Needle Felting Kit Moongazing Hare for Beginners to Needle Felting

My new needle felting kits are ready! So if you would like to learn how to needle felt, and you want to make a little moon gazing hare, the kits are in my Etsy shop here: Needle Felting Moongazing Hare Beginners Kit by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Remember you get a free month's tutorial support by me when you buy any of my needle felting kits, plus the wool is all ethically produced which equals happy sheep! :)
Love, Mrs Plop xxx

Mother & Child Mouse Illustration Nursery Art & New Baby Greeting Cards

I've been working on illustrations this week, and I'm pleased with how this one turned out. I'm known predominantly for my needle felting but I also spend a lot of time on painting and illustrations. As I find mice so incredibly cute, I'm planning many more of these mouse illustrations. Hope you like it! :)

The unconditional love between a Mother and child is one of the most special and beautiful things in this world, and I wanted to somehow try to capture that love in this illustration of this little mouse, holding onto his Mother's hands (paws!) with the joy and contentment that a child feels when surrounded and protected by his or her Mother's love.

Printed on luxury textured watercolour paper, which gives it a beautiful and distinctive finish, and the highest archival standards.

Available in three sizes - 10 x 8 inches, 10 x 12 inches and 12 x 16 inches. Unmatted (not mounted) and unframed.

You can buy one of these prints here in my shop: Mother and Child Mouse Nursery Art Illustration by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Also available as a versatile greeting card, which can be given as a congratulations card for a new baby, or baby shower, or as a Mother's Day card, or just to say I love you from a daughter or son to a Mother, or vice versa! See the listing in my Etsy shop here: Mother & Child Mouse Greeting Cards by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

How to make a needle felted mouse tutorial PDF Instant Download DIY craft tutorial

My needle felting mouse tutorial is now available as a PDF - that stands for Plop Document Format ;) in case you were wondering.

My friends, the fabulous fibre gurus, Lyn & Annie, at Rosiepink suggested to me ages ago that I should do this! But I've been so busy with orders, that I've only just found the time to do it!

The tutorial is available in my shop at this link Needle Felting Mouse Tutorial PDF by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

If you prefer a needle felting kit containing wool and felting tools, I also stock needle felting kits. Both of these kits are suitable for beginners to needle felting.
Mouse needle felting kit
Fox needle felting kit

We Do!! Squeak!! Handmade Needle Felted Mice Wedding Cake Toppers Bride & Groom Mouse

We're getting married in the morning! :D

Ding dong the bells are gonna chime!

I had great fun making these two little wedding cake topper mice. And until they've been sold, they're a lot of fun to have around. They're on our dresser and they now have lots of fans - when our friends come round, we can't seem to help singing 'We're getting married in the morning' in very high pitched mouse like voices. We all sound completely crazy, but I bet you'd do the same. Haha! :) We'll miss them when they go!

These two little mice are more in love and happier than any mice have ever been!
The little bride mouse is wearing a handmade antique lace veil, with a vintage pearl and pink rose tiara, and holding a bouquet of flowers. Her groom is wearing his best waistcoat with vintage pearl button.

Please note: The colour of the bride's flower and flower bouquet can be changed to match the colour scheme of your wedding. Just send me a message via my Etsy shop below, letting me know the colour you would like.

The groom measures approximately 6" tall. His bride is a little smaller, at about 5.5"
The width of both of them is approximately 4".

They are ready to ship, and to bring their love and happiness to your special wedding day.

Handmade with ethically produced, high quality British wool.

Available in my Etsy shop. Please see listing here: Needle Felted Mice Wedding Cake Toppers by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

A new product line for Mrs Plop's Shoppe - Country Chic Hand Painted Hare Cushion With Ticking Fabric

Ok, I know it's not felting, but Mr Plop and I are very proud of our new product line. This is hand-painted by myself, not printed, so each one is completely unique and one of a kind.

When I finish the painting part, it's over to Mr Plop who does the sewing bit. Fab! because sewing really isn't my forte, but luckily Mr Plop is an expert! His ancestry is in the textile trade, his Grandparents owned a haberdashers shop and he was taught to sew when he was very young.  Oddly, my ancestors were in the textile trade too! I only found out recently that my ancestors on my Father's side were all in the trade in the North of England. It's a shame I didn't inherit their finesse with a sewing needle, but I guess my roots have shown up in a roundabout way with my needle felting.

If you would like to order one of these cushions, you can see the listing in my Etsy shop here: OOAK Hand Painted Hare Cushion by Mr and Mrs Plop

Miniature Felted Mouse, Miniature Painted Bird

This week I made another tiny needle felted harvest mouse who I named Maggie. I made her dress out of antique lace and I had some vintage 1920s sequins trim that I attached for her tiara.

Here is the reason she is named Maggie....

When harvest time is over, she has her own special harvest - She collects antique beads and lace, and makes dresses and tiaras out of them. She loves to sew, and she loves anything shiny. This is how she got the name Maggie, because she is like a little Magpie :)
She is for sale in my Etsy shop Maggie Harvest Mouse by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Here is Maggie Mouse....

I've also been painting  - a lot. I haven't mentioned my painting on this blog, because here, I concentrate on needle felting. But I do have some of my paintings in my Etsy shop. Today I finished painting a miniature art canvas of a blue tit bird in acrylic. I LOVE painting!

Here is the blue tit miniature painting.....
He is also for sale in my Etsy shop: Miniature Art Canvas Blue Tit Bird by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Lottie The Needle Felted Lavender Healing Mouse

I'm supposed to be rubbish at knitting! It says so, right here at the top of my blog. But looook! I made a little knitted scarf. And not only that, it doesn't have any holes in it, it didn't start narrow and end up widening out, it's the same width all the way down! Ok, this won't be at all  impressive to the knitters out there. But to me, it's a triumph! :D I'll have to change my blog sub-title now I suppose!

Anyway, the miniature scarf I knitted is for her ladyship, Lottie :)

Meet Lottie, the little needle felted lavender healing mouse. Lottie has always known that lavender is very healing. She grows and harvests lavender which she then administers to any of the mice in need of some healing at Mrs Plop's HQ.

Lottie is made from very high quality British ethically produced wool. She is made to order in my Etsy shop. Here's the linky: Lottie the needle felted lavender mouse by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

You can also visit my website here: Mrs Plop

Beatrice The Little Ballerina Mouse

Meet needle felted little Beatrice ballerina mouse. She found this beautiful pink tulle tutu that her Aunty Linda at Fluffy Cloud Creations made. And now she's taking ballet lessons.

She tells everyone she meets that she's going to be a famous ballerina one day. she has little pink felted ballet shoes, and as you can see, she's learning how to dance en pointe. Clever mouse :)

Beatrice has been lovingly handmade by me from very high quality British ethically produced wool fibre, and is available for sale in my Etsy shop here: Beatrice The Little Ballerina Mouse by Mrs Plop's Shoppe.

Love,
Mrs Plop xxx

Mrs Plop's Original Needle Felted Wilfred Bear-now on Ebay

I've just listed my needle felted teddy bear on Ebay, or as we Plops call it - Ebong. So if you like bidding and you want an original Mrs Plop bear.....here's the linky tink :)
Wilfred Miniature Needle Felted Bear By Mrs Plop

Auction ends July 24th 2015 at 8.23 BST.

Love, Mrs Plop x

Needle Felted White Mouse With Her Own Tiny Vintage Pearl Necklace Yellow Shawl & Yellow Pansy Flower

This little needle felted white mouse has got all dressed up for a warm summer's evening out with the girls :) She is wearing her favourite vintage pearl necklace, with her yellow shawl and she has picked a yellow pansy flower to clip to her fur.

She has been lovingly handmade by me from very high quality British ethically produced white and yellow sheep wool fibre and pearls from a genuine vintage necklace. She is sure to bring the sunshine into any room.

She is made to order in my Etsy shop here: Needle Felted White Mouse With Her Own Tiny Vintage Pearl Necklace Yellow Shawl & Yellow Pansy Flower

Popcorn The Needle Felted Kitten

Meet Popcorn, the needle felted orange and white kitten.
The mouselings all got the first flight to Mouseling Island this morning when they heard Popcorn was coming to stay! You know Mouseling Island, where mice go when cats are around. Popcorn said she wouldn't hurt the mice and only wanted to be friendly, but with that naughty face, we're not buying it! :D Come home soon Mouselings!

Popcorn is available to buy in my Etsy shop. You can see her listing here: Popcorn The Needle Felted Kitten by Mrs Plop's Shoppe 

Love, Mrs Plop

Wilfred, OOAK Needle Felted Little Orphaned Teddy Bear

I very recently realised that the entire time I've been needle felting, I've never once made a teddy bear! Shocking! :D

So.....Meet little Wilfred the orphaned baby bear, he is the first of my new 'Plop Bear' series. I'll be making more over the coming months. Each one will be one of a kind and completely unique.

Like all of my needle felted animals, Wilfred is made from 100% ethically produced high quality British wool.

Wilfred needs a new Mum, and is available in my Etsy shop here: Wilfred the needle felted orphaned teddy bear by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

I will be posting the next little bear in the series as soon as I have made him or her :)

Love, Mrs Plop x

Needle Felted Tiny Little Summer Sunflower Hamster

I wanted to offer something in my Etsy shop that is a little less costly. As you no doubt already know, needle felting is a very time consuming art, and although my prices are in line with some other needle felters, it's nice to have something in my shop that costs a bit less but that doesn't compromise on quality. So, I made this teeny tiny little hamster.

I usually use a core wool for my felted animals, and then I felt in an outer 'fur' wool. But for this hamster, I didn't use core wool. Also, he doesn't have feet (hands and feet are one of the most time consuming parts for me. Some people use polymer clay feet or cut out hands and feet from a piece of ready made felt. I prefer the hands and feet to be needle felted)  It doesn't make too much difference though, as he is still able to stand, and it means I was able to list him at a lower price. It was obviously still time consuming, but I did manage to cut back on the time it took to make him.

He is available to buy here in my Etsy shop: Needle Felted Tiny Little Summer Sunflower Hamster by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Huckleberry The Little Shy Mouse

Huckleberry the little mouse is so shy, he tries to hide his little face whenever he sees anyone. He wants to make friends, but he is so shy, he lives behind the watering can that is home to the Hydrangea flowers. We are doing our best to coax him out to join the rest of us, and to reassure him, and he is beginning to come out of his hiding place a bit more, but these things take time.

If you would like a little Huckleberry Mouse, you can find him here in my Etsy shop, made to order.
Huckleberry the little shy mouse by Mrs Plop's Shoppe

Homeless No More.....

I wrote a blog post a couple of years back about my memories of being homeless when I was younger. I left it up for a few days, and then I panicked, and realised I didn't feel comfortable with it. It was too specific, and it wasn't the right time.

But this month, me and my husband bought a house for the very first time. It's a very strange experience, particularly when like me, you have been homeless in your earlier years.

Like so many people, we lived in rented accommodation for years. We just couldn't ever seem to be able to afford our own house, and for as long as I can remember, it was a dream for me, and it always seemed to be a pipe dream. The problem with rented housing is, that you never really feel it's home, well, I didn't at least. You're just paying for time in someone else's house. And I always hated it. I felt that my own house was out of my league.....that I was chasing something that I could just never have.

I don't know if everyone feels the same as me, or if it was enhanced by my former homelessness - When you've been homeless at an age when you should have had people looking after you -  it gets into your very being, and you carry on feeling homeless inside. You have all those inner response triggers, set on 'homeless'. The sofa surfing, (it didn't have a buzz word in those days, unless you call it dossing, but that's not a good word!) The wandering around the streets for hours on end, the excuses you'd make up just to go and visit someone you knew, because the loneliness was unbearable. The worried anticipation you felt when you pictured the weary look on their face when they opened the door to you. Again. The apologising you do, for being there again. The stuttering, when you ask if you can stay the night.

Everyone else had days with their families, but when you're homeless, you only have you. That carries on into adult life, and you find that even when you're no longer that 'difficult homeless girl' you find yourself with some of the behaviours still left over. There are so many, (but the majority I won't mention here) someone invites you over for a cup of coffee, and you find yourself nervous about outstaying your welcome, so you leave way too early, and the other person thinks you don't like them! :D You spend way too much of your time browsing the houses in the estate agents windows/on the internet/in magazines, dreaming about how it would feel to live in this house or that house. You still wake up sweating from a nightmare where you were lonely and hungry and cold. And it goes on. Being homeless is one of the hardest things you can go through, and everyone has a story, a reason why they are homeless. It may not always be the reason you think.

Now my dream has come true, finally, amazingly. And I am sitting here typing this blog post from my own house! I have been here for just over two weeks, and a few days ago, I thought I hated it, I thought we had made a mistake. Now I realise that the homeless part of me was just adjusting.

Life is good.

Love,
Mrs Plop xxx