The House of Mouse

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When browsing through the Etsy website www.etsy.com – an activity that can easily pass away an entire afternoon! – I came across a fabulous shop called The House of Mouse www.thehouseofmouse.co.uk. This shop sells every kind of mouse you could possibly imagine, and a few that you wouldn’t even have thought of.

Anna Greaves, owner of The House of Mouse, has been making her mice since November 2007, when she created some for friends and family as Christmas presents. After Christmas she was inundated with requests for more mice, which inspired her to set up her Etsy shop. So, what was it that she loved about mice? “Mice are cute, fuzzy and small and I have always adored them, but they are loathed by so many people,” Anna explains. “That contradiction between cuteness and disgust has always fascinated me. I have had many emails from people who are terrified of mice – some of them with extreme phobias – expressing how surprised they were that my store actually made them smile.”

Each of Anna’s mice stands at approximately 2.5 inches tall and take her between two and five hours to make, depending on the complexity of the design. The mice are created using hand stitching with some of the accessories made from polymer clay. She also finds accessories for her mouse designs when browsing the internet and trawling through second-hand shops. The gladiator mouse’s shield is “a particularly ugly earring I picked up at a car boot sale.”

Each of the mice have names, some of which are particularly amusing. Edward Scissorpaws, Barak Obamouse, Rod the Fishermouse and Dumble Dormouse were some of the favourites among our offices. Finding names for her mice is part of the process Anna particularly enjoys. She says, “I have a lot of fun coming up with the names. If I can get a fun word play or pun into their name then I will do it. Sometimes I also name a mouse after someone I know. My cellist mouse Nona is named after my mother who is a cello teacher. I have named several of the mice after my family and friends.”

Anna regularly adds new mice to her collection and also enjoys receiving commissions from people. She says, “I regularly think of other mice to make while doing everyday things, I’ll be watching a movie and think “A Supermouse would be cool! I have a little book I always carry with me to keep my ideas in”.

As to her favourite mouse design, this proved tricky for Anna to decide. “It’s like asking someone which of their children is their favourite! If I had to pick right now I would say Naomi and Milo the Mother and Baby mouse, Milo mouse is really pushing the limit of cuteness. I’m also very fond of my little Monster Mouse too, especially Frankenstein’s Mouse, it took me ages to find the right length bolt to fit through his neck and I’m very pleased with the result.”

Before opening House of Mouse Anna was a professional oil painter her designs can be seen at www.annagreaves.com but the fine art world was one that she found very stressful. Anna explains, “I had been selling my paintings for about five years and found the Fine Art world a tough place to make a living. I had a couple of nasty customers that really ruined my confidence in my work and I got artists block. I had several months of being depressed after yet another exhibition where I sold nothing. Any creative person will know that you put your soul into your creations and it is hard not to take criticism and rejection personally. In the end I decided I wanted to paint only for myself, if someone wants to buy my paintings then that is a bonus, but I no longer take commissions. I discovered the mice – or perhaps they found me – a few months later, and it was wonderful to be able to use my creativity in a light hearted way. I have found The House of Mouse to be a refreshing and rewarding change from the serious world of Fine Art.”

In the future Anna is hoping to exhibit her mice more widely, as she currently makes almost all her sales online. She also hopes to one day have “a real brick and mortar shop to show them in.” Adding new mice items to her collection is also high on the agenda. She says, “I dream of having my own mouse chess set and would love to make a Willy Wonka Mouse and Dr House Mouse. I would make new mice every day if I could but I have to balance restocking old designs, making custom orders and marketing alongside those wonderful hours when I can create something new.”