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Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie is a Pug with a sweet face, soft brown eyes, and a gentle expression.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie would like to be a singer someday. She knows it will take a great deal of practice.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyHer mama made her a special little songbook with the words to all of her favorites.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyWhen Tillie begins to sing, all of her friends leave the room.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie finds them very considerate to realize that she needs to concentrate on cultivating her voice.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie wears a pretty green dress with a lilac-blue sash tied in a big bow at the back. Pale lilac-blue flowers decorate the front and encircle the skirt. The ivory ruffles at her neckline and cuffs match the ivory petticoats that show beneath her dress.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, and she is meant for display only. No molds are ever used in my work. She and her book are hand sculpted from paperclay, and entirely hand painted using acrylic paints.

TillieTillie is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She rests firmly on a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie stands 5 ¾ inches tall.

Tillie the Pug Dog, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyUpdate: Tillie has already been adopted. Thank you!

Cassie Corgi, Tillie the Pug Dog, Dinah Dachshund, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyTillie’s friends are Cassie the Corgi (left) and Dinah the Dachshund (right).

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More supplies!

We are busy getting ready for fall around here. We have put Max‘s first original folk art doll, a Pug dog named Tillie, up over on the Ruffing’s blog this afternoon. We also went out for more supplies. I have an idea for a new doll and maybe some other creatures using socks and yarn. I was inspired by a sock doll I have, that I got when I was little, maybe when I was five or so. I can still remember the shop where we found her. I don’t know where it was, but I can still see both the inside and the outside of the shop, in my mind. I know it was a very rustic building, in a woodland area, and inside, it was loaded with handmade goods. I can still remember how excited I was that there were all these colorful sock dolls lined up on shelves and placed around the shop. I was allowed to pick one, and I still feel joyful when I hold her, even though she has aged. Well, so have I!

Just so you know, an Official Foot Holder is, apparently, required when you are taking photos of craft supplies. They are like sleepwalkers however. You must be careful not to wake them, or they become deranged!…

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The Truth About Cats and Dogs

Guess what I’ve been up to this summer! Here’s a little sneak peak. Three new kitties are waiting to meet you. That’s Floradora, doing her best curtsy.

And, something new for me…

One-of-a-kind, original folk art dog dolls! Ten friendly puppies, all wagging their tails, waiting to be introduced. (You can click on the photos to make them larger.)

I’ll be introducing them all to you, one at a time, shortly! Be sure to check back 🙂 I’ll be trying to post here, on our Ruffing’s blog, first, before anywhere else. You can subscribe to receive email updates, if you like, in the upper right hand corner of the Ruffing’s blog. Hope you all enjoyed the summer and this holiday weekend! See you soon!

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Cinderella’s Floppy Shoes

In keeping with my recent Cinderella theme, I went out last night and lost not one, but both of my shoes! The soles on each one split right in half, in the same place on each shoe, clean through the soles. I can’t imagine why they broke in half at the same time, except perhaps the one just couldn’t bear to live without the other. The funny thing is, just before it happened, I was walking along, not sure exactly where the place I was looking for was, thinking it would be a humorous time for me to lose a heel or something. I will have to curb these kinds of thoughts! Maybe I have some Carrie-like telekinetic powers. At least the Pliers from Heaven didn’t fall on my car, like they did that time I went out for coffee.

I wonder what this means? If nothing else, that it is time for me to put some new shoes on! Figuratively? Literally? Both?…

In other news, we spent the morning photographing new dolls. Be sure to check over at the Ruffing’s Blog to have a look. We are going to try to be more organized this season and introduce the original hand-sculpted folk art dolls there first, so people will know where to look for the new ones as they become available. Then anyone who wants to can subscribe to receive email updates. There is an area in the upper right hand corner on the Ruffing’s Blog where anyone can subscribe. I’ll still be posting about my cloth dolls and toys here too, as I make them.

Thank you for all the slug love! There is still time to vote for Gerard! Please do! He loves attention 😉

Wow. September is here. I suddenly feel the need to clone myself again! There is plenty to do around here. I’m feeling kind of nervous! There are toys and dolls and paintings and prints and web pages and ads to be made. Oh my.

By the way, I recently purchased these two very adorable books on hand-knitted toys. I love looking through them.

They come with complete instructions for making the toys too, not that I have any time to do this, but I’m really enjoying the inspiration just the same. They are Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor, and Knitted and Felted Toys by Zoe Halstead. They are great fun.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend!