Abominable Snowmouse

Hoorah! My latest parcel of stock has arrived at our shipping depo (aka, Naomi's house) so I have lots of new mice, hedgehogs and moles to show you! The first of these is possibly my favourite design of all time... The Abominable Snowmouse!! I hope you like him as much as I do. *squeeeee*

Little Abominable Snowmouse has spent so much time out in the cold that his little nose has gone blue! It's a lonely life being a Yeti, when other people see him then tend to run away screaming. The Abominable Snowmouse would be very happy to come and live on a nice warm bookshelf or spend his days sitting next to a computer keeping you company.

Click here for more photos

Amy Pond Mouse

Meet Amy Pond Mouse!

This sassy, flame-haired young Scot is the cheeky companion of The Doctor Mouse. He whiskered (!) her away the night before her wedding day to travel with him through time and space. She has a taste for the wild side and, although her heart lies with her fiancee Rory, she does have a weak spot for little Matt Smith Mouse.

You can find her in our store here.

Artist Interview - staroftheeast

Each week we invite a different Etsy seller to visit us at our home: The House of Mouse, where all the mice live. This week's guest is jewelry- and bag-designer Estella from staroftheeast.etsy.com. Estella lives and works in Turkey with her mother, Esther.


The moment Estella enters the House of Mouse, she is crowded by dozens of girlie mice who are enchanted by her gorgeous jewelry! They excitedly lead her to the living room, where a roaring fire and several comfortable chairs (mouse-sized and human-sized!) await them. Pearl the knitting mouse nudges Estella's ankles to offer her something: It is a newly knitted blanket to lay on her lap and keep warm. Pearl says that Estella can take it away when she leaves, as a souvenir. Naomi pulls out her notebook and begins the interview.


Welcome to our cosy little home, Estella. It's wonderful to have you here to chat with us today.

Thank you so much for inviting me, Naomi! And look at this gorgeous blanket I just got from Pearl, how sweet and generous, thank you so much!
(Pearl blushes bashfully)

We'd like to begin by asking you a little bit about your Etsy stores and what they mean to you: when telling someone about your shops for the first time, what do you say about them?

When people ask us what we do we tell them that we make jewelry, most people do not take it very serious as they just think it is a hobby, playing with some beads. They do take us seriously when they find out that we live off that income and even take care of 14 dogs with it! Although it is not always easy, we are very happy to be able to live creatively!

Our main passion is jewelry making and so is our main shop and focus on staroftheeast. To give us a break from that we often make home decor and other creative outlets which end up in our giftshop, GiftsandStars. And we have a huge amount of fabric and textiles, vintage and new, which we sew into mostly one of a kind and always eco friendly bags for StarBags. As we are supply addicts we sometimes buy a little too much of some kinds, and to be able to circulate that into new supplies we sell them in our supply shop, StarofSupplies so that we can buy new supplies.

Would you share a memory with us of when you first fell in love with your favorite craft?

We always have been a creative duo one way or the other. Jewelry making started with the fact that I loved wearing earrings and didn't like or couldn't afford the ones for sale in shops here, so I started making my own. During that period a course opened here, and my mother and I went there together, we were very soon in love with it and wanted to make it our job!

How do you plan for new items in your Etsy Shops, if at all? Do you know how something will look before you start?

An idea can come in many ways. Inspiration often comes from the material we have but it can also be a movie, a conversation about something totally different, other artists works (in-an-inspirational-not-copy-way) and of course nature, which is also our main supply source. Ideas sometimes do not work out as we planned in our head, or might turn into a completely different way.


We do hope that you're a keen Etsy buyer as well as seller. What is your favourite shop on Etsy and why?

There are too many to choose just one! There is so much talent on Etsy. You will be able to find many of my favorites by searching for 'europeanstreetteam'.

We'd love to get a little snippet of your home life, please describe your home in just 5 words!

1. 14 dogs; much love and fur
2. lots of books, we both read alot
3. computer = internet, a huge source of inspiration and of course our income source
4. materials, as we usually create every day
5. comfort food, life is way less fun without it!

Ahh, so "dogs, books, computer, materials, food"! What a lovely mixture, your home must be very inviting.


Musculus Maximouse gets terrible midnight cravings. If he were to raid your refrigerator right now, what treats might he find there?

Mostly vegetables, cheese, Nutella, bread, and leftovers.

(Musculus licks his mousie chops at the sound of Nutella!)

If you were a mouse living in The House of Mouse, which one would you be and why?

I think I would love to be the Frida Kahlo mouse, I love her hair, her dresses and her art! But I love all of them differently so wouldn't mind to be any of them, hmmm maybe not Axel the executioner :)


And finally, one of the mice would like to ask you a question. Flower the Hippy Mouse would like to ask you: What is your most treasured possession and why?

I have many treasured possessions, as I give a lot of value to what I have. But not replaceable and very treasured are my mother and the furry kids :)

Those "furry kids" are lucky indeed to live in a household filled with such love.
It has been a pleasure having you here, Estella. Please let us know how we can find you on the internet by sharing some links!

The pleasure was all mine, I'm so happy to finally have met the famous Mouse Family after seeing them on the web so often! Oh I brought a special notebook with me, I would love to have their autographs, before they are too famous to have time for such things!


(The mice giggle excitedly and crowd around to put a "pawprint" in Estella's little book.)

You can find our shops at staroftheeast.etsy.com starofsupplies.etsy.com starbags.etsy.com and giftsandstars.etsy.com

we blog often at http://star-of-the-east.blogspot.com
and very recently started a visual blog at http://staroftheeast.tumblr.com

We feature a different Artist each week: If you'd like to come and visit us at The House of Mouse, please feel free to pop us a message and we will try to book you in!
xxx

Artist Interview - BHBKidstyle

Each week we invite a different Etsy seller to visit us at our home: The House of Mouse, where all the mice live. This week's guest is Hungarian children's clothes designer Eva from BHBKidstyle.etsy.com, who is currently based in Portugal.


Eva arrives with armfuls of brightly colored tiny Mouse t-shirts hand painted by her, which she tells us are gifts for all of the mice! The mice that have gathered to welcome her are squabbling over the beautiful designs, but in the end each of them is wearing a vibrant little outfit and they are all very impressed. Naomi and the mice guide Eva to the House of Mouse library, where we are surrounded not only by hundreds of beautiful books but also bright and cheerful hanging mobiles and wind chimes to catch our eyes as we chat. It is a warm, serene little room with comfortable chairs and a lovely atmosphere. There are cheesy nibbles laid out on the low tables for us to munch on! Naomi settles Eva in one of the comfy chairs and begins the interview.

Hello, Eva dear, and welcome to The House of Mouse! We're all so glad that you could make it here today.

Thank you for inviting me! I do pass your house quite often while doing my errands in town and I often wondered how so many different mice with different personalities can live under the same roof in peace. And your library! It's such a comfortable place! It has a very pleasant, relaxing atmosphere. I can just see myself sitting here under the mobiles nibbling yummy cheese scones while musing about my next design.

Well you'd be more than welcome to visit any time! For today, we'd like to begin by asking you a little bit about your Etsy store and what it means to you: when telling someone about your shop for the first time, what do you say about it?

Well, me and my Etsy store have a very up-and-down relationship. I opened it just over a year ago full of hopes and dreams. As we all know dreams don´t always come to true, or at least not immediately and that is when the relationship has its down moments. However, I´m a dreamer by nature. Dreaming keeps me going and make me a positive thinking person.

I like my Etsy store because without it I wouldn´t have been able to show the world my craft and my belief that kids have vivid imaginations, good humor and that they like wearing it. Without my Etsy store I wouldn´t have had the courage to start selling my products at craft fairs and see how much people appreciate what I do. And without my Etsy store I wouldn´t have met some wonderful people.

Would you share a memory with us of when you first fell in love with your craft?

To be honest first I fell in love with my youngest daughter's drawings. At the age of four she produced a quite complicated picture with lots of details and a full story behind it. That was the time when I decided that they shouldn´t go to waste. But of course complicated pictures can´t really go onto t-shirts so, I just use snippets of them
My first ever t-shirt was the grazing colorful sheep. I made lots of them since then in different sizes. Adults like wearing it too and I have had quite a few custom orders. I even have them for babies.

But the first time I fell in love with my craft must have been when I made a leaf print t-shirt with bugs. I adore nature! I love leaf prints and I find that when having a closer look at little bugs they are beautiful.

How do you plan for a new item in your Etsy Shop, if at all? Do you know how something will look before you start?

Well, I either get the folder out that contains my kids artwork or I start drawing the design that has been “bothering” me on paper first. It usually takes several attempts to get the picture to look vaguely like the one I imagined. If I´m not sure about it, I get one of my kids' old t-shirts out and do the design on that. For me, painting on t-shirts is much easier than on paper. However, I never know exactly what a design is going to look like until I finish it. It´s always the last touches that makes them just right. It used to freak me out but I´m fine with it now. Well, most of the time.

(Gizmo the Mogwai Mouse has crept up to Eva and is offering her a huge piece of cheesecake. Eva's eyes have lit up at this, and she nibbles at it as Naomi carries on with the interview)

We do hope that you're a keen Etsy buyer as well as seller. What is your favorite shop on Etsy and why?

(Eva starts coughing and choking) I must say (coughs – coughs) it is very mean of you waiting for me to let my guard down with this delicious cheesecake and then shooting a question like this at me! Bad manners! (Making herself at home, Eva reaches out to take another slice of cheese cake without being offered it or asking permission first!)
I like things that are out of the normal and different from the mainstream. I like shops that sell things that I would never be able to make. That is why I like
http://www.etsy.com/shop/13threads, http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jealousydesign, http://www.etsy.com/shop/Kreativlink, http://www.etsy.com/shop/ingermaaike, http://www.etsy.com/shop/StarBags,

We'd love to get a little snippet of your home life, please describe your home in just 5 words!

Disorganised, noisy, smell of bread, welcoming, loving

(Naomi points out that this must be why Eva feels so at home at The House of Mouse, as it sounds very familiar!)

Musculus Maximouse gets terrible midnight cravings. If he were to raid your refrigerator right now, what treats might he find there?

We love dairy products and the fridge is always well stocked with milk, yoghurts and of course different kind of cheese. The most precious bit in it at the moment is a very mature bit of Stilton. Do you want to come round and have a bit of it?

Some of the mice are a little too young for such strong cheese, but we do happen to know that Alfonso the Artist Mouse has a real weakness for Stilton, and Naomi shares his love! We may raid your fridge some day soon!!

You are more than welcome!

If you were a mouse living in The House of Mouse, which one would you be and why?

I think I would like to be Gourdon, the Mouse dressed as a Pumpkin. My favorite colour is orange and I really like his pumpkin outfit. It is big and roomy and he can keep lots of different things in it. Not just sweets and cheese.

(Gourdon is puffing out his little chest proudly, but admits that it is mostly sweets and cheese stuffed in his costume today after Halloween! It will need a wash in the morning...)

And finally, one of the mice would like to ask you a question. As he's taken such a shining to you, your question this week comes from Gourdon. He says that color is clearly a very important part of your work, and he'd like to ask you: As well as orange, what are your favorite colors?

Well, Gourdon, I like orange because it´s bright, shocking and warm. I also like different shades of green because it reminds me of nature and I like the different shades of blue because they go well with orange.

It has been a pleasure having you here, Eva. Please let us know how we can find you on the internet by sharing some links!

It was my utmost pleasure! I really enjoyed being here and the yummy delicious food!

Through my Etsy store, of course: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BHBKidstyle
On facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Condeixa-Portugal/BHB-Kidstyle/142217155821572
On twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BHBKidstyle
And my need to work on blog: http://bhbkidstyle.blogspot.com

Join us every week for Etsy seller interviews!

xxx

Monday Moodboard: Domestic Goddess

Fold Top Shoulder Bag by StarBags
Sewing forever, housework whenever by dindi

Crafting Cindy Desk Organizer by lessandmore
Purple Felted Pincushion by colouritgreen

I've made the decision: The time has come for me to buy (and learn to use!) a sewing machine. It's on my Christmas list, so hopefully by the new year I will be sewing beautiful clothes for all my family and friends!!! (Well, I can dream, can't I?)

Have a magical week ;-)
Naomi xxx

Psssst! Love Moodboards? Find more wonderful Moodboards at Fleur's blog!

Wednesday Wisdom

Feed your inner artist regularly.

...No, I'm not talking about eating a varied diet, though that is of course important ;-)
What I'm refering to is filling your artistic "pool", or nourishing your imagination. If you're any kind of artist or you rely on your creativity for any part of your life, then the chances are you've had days when you just don't feel very inspired or creative. I've realised that many people are trying to call on their imagination to help them when they haven't been taking proper care of it!
Your creative mind needs fuel and some time to spark that fuel into a flame before it will start working for you. For me, the very best way to allow this to happen has always been taking some time to appreciate nature. My second in line is listening to music that makes my spirit soar.

Please treat your inner artist this week to something that makes YOU feel inspired, and see how rewarding it is! I don't want to hear "but I don't have the time..." - There is always time enough to invest in yourself ;-) and in the long run, you will find that it is always worth it.

Much love,
Naomi xxx

We invite all of you to share your Wisdom with the blogosphere by
posting a link to your Wednesday Wisdom in Mister Linky below!
(Just the individual WW post please, not your whole blog- that way we can find your post later!)
Photograph from PetitPlat

Calling the Universe to help an amazing Artist!

A good friend of ours from the European Street Team on Etsy, Frances J. Melhop, is on an amazing adventure, and she needs your help! Frances is an amazingly talented New Zealand-born photographer, and her wonderful Etsy shop matchstickgirl is filled with her unique artwork.

At the beginning of October, Frances embarked upon a singular journey through Italy after being awarded an artist's residency with the Mira foundation in Puglia, Italy. On her photographic adventure, she came across the most amazing ancient trees which she believes can symbolise worldwide peace.


She has been using her artistic skills to photograph these wonderful creatures which appear to have human bodies and faces interwoven inside the trunks, and her vision is to create a giant exhibition of these natural beauties. She also hopes to publish a book on the Ancient Olive tree portraits, which will include a collection of recipes and dark stories from the Italian grandmothers that she meets on her travels.


Frances is depending on us to help make her dream come to life. She is an amazing artist on a magical journey, and we truly believe that the Universe can pull through for her and help her to reach her goal of $4000 by 3rd November. She doesn't have a lot of time left, so come on Universe, find it in your heart to help this girl to achieve her dream! These amazing trees and the stories that Frances has picked up are timeless, they need to be shared with the world and kept alive! There are some wonderful treats in store if you want to become a backer of Frances's unique project, and a sliding scale of pledge amounts available for any budget.

We believe so strongly in this project that we have decided to dedicate 10% of all profits from The House of Mouse between now and 3rdNovember to the Ancient Olive Tree Project. Alternatively (or as well as this!) you can be a part of the amazing universal energy that will help to bring this project to life by pledging any amount here.
Thank you so much, and all the best to you!

Naomi and Anna x x x x

Monday Moodboard - Mmmm, brains...

Fat Bat Bird by Sabahnur
Zombie Mini Art Feeling by ArtMind
Tiny Veiny Blue Eyeball Studs by MistyAurora
Secret Society Photography Print by eleanors

See more Moodboards on fleur's blog

August Giveaway Winner

Once again the monthly giveaway was a huge success!
Thank you to everyone the commented for your chance to win!

The prize goes (as always) to a person chosen at random using the random generator

And the winner is...
Chani

Your prize is a
$35.00 gift voucher
to spend in our store!

Thank you to everyone who entered,
We wish that we could give you all a free mouse!
You'll have a brand new chance to win
tomorrow in the September Giveaway!

Wednesday Wisdom

To make an Etsy Treasury really special,
choose listings that mean something to you.

Sometimes, even though I want to make a Treasury, I just can't think of a decent theme to tie it all together. I bet I'm not the only one! I realised recently that if I make a Treasury based on my feelings or my life situation at the time, it often flows really well. It has more of a 'meaning' to me, and it's easier to spot the items that fit in with my 'feeling' (like a Moodboard!) than it is to randomly look for items that might look good together.

Also, this way, if it does make it to the Front Page, I'd be sharing a bit of my life or my soul with thousands and thousands of people. That's pretty cool!

The first Treasury that I made for The House of Mouse.

Much love,
Naomi xx

Play along with us and share your knowledge. Leave a link to your Wednesday Wisdom (not your whole blog, just the individual post please) below in Mister Linky.

For more information on how to play visit this post

Interview with a Mouse: Alfonso the Artist Mouse

Those of you who have already subscribed to our new The House of Mouse newsletter will know that we've started doing monthly mini-interviews with the mice. They're lots of fun, and hopefully will give you a unique "mouse's perspective" on things! We thought it was only fair to share them here on the blog as well, but those of you subscribing to the newletter will see them at least a week in advance as a special treat ;-)

Our very first Interview with a Mouse features a very special Mouse: Alfonso the Artist Mouse was the first Mouse ever sold at The House of Mouse! He's a bit of a veteran, really, so we hope you enjoy meeting him.

Hello Alfonso, welcome to the newsletter! Thanks for talking to us.
'Allo, merci, I am 'appy to be 'ere! I 'ope I 'ave plenty to talk aboute.

Well, why don't we start by talking about your work as an artist. Are you inspired by any particular famous artists?
Aaahhh oui, I 'ave zeveral idols from zee artiste world. I admire zee vork of Mouselangelo and Vincent Van Gogh Mouse, 'oo can alzo be found at zee delightful 'Ouse of Mouse. But my all-time favoureet artiste, 'ee iz Leonardo Da Vin-Cheese.

We hear from The House of Mouse that you sometimes get so excited in your painting that you splatter the paint onto the canvas with your tail, is that true?!
(Alfonso shuffles around in embarrassment) Uhm... Zat vas just... Uhm... Zumtimes, oui...

What do you most love to paint?
I love to paint zee cheese, and ven I 'ave 'ad a leetle too much of zee Roquefort, I zumtimes paint zee dancing cats in pink pyjamas!

Sounds intriguing... What about your time at The House of Mouse? Who has been your greatest friend there, have you come across anyone you don't like?
Ahh, vell, I 'ave to say, 'Ootie zee 'Wise' Brown Owl can be a leetle bit of a pain in zee bottom ven you get 'im talking. But my most special ami 'as to be Nona zee Cellist Mouse. She is very very artistique and a very sweet Mouse. I 'av very much enjoyed 'er company at zee 'Ouse of Mouse. It is a vonderful 'ome, vee all 'ave great fun zere.

That's fabulous, thank you so much for sharing with us Alfonso, and best of luck with your next adoptive family, whoever they may be!
Merci beaucoup, mon ami! Au Revoir, zee you again.



Don't forget; to be the first to read our monthly mini-interviews with the mice, as well as to receive special discount vouchers and hear all of our other news and updates, subscribe to our monthly newsletter!