Birthday Bash Giveaway #6

We're partying for eight weeks here at Plushpussycat! The party is still going on, now in its sixth week! Woohoo! Are you having fun? This is the sixth of eight giveaways I'm having to celebrate one year of blogging and to thank all of my blog friends! I'm calling it the Birthday Bash Giveaway! :-) It's not too late to enter giveaway #1, giveaway #2, and giveaway #3, giveaway #4 and giveaway #5 (see my blog's sidebar for pictures of those prizes). I'll announce a new giveaway each Friday for eight weeks. All giveaways will end Thursday, May 3, 2012 at midnight Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Good luck, my friends!

What You Could Win: You could win this miniature 1970s vintage table and 4-chair set (it's stained dark brown, as in the photo below) ; the brass tray with six brass goblets; and four large scraps of faux fur (donated by The Knittn' Kitten and The Knittn' Kitten on Etsy), perfect for making miniature rugs, carpets, bedspreads, and more! I could see these items in a miniature tudor, castle, or haunted house scene. They'd also work in a mini modern setting. :-) Let me know what you would use them for in your comments! May everyone have good luck in the draw!

This giveaway ends Thursday, May 3, 2012 at midnight Pacific Daylight Savings Time, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday, May 5, 2012. I'll pick the winner from the pool of qualified entries using a random number generator. I must hear back from the winner by end of day Friday, May 11, 2012. If I don't, I'll pick another winner, again using the random number generator. This giveaway is open to anyone anywhere who meets the below criteria. The postage is on me.

Giveaway requirements:

1) Be a follower / member (or become one now) of this blog using Google Friend Connect (on my right-hand sidebar). (Required)
2) Leave a nice comment on this post. (Required)
3) Please help me spread the word about this giveaway by publishing it on your blog (not required, but very much appreciated). :-) Use the images above or below! ;-)

For help in how to post a giveaway image on your blog's sidebar, there are instructions here.

I hope you like this giveaway prize! If it's not your cup of tea, check back next Friday for the seventh giveaway prize. :-) Thank you to all of the friends of Plushpussycat. Good luck in the draw! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Birthday Bash Giveaway #2

This is the second of eight giveaways I'm having to celebrate one year of blogging and to thank all of my blog friends! I'm calling it the Birthday Bash Giveaway! :-) It's not too late to enter giveaway #1. I'll announce a new giveaway each Friday for eight weeks. All giveaways will end Thursday, May 3, 2012 at midnight Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Good luck, my friends!

What You Could Win: This vintage 1970s 1:12 scale miniature wooden shabby-style crib with yellow gingham liner; vintage miniature dollhouse baby with baby book and birth certificate; miniature floral fabric scraps, rickrack, lace, and ribbon donated by The Knittn' Kitten vintage fabric and craft store; plus additional lace and satin flowers from my own stash. The Knittn' Kitten has more miniature patterned fabric for sale in its Etsy shop here.

Spring is in the air with this giveaway! There's a new baby in the house! Plus, these vintage craft supplies would be perfect for making miniature bolts of fabric for your sewing room or fabric shop, curtains, pillows, quilts, tablecloths, and all kinds of decorative dollhouse accents! 

This giveaway ends Thursday, May 3, 2012 at midnight Pacific Daylight Savings Time, and I'll announce the winner on Saturday, May 5, 2012. I'll pick the winner from the pool of qualified entries using a random number generator. I must hear back from the winner by end of day Friday, May 11, 2012. If I don't, I'll pick another winner, again using the random number generator. This giveaway is open to anyone anywhere who meets the below criteria. The postage is on me.

Giveaway requirements:

1) Be a follower / member (or become one now) of this blog using Google Friend Connect (on my upper right-hand sidebar). (Required) 

2) Leave a comment on this post stating that you would like to participate in the giveaway. (Required)

3) Please help me spread the word about this giveaway by publishing it on your blog (not required, but very much appreciated). :-) Here's the image to use:

For help in how to post the giveaway image on your blog's sidebar, there are instructions here. 

I hope you like this giveaway prize! If it's not your cup of tea, check back next Friday for the third giveaway prize. :-) Thank you to all of the friends of Plushpussycat. Good luck in the draw! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

New Miniatures Made From Kits

I ordered some fun miniature kits around the holidays so that I'd have plenty of miniature projects to keep me busy this winter. Here are a couple of the kits that I've recently completed.

First, some perfume bottles I made from a kit from The Craft Pack Company. I won't use all of these in the lovers cottage, but the light in the cottage looks pretty for showing off the bottles. This kit has really nice perfume bottle labels. 

I love making something from a kit first, because there are instructions and a plan. Once I've made something from a kit, then I enjoy trying out my own ideas. Soon I'll make some more perfume bottles, this time from the Czech glass beads that I recently purchased at The Knittn' Kitten.

Next, I made a pair of miniature ladies gloves and a matching glove box from two Dragonfly International kits. I'll use these in Dad's Dollhouse in the master bedroom. Each glove has a separate piece for the thumb, which adds to the realism of the final product.

These kits were really fun to complete, and I have several more to do. Do you enjoy making miniatures from kits? Could you recommend any miniature kit companies that you like? I appreciate your comments either way! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer   

Visit to The Knittn' Kitten Vintage Craft Supply Store

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite places, The Knittn' Kitten: Portland's Vintage Fabric and Craft Store. Whenever I go there, I come home loaded with vintage fabric, buttons, beads, embroidery floss, and yarn--and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for it either--yay!

Ethel and Rome, mother and daughter, are the proprietors of The Kitten. If they don't have what I'm looking for in the shop, often they can get it for me. The best is when they go into their storage room and dig a little. Usually they return with craft supply treasures! ;-)

Ethel greeting me at the door

Yesterday I bought beads and felt. Last time I was there I bought gingham fabric, lace, and ribbon. It's just a fantastic way to recycle, get the craft supplies I need, and save money over buying from the big box-type craft stores. Maybe that's why my fabric and craft supply stash is so big! :-)

Let me give you a little tour of the place:

Ribbons and lace, Rome in the background helping a customer

Vintage notions and fabrics

Vintage buttons and beads

Miniature bear rug for your dollhouse, anyone?

If you're in the Portland area, The Knittn' Kitten is a no-brainer--definitely stop in for a visit. They're located at 7530 NE Glisan Street. The phone number is (503) 255-3022. If you can't make it to Portland, Ethel and Rome have an Etsy shop too--woohoo! I hope you enjoyed my little tour of one of my favorite places. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Cute Things #1

I'm starting a new series here at Plushpussycat. You saw the title: it's called Cute Things. Each time I write a Cute Things post, I'll feature something cute that I own, or that someone made, or that I saw somewhere. You get the idea! It may be a miniature, a plushy, something vintage, or whatever.

For my first post today, I want to share this cute thing I found at a thrift store. I paid at most 25 cents for it. And it's super-cute! :-) It's a 78 rpm phonograph record from 1948, designed for a child. It measures 6 3/4 inches (17 cm) across. On one side of the record is the song "Three Little Kittens":

The second side has the song "Wash Your Hands, Brush Your Teeth":

I adore the vintage-style illustrations and the cute critters! I wish I could listen to it, but I don't have the kind of equipment needed. By the way, the blue gingham fabric in the background of these photos came from The Knittn' Kitten: Portland's Vintage Fabric and Craft Store. I find all kinds of vintage fabrics, ribbons, buttons, beads, and more there. They also have an online shop on Etsy.

So what do you think? Is the record cute? If so, what do you like about it? Did you ever have one (or something like it)? Does it remind you of anything? I want to know! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer