Bluebelle and Sophie Give Thanks!

Poor Bluebelle! She was working all day in her cake shop with nowhere to sleep after a hard day's work! Now she finally has a sleeping nook in the rafters of her shop where she can sleep at night or even take a cat nap in the middle of the day, when there are no customers, of course. ;-)

Look how peacefully she rests on her perch in the rafters! I think she's snoring! tee hee!

And then she can fly down to the cake shop to start another day! Bluebelle is definitely doing a little happy dance and giving thanks for her new bedroom, and it wouldn't have been completed nearly as quickly if I hadn't seen Jane's post on using foam core board in miniature building. (Shh! I didn't even have to glue in the loft, since I cut the foam core board slightly large and squeezed it between the walls of the cake shop! It's very stable and so simple! ;-))

Next, Sophie is giving thanks for two things. First, we won Lisa's amazing autumn "Give Thanks" giveaway over at Mini Addictions blog, and Lisa wrapped everything so beautifully and sent so many gorgeous prizes and extra gifts! Mmm, look at that tasty pumpkin pie and those gorgeous Georgia peaches in a handmade basket!

But that's not all! Lisa also sent all these goodies, including this incredible dollhouse miniature Halloween rug:

Can you believe how tiny the stitches are?! Lisa used a magnifier to make it--what a very generous and thoughtful gift! Thank you so much for all of these autumn treasures, Lisa--we love everything you sent. Check out Lisa's blog, Mini Addictions, if you haven't already. She's a very talented miniaturist with a fun blog and amazing giveaways!

There's one more thing that Sophie is giving thanks for: my husband cut some extra windows in Sophie's house:

Now I can get better light in Sophie's cabin for taking photographs. Sophie loves her new windows and is planning to put some pretty curtains up next. Where's Flossy? She's ecstatic with the gifts she received in the mail from a very talented artist. One of the gifts is a pretty new outfit, which Flossy is trying on right now. :-) You'll see Flossy in the next post! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

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

Sweet Prizes From Mary's Giveaway

I recently won the giveaway that Mary of M's Minis and More blog held. I was one of two lucky winners, and "lucky" really is the right word for it. Mary was so thoughtful with her prizes, sending handmade miniatures in my favorite colors and themes along with some great craft supplies. Here's a special cookbook with photos of cupcakes inside:

Some of my personal favorites include all of these wonderful min vegetables, including open baked potatoes, pats of butter, carrots and green beans. Mary even included chopped veggies and peels too! Finally, Flossy and Sophie can eat some healthy food! ;-)

There were clamps for holding together mini projects while the glue dries, darling books with mini bookmarks and mini ink pens, gorgeous beads, and a potted plant that is absolutely perfect for my 1960s mid-century modern instant dollhouse:

And I adore these tiny baby bottles and toilet bowl scrubbers. So cute!

Thank you so much for your thoughtful, fun and useful gifts, Mary! If you haven't seen Mary's blog, I highly recommend it. It is fun, interesting, and from the heart.

Next post I'll show you a new mini that I made. It was really fun to try something totally different. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Giveaway Prize From Flora!

When I first saw Flora's blog giveaway announced, I thought that the prize of this set of shabby chic luggage would be perfect in Cupcake Cottage's bedroom. Then when I actually won it, I was absolutely thrilled.

First, it was such a joy to open Flora's beautifully-wrapped gift:

Then, to see the prize in person: her luggage is SO perfect! The tiny locks on each suitcase are exquisitely detailed, and the tags on each piece are so lovely. This one says "Paris" and "Love."

The colors and style are indeed perfect in Cupcake Cottage's bedroom, and I'm happy beyond measure. Thank you for offering this fantastic giveaway opportunity, Flora.

If anyone reading this now feels that he/she MUST have this gorgeous luggage set, there is another one in Flora's Etsy shop right now. Good luck in getting there first! ;-) Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Prize and Gifts From Maria of Il Cucchiaino Magico!

Here is the miniature vintage Italian cosmetics poster I won recently, shown in the child's bedroom of Cupcake Cottage. Isn't it adorable? It was made by Mari@ of Il Cucchiaino Magico blog:

Actually, Mari@ sent all of these darling miniatures in a gorgeous pink bag:

She included a book, Language of Flowers by Kate Greenaway, which I had been eyeing forever in Maria's Etsy shop (book shown here on the fireplace mantel of Cupcake Cottage's master bedroom):

She also gave me the gorgeous cookbook, Salumi Italiani. Both books are printed inside. Here's a page from Salumi Italiani for you to see:

Wow! I could hardly believe my eyes when I found the thoughtful gifts, in addition to her giveaway prize, that Mari@ had sent. She told me that everything was made with love. Isn't that so sweet?! 

Thank you so much for your sweetness and thoughtfulness, Mari@! You are a gem, and your gifts are divine! I am nearly ready with some gifts to send back to Mari@. I am working hard, also with love! :-)

Mari@'s blog and shop are both gems too. Her blog tells interesting history about the stories in her books. It also shows many examples of her beautiful work. And as you can see, her books are magnificent pieces of art. I know you'll enjoy a visit to both places!

Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Natalia's Fine Needlework!

Wow! I sure got lucky when I won the latest giveaway at Natalia's Fine Needlework blog. First I won these two precious miniature needlepoint pillows, which are perfect for Dad's Dollhouse parlor sofa:

The kitty can't wait to get its fur all over Natalia's needlepoint pillows!

I also won this gorgeous fine needlepoint rug, which really completes the scene in Dad's Dollhouse late-Victorian country kitchen:

Uh, oh! The brownies on the plate are starting to fall off the stove!!!

The rug feels so nice to the touch. It is very dense with stitches but doesn't feel stiff. It is so soft and lovely. Natalia, how many hours does it take to make a rug like this? I know I wouldn't have the patience to make something so time consuming and requiring so many stitches, so this prize is a special treat for me.

Whew! Mavis Mouse scurried over just in time to catch the plate with
her tail!

And as if that wasn't enough, I won these other sweet dollhouse miniatures (plus a flocked teddy bear that I had trouble photographing) in the same giveaway:

Natalia had all of these prizes wrapped so beautifully when she sent my package too--that makes it extra special. Thank you for all of these fantastic prizes, Natalia! I recommend that you check out her blog, if you haven't already. Rumor has it that there'll be another giveaway there soon. Who will be the next lucky one? Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Gratitude, Gifts, and Prizes!

You may have seen me write that I have so many things to be grateful for. I really believe that focusing on what you are grateful for increases joy in life. I was once given an exercise to write down five new things each night for which I was grateful.

Finding five things that you're grateful for each day isn't so hard, but five NEW things each day really opened my mind to what I COULD be grateful for. I kept up the practice for nearly a year, and now I see the world differently as a result. Have you ever tried an exercise like that? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

So lately I have another thing to be grateful for: I've been winning a lot of giveaways. The first is this gorgeous fabric (a fat quarter) designed by Carina of Carina's Craftblog. I started following Carina's blog when I started crafting a couple of years ago, but I keep following her blog for the world she shows me. It's not overly perfect (like some of those super-stylized blogs), but it is interesting and often full of gorgeous colors.

This morning I felt inspired to use some of Carina's fabric to make a tablecloth for Cupcake Cottage's kitchen alcove. That's the picture you see at the top of this post. I love how it turned out. Thank you, Carina, for your gorgeous prize and your precious friendship!

The next giveaway prize that I want to tell you about is from Saara of Saaran Nukkekoti  (Saara's Dollhouse) blog. She took a fabulous trip to Rome and then fashioned a giveaway around her trip. I won the grand prize, which included all of these goodies:

The Italian packaged foods are adorable, and I've already added one of the maps to Dad's Dollhouse study. Thank you, Saara! I love the fantastic prizes you sent!

Before I move on, I have to show you one of Saara's handmade cute blog characters. Its name is Mau, and what a cute kitty it is! Saara is so talented, and she makes custom kitties, if anyone is interested. Check out this link on her blog for more fun characters that live in her dollhouse.

Finally, I received some lovely gifts from Birgit of BiWuBaren on the Blog. I could hardly believe what came out of the box Birgit sent. It was like Mary Poppins' carpetbag! First, here are the ready-made gifts:

There are jars of candies, board games, a shabby chic tray, children's books, lemon cupcakes, and even a Fluby bear cake--how cute! Next, Birgit sent some wonderful craft supplies. I already have plans for the ones in the front row, and the rest will keep me busy all winter! Thank you so much, Birgit! Your gifts are so lovely and thoughtful. I am so grateful, too, for your friendship and for your blog, which keeps me laughing.

I am getting behind on my posts. There are more prizes, final photos of Dad's Dollhouse now that it is complete, and updates on Cupcake Cottage's progress. Plus, there are stories to tell and a giveaway to announce. Yikes! I'd better get busy! ;-) Keep having fun! xoxo Jennifer

Won Felma's Wedding Dress Giveaway!

I won Felma's April handmade miniature wedding dress giveaway on the Dollhouse Miniatures by Felma blog--how exciting! Felma sent my dress really quickly, and even signed it for me. Take a look at how gorgeous it is (seen here in my shabby 1920s-inspired Lovers Cottage):

I love the simple elegance of this dress and its tiny details. And guess what?! She's having three more beautiful dress giveaways in May--and there's still time to enter them too. ;-)

Thank you, Felma! Your dress is exquisite, and your blog is an uplifting joy to read. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

This Is Not a Giveaway

Hi everyone! This blog title is a tiny joke, because some people have been mistaking other posts for one of my eight giveaways. Sorry, I'm not giving away everything! ;-)

This coming Friday, April 27, I will announce my 8th and final giveaway in the Birthday Bash Giveaway. If you are interested in that prize, you must leave a comment on that post by Thursday, May 3 (less than one week!). In fact, May 3 is the last day to enter any of the eight giveaways. As I mentioned before, you MUST enter each giveaway separately. If you like and want a prize, leave a comment on that individual giveaway post. If it doesn't interest you, there is no need to leave a comment. :-D

OK, now to more fun! I have received two lovely mini packages in the mail recently. Yesterday I received this beautiful gift from Petra at peetjes dollhouses blog. She made the flowers and cupcakes in box herself. How thoughtful! I love everything! Thank you, Petra! :-)

Before I received Petra's gift, I won the prize for naming Anne of LITTLETHINGS blog's small bear. Her bigger bear (still small) is named Praline. So for the little bear, I suggested the named "Caramel," and I won the contest. Anne graciously sent me several of the mini books she has been creating. Oh my, how cute they are! Thank you, Anne!

I guess that is it for now. Stay tuned here for Friday's giveaway post. Good luck to all of Plushpussycat's friends! :-) Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Won Shop Cinderella Moments' Giveaway!

I won the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking software in Shop Cinderella Moments' recent awesome giveaway. Yay! Thanks Caroline! In case you haven't seen her blog, Caroline makes the most wonderful whimsical dollhouses.

I won the software and enough credit for a few extra kits. The extras I got included Vintage Rose (which was actually free on the MyMemories site), Vintage Valentine, Lavender Wedding, and Violet Valentine. It was as many of the Victorian, shabby chic fun images that I could find. :-)

So I downloaded everything to my computer and started playing. I found three label images that I could fit onto an 8 1/2 inch by 11 inch page a number of times. Then I shrunk the page, like Caroline did in her giveaway post, and my images were miraculously dollhouse size--woohoo! See how small the images came out on the paper?

I thought these particular images would look great for the front sides of a few tiny vintage postcards. I cut the mini postcards out, and don't they look cute (see top photo)? I'll look for the back side of a vintage postcard in all of those MyMemories images and print a few, then glue the front and back sides together. Voila! Almost-instant dollhouse or diorama miniature postcards! :-)

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for one or both of my first two of eight giveaways (see this blog's sidebar for the first two prizes). If you haven't found the prize for you yet, wait until Friday, when I'll unveil prize #3! Until then, I hope you're having a good week and a lot of fun! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Prizes From Santa

I received two more blog giveaway prizes in the mail, and they are so sweet! First, I won Lugart petit's giveaway. LugArt petit is two sisters, Maria-Jose and Monica, from Barcelona, Spain. They make adorable miniature things. I won this cute little needle-felted bear, a sweet shabby chic canister set (with lids that open!), and a pile of teeny tiny cookies:

The tiny bear is only 7/8 inch (less than 2 1/2 cm) tall! I show it here with a half-scale vintage Japanese brass bed. Can you believe how tiny and cute these things are?! Lugart Petit has a lovely Etsy shop you might want to check out too. :-) Thank you Maria-Jose and Monica!

The second prize I won is this adorable Moses basket with rose patterned fabric (also quite petite) from Anna of  Littlethings blog in Athens, Greece. I show the Moses basket here with a half-scale vintage Japanese ironing board. Isn't Anna's prize pretty and sweet? She also sent a couple of lovely handmade extras: a Santa magnet and a heart-shaped tree ornament. How thoughtful! Thank you Anna! Here is Anna's shop.

Next time I will show Dad's Dollhouse dressed in its Christmas finest. That's in two days, on Christmas eve. Also, I haven't mentioned it in a while, but my Big Miniatures Giveaway is still going on. Check out the giveaway post to enter. There's still time! You can enter through January 1, 2012, and I will announce the winner on January 2, 2012. Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer

Beautiful Mini Blessings Prizes Plus Shabby Chic Cottage Update

I received Kathi's Beautiful Mini Blessings giveaway prizes late Monday afternoon, and boy, did she spoil me rotten! Not only did she send these amazing beauties (all made by her!),

but she also sent all of these extras! Fabrics, ribbons, lace, a shelf, a hutch, and a bunch of cute dollhouse miniatures! There's a tiny pink flamingo leaning against the hutch--so cute!

And this photo is a close-up on a darling dollhouse book and a bunch of lovely mini magazines. Wow--I'm thrilled! Thank you again, Kathi! I love everything! :-) You all might want to be following Kathi's blog now so you can enter Kathi's next giveaway! ;-) Besides, her blog is really fun!

I'd been doing some work on my new shabby chic cottage in anticipation of receiving Kathi's prizes. I wasn't sure the flocked white Christmas tree would fit in Dad's Dollhouse with its Victorian decor, but I figured the tree would look really nice in a shabby chic environment. So I've done a little bit to the house, which as you may remember, arrived in pieces from Greece.

First, I removed two small areas of wallpaper in the attic:

Wallpaper before

I did some research online and found the suggestion to lay a hot steamy wrung-out cloth on the wallpapered walls before scraping off the loosened wallpaper. It worked, although it took several tries to get the wallpaper and ALL of the glue off. Patience was the key word! :-)

Wallpaper after (no wallpaper--yay!)

After I removed the wallpaper, I gave most of the pieces a first coat of gesso. So that's how I got the pictures of Kathi's prizes above. I removed the wallpaper, I painted the inside walls of the house with gesso, and then I leaned the house walls together long enough to take some photos (!). Next steps will be more painting and then wallpapering--yikes! If anyone has wallpapering tips for me, please do share! Until next time.... xoxo Jennifer