Dandelion makes her debut!

hello to all again - after a long silence, filled with lots of things, including all sorts of last minute things that needed to be completed for the cookbook.
Just an quick update about little Dandelion mouse, who was originally featured on this blog back in May - she has appeared in the latest issue of the UK magazine Landlove (which went on sale in the UK on 1st August;  it will probably take several weeks before it appears in other countries!)  I have already had quite a lot of queries about her, and requests for mice catalogues - so am very grateful to the editor and team of the magazine for featuring her!
Hopefully I will have a couple of new mice to show you all soon - working on some new ideas, especially with the holidays not that far off - which is a bit of an alarming thought!
Be happy and enjoy the week ahead!  Gail xx

Mousletoe and her cake!

Hi everyone.  Haven't been doing too much of anything this week - just one of those weeks when time seems to get away, and things get left undone.  But, I did manage to complete another new little mouse - a Christmas one again, called Mousletoe;  Cinnamon, the little baking mouse is one of my most popular creations, so I thought it would be nice to have a holiday version, with her Christmas cake, all decked out with holly, berries and gold ribbon.

She's fun and festive - and is already on her way to a magazine in the UK which will, hopefully feature her in one of the Christmas issues!  Of course if anyone wants to order her now, just send me a email - she is also available with a green dress and red shawl.
Hope everyone has a good week - be happy and enjoy the weekend!
Gail xx

After a long silence. . .

Hello to all.  I can't believe it is more than 3 weeks since I last did a post!  Anyway, the book is finally finished - except for last minutes tweaks and changes, hopefully - and after taking a few days off to catch up with myself, I am now back to my various creative plans.  (I am already planning two new cookbooks - very much in the early stages, though.)
Also back to the mice, and although it seems strange, I am working on a few sample Christmas mice, to send to various publications in the hope that they might be featured in holiday issues.  I am thinking of some new little characters, and also creating a couple of snow mice, which were very popular with my customers last year.  Below is a picture of Frosty the snow mouse - it was great fun knitting his little hat and scarf!

Once again I have, unfortunately had a couple of messages from people who say they did not receive the catalogs they had requested, or that I did not receive their orders.  This is obviously annoying all round, but I do ask that if you send an order, or request a catalog, and receive no feedback from me, please either email me again, or leave a comment, either here or on my Facebook page - so that I am aware of the problem and can do my best to rectify it!
Please share my little mice pictures - I love to see them popping up all over the net!  Hope everyone is having a happy and peaceful weekend.  Blessings!  Gail xx

We all need an angel!

Hello to all!  Again, too much time seems to have slipped by since I last wrote a post.  Well, I have been quite busy, mostly with getting the final artwork done for my cookbook - although it is fun, it is also a lot of work, and I am missing spending time with my little mice!  However, some good news is that one of my mice is going to be featured in a UK magazine, probably in August or September.  More about that later!
I love angels, and they have always featured in my various designs, artworks and so on.  So, obviously, I have done several different angel mice;  the first I made was a gift for my mother last year, and that little angel mouse carried a bouquet of flowers.  Since then I have designed another mouse along similar lines, but this one has a little felt heart, finished off with a silver charm that says 'made with love'. 
People seem to love the angel mice,and I have also made several of them as gifts for people who I thought might need a little extra angel love, as they were going through some challenges or painful times.  Enjoy this little angel, and the blessings she brings!

Gremlins?

Hello to all. Just a quick post with regard to a couple of queries I have had from people who asked for mice catalogues via email;  although I sent them out, apparently they did not arrive but disappeared who knows where!  This does happen sometimes with my email account, and I am trying to resolve it.  If you have asked for a catalogue but not received it, please know that I am not ignoring you! - send me another email and I will get one off to you as soon as possible.  (Also - I notice some of the catalogue requests end up in the junk mail/spam folder, not quite sure why - so perhaps that also needs to be checked)
Hope everyone has a happy and healthy week!  Gail xx

Little Dandelion

Hello to all.  I always think the mouse I have just created is my favorite, and this little one is no exception!  She's called Dandelion, and has a wonderful kitchen garden, where she grows all manner of delicious fruits, vegetables and herbs.  Her pumpkins are the best in Rosebud Lane, and everyone likes to use them for pumpkin soup, pies, fritters and even pumpkin pickle!  Don't you love her little straw hat - I think it is just so cute!

Anyway, just another point about the copyright issues in my last post.  A couple of people have asked me if it's okay to put up one of my pictures on their blogs, Pinterest, and so on.  That's fine, as long as you give me a heads-up about it first.  Sharing creativity, in a fair and responsible manner, is one of the gifts brought to us by the internet, and social media.
Hope you are all having a lovely and creative week!
Gail xx

 

A few words on copyright!

Greetings to all.  Hope you are all having a great week thus far.  I just wanted to write a (hopefully!) fairly short post about some concerns I am having with regard to the copyright on my little mice.  I have received a few requests from people for the patterns for the mice - so they can make and sell them themselves.  This, is, obviously, not on.  I do understand that there's no way I can claim to be the only person who can design and sell small felt mice, and there probably are some crafters out there who are using the ideas in my catalogue to create their own little mice.  There's not much I can do about that, but it is not acceptable for people to try and create them as a commercial venture.
The little mice in my catalogue - and the ones I hope to continue to create - are products of my time and imagination, and I hope everyone can respect  that.  Sadly, I know that this whole question of copyright and design fraud on the internet is not probably going to ever go away - as long as some people think it is okay to do this.  Several needlework designers I know have told me this is the most major issue they have to deal with;  one even said she reckons for every design she sells legally, probably three or four are downloaded illegally in one way or another.  This is sad, but, obviously a reality of the world we live in.  It's actually one of the reasons I decided not to sell my own cross stitch designs online, which I was originally intending to do when I started this blog last year.  It just seemed to be more trouble than it was worth!
Thanks for reading this - and I am happy to hear any input or advice any of you may want to share!
Have a lovely day.
Gail xx

Keeping out of mischief!

Hello to all.  I have been intending to do another blog post for several days now, but time seems to have run away with me again.  My excuse is that I have been really busy, not only with working on the artwork roughs for my cookery book - but also stitching mice for orders in between!  It keeps me out of mischief, anyway, and I enjoy the varied creativity of my life.
Someone who recently ordered Miss Bobbin also asked me if I had ever thought of doing a knitting mouse - strangely, that was one of the very first little mouse characters I designed.  I made her as a gift for a friend called Reenie who is a passionate knitter (and very good at it!)  I like knitting myself, but tend to stick to the really simple projects.  Miss Purl, as I named her, was fun to make with her little knitted cardigan, needles and yarn - but for some reason I did not include her in my first catalogue.  Perhaps I will have to rethink that, as knitting is such a popular pastime now.  I do have a picture of her, not a very good one - but enough to give a general idea.  Take a look at this little knitting mouse!

I love her little cardigan the best - although it was quite fiddly to make.  Let me know what you think of her!
Have a lovely, relaxing and creative weekend.
Gail xx

More mice!

Greetings to all.  Again, my thanks for all the messages and comments received recently, they are much appreciated!  Please also take a look at my Facebook page, and like me, if you feel so inclined.
Several people have asked me if I sell kits or patterns of my mice - no, not at the moment, as I am focusing on the mice as a retail product.  However, that may change one day in the future, if there is enough interest from people wanting to create their own little beasties.
One thing that would be fun - and someone also suggested this to me - is to one day do a book about the mice of Rosebud Lane - with patterns, obviously, but also with other fun things like recipes the mice make (for example Cinnamon's chocolate cake!), gardening and decorating ideas and so on.  That would be something I would love to do, so hopefully if the mice become 'famous' enough - who knows?
Another little mousie picture - especially for the lovely French ladies who have been leaving me such kind messages - I present Mademouselle de Paris, very chic in her smart jacket and with her designer handbag!

So, I am starting to feel my life is taken over by these little mice - but in a very good way!  Enjoy them, and have a happy day.
Gail xx

Your comments!

Greetings to all.  Bienvenue!  I am so happy that my mice have recently been featured on two of my favourite blogs - www.dany88.canalblog.com and www.helenphilipps.blogspot.com. Since then I have received so many lovely comments and messages about the little mice.  Thank you all for taking the time and trouble to write to me.  Merci beaucoup pour votre gentillesse.

This is Cinnamon, the little baker, with her favourite chocolate cake.  Ici c'est la petite souris Cinnamon, avec son gateau au chocolat!
Warm wishes to all!  Meilleurs voeux.
Gail xx

Facebook page - I think!

Hello to all.  Just a little additional information - I have created a page on Facebook for Rosebud Lane;  it's not quite right yet, as I am not exactly familiar with Facebook and how it works, but if you log into Facebook and search for Rosebud Lane my little mice are there.  Please like me - and leave me a message if you feel so inclined!
Have a lovely week and be happy
Gail xx

A special offer!

Hello to all.  This is just a short post, regarding a special offer I am making for my retail customers during the month of April.  If you order three mice, the third is half price - this offer applies to orders from anywhere in the world, in different currencies.  You can order any of the mice in my catalog, and also the two new little ones - Miss Bobbin and Thabiso - that have been showcased on this blog recently.
If you don't yet have an online catalogue, please send me a email and I will gladly send one to you - my email, once again is rosebudlane@gmail.com.  Hope to hear from lots of you, as so many people seem to love my little mice.
Enjoy the rest of your week, and be happy!
Gail xx

Miss Bobbin

Hello to all.  Just a quick post, to show one of my newest little mice, Miss Bobbin.  I was originally asked to create her as a special order for a customer, but she turned out so cutely that I have decided to add her to my product line.  She's wearing a little peach shawl and matching patchwork fabric dress in this picture, but she is also available in antique blue, or dusky pink.

I am planning a special offer on mice during the month of April, so watch this space, and also a giveaway on this blog for people who leave a comment - so let me know what you think!
Have a happy week and keep smiling.
Gail xx

Another Angel!

   Hello to all!  Since I last wrote a local magazine in South Africa, called Ideas, published a little piece about the mice, and I have had so many lovely emails about them (as well as orders for mice, which is great!)  I am not sure if the magazine is available in other countries or not, but I am certainly very happy with the response I have received.  I have sent samples of the mice to various magazines in the UK, but sadly have not had any feedback from them.  This is something I find difficult, but will probably have to get used to - and grow a thicker skin!  There are, obviously, so many wonderful handcraft products out there, and so one has to just keep trying!
   I do however have another new outlet, an online store called www.fromtheheartemporium.co.za - several of my mice are available through this store, and I am happy to give a quote for international shipping for customers not in SA.

   In between I continue to work on my books/illustrations - and designing new mice.  The angel mice are very popular - so I have created a colourful African angel mouse, called Thabiso - her name is Zulu, and means 'one who brings joy', just right for an angel. 
   If you have read and enjoyed my blog, please leave me a comment - I would love to hear from you!  Hoping everyone is having a lovely and peaceful week so far. . . with love from Gail xx

A belated Valentine!

Hello to all!  Belated Valentine greetings - hope you all had a lovely day, in every sense of the word.  I continue to be busy with my mice - stitching them, and creating new little characters - one of whom is shown below.  The cookbook is also coming along, slowly but surely - and I already have plans for another one, when this one is done.

People who are into stitching may be interested to know there is an interview with me in the March 2013 issue of Cross Stitch Collection magazine - and apparently my mice also make an appearance in the article, as I have already had quite a few requests for catalogs from people who read the article. So, many thanks to Catherine Hood, the editor of the magazine, for featuring me and my work.
This little mouse is another Scottish one, called Mhairi - she has a little handknitted beret, and carries a silver heart charm.  Next I think I need to make her a little friend called Hamish - he will, of course, need to be in a kilt, so that will take a little bit of planning and design!
Best wishes to all who read this, please feel free to leave me comments - I would love to hear from you.
Smiles
Gail x