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

Fun Spring Miniature Swap!

I recently did a fun miniature swap with Anna of Kaksosten kotitalo blog. The theme was spring. This was such a fun swap! I adore the sweet gifts that Anna sent me, and I had such a fun time making miniatures with her in mind. Anna has a unique style that I love. I really enjoy following her blog and seeing how she decorates her dollhouse.

First, I'll show you some sweet items that Anna made that I've already put to use in my Hello Kitty dollhouse. Strawberry Shortcake is playing in her bedroom with the darling jumprope that Anna made. And check out the gorgeous red polka dot duvet Anna made for the bed and the sweet fabric-covered stool (one of a pair):

Now you can see more of the bedroom, this time with Orange Blossom and that beautiful duvet again:

And here are all the items Anna sent, including beautifully wrapped boxes and a cute card. Besides what I've shown you above and will show you below, there are bags of flower bulbs with tiny bulbs inside, a sweet book, and three beautiful and cute Easter eggs (which I'll show in an upcoming Easter scene):

 

Check out the darling kitty she made from polymer clay:

And a fun fluffy white guinea pig friend:

She made the sweet bowl of kitty grass too. Oh my! Everything is just too cute for words! Thank you so much, Anna! Your gifts are so beautiful and thoughtful! Now I'll show you the gifts I made for Anna. As I wrote earlier, I had a blast studying Anna's blog and making things I thought she would like (which she obviously did for me too :-)):

The big red heart is a pillow I sewed by hand from vintage wool felt. I got the idea for making the rubber gloves from a tutorial I saw on Pinterest. I didn't use the tutorial, but just "winged it" myself. I learned how to make cherries with cherry sauce when I made Anna's cherry chocolate cake. And here's a close-up of the cake. You can almost see the details on the individual cherries if you look really hard. :-)

In my next posts, I have gorgeous gifts to show you from Jane of Minifanaticus blog and Simona of Soft and Malleable blog. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Fun Miniature Swap with Esther

I recently had a fun miniature swap with Esther of Mi mundo de miniatura blog. She made so many beautiful gifts that are just my style and in the colors I love. First, she sent all sorts of wonderful kitchen gadgets:

There's a gorgeous watering can in blue and white, beautiful cake stand with a rose design on blue background, a fun mini pimer (hand-held mixer) that Flossy is about to plug in, gorgeous cake pans, and a mini wire whisk. Everything is so cute!

Next, Esther made me a gorgeous homemade pizza with bacon, mushroom, black olive, and oregano--yum yum! Look, there's even a coupon for 50% off my next takeout order. Esther has a fantastic tutorial for making this pizza on her blog here.

And to top off Flossy's meal, Esther sent some scrumptious miniature desserts!

My mouth waters now looking at the photo. Her talent knows no bounds! Flossy is extremely happy with this swap! And so am I! Thank you so much for your incredible miniature gifts, Esther! I love everything you sent and had so much fun getting to know you better. To see what I sent Esther, check out her post here.

Esther's blog is a real gem. She makes miniatures from found objects and polymer clay. And the best part is, she shows how to make them in numerous tutorials. Thank you, Esther, for offering such a wonderful resource to miniaturists everywhere. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

But Wait, There's More! Valentine's Day Swap with Jane

Jane Smith of MiniFanaticus blog and I recently did a Valentine's Day swap. Here's how it went: Jane showed some amazing Valentine cupcakes, cookies, and chocolates on her blog and said she loved to do swaps. As soon as I saw that, I rushed with a comment on her blog: "Me, me, me, please! I want to swap!"

Fortunately for me, Jane said yes, before the snowstorms hit and before she got both ear and sinus infections. And even with all of that to deal with, Jane sent a huge number of mini masterpieces. Here's just a hint:

OK, now Flossy wants to show you the amazing gifts that Jane sent, all handmade by her. This is table #1, full of romantic Valentine's Day gifts:

Gorgeous flowers in a vase, a shabby chic jewelry box with beautiful jewelry inside, exquisite chocolates in a heart-shaped box, a perfume bottle with old romantic love letters, and a toy teddy bear, plus jars of Valentine candies! Here's a close-up on the jewelry box, chocolates, and love letters--amazing!

So, so beautiful! The jewelry box includes a "diamond" bracelet, earrings, and a big ring! It looks like Flossy might have a secret admirer! ;-) But wait, that's not all! Here's table #2, full of cookies that Jane "baked":

Don't they look scrumptious? Oh my! Flossy's feeling hungry! And here's that close-up photo from the top of this post again, highlighting some of the cookies and Jane's masterpiece cherry shortcake:

Yum yum! Flossy might have to start weighing herself regularly since Jane sent all of these amazing desserts. ;-) But wait, there's more:

Table # 3 is full of some extra wonderful wishes fulfilled by Jane: cherry-blueberry bundt cake, blueberry and cherry cheesecake, s'mores, donuts, Halloween treats, and more! Jane, you're amazingly talented AND incredibly generous! Thank you so, so much!!! Most of all, thank you for your sweet friendship. Big, BIG hugs!

BTW, Jane still hasn't received my Valentine swap gifts in the mail, but they should be there very soon. I had so much fun making Valentine gifts for Jane and look forward to her opening them. Look for an update soon.

For those who don't know Jane's blog, please check it out. She has a wonderful sense of humor, and she very generously shares how she makes her incredible clay creations. In fact, she showed how she made the chocolate chip cookies, cake, and cheesecake crust here--yay! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Gorgeous Gifts From Flor and FF!

I recently admired some beautiful miniature lavender plants on Flor's blog, Flor and FF. I asked Flor if she would mind doing a swap with me--those plants were amazing! See what I mean?

Thankfully, Flor said yes, and she sent me all of these treasures, including a tiny bunny that I had previously admired on her blog. Wow! What thoughtful gifts. She even made me a few special shabby chic items for Cupcake Cottage!

Here is one of the items that I sent to Flor. It's a miniature white silk corset with pink silk trim. I hope she likes it!

Did you all catch the fact that I'm having a blog giveaway for existing blog followers? It ends in a couple of days, so if you're interested in joining, please leave a comment on my previous post. Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Precious Swap Gifts From Carmen of Mi Pequena Evasion

As a regular reader of Mi Pequena Evasion blog, I can't help but notice that Carmen is extremely prolific at making miniatures. Each blog post, she shows the miniatures she has made. She makes about ten times as many miniatures as I do in the same amount of time! And she's so resourceful and creative too!

So recently, when I was looking at her latest blog post, there they were again: her adorable miniature daisy plants growing out of old tin cans. I finally decided to ask Carmen if she would mind doing a swap with me. All I wanted was a couple of her daisies. Here's what she sent me--wow!

The gorgeous orchid went straight into Dad's Dollhouse. And Carmen's beautiful hyacinth fits perfectly in my shabby chic Cupcake Cottage:

And look at these adorable miniature shabby plates she sent me, with pictures of my own little plush characters. Oh my! It took my breath away when I found them. There's Plushpussycat herself, Mama Mouse, Raccoon, Tomcat, Bella the Bride Bunny, and Houndstooth Pup!

She also sent tiny embroidery kits and miniature embroidery pattern books. So sweet!

Thank you so much, Carmen! You are so thoughtful! I love everything you sent me. My swap gifts to you are on their way. I hope you like them as much as I like your gifts to me! Keep having fun, everyone! xoxo Jennifer

Exquisite Swap Gifts From Norma of make mine mini

I remember the first time I came across Norma's make mine mini blog--her miniature photos and letters literally took my breath away! Recently, I asked Norma if she would do a swap with me for some of her mini mail. I received her precious package yesterday, and look at the exquisite miniature memory box she sent me!

The envelopes are filled with tiny letters, the postcards are double-sided, and the photos are clear and beautiful. 

The biggest mini photograph is a picture of Norma's mother as a child with all of her possessions around her. The framed photo is of Norma's uncle in his WWI uniform. The box lid image is a photo of some of Norma's mother's toys, taken around 1920, and was hand colored at the time. Knowing these details makes the items that much more precious.

And luckily, just in time for Norma's gift, I finally wallpapered Dad's Dollhouse study, the better to show off her beautiful work!

Thank you for your special present, Norma! I will treasure it always! You can see my gifts to Norma on her latest blog post. Here's to more fun! xoxo Jennifer

Precious Gifts From Vicky at Lovejoy Bears!

When Vicky of Lovejoy Bears emailed that she'd like to make me some gifts for Cupcake Cottage, I started shaking. Did I read that correctly? I suggested we do a swap instead, and when she agreed, you'd better believe I got really busy making miniatures for her. :-) Check out my gifts for Vicky on her blog soon.

My package from Vicky arrived yesterday, and look at the beautiful gifts she sent, including one of her gorgeous shabby dressers / hutches:

Vicky's gorgeous hutch / dresser with beautiful
paper-lined working drawers and more gifts.

Close-up of Vicky's shabby books and hand-painted dishes.
Her tiny roses are exquisite.

She wrapped everything in gorgeous paper and included this sweet card,
from her own original watercolor painting. Wow!

The hutch is so magnificent that I felt inspired to move Cupcake Cottage into the Lover's Cottage! I had so much fun setting up my little shabby cottage kitchen scene. Here are a couple of preview photos of what is to come in Cupcake Cottage. They're shots of Cupcake Cottage by moonlight:

I've already changed everything around since taking these photos, but you get the idea! Cupcake Cottage will be a major project for me in the coming months.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Vicky! You are such a talented miniaturist, a kind and gentle person, and a good friend. I will treasure your gifts forever! If you haven't seen Lovejoy Bears blog, you must check it out. It will definitely brighten your day! Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Precious Swap with Mieke from Petite Victorian Rose!

As I opened the box from Mieke of Petite Victorian Rose blog, which was wrapped in red paper with white polka dots (such shabby fun!), I was shaking. The box was packed full of amazing, precious handmade miniature gifts, and every one of them so thoughtful.

Handmade shabby tulle wedding dress!

When I had asked Mieke a few months back if she thought doing a swap would be fun, I had no idea how fun it would be! We both took our time making things and gathering supplies and other gifts for each other. It was well worth taking the extra time, because you can see what Mieke sent. The fact is, Mieke spoiled me rotten with her beautiful gifts! ;-)

So feminine and precious!

Tiny toiletries inside!

Inside the big suitcase!

Mieke has such a lovely blog. She has Victorian-inspired miniature dollhouse scenes and funny cute photo stories. I always look forward to her posts, because she is such a gentle, sweet, and funny blogger.

Ladies miniature hat pin collection!

Mieke's precious memory box!

Mieke has published photos of what I sent her for our swap, if you are interested. While you're there, I highly recommend that you take a look at her posts and join her blog, if you haven't already. ;-)

Does it get more shabby and romantic than this?

Sewing room: thread holder (background) and French fashion book!

Beautiful handmade card and multitudes of craft supplies!

Thank you so much, Mieke! Words cannot convey my gratitude for your thoughtful gifts and your precious friendship! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer