This mouse house in a grapevine basket was the first miniature scene I made after joining a club in 1984.

Since mice are not particular about scale, it contains a variety of objects, including some full-size nuts and seeds. Originally, it had a clear plastic cover over the front to protect it; notice the holes in the corner posts from the push pins? The plastic kept wanting to curl up and spring loose. It sprang loose one time too many and never got replaced.

This house is nestled in a woody area on a farm. The owner, Miss Myda, is content to be single. She prefers to spend more time playing her organ and reading than trying to cope with all the dust she gets from the nearby plowed field.

As you can see, her house is suffering a bit from age, as evidenced by the sagging second floor. (In case you wonder, the stairs are on the invisible front wall.)

Miss Myda likes to sit here, drink herb tea and have an afternoon snack.

Her rocking chair was a Christmas ornament; I added the seat cushion and throw. The rug on the peeling-back contact-paper floor is made from a piece of print fabric; its fringe raveled from a solid color piece and glued to the back. The pink around the edge is a piece of buttonhole twist thread. The trunk in the corner is another inexpensive early purchase. The fabric protruding from its corner is intended for a new apron. The books were thin wood pieces covered with pictures cut from a magazine.

The little chest of drawers was bashed from a small Christmas ornament; its mirror came from a small blush container. The clock is from a child's old toy wristwatch; I think it may have belonged to my daughter, who was born the last day of December, 1960!

Miss Myda should hire someone to re-do that upper floor; she could slip and hurt herself.

A mouse relative is visible in the picture just beyond the candlestick. Although she's not a finicky housekeeper, Miss Myda is a mouse of clean personal habits. Her comb (I didn't realize mice used combs, either) and powder box are on the shelf above the polka dot towel. The little pitcher and bowl beside her bed I have had for a long time; no idea when or where I got them.

The bed is made from a small basket turned on its side; that's Easter grass for cushioning.

The organ and stool are from the Smurfs. I put the cushion on the stool. The skirted table was made with a small paper cup from a bathroom dispenser. The seeds and pods are real.

The fireplace in the corner was made from cardboard; my first experience using stain to grunge things up. I made the wreath over the fireplace and the hearth broom (stems from dried plants and a toothpick). That clunky telephone was among the toys I saved for my grandchildren to play with; I think it belonged to my daughter when she was small. There's kindling wood in the basket and more seeds in the acorn cup beside it.

I learned how to make the little heart braided rug from Sadie Ludecke.

Originally the little grapevine basket was occupied by a very realistic furry mouse I found in a gift shop. However, after we got real mice in our house that winter, it gave me the creeps and I gave it away.

Then my daughter Dana presented me with Miss Myda. She told me, "This is a country mouse, Mama. She would never live in the city."

And of course she wouldn't. Even though she's not too finicky a housekeeper and loves reading more than cleaning, she wears that apron all the time!

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