a little more sparkle...

one last christmas pic before january is over - this the the main tree that i never posted about, because the small fat table-top tree sort of took over. but this tree was plenty pretty too!

Magical Wonder Tree!

Oh Magical Wonder Tree, at first you were an afterthought.
Not being very happy with the main tree we got (which is perfectly nice but turned out not to be great for showcasing ornaments), I picked you up a few days before Christmas and put you on the table. You are the perfect home for my handmade critters, and calling for more and more decorations day by day, you have truly become a thing of splendor!

You have made an impression on our home, and even when you're gone, you will not be forgotten.

Merry Mouse on the tree!

Here's how my new mouse ornament looks on the tree. Those big ears really pop!

Merry Mice factory!

It's a mouse factory in here, with Mocha Crinkles cookies baking in the oven! xo

It's a Double Decker!

 The adorable Sam was happy with his Christmas gift.

Apparently (which I had no idea) he is really into buses.
His mom reports that he kept repeating "It's a double-decker!"

And he quickly figured out that the wooden wheels turn. Clever boy!
I hope he has lots of fun with it.
xo

Trim up the tree with Christmas stuff, Like bingle balls, and whofoo fluff!

 Nearly just in time, the tree is finally trimmed!

 The big tree is mostly for ornaments from here and there...

 The table-top fake-feather tree is for ornaments I have made over the years...

 there are various incarnations of mice...

... and some funny bunnies too...

Merry Merry Christmas, everyone!
xoxp

So long, Christmas Mousekins - see you next year!

magic day

I hope your day was full of magic.
xoxo

Nana Mousekin's Christmas Eve Story

Finally, all the presents had been wrapped and put under the tree. The stockings were hung, and a big plate of cookies and cheese was set out for Santa Mouse. Now it was time for Nana Mousekin’s Christmas Eve Story:

“A long, long time ago,” she began, “when your papa was just a teeny, tiny baby--can you imagine that?”

“NO!” said Mimi and Momo, for although they heard the same story every year, they still could not believe that Papa Mouse had ever been a little baby!

“We had just moved to Sassafras Valley,” Nana Mousekin continued. “and we were nearly out of sugar, milk, and cheese. But it was two days before Christmas, and the nearby shops were closed! So your Grandpa set off for the only store that was open, which was two whole hours away. He had a good map, and he promised to be back for supper. I busied myself in the kitchen, and your baby papa played on his blanket.

But a few hours later, the sky darkened and big scary clouds swept in from the west, bringing howling winds. Then the snow started to fall--huge thick snowflakes--as big as teacups! Before long, the whole world was covered, and I could only see white out the window.

I put the baby to bed and tried to stay calm, but I was worried sick about Grandpa. Was he lost in the storm? Would he freeze to death far from home? If he did make his way back, would he find the house, so buried in snow? I wanted to go out and call for him, but the front door was completely blocked with snow. As hard as I pushed, I could not make it budge. If Grandpa did return, how would he even get inside?

All night I sat fretting by the fire, until I must have dozed off in the wee early morning.

Suddenly, I was startled awake by a great thump overhead. ‘The house is falling in!’ I screamed, as great heaps of snow fell down the chimney. But right then there was a second great thump, and guess who landed in the fireplace?”

“Grandpa Mousekin!” said Momo.

“That’s right,” said Nana. “And guess who followed right behind him?”

“Santa Mouse!” said Mimi.

“He had rescued your Grandpa from the storm and delivered him home, supplies and all, safe and sound!”

“Wow!” exclaimed Momo. “What did he look like?”

“His eyes,” Nana remembered, “how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses; his nose like a cherry; His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and his whiskers and chin were as white as the snow. He had a broad face and a little round belly that shook when he laughed—like a bowl full of jelly!”

“Did you offer him something to eat?” asked Mama Mouse.

“I put out a plate of my Special Pinwheel Cookies,” said Nana, “and he munched down two right away.” ‘Delicious!’ he declared, brushing crumbs from his beard. ‘But if it’s not too much trouble’, and he asked for something else to go with them.”

“Cheese!” said Momo.

“That’s right,” said Papa, “that’s how we know that Santa Mouse likes a little cheese with his cookies.”

“He didn’t stay long,” Nana concluded, “because he had so much to do. He knew the storm would slow things down—that’s why he had started a day early, and that was very lucky for us, wasn’t it? He went back up the chimney, got into his sleigh, and we heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight:

‘Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!’”

from Christmas With the Mousekins - A Story with Crafts, Recipes, Poems and More! by Maggie Smith

cookies, cookies, and more cookies...

i'm hard at work on my Holiday Cookie Paunch!
download the recipe for Nana Mousekin's Pinwheel Cookies here.
xo

charming charms

i got my friend Karen crafting again, with my Lucky Charms sewing pattern.
and look what she made!!
i'm especially in love with this gray owl...he would make an adorable pin!
xo

Christmas book

the holiday season is here, and i'm happy to announce my first Christmas book: Christmas with the Mousekins - A Story with Crafts, Poems, Recipes and More!
This is really my dream-come-true book in so many ways. besides taking place in a mouse world at Christmas-time, it incorporates recipes and craftiness into the story. i designed a lot of fun projects for the book.
there's lots of love & hugs & family togetherness,
and lots and lots of cookies!
(continued in post below)

Recipes and craft instructions follow the Mousekins making them in the story. so it's all very integrated.
mimi mouse gives baby mouse this cute felt mobile, and the next page shows how to make it (as well as a Mousie Sock Puppet and Mimi's little mitten bookmarks).
there are lots of projects in the book and even more online, for a real home-made holiday. we had the book printed on un-coated stock (no shine, just matte), which is really neat, and adds to the old-fashioned feel.
i've received some nice emails already from moms who have enjoyed the story and the craft projects with their kids. one woman wrote that her older girls (8 & 12) love the crafts too, so there's a wide age-range appeal ...

and another said they are definitely making Cinnamon Snail cookies this year!
i'm sensing that women enjoy the book for themselves, for its sense of nostalgia and for the crafts & recipes. so that's great.
the story starts two weeks before Christmas, so the book would make a nice early gift so that kids, moms, and grandmas (and hey, maybe dads and granddads too!) can join in with the busy Mousekins as they get ready for the big day - decorating their tree, baking cookies and delivering them to friends, crafting paper garlands and an angel-mouse tree-topper, and making gifts from felt and ribbon.
have a Merry Mousie Crafty Christmas!
xoxo

who doesn't love a chicken?

the very chilly & gray weather here in the northwest has given me the Christmas Crafting Bug just a little early!
here's a new ornament i just designed, called "chicken 'n egg".
i'm offering the sewing pattern for sale in my etsy shop.
i can't wait to get our tree & display her with my other handmade ornaments.
this would be fun as a kitchen decoration too - keeping chickens being such the rage now.
and anyway, who doesn't love a chicken?
xoxo