how many of each, for a total of six cards. The cards retail for $5 each, so the prize is worth $30!

How to enter the giveaway?

1) Go to my Greeting Card Gallery page and pick the six cards you would like to win. Remember, it can be any combination of cards, six total.

2) Come back here and leave a comment telling me which six greeting cards you've chosen.

That's it! The giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere, follower or not. I'll do a random draw and announce the winner Sunday, November 29, 2015. Good luck everyone, and keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

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

Candy Floss Cart for Flossy!

Our dear friend Monica of Kitchen Miniature blog (with so many delicious miniature foods!) said she'd like to send us a little friendship package and what would we like? I mentioned that I would love a mini cotton candy cart / candy floss cart for Flossy (she's named "Flossy" because she looks like candy floss, after all!).

Monica, being the sweet and dear friend that she is, willingly and lovingly made it, even though the project was a lot of work. Then she sent a package with even more special gifts, including all of these beauties:

Even the packaging was so lovely that Flossy wants to use the pink with white polka dot container on the floor as a dressing table seat! There's some of Monica's famous mini food (lollipops in a jar and Halloween treats), a gorgeous clay jack-o-lantern, a tiny key with a beautiful knotted key chain, a tiny Blythe doll box that will go straight to the Hello Kitty dollhouse with the LPS Blythe dolls, a couple of darling tea towels, a beautiful locket on a chain with a cupcake motif inside, and a bag full of delicate fall leaves. Monica's daughter Neus sent a beautiful handmade card too (not pictured).

Flossy and Sophie want to show you the cotton candy cart now. Here's the front:

"Life is Sweet"

And here's the back:

Wow! The cart, and all of these precious gifts, fit so well in Flossy and Sophie's world! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Monica! You're so generous with your time and talent. Forgive me for taking so long to post about your gorgeous and generous gifts. Monica's gifts arrived just before Halloween, but I had other gifts that arrived first, and other things got in the way. Thank you so much for your patience! You've made Flossy a very, very happy bunny!

Next time: someone new! Until then, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

French Gifts for Flossy and Sophie, Part 2

Last time I showed you the gorgeous handcrafted dollhouse miniatures that Capucine sent Flossy and Sophie all the way from France. Now it's time for Sophie to show the amazing gifts that Capucine sent just for her.

Flossy was sipping a cup of hot chocolate when she received a telephone call. Who could it be? Of course! It's her good friend Sophie calling from Brambleberry Cabin on her new Rilakkuma telephone made by Capucine!

Sophie has invited Flossy to visit to see the gorgeous gifts Capucine sent her. While Sophie waits for Flossy to arrive, she'll give us an exclusive first tour. Sophie models the new Hello Kitty sleep mask that Capucine sent. It fits Sophie perfectly, and it helps her get good quality sleep too!

The Rilakkuma pillow under Sophie's head and the Hello Kitty slippers were both gifts from Capucine too! Aren't they all adorable? Sophie loves them all! Now it's on to some tasty food! This darling Re-Ment Rilakkuma Home Made cooking set was sent by Capucine.

Sophie will save this to share with Flossy when she arrives. The two tarts look delicious, and we know how much Flossy loves sweets! Sophie will eat the one shaped like a bear, and Flossy can have the one shaped like a chick! Before Flossy arrives, however, Sophie cannot wait to eat this yummy Re-Ment ALOHA Hawaii hamburger with slices of fresh avocado:

Mmm, it smells heavenly, and it has lots of good protein for growing bears like Sophie! Sophie will drench the burger in ketchup and wash the whole meal down with the yummy cola drink that Capucine included. OK, it's good-bye for now, while Sophie enjoys her lunch! Thank you so much for all of these amazing and thoughtful gifts, Capucine! You are a very talented, dear, and thoughtful friend!

To see Capucine's other gifts to us, see my two previous posts here and here. Visit Capucine's darling blogs at Capucine and Ninour and Cherie et sa fine equipe. The stories will make you laugh out loud, and her cheery images will make your day brighter! You can also see what I sent to Capucine on this post.

Next time, I'll show you some sweet and special gifts from another dear friend, plus there is "someone" new in my life. I hope to show it all in my next post! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

French Gifts for Flossy and Sophie, Part 1

Last time I showed you some amazing gifts from my new friend Capucine in France. She sent gorgeous kawaii Halloween treats and dresses for my Littlest Pet Shop Blythe dolls. Now it's time to see what Flossy and Sophie received from Capucine. Flossy invited Sophie to Cupcake Cottage to play with her new dollhouse with its resident rabbit family!

Look at the dollhouse's beautiful strawberry design:

And look inside! This house will provide hours and hours of fun for the girls. And did you notice Flossy's new skirt with matching bow and bag? It was hand sewn with hand painted flowers on the skirt by Capucine too! Flossy loves her new outfit! :-)

While Flossy and Sophie play, you can see the Mini Flossy and Mini Sophie that Capucine's daughter made. Their arms and legs move just like the Big Flossy and Big Sophie too! Thank you for these precious gifts!

We look just like the Big Flossy and Big Sophie! 

Wow! After all of that fun play, Sophie the bear was getting VERY hungry. No problem! Flossy has a selection of French desserts for Sophie and Flossy to share:

Mmm, look at the details on those yummy treats, all made by Capucine! Even the croissants look flaky and realistic. My mouth is watering looking at them again!

Ahh, dessert finished, there's another gorgeous addition to Cupcake Cottage. It's an amazing hand painted grocery list chalk board. Flossy will walk to the kitchen window to show it to you:

Carrots, honey, salad, fish, milk, radish, bonbons!

The grocery list is perfect, with some tasty treats for both girls on the list! And now one final gift to show you today, it's a beautiful hand painted box:

Jouets de Paris--Paris Toys

But look, when Flossy and Sophie hold it open for you, you can see what is inside the box:

It's a bunch of cute, handmade by Capucine, Kawaii pencils with characters such as Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma! Already, Sophie has picked her favorite pencil:

And speaking of Sophie, she has her own gifts from Capucine to show you, in Part 2 of this post, coming soon! Please check out Capucine's two blogs, Capucine and Ninour and Cherie et sa fine equipe. Both blogs have laugh-out-loud funny stories with her wonderful characters, and she has Google Friend Connect gadgets on both blogs, so you can be sure to never miss one of her darling posts. :-)

Thank you for all of these precious gifts, Capucine. You are very talented and very thoughtful, and Flossy and Sophie love everything you sent! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Flossy and Bluebelle Beat the Heat!

We've been having a heatwave again here in Portland. It feels like the summer has been one long heatwave. Luckily for Flossy and Bluebelle, they've got yummy tropical drinks to help them beat the heat.

The coconut drinks are so cooling, in fact, that Flossy and Bluebelle feel as if they've been transported to a tropical paradise:

Meanwhile, Flossy has been baking again. This time she made chocolate chip cookies and strawberry waffles...

...AND two kinds of cake!

Mmm, if the drinks aren't enough to take their minds off the heat, these tasty treats will do the trick! Bluebelle makes a mental note to come visit Flossy's Cupcake Cottage more often. ;-)

Hope you all are doing well! Making mini food is a lot of fun! Until next time, keep having fun, whatever you're doing! xoxo Jennifer

Fun New Blog Friend!

I felt really lucky the day I found Ann Sanz's fun blog, El arte de Angelina. She makes beautiful miniature foods and more, and I love looking at things like that, so I was happy.

Look at that yummy whipped cream!

Soon I became a regular commentor on Ann's blog, and then I received a wonderful surprise. Ann wrote me that she was so grateful that I was her first follower that she wanted to send me a gift. Then Ann sent me the gorgeous mixer above plus these Re-Ment donut set goodies:

Ice cold drinks on a hot day!

And all of these treasures too:

So many yummy things!

Wow! So many cute Re-Ment minis plus sweet handmade miniatures made by Ann herself! I was in the middle of sending a thank-you note, when I decided to go through all of Ann's blog posts. There I found the sweetest little brownie scene. The brownies were luscious looking, and the heart-shaped table was so adorable. Then I noticed that the whole scene, including the table and chair, was available in Ann's Etsy shop.

For sale NOW in Ann's Etsy shop!

I made my order quickly, before anyone could get to my prized set, and when it arrived, it came with the sweetest gravy boat filled with chocolate and an extra pink tablecloth (equally adorable). Plus, just as I had imagined, this set was the perfect pick-me-up for Flossy's little Cupcake Cottage sitting room--yay!

Mmm, look at those yummy brownies! Flossy is taking a well-deserved break from baking cupcakes to sit back and enjoy some fresh brownies for a nice change of pace. :-)

Thank you so much for everything, Ann! It was already enough to follow your sweet blog, but all of your gifts are wonderful icing on the cake! ;-) I'm so glad to have met you, my fun new blog friend!

If you haven't seen Ann's blog or her Etsy shop, I highly recommend them. She's got that homemade, shabby thing going that's so adorable, plus she regularly has tutorials on her blog for how to make mini foods! And she's selling some fantastic Halloween items in her Etsy shop right now--check it out! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Sweet Swap With Sanne, Plus Cakes!

I'd wanted to do a swap with Sanne for several years, and recently I finally had my chance! Sanne made the cutest, most wonderful gifts, including some fun, colorful drinks with tiny umbrellas and straws. Flossy and Sophie just adore them, especially during the heat wave we've been having:

Plus Sanne sent all of the other goodies too (two pretty buntings, a tiny book, a yummy cherry cake under glass) and the wonderful shabby chic butterfly blackboard and framed pictures below. Mmm, that cake looks so tasty to Flossy and Sophie. Flossy is planning to rip open the cover and start gorging on cake as soon as we all look away. I hope it doesn't turn into a brawl! That would be so unladylike. :-D

Oh, we can't wait to start decorating with all of these cute things! But there's more! As soon as Flossy saw these adorable tiny stuffed bunnies and cat that Sanne sent, she had to steal away to her bedroom with them for a fun snuggle:

Aren't those tiny stuffed animals the sweetest?! Have you seen Sanne's blog, Sannen vintilla - In my attic? If not, you're missing something. I love Sanne's special style, and I see pictures of her dollhouse interiors frequently on Pinterest. Her blog is not to be missed! If you'd like to see the swap gifts I sent Sanne, check out her post here. Thank you so much, Sanne! This swap was a total blast!

Then I just have to show you these wonderful cakes and ice cream from Jane Smith of Minifanaticus blog and Minifanaticus on Etsy. All we can say is yum, yum, yummy:

Sophie has nearly gotten the cake nearest to her into her left paw. If she eats the whole thing in one bite, do you think Flossy will notice? ;-) Is it my imagination, or have Flossy's eyes narrowed at the sight of Sophie's paw near the cake?

Seriously, Jane made these wonderful treats with my birthday cards in mind. She even looked through my Pinterest boards for ideas. How thoughtful! Thank you so much, Jane! You're the best! I'm putting on weight just looking at these delicious treats! :-D Next time I'll have some Sylvanian Families scenes to show you all, plus more. Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Strawberry Season! Plus News

It's Strawberry Season in Flossy and Sophie's neck of the woods, and they are making the most of it! Flossy has made some yummy strawberry shortcake...

...while Sophie is about to sit down to a huge plate of warm, delectable strawberry pancakes...

...and Bluebelle is taking a load off with some tasty strawberry cupcakes (in her new house, since Strawberry Shortcake is traveling for the summer).

Latest News

Ah, there is so much catching up to do since my last blog post. Rufus, my precious guinea pig, has had a painful bladder infection, which we are treating with antibiotics. :-( Both my husband and I were ill but now are better. Since then, I've been trying to catch up on home projects and manage my greeting card accounts. I've missed writing blog posts so much, but I've had little to no time for it.

There's something else: For a long time now, I've had very little free time for working on my own creative projects, such as creating new characters, decorating their homes, and developing new stories. On top of that, postage in the U.S., especially international postage, has skyrocketed (not a joke!). It is $10 minimum to send an extremely light package to a foreign country (usually it costs $12-15 or more). For these reasons, I will not be able to participate in any more Christmas gift exchanges for the foreseeable future. And starting in 2015, I won't be able to participate in any more birthday gift exchanges either.

I've loved being part of these exchanges, but now I need to carve out time for my own creative projects. If a solution can be found so that the gift exchanges take less time and cost less money, I'm all for it. Until then, the gift exchanges have been a fun way to make friends, and I still value the friendships I've made and the wonderful gifts I've received.

Now I hope to be able to post on the blog more often. I still have some more gifts and giveaway wins to show (from April and earlier!) and now not just one but two (!) new interests to share with you. I also have a new diorama on public display to show. Then it's on to new characters, a new dollhouse, new stories, and more! I hope you'll all be here to share it with me. :-) Until next time, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Springtime at Cupcake Cottage

Flossy got really artsy-craftsy after she learned that the "kitty grass" that Anna sent us from Finland was actually the base for a "rairuoho." The rairuoho is an Easter tradition in the Nordic countries. As Anna explained, usually this time of year there aren't many green plants growing yet, so they grow Easter grass on a tray indoors and decorate it with Easter eggs and chicks to celebrate spring. Flossy got so excited about this idea that she made her own rairuoho in Anna's dish of grass:

It has Flossy's own style, doesn't it? ;-) Thank you for the interesting information about the rairuoho, Anna!

Then Bluebelle (our resident "chick") came over for a visit to Cupcake Cottage, and she and Flossy made special bunny cupcakes together. Mmm, don't they look pretty and tasty?

Mini Easter cupcake set by CuteinMiniature on Etsy. Set doesn't include
duck or bag of Easter eggs. The Peeps box was a gift from Beverly of CiM.

Wishing all of you a belated vernal (spring) equinox and happy Easter! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Flossy and Sophie Have Been Baking Again

Yes, Flossy and Sophie have been back in the kitchen again, baking up delicious treats. They enjoy spending time together, true, but they also enjoy eating the fruits of their labors, so to speak! This time has been no different, except that I finally had time to work with polymer clay again (last time was when I showed you some cakes I made several months ago). Today's treats were all made by me (with Flossy and Sophie's help, of course).

I've been working with some mini molds I bought, and I've also been learning some new techniques! First I made some pink kawaii-style bunny "peeps," just in time for Easter:

Next, I made some mini candy bars. Flossy has already taken a big bite out of this one. She hopes Sophie won't notice her most indelicate chomp!

While Flossy was munching chocolate, Sophie was decorating chocolate cookies with thick, rich, creamy frosting, as thick as she could possibly spread it. She prefers twice as much frosting as cookie! ;-) As you can see, Sophie is a bit of a messy baker, having spread frosting not only on the cookies but also all over the mug.

Speaking of cookies, the ones in front of Sophie were made using molds. I feel that they look more like bakery cookies than homemade ones.

Yes, there's been a lot of baking going on at Cupcake Cottage. Besides the goodies I've already shown you, I've been working on biscuits, ice cream sandwiches, donuts, and Pop Tarts. Those are still in process. We (Sophie, Flossy, and I) wanted to make something really special to share with all of you. It's a rich chocolate torte with cherry sauce. Mmm, doesn't it look yummy?!

Have a bite, my friends. You deserve something delicious to nibble on.

This is a special cake that we baked specially for our most dedicated readers. The rules are very clear: first, only existing followers of this blog are eligible. Second: do NOT publish this opportunity on your blogs. Third: leave a comment here for your chance, and use the word "special" in your comment. Do it quickly, because I will close this opportunity within one or two days at most.Thank you for your dedicated readership, sweet friends! You deserve a special treat. Until next time, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer