Mavis Mouse Remembers Her Wedding Day

Mavis Mouse's sailor husband went back out to sea not long after Mavis married him. Since then she had a baby, and her mother has moved into the big, lonely house to help out. Sometimes Mavis thinks wistfully about her wedding day not so long ago....

Mavis has pulled her wedding dress out from storage.

She pulls it up against her body, remembering that special day.

Mavis twirls around...

...and twirls back again.

She sighs. Now it's back to the kitchen to cook up
more tasty treats. :-)

Mavis as reflected in the mirror, still holding
her dress.

Until next time, keep it fun! xo Jennifer

Hello Kitty Dollhouse Review!

Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue are getting ready for a big party. All of their friends are invited, so it should be a blast! Strawberry Shortcake is visualizing how much fun she's going to have with all of her friends.

Meanwhile, Lemon Meringue is putting the last-minute touches on the party food. With so many guests expected, there has to be lots of tasty food!

This is the Hello Kitty dollhouse I styled for these and my other recent Strawberry Shortcake scenes. It's a wooden dollhouse with nine repositional decal stickers, wooden furniture, and wooden Hello Kitty and her twin sister Mimmy figures. It weighs approximately 15 pounds (6.8 kg), which makes it easy to pick up and carry. I haven't used any of the decals or the figures, but I am using most of the furniture (the pink and purple pieces with Hello Kitty on them).

The Hello Kitty dollhouse comes together easily with screws and pre-drilled holes. Once you "build" the dollhouse, which only took me 30 minutes, its dimensions are 24.5 inches (62 cm) tall by 18 inches (46 cm) wide by 12 inches (30.5 cm) deep. It works great with my 1:12 scale miniature furniture.

The front door, which is 6 inches (15 cm) tall, stays closed with a magnet, which is really nice. I love the heart-shaped cut-outs in the roof and front door, and the window frames are cute too! Here you can see the inside of the house with stickers, figures, and furniture:

I bought the Hello Kitty dollhouse at ToysRus (I got these two dollhouse photos from their web site too). It's on sale for under $45. Not only is this house great for kids, it's fun for adults too, at least this one! :-) What do you think--do you like it as much as I do? Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Let Me Introduce You...

...to my vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their new Hello Kitty dollhouse!

Plates, spoons, and tiny vintage desserts by IDreamofMini on Etsy.

I was never much of a "doll person" until I saw this line of vintage dolls from 1979. And then, of course, they HAD to have a house, so I put this one together in a flash and had so much fun decorating it! It felt like when I built a dollhouse for my Barbie dolls from cardboard boxes at age twelve. :-)

I'll tell you more about the dollhouse and show you more of the dolls in future posts. This is just a taste. ;-) Hey, but where is Strawberry Shortcake? Don't worry, I'll introduce her very soon. :-)

So this is the new interest I mentioned. BTW, I recently received some amazing miniature gifts in the mail from Jane of MiniFanaticus. I'll show them next. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Nice Neighbor Lady

Sophie has a light headache, so she's decided to take a nap.

"Knock! Knock!" Who could it be?

Flossy is visiting Sophie, so she answers the door. Oh, apparently it's a nice neighbor lady with a bundt cake. "It's almost as good as cupcakes," thinks Flossy. "Won't you come in for a visit?"

The nice neighbor lady makes herself comfortable on the sofa, but soon her demands are extraordinary, as the snacks and treats pile up around her. Flossy innocently works to please Sophie's guest, but feels something is not quite right.

"Grrr!" growls Sophie. "Who do you think you are coming to my house and making so many demands?! I've heard of you! You're the infamous Raccoon! Now get out of here!"

Raccoon high-tailed it out of there. Raccoons are no match for bears.

Raccoon was running really, REALLY fast! "Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!! Help!!!!!"

Remember, things aren't always as they appear. More to follow. ;-) More of Raccoon's previous antics here. Keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Meanwhile, in Dad's Dollhouse...

Mavis Mouse prepared a big feast for Thanksgiving this year.

Now that Mavis has a baby on the way, Mavis' mother has come to stay with her to help out.

Since Mavis is eating for two now, she made an extra large Thanksgiving feast. No one went hungry. There was plenty of cheese for everyone!

Until next time, keep it fun! ;-) xoxo Jennifer

Summer School for Raccoon

That Raccoon! He was so busy during the school year with his pranks and naughtiness, that now he has to go to summer school to make up his missed classes. Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog must have taken pity on him, because she sent him not one but two backpacks for all of his books. See! He has to wear one and carry the other, both full of books!

Thank you, Maria! You helped Raccoon out when he's been feeling a little bit dejected. Awww! Poor Raccoon!

Maria also sent two gorgeous handmade foot rests, both of which have taken up residence in Dad's Dollhouse. See this sweet pink one? It matches the bathroom perfectly and has become Kitty's favorite bed. Isn't that just like a cat?

And this precious blue one is perfect for the master bedroom, that is if anyone can find room to sit on the overcrowded loveseat!

Here are the first things I found when I opened Maria's package: this fun Leprechaun for good luck and a gorgeous bread basket lined with vintage-style fabric. Thank you so much, Maria! I love all of your gifts! They're even more special because they came from you!

Let's see if Raccoon can make it through summer school and stay out of trouble, shall we? Keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Plushpussycat Momentarily Loses Her Purse

"Where is my purse?" Plushpussycat asked aloud. "I'm all ready to go shopping, but first I must find my purse."

Plushpussycat steps outside the door. "Ah! Here it is!"

"Now it's time for some fun!"

Plushpussycat's precious 1:12 scale Enid Collins purse was handmade by pinehaven. Check out her Etsy shop and blog, The Little House at Pine Haven. Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

What She Really Wants

Mavis Mouse has been busy baking, but look at what she really wants! :-) 

Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Mama Tucks In Baby Mouse

I went to Green Bean Books on Wednesday and installed my first public diorama. Wow! I've been excited all these weeks all the way until it was my scheduled time to be "in the box." I was planning and visualizing, photographing and fretting a little bit too. Jennifer at Green Bean was so supportive and nice and helped me feel relaxed about the whole thing. I'd gathered my supplies up a few days before the big day. Yes, everything was packed and ready.

What's behind this door?

I think I see something!

I spent over two hours putting it together, making sure everything was in place just so. Then, it was done! Whew! What a relief! So, without further ado, here's my diorama:

It's my first public diorama:  Mama Tucks In Baby Mouse!

It's called Mama Tucks In Baby Mouse. Mama has just read baby mouse a story, and now Baby is asleep in bed. And guess what else? There's a greeting card to match the diorama!

Latest greeting card by Plushpussycat Cards!

It is blank inside, so it can be used for Mother's Day, Get Well Soon, and New Baby! My diorama will be available for viewing through April 30, 2012 (that's two more weeks than originally planned!) at Green Bean Books in Portland. My greeting cards are available at Green Bean and in my Plushpussycat Etsy shop. You can view Plushpussycat's entire selection of cards in my Greeting Card Gallery. Hope to see you at the show! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Plushpussycat is One Year Old!

Wow! I can hardly believe that today it has been one year since I published my first blog post. It feels like it has been just a couple of months, because it still feels so fresh and fun to me, but at the same time it feels more like a number of years, because my life has changed so much!

Plushpussycat anticipates eating cake!

I've met some incredible people because of my blog, and I've gained new skills, such as in photography. I've also re-ignited an interest in dollhouse miniatures that I'd forgotten about and started a whole new career with my photo stories and greeting cards. What a whirlwind! Speaking of cards, here's my newest birthday card, straight from the printer. It's called "Plushpussycat Anticipates Eating Cake" and says "Happy birthday!" inside. It will be in my Etsy shop soon!

I'm so grateful to so many people for their help. My good friend Tracy suggested I buy a camera and start blogging even before I knew what I might blog about. I discovered plushies and challenged myself to be part of Kristen Rast's Plush You! show. That meant I needed a blog to showcase my handmade plush critters. Instead of steadily producing plush critters, however, I found myself photographing the ones I'd made in miniature scenes.

Next, Carina of Carina's Craftblog gave me a beautiful opportunity when she interviewed me on her blog. All the while I was making new blog friends, friendships I will treasure for a lifetime. :-) The rest, as they say, is history! :-)

Big News!

I'm planning a big one-year blog anniversary celebration for the month of March. I'm finalizing some details now, but there will be a month-long party on this blog--woohoo! I hope you'll be here to celebrate with me! It wouldn't be the same without you. :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

New Giveaway!

Mouse has stopped in a coffee shop for a piece of cake, but he's in shock!

The wall art in the coffee shop looks as if it might be a photo of him!

2/29/12 update: This giveaway is now closed. The winner has been announced here!

The Big Miniatures Giveaway just ended, and next month I'm going to be celebrating one year of blogging--woohoo! :-) I thought this would be a good time to open up a new giveaway! ;-) Mouse has just noticed that he is a featured character in one of my greeting cards (two of my cards, actually!).

Mouse is featured in both my birthday card and a card that is blank inside. The birthday card reads, "It's your birthday. Time for a treat!"

Then there's Plushpussycat and Tomcat. Tomcat has brought flowers for Plushpussycat on their picnic date. Inside, the card reads, "Oh my! You shouldn't have!" This is a common way of saying "thank you."

Next is my friendship card featuring Houndstooth Pup and Raccoon. Inside it reads, "I'm so glad we're friends." I love to send this card to people who love plushies or miniatures and to other friends too! :-)

Finally, there's the card with Bella the Bride Bunny on the front. It is blank inside and is great for bridal showers, weddings, anniversaries, friends who are struggling with dating, and so on. 

What You Could Win: So, there are five cards total in my greeting card line, and that is exactly what is up for grabs in this giveaway--all five cards! I'll also throw in a miniature surprise. I won't tell you what the surprise is until I announce the winner, either! ;-)

This giveaway ends Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 12 midnight PST, and I'll announce the winner on Sunday, January 29, 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 Tuesday, January 31, 2012. If I don't, I'll pick another winner, again using the random number generator. This giveaway is open to anyone 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 nice comment on this post. (Required)

If you like, please tell me what types of cards you buy most. Examples: birthday, sympathy, wedding, get well soon, etc. (not required, but appreciated).

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! Remember that you could win all five greeting cards plus a miniature surprise! Thank you to all of the friends of Plushpussycat. Good luck in the draw! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

A Spot of Tea

Plushpussycat and Tomcat are out for a spot of tea. 

Dessert is served--one big piece for two. 

Who will win?

Hope your new year is bright and full of blessings! xoxo Jennifer

Secret Santa Plus Giveaway Updates

Do any of you remember Houndstooth Pup? He and Raccoon had a few adventures together. This year, Houndstooth is helping out Santa as an elf. He's busy making presents for Santa!

Houndstooth is here to tell you that Yoshi at Sweets and Dreams is holding a Secret Santa game on her blog. It is open internationally for all bloggers, and you can join until November 20, 2011. Yoshi is a new friend of Plushpussycat blog. Unfortunately, Plushpussycat is too busy to play Secret Santa this year, but it looks fun! :-) You might want to check out the Secret Santa game AND Yoshi's cute blog.

Speaking of cute, this is the last week to join Plushpussycat's cute kawaii giveaway! Friday, November 18, 2011 is the last day to enter, and the two winners will be announced on Saturday, November 19, 2011. Then we'll start our next giveaway, a miniatures giveaway! So keep your eyes on Houndstooth and Plushpussycat to stay on top of the latest news! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer