Halloween Party!

Strawberry Shortcake and friends went traveling over the summer and never returned. So now some Littlest Pet Shop Blythe dolls have moved into the Hello Kitty dollhouse. Tonight they're having a Halloween party to celebrate the holiday and new friends.

One of our new friends, Capucine of Capucine and Ninour blog and Cherie et sa fine equipe blogs has given us some amazing Halloween gifts, just perfect for the Halloween party. First, look at this adorable Rilakkuma Halloween cake with matching chocolate pumpkin lollipops:

Mmm, everyone agrees that everything looks really tasty. Then one girl thinks she has seen something across the room:

Ooh, maybe she saw a ghost? Or a zombie? ;-)

Meanwhile, upstairs the other girls are preparing their costumes for the party, all handmade by Capucine. They look so good in these cute outfits that one friend insists on taking a group photo:

Happy Halloween!!! Thank you to Capucine for providing the delicious food and costumes for the party. Visit her two blogs to see darling, funny stories in miniature. Next time I'll show you the other amazing minis this talented artist sent. Until then, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

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

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

Sophie Discovers a Cake Shop

I was so inspired by making that first mini cake that I built a whole cake shop! All of the cakes are old-fashioned homemade-style cakes. You may recognize this building, actually. It's the Greenleaf Primrose dollhouse that I won in a giveaway a while back. My husband recently glued it back together after it arrived in the mail from Greece in several pieces.

Sophie the bear has just discovered the new cake shop while out walking Luna the puppy. The shop feels so cool and refreshing after being out in the heat of the day.

That yummy strawberry coconut cake arrived out of the blue from
Natasha of Eat Cake Miniatures while I was building the cake shop.

Luna heads straight for the table, laden with yummy food, while Sophie takes in the scene.

Luna wants some yummy cake NOW! She lets out a howl.

Mmm, everything looks so tasty!

Sophie calls Luna away from the table. "Come here, Luna! That isn't for you. Be a good girl!"

This project was so fun! My creative energy was in full force, as I painted, cut, and glued for about two weeks straight. Anytime I had a spare moment, I made something for the cake shop. I used furniture from my stash, and then I painted it and updated it with shabby paper and fabric. I even made two more cakes for the shop and bought the perfect pink cake from Beverly of Cute in Miniature on Etsy.

Next time I'll show you views of the shop from the outside. Thanks for stopping by and taking a look! I appreciate your comments so much too. Thank you, Natasha, for sending two beautiful cakes and to all of the blog friends whose gifts have added so much to this project. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Surprise in the Carrot Patch

Sophie was busy preparing vegetable soup, when she suddenly realized she needed more carrots for the carrot cake she was baking next.

So off she went to the carrot patch, but shortly after she arrived she discovered something that needed Flossy's attention. Meanwhile, over at Cupcake Cottage, it was just another day.

Flossy was putting frosting on the last few cupcakes and cookies when Sophie rushed in. Sophie had brought something really special along with her carrots.

Flossy was the best one to take care of this little orphan bunny's needs.

Hope you enjoyed my little story! The last photo is my latest greeting card. Inside it reads, "Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!" Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Just For Herself

Easter is over, but Flossy managed to save a treat just for herself.

Mmm, yummy!

Peep! 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

Housewarming Gifts Plus Giveaway Winners

Flossy and Sophie were thrilled when they received a surprise package from Catherine at Sweet Petite Shoppe. The bunnies and mice in her bakery made some gorgeous housewarming gifts in celebration of Sophie moving into Brambleberry Farmhouse. Just look at what those sweet critters sent:

There's a gorgeous cake, a darling box of heart-shaped cookies, and a beautiful baking board. Those sweet pink plates came in the package too! Thank you so much, Catherine, the mice, and the bunnies! You are such sweet friends. Please come for a visit to Portland soon. There'll be plenty of hot chocolate and cupcakes for everyone!

After Sophie and Flossy filled themselves with yummy cake and cookies, it was time for a chat in Sophie's new livingroom. AND it was time to draw the two winners of Plushpussycat's Valentine's Day Giveaway! YAY!!!

Flossy held the basket of names and mixed them all up. Then Sophie picked the two winners' names, one at a time. (Actually, I used random.org to pick the numbers.)

Drumroll, please:

Winner #1 is Kikka

and

Winner #2 is Ruth Ramaekers

Congratulations to the two lucky winners!!! Please email me your addresses (through my Blogger Profile), so I can mail your prizes to you right away! I must hear back from the winners by end of day Friday, February 22, 2013. If I don't, I'll pick (an)other winner(s).

Thank you to everyone who entered this giveaway. I'm sorry there couldn't be more winners this time, but we still have more blog birthday celebrating to do here. There'll be a fun party soon! Until next time, keep it really fun! xoxo Jennifer

Valentine Friends

Flossy has been baking Valentine treats for her friend Sophie. Oops! Flossy has already eaten one of the cupcakes. Fortunately, she still has more cupcake mix!

Cute cupcake prep set by CuteinMiniature on Etsy.

Meanwhile, Sophie has baked some Valentine goodies for her good friend Flossy. There's tiny heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink sprinkles (Flossy's favorite!) and two loaves of special shortbread to share together.

What's this? Luna wants some of the goodies too!

Happy Valentine's Day! May your day be filled with sweetness, my friends! Thursday is the last day to join my Valentine's Day giveaway. Good luck to everyone! I'll announce the two winners Saturday. Keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

What Could Be More Cozy?

What could be more cozy than a small friend and a good book?

And, of course, some cupcakes. ;-)

Hope you all have a relaxing weekend. I'm resting at home with a cold. Take care, and keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Anticipating a Visit

Sophie wakes up bright and early in her new home, the Brambleberry Farmhouse. Oh, what a fun morning she has planned!

Flossy the bunny is coming over for blueberry muffins and a good chat!

Mmm, fresh out of the oven, these muffins look scrumptious!

Sophie has been stocking the shelves of her pantry as she waits for her guest. Knock, knock! Could that be Flossy at the door now?

The darling muffin prep set is by Beverly of CuteinMiniature on Etsy. Until next time, keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer