Behind the Scenes: Mouse in the House

308 Maple Street has a mouse… but this is not like your normal  house mouse, our mouse is kind of like Ratatouille… except he can do a whole lot more then cook… AND he doesn’t sit in our hair. [eww]

Cheese, who is illustrated by Laura of WatercolorTales

{http://laurawinslow.blogspot.com/} and {https://www.facebook.com/WatercolorTales},

 is a very personable mouse who’s best friend is a duck named Quackers.  I can’t tell you exactly how Cheese came into being, since I am not his creator, but I do know that it was developed through Laura’s love of mice. [Side note: She thinks they are cute when they are in their own habitat not necessarily when they are in her house]

Cheese and Quackers came into our lives in the fall of 2011, with scenes of them playing in the leaves, riding bikes, and knitting by the fireside. Since that time Laura has created more memories which include Cheese and Quackers riding the zip-line in downtown Indianapolis during the latest Superbowl.

During the early meetings of 308 Maple Street, the theme of it being a house shop struck in my head. As the website got farther along and we were talking about “what to do next”, we pondered how to bring people to the website on a monthly basis.

This past “spring” [or was it summer four weeks ago?] My house was having a little problem with mice. It was about this time that all of the discussions and ideas collided together and it hit me…

What if 308 Maple Street, being a typical crafter’s home, had a mouse? What if that mouse hid on the website and gave away coupons or a free item?  

And that is how “The Mouse in the House” was born.

Being the tech crew of 308, it is my job to hide the mouse on the website for all of you to find. Granted the website has many layers and possible places for the mouse to be hidden, but would it really be all that much fun if it was obvious?

Actual screen shot of Hidden Mouse page
where you will find the Coupon Code and the Contest Form

If you have actually come to this page wanting to find out about the mouse then I commend you and will now reward you with a few ideas of where the mouse could be [now or in the future]

1. It could be visible in a photo, like where’s Waldo
2. It could be “behind a link” – say for example you click the “Home” button, Cheese could pop-up before you get back to the Home page
3. Or even more tricky, Cheese could be hidden in the white space around the website.. only visible by moving your own computer mouse around to reveal him.

Those are the three options… basically Easy, Medium, and Hard.

I wish you all luck with finding the mouse. You will have about 25-30  days during each round of Mouse in the House.  After you have found the page you will be given the Coupon Code of the month as well as an entry form to be entered in that month’s drawing. 

This month one of my own silk scarf’s is up for grabs, so don’t miss out.. it would make a great Mother’s Day gift… or keep it for yourself. J