Two New Plushpussycat Birthday Cards!

Hi All! I've been working behind the scenes on some new greeting cards, which I'm really excited about. The first is called "Bluebelle's Birthday Party!" It features Bluebelle and Flossy with a homemade-style cake, balloons, party hats, and gifts. There's even a frog pillow on the chair! I had fun making the diorama box and some of the props, setting up the scene, and photographing the whole thing. Of course, Flossy and Bluebelle are my own critter creations too, needle felted a while back.

The second new birthday card is called "Sophie the Birthday Bear." It features my very own Sophie the bear wearing a beautiful dress made by my friend Agnes. Agnes also made the beautiful backdrop that Sophie is sitting in. I added many of my own touches, including the rabbit pillow, gifts, balloons, cake, and more. Styling and photographing this card was really fun too!

These two new birthday cards plus several updated blank and birthday cards are in stores now. You can see my whole line of greeting cards here or by clicking on the Greeting Card Gallery button above. To see the stores where Plushpussycat cards are available, click here, or click the Stores button above.

It's tax season again, and I am beginning to prepare for that, but it's also nearing another special time of year: February is my blog's five-year anniversary! I know, we just celebrated the four-year anniversary, lol, but in February we will have a fun giveaway to celebrate five years of blogging. So keep an eye out for the giveaway, OK? ;-) Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Bluebelle and Sophie Give Thanks!

Poor Bluebelle! She was working all day in her cake shop with nowhere to sleep after a hard day's work! Now she finally has a sleeping nook in the rafters of her shop where she can sleep at night or even take a cat nap in the middle of the day, when there are no customers, of course. ;-)

Look how peacefully she rests on her perch in the rafters! I think she's snoring! tee hee!

And then she can fly down to the cake shop to start another day! Bluebelle is definitely doing a little happy dance and giving thanks for her new bedroom, and it wouldn't have been completed nearly as quickly if I hadn't seen Jane's post on using foam core board in miniature building. (Shh! I didn't even have to glue in the loft, since I cut the foam core board slightly large and squeezed it between the walls of the cake shop! It's very stable and so simple! ;-))

Next, Sophie is giving thanks for two things. First, we won Lisa's amazing autumn "Give Thanks" giveaway over at Mini Addictions blog, and Lisa wrapped everything so beautifully and sent so many gorgeous prizes and extra gifts! Mmm, look at that tasty pumpkin pie and those gorgeous Georgia peaches in a handmade basket!

But that's not all! Lisa also sent all these goodies, including this incredible dollhouse miniature Halloween rug:

Can you believe how tiny the stitches are?! Lisa used a magnifier to make it--what a very generous and thoughtful gift! Thank you so much for all of these autumn treasures, Lisa--we love everything you sent. Check out Lisa's blog, Mini Addictions, if you haven't already. She's a very talented miniaturist with a fun blog and amazing giveaways!

There's one more thing that Sophie is giving thanks for: my husband cut some extra windows in Sophie's house:

Now I can get better light in Sophie's cabin for taking photographs. Sophie loves her new windows and is planning to put some pretty curtains up next. Where's Flossy? She's ecstatic with the gifts she received in the mail from a very talented artist. One of the gifts is a pretty new outfit, which Flossy is trying on right now. :-) You'll see Flossy in the next post! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Flossy and Bluebelle Featured in New Calendar!

For the third year in a row, I was honored to be asked by The New Fat, a creative graphic design agency located in Nottingham, UK, to supply a photo for their calendar. This time my work is featured in the August calendar, the perfect month for picnics! Here's a small image of the calendar:

To get your own copy of the calendar (in a larger size for better viewing), which you can save on your desktop as wallpaper, go to The New Fat web site and follow the instructions for downloading.

Flossy and Bluebelle are so excited about this opportunity to be seen by people all over the world. This is Bluebelle's first time to be featured, and Flossy's second. Last year Flossy was preparing for a picnic, and this year she and Bluebelle finally get to eat some cake--yay! Here's last year's calendar for comparison:

I really enjoy working with The New Fat. Every year I love seeing how they transform my photo into a fun calendar. I love their style and creativity with the fonts and other calendar details, and they always fit their final touches with my work so harmoniously. Thank you so much, The New Fat!

Do you have a fun weekend planned? I hope it's not too hot or too cold where you are. Tomorrow our temperatures are supposed to get back in the comfortable range (mid-80s F). I'm doing a little happy dance just thinking about it! Plus my guinea pig, Rufus, looks like he's feeling a lot better this morning. That's a huge relief, after several rounds of antibiotics did a number on his gastrointestinal tract. I'm looking forward to our next visit. Until then, keep it 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

3-Year Blog Anniversary Winner!

The time is finally here to pick the winner of our 3-year blog anniversary giveaway! Flossy and Bluebelle are at the helm this time.

First, Bluebelle will pick the lucky winner's slip of paper:

And she's got it!

Now Flossy will turn over the winning slip of paper to reveal the winner's name. Who will it be?

And it's Elizabeth S of Studio E! 

Congratulations, Elizabeth! You've won this prize:

Please email me ASAP with your mailing address, so I can get your prize to you right away. :-)

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this giveaway, to everyone who reads Plushpussycat blog, and to everyone who comments on my posts. I've had so much fun these last three years, and much of that fun is due to you.

I wish there could have been more than one winner this time, but there will be more chances soon. The next giveaway is just around the corner, in time to celebrate my birthday, which falls around Easter each year. First, there are wonderful miniature gifts to show you, a new story, and a sneak preview of my latest interest. So keep your eyes on this blog, because somewhere in the middle of all that, I'll announce a new giveaway! In the meantime, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

New Cards Sneak Preview!

Hi Everyone! I've got some new greeting cards that are going to the print shop in a couple of days. Here's a sneak peek at what will be in stores in a couple of weeks!

Title: Bluebelle Celebrates Her Birthday
Inside message: "It's your birthday. Let's have some cake!"

Title: Flossy and Bluebelle Have a Good Chat
Inside message: "I'm so glad we're friends."

Title: A Birthday Wish
Inside message: "Close your eyes and make a wish!"

I've received amazing miniature gifts from a couple of sweet friends too. Next time I'll show you the Christmas gifts that just arrived! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Tutorial: How to Make Easy Miniature Brownies

Bluebelle just stopped by Cupcake Cottage for a visit with Flossy, and the two of them are thoroughly enjoying their chat as well as the super-easy miniature brownies I made.

Mmm, yum yum yummy!

You see, I was recently looking for a jump start to my creativity after having a long break from making minis. I needed a simple, easy project that I could feel successful with and that didn't take too much time. I'd seen an idea on Pinterest for making dollhouse miniature brownies with craft foam and puff paint, so I decided to just wing it and give it a try myself.

And look at all of the possible variations on brownies that I developed! I made regular brownies, mint brownies, brownies with a raspberry filling, and even special Halloween brownies. Think of all the possibilities!

Here are the TOOLS AND SUPPLIES I used (from top left to bottom right):

1. Tacky glue or craft glue (I used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue)

2. 3D fabric paint or "puff paint" (I used Scribbles 3D Fabric Paint in Hot Chocolate color, available at Joann and Michael's)

3. Plastic pumpkin-topped toothpicks for the Halloween brownies, if desired (not required)

4. Good craft scissors

5. Various colors and thicknesses of craft foam or "fun foam" available by the sheet

DIRECTIONS for Making Easy Miniature Brownies

1. Cut craft foam to desired size and shape. For the basic brownies, I cut small squares of brown foam. For the other "flavors," I cut additional squares of colored foam.

2. Next, I glued the squares together, in whatever combinations I liked. Then I waited for the glue to dry (approximately 30 minutes). Skip this step for the regular brownies and go straight to step 3.

3. I squirted the 3D fabric paint on top of the foam and used the tip of the bottle to spread it around for "frosting." Tip: As the 3D fabric paint dries, it becomes darker in color and thinner. Make the "frosting" a little thicker than you want and wait for it to dry to your desired thickness.

4. For the Halloween brownies, I cut the pumpkin top off of the plastic toothpick and put it on top of the "frosting" once the "frosting" had turned slightly tacky.

5. Wait for the "frosting" to dry. That's it! 

It was really easy, really fast, and really fun, and Flossy and Bluebelle say the brownies are delicious! 

Maybe you need a jump start to your creativity too? If you have any questions about this mini tutorial, please let me know in the comments below, and I will reply. Hope you enjoyed this one! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Bluebelle Has Been Busy Baking

Bluebelle* the bluebird has been busy baking cakes in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's visit to the cake shop.

She got up very early to bake her cakes, so there would be plenty of time to frost them before her cake shop customers arrived.

Bluebelle baked two new chocolate cakes--one with chocolate frosting and one with strawberry buttercream frosting. She frosted the cakes generously in anticipation of Sophie and Flossy's delight.

Bluebelle baked the cakes with lots of love. She is so excited about Sophie and Flossy's visit!

* Did you notice that the new bluebird character now has a name? Both Fabiola and then Lucille suggested the name "Bluebelle." Each thought of the name on her own, and I think it's perfect. Both Faby and Lucille have won their choice of any item in my Etsy shop, plus Faby has also won a handmade miniature cake of her choice. Congratulations you two! And thank you so much to everyone who left name suggestions. They were all sweet names, but "Bluebelle" instantly felt right to me. I'm sorry there couldn't have been more winners this time, but I'll have another giveaway in the fall. You'll have another chance then! :-)

If you had won the giveaway, which item from my shop would you have chosen? Or would you prefer a cake, and if so, what kind? I'm interested to know your answers. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Time to Meet the Shopkeeper

Last time, Sophie the bear was trying to keep Luna the puppy from gorging on delicious cake. Now Sophie takes a closer look at all of the colorful cakes in the cake shop. "Oh, how I miss baking cakes since I've moved into my own house. Flossy the bunny and I were busy from dawn until dusk baking desserts in Cupcake Cottage. Those were such sweet times."

Luna makes a small whimpering sound and jumps on Sophie's leg. Sophie looks up. "Welcome to my cake shop!" chirps a sweet bluebird.

Sophie and the bluebird-shopkeeper start chatting like old friends. The shopkeeper is very outgoing and friendly. "Please sit down for a piece of cake." "Oh, I wish I could," says Sophie, but I must get home. It will be dark soon." "No problem! I hope you'll come back soon. You're welcome to my cake shop anytime!" says the bluebird.

"I will definitely come back tomorrow, and I'll bring my friend Flossy with me. Goodbye! See you soon!" "Goodbye!"

Sophie hurries home to call Flossy with all of the exciting news. "Imagine that! A bluebird owns a new cake shop in town."

Now, dear readers, I must ask your advice on a name for our new bluebird character. She makes friends easily and is honest and trustworthy too. If I ultimately choose a name you suggest, I'll send you a special prize. Be a follower of this blog and leave any name suggestions in a comment or comments on this post. I'll announce a winner within a couple of weeks. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer