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

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

Interview!

My good friend, author of Jeni Gray Photo Blog, is doing a series of articles on marketing yourself as an artist. As part of that series, she has interviewed me! :-) You can read the interview on her photo blog here. I enjoyed doing the interview and hope you enjoy reading it too.

While you're there, be sure to check out Jeni's beautiful image slide shows under "Black and White," "Color," and "Art" at the top of her blog. Which ones are your favorites? I thought that her color nature pictures were my favorites until I really looked at the others. Now I'm not so sure! All I know is that she's been taking beautiful photographs as long as I've known her!

Her other blog, Diary of the New Pioneer, is like a breath of fresh air for me every time I visit it. It's about living simply in a remote area, and there's always something interesting, from back road adventures to backyard habitat. If you go to this post, you can see some of Jeni's adorable raccoon neighbors (they're so cute!). Her posts are interesting and fun, plus she takes really beautiful photographs. It makes for a refreshing and unique blog experience.

I'll post soon about a recent trip to a special miniatures museum, and soon after it will be time for some mini fun to help celebrate my one-year blog anniversary. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Trick or Treat!

"Trick or treat!!"

"Happy Halloween!"

Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Raccoon Strikes Again!

Oh, that naughty Raccoon! Where will he strike next? ;-) Until next time.... 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

Here's to Friendship!

Remember this photo? If you've hung around Plushpussycat from the beginning, you may remember the story of Houndstooth Pup and Raccoon. After an initial misunderstanding, the two critters became best friends:

As I was lying in bed early this morning, I thought about how grateful I am for the friendships I've made since starting this blog. Every time someone becomes a new follower of this blog or leaves a comment on one of my posts, I feel so touched. Words cannot describe how grateful I am to each and every one of you who is reading this post now and who stays in touch with this blog. Thank you so much! I'm sending a big hug to each one of you!

Some news:

If you follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you know that my handmade plush critters regularly get featured in Etsy treasuries. Right now, Plushpussycat is featured in a cool treasury called The (Cat) Eyes Have It!

I have so many miniature story vignettes in the works, so please continue to be patient as I develop the scenes and stories. Upcoming: more about the bunnies, including some twists and turns; a frog story; a bear story; another story with Raccoon; and many more! I recently simplified some other areas in my life so that I could spend more time creating my miniature story vignettes.

The other thing I want more time for is making miniatures. Caterina's Holiday Swap was so much fun, and I got a taste for making minis then. I want to make more! Once I've carved out time for that, I'll be able to participate in more mini swaps AND to hold another *giveaway*--yay! So hold on tight and invite your like-minded friends, because there is much more fun coming in the next weeks and months.

Thank you again for your friendship. I love following your blogs too! Without all of you who read this blog, I would just be talking to myself! I look forward to getting to know you all better over time. Here's to friendship! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Conclusion: Houndstooth Puppy and Raccoon

Why did Raccoon steal Houndstooth Pup's bicycle? And where did he take it? These are a couple of the unanswered questions from my previous post, New Puppy! Here's what really happened. Raccoon thought he was just borrowing the bicycle for a little joyride. He hopped on Houndstooth Pup's bicycle and rode around and around the park. What fun! He didn't have a bicycle of his own. He felt so free!

After a few minutes, though, he started riding back toward his new friend Houndstooth Pup. His new friend looked so sad. Why was he so sad? Raccoon wondered. He stopped right in front of Houndstooth Pup, jumped off the bike, and said, "That was great! Thanks for loaning me your bicycle, Houndstooth!"

At that moment, Houndstooth and Racoon were happy, feeling that everything was OK between them again.

Here's a photograph showing the two friends arm in arm:

How lucky they feel to have made friends. Now off they go to make some mischief. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Who Is Raccoon?

In a previous posting, you, dear reader, were partially introduced to a new character, Raccoon. He had run off with Houndstooth Pup's bicycle. He rode off so fast that we only saw a partial view of him! Now it's time for a full introduction of Raccoon. Raccoon was made from a felt plushy kit that my husband bought for me for Christmas:

The kit is officially a keyring kit by The Little Experience, which is headquartered in England, although my husband bought it locally at New Seasons Market here in Portland, Oregon. The company web site is http://www.the-little-experience.com/. They have several very cute animal keyring kits. The kit was designed for children ages 6-12, but it was so cute that I enjoyed making it as an adult. In fact, I would recommend it for teens and above, personally, as it required several hours and lots of teeny tiny stitches. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed making Raccoon. I even played around with the gingham fabric on Raccoon's belly and decided on my own vintage lavender and white gingham instead of the black and white that was included in the kit. Here's my finished product:

Pretty cute, huh? I thought this might interest you! The kits retail for $6.99 at New Seasons, and everything is included, even stuffing and a needle!

Next time, we'll see what happened between Houndstooth Puppy and Raccoon. Why did Raccoon steal Houndstooth Puppy's bicycle, and where did he take it? Stayed tuned to this blog to find out the answers to these questions and more! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

New Puppy!

I made a new puppy! He's Houndstooth Pup! He's oh-so-soft, made from a felted wool and cashmere (yes, I said cashmere!) jacket for his body, soft felted wool for his ears and tail, and ecofelt for his nose and heart. Embroidery floss and bamboo fiberfill add the finishing touches. He stands at just under 5 inches tall:

Here's a view from the back:

Recently, Houndstooth Pup got into a little trouble:

Here's what happened: He rode his bicycle to the park. He was having fun romping with a new friend, Raccoon. Then Raccoon ran off with Houndstooth Pup's bicycle! Oh, No! He got tricked by that rascal Raccoon. Look how sad Houndstooth Pup is now! Will he ever get his bicycle back? Stay tuned for the next chapter in this saga. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer