Instagram, Petite Blythe Dolls, Gifts, and Giveaway

Hi y'all! What a beautiful summer we've been having! A good friend of mine suggested I try Instagram, given my interest in visual images. I'm finding that it's a lot easier than blogging, because you can load photos from your day, life, and interests with or without text. Since it's all done with your cell phone, it couldn't be easier! So here's my Instagram link, in case you're interested in seeing what I'm up to: www.instagram.com/pdxjbear/.

I have a new interest as of the last few months: Petite Blythe dolls. I love how they have a bit of a Japanese manga look to them, and they fit in 1:12 settings beautifully. It's fun to make clothes for them too. :-) Speaking of clothes, a dear friend sent this darling outfit for my dolls. To see all of my dolls, look here.

See the tiny green plush bunny in the photo? Pepper of MitchyMooMiniatures  sent him, along with four other adorable mini plushies, to thank me for a small gift I sent her. What a generous and talented person! If you want to see some amazing miniature scenes, look no further than Pepper's blog.

Speaking of gifts, I received some lovely surprise gifts at Christmas from Monica of Kitchen Miniature blog, Birgit of BiWuBaren on the Blog, Fabiola of Miominimondo blog, and Kikka of  Pieni Sammakko blog. And the Christmas before last I received some lovely surprise gifts from Irina of Narina Napertaa blog that I completely forgot to mention. How embarassing! As they say, better late than never! Simona of Soft and Malleable blog also sent me some beautiful gifts. Thank you, one and all, for your very thoughtful presents!

I notice that a lot of bloggers are away this summer, so I plan to host my giveaway celebrating four years of blogging in September, when people are online again. I hope you all are enjoying your summer or winter, whatever it may be, and I look forward to seeing you here, on Pinterest, and on Instagram. Until we meet next, keep it fun! 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

Sylvanian Families Squirrel Friend!

You've seen my 1960s Instant Dollhouse ranch house before, but you haven't seen the new hamster family that moved in! Father hamster and the kids are finishing chili dogs for lunch in the living room...

...while mother hamster starts cleaning up in the kitchen:

Oh! There's someone at the door! It's a new squirrel sister in the village who has come over to see if the hamster sister can play.

It doesn't take long before the two girls are fast friends having a blast playing dolls together. Mama hamster caught the two by surprise when she took this photo of them mid-play:

Sweet squirrel sister was a gift from sweet friend Jane Cherie of  Jane Cherie blog. Squirrel sister is a great addition to my Sylvanian Families village! Jane Cherie also sent all of these gorgeous gifts, including a beautiful Little Mimi Little Red Riding Hood doll from Korea, mini food erasers, Totoro and friends figures, an adorable kitty figure, and some sweet stickers:

Thank you so much, Jane Cherie. You make blogging such a joy! Check out the fun and interesting Jane Cherie blog to learn more about Sylvanian Families, dolls, Re-Ment miniatures, and so much more! Until next time, keep having 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

Special Gifts From Special Friends!

Hi All! How has your summer/winter been going? We are coming out of a heat wave here in Portland, Oregon that had us living in a darkened house to try to keep things cool. I'm so glad it's back to comfortable temperatures now. Hope everyone is doing well. I'll have some fun diorama news for you this coming weekend, but first I want to show you some amazing swap gifts and prizes I recently received. Flossy and Sophie are at the ready to show you all the goodies from these talented artists.

First up, if you haven't found Todd & Lindsey blog yet, you're missing out on some fun! There are lots of miniature tutorials plus fun posts on both dollhouse and real-life decorating, tasty recipes, and so much more. Don't miss it! So Lindsey and I arranged a fun swap together. :-) We told each other our favorite items made by the other person, and we tried to limit our gifts to five handmade ones plus some fun extras. Lindsey sent me my favorite things (there were so many to choose from!), all in my favorite colors! Flossy received a number of darling mini items for her bathroom plus some yummy cookies:

Sophie has already started nibbling on one of the black and white cookies that Lindsey sent, and Flossy is overwhelmed with the cute bowl of homemade soaps, the sweet pedestal stand with toothpaste and two toothbrushes, the pretty pedestal stand with three adorable nail polishes, and the fun Yankee Candle for relaxing soaks in the bathtub. And below the table, Lindsey also sent two sweet green plants and two adorable floral pillows:

She also sent a beautiful sunflower card (not pictured) and these fun mini holiday decorations, including mini candy canes and snowflakes:

Thank you sooooooooo much, Lindsey! This was a really fun swap, it has been fun getting to know you better, and I love the things you sent me. Let's do it again in the spring! You can see what I sent Lindsey on her blog here.

Next up, Monica Castillo of Kitchen Miniature blog and I sent each other some mini gifts. Look at this exquisite cherry pie prep board with tiny Chinese-style metal tea pot. Flossy sneakily cut herself a piece of cherry pie while Sophie was focused on gnawing the delicious dried pork leg Monica sent. Sophie is so happy that for once she can eat some meat at Flossy's house. Flossy's food, including her cupcakes, is all vegetarian (she's a rabbit, after all!). ;-) Notice the vintage Polaroid camera too?

And look at these darling items in front of the table. Mini ice chest with ice, potato chips, and beach towel for a perfect summer day; red polka dot watering can; and special shelf for Flossy's bathroom (see the "F" for "Flossy" and the queen sign?):

But that wasn't all. Monica sent a precious paper mache lapel pin of her Rabbit Queen, and Monica's daughter, Neus, sent a Special Card and two gifts for Flossy in Flossy's favorite color:

Here's another shot of these special gifts:

Monica also sent some pretty fabric and ribbons (not pictured). Thank you so much, Monica and Neus! Everything you sent is so special! I'm so glad we're friends! You can see what I sent Monica on her blog here.

Finally, I was one of the lucky winners of Carmen of Pekevasion blog's recent surprise giveaway. The top five commenters on her blog each won a miniature baby and baby blanket, both handmade by Carmen:

The detail on the baby is exquisite! The soft lavender blanket looks like it needs to be draped across the foot of someone's bed, and it will be soon! ;-) Thank you so very much, Carmen! You're so talented and generous, and all of your giveaways, swaps, and tutorials make blogging really fun!

OK, that's it for today. Whatever you do, keep having fun! I'll be back next weekend with an update. xoxo Jennifer

Miniature Gifts and Giveaway Prizes!

With all of the birthday gifts that arrived this year, I started to feel overwhelmed about posting them all, and I was suspecting you all were too. ;-) I want to make sure that I show everything that arrived in the mail, though, because so many thoughtful people put their time and love into making and mailing such beautiful miniatures.

First off, I purchased a gorgeous painting from Caroline of Shop Cinderella Moments blog, and she generously sent two beautiful hand painted rugs as gifts. I wanted to post about them after I decorated part of Flossy's house, Cupcake Cottage, so that I could show them in place, but I still haven't finished the house, so here are Caroline's precious pieces now:

What thoughtful gifts! You'll all see these beautiful pieces again later. ;-) Thank you so much, Caroline! Caroline's shop is cinderellamoments on Etsy.

Next, Wyrna of A Fairytale Come True blog, who won one of Kim Saulter's gorgeous cakes in my Miniature Dessert Giveaway, sent me some lovely thank-you gifts:

The shabby chic things are perfect in Flossy's house and in Bluebelle's cake shop, and the Buddha and antique-style mirror are perfect for Dad's Dollhouse mouse house. I love everything. Thank you so much, Wyrna! You might want to check out Wyrna's shop, WyrnasMiniatureB on Etsy for more lovely items.

Next, Hannah of Hannahsminiatyrer blog offered to do some swaps on her blog, and I jumped at the chance. You can see what I sent Hannah in her funny and cute post, and here are the sweet things that Hannah sent me. She even sent lovely extras, including the tiny needle-felted giraffe, books, and postcards:

Hannah also sent a lovely postcard from her home town in Sweden (not pictured) plus these great miniature classic vintage movie posters:

I love all of it--thank you, Hannah! Hannah's shop is Hannahsminiatyrer on Etsy.

Birgit of BiWuBaren on the Blog surprised me with an amazing spread of thoughtful gifts and one of her beautiful handmade cards. Rosey and Flutterby's photos are featured on and in the card, and look at all of these beauties, including a shabby chic cat pull toy and two real magnet bulletin boards, featuring tiny postcard versions of my Plushpussycat greeting cards :

Wow! And this tiny miniature scene is exquisite! I noticed that Birgit has more of these scenes, including both a shabby chic-style scene and a witchy, Halloween-themed one, in her *new* BiWuBear Etsy shop right now. ;-)

The cat toy, Mickey Mouse poster (both in above photo) and the three mouse-related books (above and below) are dedicated to Dad's Dollhouse mouse house--they're so thoughtful and perfect! I LOVE them!

Birgit also sent two more gifts: a bag of ribbons and lace, all in pretty girly colors, and a big box of marzipan:

Mmm, yummy, tasty marzipan candy, long gone. Long gone, because I recently discovered that I'm very sensitive to sugar. If I eat a cookie or candy bar, I wake up the next day depressed, and very often three days later I have a bad cold. So when dear, sweet Birgit sent me the marzipan, I held it longingly and appreciated her kind gesture, but then I gave it away quickly. And who do you think I gave it to? My postal worker, Cindy! Doesn't she deserve it more than anyone else, when she has to deliver so many packages to me?! ;-)Thank you for everything, Birgit (and Cindy thanks you too! ;-))! You're so talented and generous.

Last but not least, I won an amazing giveaway from Julie at A Little of This and That blog. I won both Martha Stewart (blue) and Wilton (pink) molds in the giveaway:

I'm going to have so much fun using these with polymer clay! I especially want to try the Martha Stewart frame mold, which is perfect for a 1:12 or 1:6 scale scene. Julie frequently hosts polymer clay molds giveaways on her blog (you might want to check it out!). I've purchased molds from her Molds4You shop on Etsy in the past, and they are high-quality and good value. Thanks Julie!

Whew! Thanks for reading this far, guys! And thanks again to everyone who sent such wonderful miniature gifts! Next time, I hope to tell you about my latest diorama public installation and more! Until then, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

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

Sweet Birthday Gifts From Italy!

I am blown away by the generosity of miniaturists, and that's no more true than on birthdays. My birthday is around Easter each year, but this year the gifts have started flooding in already. I'll be completely overwhelmed if I don't start showing some of these beautiful miniatures now. Flossy and Sophie want to show you the gorgeous handmade birthday gifts they received from Fabiola of Miominimondo blog. First, Flossy is modeling the pinwheel Faby made:

And now you can see the whole table-ful of gifts Faby sent:

Aren't they all so sweet?

Did you notice the red ball of string at the bottom of the kite? Too cute! Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful and beautiful birthday gifts, Faby! I appreciate your friendship so much!

Next, another beautiful package of gifts came from Italy. Can you guess who made them?

Yes, they were all made by MelyMel of MelyMel Piccoli Sogni blog. Everything is so beautiful and romantic. See the exquisite cinnamon bread on a shabby chic tray that Mely made:

And her magnificent handmade clay roses with rose-adorned tart and shabby box of bread in the background:

And this gorgeous teapot with cake stand in the background--wow!

Plus, Mely also sent all of these beautiful craft supplies:

Thank you so much, Mely! Your gifts are so beautiful and so thoughtful, and your friendship means so much!

Alright, since this post is already long and photo-heavy, I will stop here. Thank you to two dear friends in Italy! You've made my birthday month so special! Until next time, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer