Bits and Pieces

Today I was attempting to fight the clutter in my studio and came across a little basket of notes & scribbles I made while working on my book Christmas With the Mousekins - A Story with Crafts, Recipes, Poems and More!. Especially on a book that has so many details, I accumulate a lot of ideas on random pieces of paper - things that occur to me while I'm in bed or watching tv, etc. If I were super organized, all my notes would be made into one sketch book, but that doesn't happen! So I scanned them and assembled them into groups.
So here you can see me working out the details of the book, from the Mousekins' house and decorations inside,

to their outfits,

their holiday decorations and Momo's Christmas Tree Hat,

as well as a letter to Santa Mouse and the presents, wrapped and unwrapped.

Some of these ideas didn't make it into the final art, but most of them did.
What a completely fun and joyful experience it was to make this book! xo

Good little mouse

Thank-you notes were a big deal in my house growing up and I took them very seriously. I had a great aunt who gave out single dollars each Christmas, and it became a joke in my family that one year I thanked her for "the good dollar," having already used "nice" and "useful" in previous years...Here's Mimi Mousekin busy with her letters...

Mousekins fan letter

i received a cute fan letter today by snail mail (yay!).
(the sender's info has been removed for privacy).

she writes exactly like i did at her age -
switching out with multiple colors of felt-tip pens.
so fun!

Fa-la la la-la!

We actually had a real live group of (human) carolers come to the door last night! It's a long tradition in our (new) neighborhood, followed by a big party next door. Very merry!
xo

Mousekin munchkins!

And here are 2 adorable boys doing just that (i.e. making the crafts in Christmas with the Mousekins mentioned in my last post). They did such a great job! And check out their amazingly decked-out tree too!

 

They also made the best Cinnamon Snails - Yum!
Thanks to their mom Analisa for sharing the photos.
xo

It's that Mousekin time of year!

It's that Mousekin time of year...

 

 

 

There is crafting to be done...

and tasty cookies to be baked.

Make a felt mobile, Mimi & Momo finger puppets, a snazzy Christmas Tree Hat, a mousie sock puppet, old fashioned cornucopias, and a beautiful angel mouse tree topper!

I hope you'll look for Christmas with the Mousekins at your library or bookstore, and join this industrious and very cheerful little family for some serious holiday fun! xo

So long, Christmas Mousekins - see you next year!

good little mousie