Fun Spring Miniature Swap!

I recently did a fun miniature swap with Anna of Kaksosten kotitalo blog. The theme was spring. This was such a fun swap! I adore the sweet gifts that Anna sent me, and I had such a fun time making miniatures with her in mind. Anna has a unique style that I love. I really enjoy following her blog and seeing how she decorates her dollhouse.

First, I'll show you some sweet items that Anna made that I've already put to use in my Hello Kitty dollhouse. Strawberry Shortcake is playing in her bedroom with the darling jumprope that Anna made. And check out the gorgeous red polka dot duvet Anna made for the bed and the sweet fabric-covered stool (one of a pair):

Now you can see more of the bedroom, this time with Orange Blossom and that beautiful duvet again:

And here are all the items Anna sent, including beautifully wrapped boxes and a cute card. Besides what I've shown you above and will show you below, there are bags of flower bulbs with tiny bulbs inside, a sweet book, and three beautiful and cute Easter eggs (which I'll show in an upcoming Easter scene):

 

Check out the darling kitty she made from polymer clay:

And a fun fluffy white guinea pig friend:

She made the sweet bowl of kitty grass too. Oh my! Everything is just too cute for words! Thank you so much, Anna! Your gifts are so beautiful and thoughtful! Now I'll show you the gifts I made for Anna. As I wrote earlier, I had a blast studying Anna's blog and making things I thought she would like (which she obviously did for me too :-)):

The big red heart is a pillow I sewed by hand from vintage wool felt. I got the idea for making the rubber gloves from a tutorial I saw on Pinterest. I didn't use the tutorial, but just "winged it" myself. I learned how to make cherries with cherry sauce when I made Anna's cherry chocolate cake. And here's a close-up of the cake. You can almost see the details on the individual cherries if you look really hard. :-)

In my next posts, I have gorgeous gifts to show you from Jane of Minifanaticus blog and Simona of Soft and Malleable blog. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Gifts From Maria, Kikka, and Drora

More birthday gifts have arrived! I feel so grateful to have such sweet blog friends. First, Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog sent all of these darling handmade gifts, plus some yummy chocolates that didn't make it into the photo ;-) :

The red sweater on the left is being modeled by Orange Blossom in the top photo. It's a perfect fit! And here's a close-up photo of the sweet beach bag and hand painted teapot Maria made, using a Sylvanian Families bed that Maria thoughtfully sent as a backdrop:

Aren't they pretty? I love the bag's vintage-style fabric and the teapot's fun colors!

Kikka of Pieni Sammakko blog sent all of these lovelies, including both handmade and vintage minis, beautiful fabric, cute Moomin stickers and two cute cards, one for Easter and one for my birthday:

Here's a close-up of Kikka's handmade gifts. The pink box in the front is a tiny box of Hello Kitty bandages with even tinier bandages inside--too cute! The two yellow boxes on the right are boxes of Easter Peeps. Kikka scanned a real life box to make them! Everything is so pretty, including the spring daffodils!

And finally (for today), Drora of Drora's Minimundo blog sent these gorgeous gifts with a beautiful card:

Just in front of the card are two halvah bars--yummy! Drora's minis are always so special. She even made me a matching basket of flowers to go with the basket she sent for Christmas. The pair look lovely together on Flossy's porch. :-)

Here's a close-up of the darling teapots Drora sent. They're so pretty and cute!

Thank you Maria, Kikka, and Drora! Your thoughtful and beautiful miniature gifts, and especially your gifts of friendship, are such treasures! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Miniature Gifts, Guinea Pigs, and More!

Hi Everyone! I think you all know how much I love guinea pigs, especially my little Rufus, right? Sarah K., aka The Mama Pirate, of sayruhk.com blog knew I did, and she emailed and asked if I could provide a good home for a dollhouse miniature guinea pig. :-) Sarah's downsizing her miniatures collection and has consolidated her blogs. You may have followed her previous blogs, including A Little Dollhouse and The Mama Pirate. You can check out her new blog to see her work on finishing her dollhouse.

It looks like the new guinea pig from Sarah (made by Magda of 1717mk on Etsy) is going to live with Strawberry Shortcake:

Here's a close-up photo of the sweet little guy. Isn't he cute?

The real question is, will he be able to get along with the others? It looks like he might have to throw his weight around to get to the food:

Sarah generously sent some other mini treasures with the precious guinea pig:

The lid comes off of that metal teapot, and the frames will be so useful. The needlepoint rug is gorgeous! Already, the cute teddy bear book, which has pictures inside too, has found its way inside Dad's Dollhouse mouse house:

And all the other cute items will find their spots over time. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gifts, including the sweet guinea pig, Sarah! I really appreciate them. And thank you for following my blog too!

Speaking of guinea pigs, little Rufus was the lucky winner of a blog giveaway hosted by Buffy, Broccoli, and Lola, the three guinea pigs who write the blog posts at Cavy Savvy blog. To celebrate their 300th blog post, they gave away two prizes. Rufus won the second prize, a bag of Oxbow Organic Barley Biscuits, which he loved. Thanks Buffy, Broccoli, and Lola! You're the best, and your blog is so fun! Buffy, Broccoli, and Lola do a lot of product and fresh food reviews, plus they educate humans on how to care for their guinea pigs--nice!

Everything has shut down here in Portland, Oregon since a big snow storm hit us a few days ago. We have at least six inches of snow with a layer of frozen rain on top. I'm so grateful to have greeting card design, miniature making, and blogging to keep me busy while I'm housebound. I hope the rest of you aren't too buried in snow. ;-) I took this photo before we got more snow plus ice--yikes!

Finally, I can hardly wait to show you the handmade Valentine's Day gifts Jane of Minifanticus blog has sent me. You're going to be amazed! I'll show you later this week, but before that, there may be one more post. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Mavis Mouse and the Homemade German Delicacies

Mavis mouse has been in the kitchen again.

This time she made a giant feast of German delicacies. There's a selection of fancy meat dishes, fine wine, sliced dark bread, potato salad, and cucumber salad. Yummy!

Looks like the German egg salad is even more enticing than her other favorite food--cheese! ;-)

Good thing Mavis Mouse received such beautiful foods and fancy wine (everything but the cheese plates) from her good friend Mieke of Petite Victorian Rose blog. :-) Mieke made all the foods herself--wow! Thank you so much, Mieke!

Notice the hutch in Mavis Mouse's kitchen? I made it from a Chrysnbon kit after procrastinating for a year or two. I just finished it last night so I could show Mieke's beautiful gifts. Yay!

In addition to all of the homemade German delicacies, Mieke also sent a gorgeous handmade table runner that has become the perfect rug in Mavis Mouse's bedroom:

Last but not least, Mieke also sent this gorgeous handmade dress and purse set for Orange Blossom, one of my vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls:

There's a tiny red butterfly button on the front of the dress--so whimsical and wonderful. Thank you so much for your sweet and gorgeous gifts, Mieke, and for your precious gift of friendship! I feel so lucky and grateful. Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

New Cards Sneak Preview!

Hi Everyone! I've got some new greeting cards that are going to the print shop in a couple of days. Here's a sneak peek at what will be in stores in a couple of weeks!

Title: Bluebelle Celebrates Her Birthday
Inside message: "It's your birthday. Let's have some cake!"

Title: Flossy and Bluebelle Have a Good Chat
Inside message: "I'm so glad we're friends."

Title: A Birthday Wish
Inside message: "Close your eyes and make a wish!"

I've received amazing miniature gifts from a couple of sweet friends too. Next time I'll show you the Christmas gifts that just arrived! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Gifts Galore!

One of the lovely side benefits of having blog friends in the miniatures community is the lovely gifts exchanged during the holiday season and on birthdays. My holidays have become so much sweeter since I started Plushpussycat blog, and this year has been no exception. Can you see how happy Strawberry Shortcake is?

It's no wonder! She received this exquisite hand-knitted sweater from Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog. I love the colors, and the yarn is so delicate and soft. Maria, however, didn't stop with the gorgeous sweater! Even my little baby Sylvanian Families bunny got a pretty crocheted dress. Now she feels like a princess!

Maria also sent all of these treasures:

Oops! Maria also sent yummy chocolates, but they didn't
make it into this photo! ;-)

She sent so many cute things that I can use in upcoming scenes. Everything is so lovingly made and darling. Thank you so much for your beautiful, thoughtful gifts, Maria. You are a treasured friend!

Next up, I received some exquisitely made miniatures, including handmade miniature paper flowers, from Drora of Drora's Minimundo blog:

Pictures cannot do these beauties justice, but believe me, they're even more gorgeous in person. I know that some of these flowers will go on the front stoop of Bluebelle's Cake Shop. :-) I adore the delicate knitting basket and handmade Santa and elf that Drora included too. Drora is such a talented artist and special friend. Thank you so much for all of these thoughtful and beautiful gifts!

Last but not least, I received a special package from Birgit of BiWuBaren on the Blog:

Birgit sent a beautiful handmade card with a picture of Flutterby the bear inside, some delicious marzipan candy, a darling glass piggy that reminds me of my guinea pig Rufus, a gorgeous handmade wreath that is already hanging in Strawberry Shortcake's house, another beautiful wooden ornament, and a special raccoon friend for her "darling" Raccoon! Too cute! Thank you so much for these special and thoughtful gifts, Birgit. I'm so grateful for your friendship.

What amazing friends! Thank you all for brightening my holidays. And thank you to everyone reading this post and to those who leave comments. I appreciate you all so much! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Happy Halloween, Strawberry Shortcake Style!

Strawberry Shortcake decided to dress as a witch for Halloween this year...

And I decided to dress as Strawberry Shortcake!

Me dressed as Strawberry Shortcake

It's difficult to tell from this photo (which is how I intended it!), but this was a skimpy outfit with tight bust, thigh-high stockings, and a skirt that barely covered my bottom. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone, but I had such a fun night!

Hubby dressed as a hippy

Hubby and I went to a Halloween party with my favorite local Portland band, the Midnight Serenaders. Most guests were dressed in chic black and white 1920s-style outfits, but there were a few of us with colorful costumes! I was even recognized as Strawberry Shortcake by a younger woman who used to have a Strawberry Shortcake doll when she was a child. One of the tell-tale signs is the green and white striped stockings, worn by all of the dolls in the series. ;-)

Hope you have a great Halloween! Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo 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

Strawberry Shortcake in the Bedroom

How's that for a title, eh? ;-) Seriously, though, last time I showed some photos of my vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls in their newly-decorated Hello Kitty dollhouse, I only showed the downstairs (kitchen and living room). Now here are some additional dolls in the upstairs bedroom. First, Orange Blossom, who you met last time, with a new teddy bear I made:

Next, it's Strawberry Shortcake herself! This doll is a special "sleeper" doll (her eyes open and close):

Finally (for today), there's Cafe Ole. She was a Mexican doll in the Strawberry Shortcake international doll series:

The girls had a sleep-over (slumber party). Cafe Ole is still in her nightgown and cap, trying to wake up. :-) Don't those big fuzzy slippers look comfortable?

This doll stuff is a blast! I've had so much fun decorating the house, gathering the dolls, and finding clothes for them. I was thrilled to see your comments last time. So many of you remembered these dolls, and even if you didn't, they seemed to resonate with you. If you have/had these dolls, now or previously, which are/were your favorites? 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