New Bear in Cupcake Cottage!

I showed you Cupcake Cottage's new bunny character in my last post. Thank you to everyone who left a lovely comment for me. I so appreciated your sweet words and great suggestions for a name for the bunny. Now it is time to introduce the new bear character living in the cottage:

I needle-felted her too, and hand-stitched the skirt, just like the bunny. The bear has been busy baking chocolate chip cookies today:

Mmm, they look and smell so yummy, straight from the oven. And our bunny friend is waiting in anticipation. When can she try one?

OK, now you see them both together. Any ideas for the bear's name? From your suggestions on the last post, my two top favorite names are Flossy and Sophie. Flossy comes from the name "Fairy Floss," whose equivalent is "candy floss," or "cotton candy" in the U.S. and Canada. The bunny is very fluffy like cotton candy, so this name "Flossy" is really sweet and apt.

What if the bunny was named Flossy and the bear was named Sophie? These are my favorites so far, unless I hear something I like better from one of you lovely readers. Don't be shy! Tell me what the best names would be, if you have an idea. Thank you in advance. I appreciate your comments and name suggestions so much. Next blog post, it will be time for some Halloween fun! xoxo Jennifer

New Bunny in Cupcake Cottage!

I'm really excited to introduce the first character I've created for Cupcake Cottage. She's a mini needle-felted bunny with a hand-sewn skirt. I don't have a name for her yet. Do any of you have any name suggestions?

She's a little shy at first.

I took a needle-felting class a couple of months ago and enjoyed it. I'm really excited that with new characters like this bunny, I'll be able to do more photo stories, and now greeting cards, with Cupcake Cottage as the backdrop.

Ah! Here she is!

Have you noticed another change in Cupcake Cottage besides the new bunny? Look what I found: the perfect work table for the kitchen. Just like the hutch, it was made by Vicky Lovejoy of Lovejoy Bears on Etsy. I feel like it pulls the whole kitchen together. Vicky sent these lovely gifts along with my purchase too: the gorgeous cake stand, cupcake book, and pink polka-dot heart that's hanging from the drawer pull. How thoughtful and generous--thank you again, Vicky!

Thanks for taking a look at my latest. I really appreciate your thoughtful comments. I'll have more to show you very soon! Until then, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Dollar Store Halloween Fun! Plus Challenge

After seeing some of the things that fellow miniaturists have been finding at the Dollar Store, I've been stalking my local shops. See what I found here? A package of drinking straws with four jack-o-lanterns per straw! My husband used a hacksaw to separate the four pumpkins from one another. Each pumpkin is approximately 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) tall.

Pretty nice potential here for dollhouse miniature Halloween scenes, wouldn't you say?

Now onto the challenge: Ninni from Finland at Nipsun Nopotykset blog challenged me to answer some interview-type questions here on my blog. So here goes:

1. How and when did you start your miniature hobby?

I originally started my miniature hobby when my Dad built me my first dollhouse at around age 9 or 10. Several decades went by, when I'd almost forgotten about my interest in miniatures, but I saved my dollhouse. Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I made some plushies with the idea of selling them. As I was starting to photograph them, I thought of my miniatures collection and pulled some out to use as props in my photos. I started this blog, miniaturists found it, and my interest in the hobby was re-ignited. I turned some of my plushy photographs into greeting cards, and now I have a business selling them in local shops.

2. What would you want to do in miniature size?

I like to create miniature dioramas and scenes using my own playful handmade plush characters, recycled and repurposed materials, and dollhouse miniatures. I take photos of these scenes, and some of them become greeting cards. The type of scenes I create are whimsical with touches of shabby chic and vintage styles. I intend to create more scenes along these lines.

3. What kind of miniatures interest you the most?

I love sweet, cute, whimsical, and romantic-style miniatures the most. I love to purchase miniatures from individual artists who create in these styles. Examples include Lovejoy Bears, CuteinMiniature, and FloraDollhouse.

I also enjoy repurposing found objects and "shabbifying" old dollhouse furniture. Recycling is fun!

4. Mention five things you like.

1. Positive people.
2. Having fun!
3. Animals.
4. Needle felting, sewing by hand, and making miniatures.
5. Photographing miniature scenes and blogging.

5. Mention five things that you don't like.

1. Drama and negativity.
2. Mainstream media.
3. Cruelty and bullying.
4. Politics.
5. Social networking.

6. What is your biggest dream?

I just take one day at a time and see where it leads me.

7. Tell about some tradition you have in your home place/country.

In Portland, people spend a lot of time in bookstores and coffee shops during our rainy, dark winters. I love exploring bookstores and libraries.

8. If you could choose any place you wanted in the world, where would you want to live?

I like living in Portland, Oregon. It is green and beautiful, progressive and fun!

9. In which countries have you been? And which did you like the most? 

I spent a few years in SE Asia and have been to Mexico and Canada. My favorite place was the island of Bali in Indonesia. It was a tropical paradise with lovely people and an interesting culture.

10.Tell something interesting about Finland? OR What do you know about Finland?

Finland is known for its natural beauty and its peace-loving citizens. It's renowned for being a wonderful place to live!

Thank you for the fun challenge, Ninni! OK, that's it for me today. I'll have something fun to show you this weekend! xoxo Jennifer

Guinea Pig Love

I didn't realize that when I bought Gino the dollhouse miniature guinea pig from LugArtPetit that I would fall in love with guinea pigs so much. Gino is a real sweetheart:

And so is my little Rufus:

I just got Rufus a couple of weeks ago. He is a year old and the most adorable thing. He trills when he hears the rustling of plastic bags (he thinks it's time for food!). He runs around the huge, luxurious cage my husband built for him. He curls up and sleeps in his little hut and hides in his tunnel. He takes carrots from our hands too!

His pen / cage is near our dining room table, so we can watch his antics while we eat. We laugh and smile so much while we eat together. A big thank you goes to Ines of Liliput Things blog, who answered many questions about guinea pigs before I got him. He's keeping me busy these days, but not too busy, which is good.

I couldn't resist his sweet face!

You see, I've been trying to carve out more time in my schedule for creating. So far, I think Rufus is a little inspiration for me. I hope to show you some new creations soon! xoxo Jennifer

Sweet Prizes From Ana of Mi Mundo en Rosa Blog

I remember feeling both shock and overwhelming gratitude when I won the recent giveaway from Ana of Mi mundo en rosa blog. I adore her handmade shabby chic dollhouse miniatures, and her prizes were absolutely perfect for Cupcake Cottage.

It's the detail in her work that makes it just so precious. I adore the itty bitty bowl of cupcake frosting with the tiny wooden spoon, the one unfrosted cupcake, and the colorful cupcake cookbooks (Ana sent an extra one as a gift--how thoughtful!). Both the picture frame and the hanging picture (which is covered with so many tiny flowers!) are so sweet--I can hardly wait to place them in Cupcake Cottage!

The cookies look amazingly realistic, and the hanging ornament for the drawer pull is so tiny that it's hard to believe! Really, I adore everything in Ana's Etsy shop, Mundorosa, and everything she sent. Thank you so much, Ana!

Speaking of giveaways, some of you may have noticed that I haven't joined as many as before. I've been really looking at what I can use for my projects and joining giveaways based on my project needs. Many of you can relate to having more ideas and miniatures than you can really use. Between giveaways, swaps, dollhouse shops, and miniatures fairs, it is very easy to accumulate a large number of miniatures!

I never want to offend anyone by not joining their giveaways, but I let those who can really use the prizes join, and I stay out of the giveaways if I know the prizes won't fit with my decor or current or upcoming project ideas. I love all of the sweet prizes up for offer, but I can't fit them all in my house! ;-) Thanks for letting me get that off my chest! :-) Until next time, keep it fun! xoxo Jennifer

Dollhouse Miniature Purchases and Gifts in San Francisco

Hi Everyone! You remember my recent trip to San Francisco to see Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog? I showed you some snapshots from our wonderful time together. Now I'll show what I bought and the precious gifts I received from Maria. First, I bought one of these items at The Hobby Company of San Francisco. Can you guess which item I bought there?

If you guessed the miniature chocolate pudding in the parfait glass, you were right! Here's everything I bought that day. The mass on the left is a pile of rubber black bats, just in time for Halloween. The beads on the right are for making miniature cake stands. I didn't buy much, did I?

On the other hand, Maria gave me so many precious gifts that I think my bag was bulkier than when I left my house that morning loaded with food for my trip! First, Maria had Irish chocolate for me:

I have a bunch of food allergies, and I really shouldn't have, but I ended up eating a lot of this chocolate and sharing just a little with friends. So naughty of me, but it was so good! Really yummy chocolate, Maria! Thank you very much! ;-)

Next, Maria gave me a gorgeous special Irish handmade glass guardian angel in a beautiful fabric-lined box. I'll treasure it always, Maria! Thank you again for your sweetness!

Finally, Maria made me so many beautiful dollhouse miniatures. Not only these,

but these too:

I was and am so overwhelmed with Maria's sweetness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. Now I'll have all of these treasures (minus the yummy chocolate!) to remind me of our special day together in San Francisco. I hope I have the chance to meet many more of you, my dear blog friends, in the future. If you're half as nice as Maria, we'll have a sweet time together. :-) Until then, keep having 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

I Met a Blog Friend for Real!

Remember the saying, "Blog friends are real friends"? Last week I got to meet a blog friend in real life, and it was wonderful!!!

You see, Maria of Pretty Things Ireland blog was traveling to San Francisco. Portland is just over 600 miles (1000 km) away from San Francisco and a little shorter than a two-hour airplane flight. Years ago I'd flown to San Francisco for the day to attend a friend's wedding, so why couldn't I do it again?

Maria, her sister, and her daughter 

So that's what I did last Thursday. I flew down and spent five wonderful, fun hours with Maria, her sister, and Maria's daughter. They were all such lovely people, and we had a blast together! Maria is warm and friendly, just as you'd expect. She's a good hugger too! We chatted non-stop and giggled nearly the whole time. :-)

First we went to The Hobby Company of San Francisco for dollhouse miniatures, of course! They had a small but nice selection of dollhouses, miniatures, and diorama supplies. Maria and I both found a few miniatures there. They also had a small but lovely selection of beads, which caught everyone's attention, especially Maria's daughter, who makes gorgeous jewelry.

Next, we ran around like real tourists taking photographs of houses and all of the gorgeous flowers in bloom:

And then we walked to Baker's Beach and sat on the sand next to the Golden Gate Bridge:

Maria and me, Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Finally, we took a long and crowded bus ride, down steep hills through Chinatown, back to where we started, so that I could catch my plane back home. I was very sad to say goodbye to all three of them. They were the loveliest people, so warmhearted and fun. Thank you, Maria and family! It was wonderful spending time with you! Blog friends are so much fun! xoxo Jennifer

Precious Dollhouse Miniature Kitties!

Dad's Dollhouse has a kitty in every room. Cupcake Cottage needed some kitties too. I kept searching, but I couldn't seem to find what I was looking for. They needed to be soft, look like a real kitty, and not break the bank.

Then I found a shop on Etsy and started stalking it. It had just what I wanted: cute, realistic-looking needle-felted kitties, but they were twice the size I needed. That was until two weeks ago when I checked again, and there were two of the cutest dollhouse miniature-size kitties I'd ever seen. Just look for yourself.

What did I tell you? I think they're the cutest kitties ever, but I might be a little bit partial, since they're my fur babies now. ;-)

They were made by artist Judy Johnson of Bay Colony Designs on Etsy. Judy makes several sizes of her needle-felted kitty sculptures. She even makes custom kitties from a photo of your own pet! And she has new dollhouse miniature-size cats in her Etsy shop right now!!!

My suggestion: run to her shop this minute, and get yourself one of these cuties. Don't forget to favorite her shop so you can find it later too. ;-) 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