Sweet Miniature Finds on Etsy

Teddy the frog has his eyes on that balloon!

Here are some recent purchases on Etsy. The first came from Eva Perendreu, whose lovely blog you may know. It's a birthday party chair from her shop, Evamini. Isn't Eva creative? I love that balloon and those tiny cookies! Oh, and she is so wonderful to work with--what a sweet person. I would love to buy from her again. Check out Evamini when you have a chance!

Next, I bought some darling miniature heart-shaped sugar cookies from Catherine at Sweet Petite Shoppe. And see, she sent me some free cupcakes too! Thanks again, Catherine!

Michi at cherrydot has really cute, whimsical dollhouse miniatures and mini food jewelry. I bought a couple of things from her, perfect for shabby chic Cupcake Cottage. I love her mini cupcakes complete with paper wrappers and those cake stands too! She sends lots of fun freebies when you buy from her--woohoo!

Finally, Judy at beadocious makes lovely things, including very realistic-looking homemade-style miniature frosted cakes. Yummy--doesn't this look tasty? Even better: there's a 20% off sale in her shop right now!

Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Mischievous Raccoon

With summer nearly over, frog brothers Freddie and Teddy go for one last visit to their favorite swimming hole. It's so private, they decide to do some nude sunbathing. Their swimsuits are drying in the sun on the nearby rocks....

Uh-oh! What's this? That mischievous Raccoon has slipped away with Freddie's and Teddy's swimsuits, right under their noses!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The frogs quickly find something handy to cover their private parts. "Thief! Thief!"

Stay tuned for the next installment of this story. You can see all of Plushpussycat's stories in one place. And don't forget about the Fall Giveaway happening right here on Plushpussycat! More giveaways to follow too! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

I Will Not...

Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying my blog giveaway. There are two prizes: one features a handmade chick plushy and the other features some vintage Victorian dollhouse miniatures. The giveaway ends June 18, 2011. Welcome to all of my new followers! I hope you have fun every time you visit here!

Here's a new miniature vignette story for you. School is almost out for the summer, it's getting hot outside, and tempers are flaring. Looks like Freddie the frog is in trouble with the local school teacher, Bella the bride bunny. Freddie's brother Teddy watches it all unfold. His eyes are huge with fear. Will he be next?

Gosh, it looks like Freddie can't do anything right! He was just being himself! (Did you see what is written on the blackboard? If not, look at the third photo again now. You will get the joke!)

For newbies to this blog, or anyone else who wants to see these again, here are some links to previous miniature story vignettes: Intro to Bella, Bella the Bride Bunny Goes Shopping, Bella Goes Shopping Part 2, Bella Goes Shopping Part 3, New Puppy!, and Conclusion: Houndstooth Puppy and Raccoon.

Next post I'll reveal the amazing gifts I won in Klara's giveaway. I can't wait to show them to you! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Fun Outing!

There's no doubt about it: spring is in the air! This is a view from my livingroom window. The neighbor's plum tree is in full bloom.

Whenever it's this time of year (first spring flowers, green everywhere, birds singing, rays of sunshine peaking through the clouds), I get the urge to get in the car and go on a fun outing. Yesterday all of my original plans fell through, so I had some time on my hands. I decided to go out to Beaverton, just a few minutes from my home in Portland, Oregon, and hit a few fun places. Hey! My birthday is just around the corner, so birthday money is burning a hole in my pocket too, OK?!

So first I picked up a used book on blogging at Powell's. While there, I came across the cutest section full of Japanese cute kawaii items. You know, things like notebooks, stickers, AND this cute kawaii lunch bag I found! It is woven from 95% post-consumer material (used grain sacks) by BlueQ.

Actually, I'm going to use it as a craft bag that I'll take with me when I attend craft circles around town. Thrill!

OK, next I went over to the Beaverton Goodwill and picked up a 1980's craft book, this surfboard (shown here with one of my handmade frog plushies) for one of my vignettes,

and this ceramic car for another vignette. Check out the fun license plate on this baby! And watch Houndstooth Puppy behind the wheel!

Finally, I stopped over at the Kinokuniya Bookstores (the one inside the Uwajimaya in Beaverton). I looked at so many cute things but finally settled on these fun erasers to add to my collection. I'll use these in upcoming plushy vignettes too!

It ended up being an awesome few hours, and I spent only $21 on the items I show here. Not bad! This spring fever thing only lasts a couple of weeks, so I might as well enjoy it while I can. :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Frogs!

After making my kitties, I wanted to tackle making frogs next. I've always loved frogs. They're so sweet and tender! I had found some vintage green buttons at a thrift store on a trip to the Oregon coast. Those were going to be the eyes, along with some new yellow buttons to go on top/inside the big green ones. First I made the cute and geeky tall frog:

His narrow neck gets cold (like mine!), so he wears a scarf. Then I made the cute and geeky short frog:

I think of him as a baby bullfrog-in-training. These two little guys are brothers. As you can see in the next photograph, they're getting ready for a bath together:

Both are made from a green felted lambswool sweater, vintage and new buttons, vintage embroidery floss (given to me by my mom 20 years ago), ecofelt for the short frog's heart, felted wool for the tall frog's heart and scarf, and bamboo fiberfill. They're super soft and snuggly!

I have two more critters to show you in the next few days, so please keep checking back often. I can't wait for you to see them! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer