April 7, 2011 - Ruffing’s Artist Dolls and Toys

I received these great photographs from two architecture students who celebrated the passing of their exams with some Hug Me Slug love. They have been taking tests for four years, and “SLUG” is the term they have used for the series of difficult exams they have had to take. They were both very happy to have some fun slugs as a reward for all their hard work. Congratulations to them both and thank you for these photos! I love them.

They had a celebratory get-together at a new restaurant, and the slugs went too! And, it would appear that the slugs like mac-n-cheese and salad! It looks like they all had a happy day. I think the slugs look very pleased with all the food. I’m told the waitress was quite taken with them as well.

Lots of other slugs have been shipping out all over the country, and the world. Here are some more that went on their way to their new homes recently. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I am still catching up, with more custom orders to finish, and some doll clothes to make. I made a fleece kitty pattern design I am waiting to sew too.

The weather has been beautiful here, and warm. I want to get outside and do some gardening.

The azaleas have started blooming, and the dogwood flowers are just opening.

I have an extra assistant now, one who steals all my pens. This is Josephine, formerly Frosty, planning an attack on a ballpoint pen. She has plenty of toys, but pens are of special interest to her. I think she may want to be a writer when she grows up.

Or a thief. That might be closer to her true aspirations.

Happy birthday to my grandma this month. She just turned ninety-six and is still doing well. On a sad note, about the same time as her birthday, we got news that my cousin, Steve, who has been battling peritoneal cancer for the past several months, is back in the hospital, and his cancer, which the doctors thought was gone, has returned, or had never entirely left. We are all hoping for the best, and hoping he can feel better. He is such a nice guy, and a great person, to be going through such an awful thing.

During this time, since I last wrote, I have also been kitten-sitting, for Frosty, who is now Josephine. She had another potential adoptive home lined up, far away, but that didn’t turn out to sound like the best option for her. She didn’t mind. She had already decided she wanted to stay here, and we all wanted her to stay too. So, it did work out, after all, and she has brought us some good cheer.

She has been trying out all the cat beds, and toys, and furniture, and has found it all to her liking. She was very shy, and liked to hide in small spaces, when she first arrived, but she has rapidly changed.

She is out and about now, participating in all we do around here, in between playing and napping.

I went out and bought new cat beds (actually these are dog beds from Petsmart) because Josephine kept taking everyone else’s, but she took a new one too, along with the new blankets that came with the beds.

She is a big fan of our kitty gym, and now sits up at the top of it. No more hiding for her.

Josephine seems to be very happy, and is friendly to eveyone. I thought she needed a new name, since she isn’t “frosty” at all. I thought a more self-assured name would be fitting. I renamed her after Jo March of “Little Women” and Empress Josephine. I later read that Empress Josephine had somewhat embarrassing teeth, which made me smile, because kitten Josephine has funny teeth herself.

I had tried out different names, saying them to her, and she seemed to like this one. She mewed back at me. I took that as a sign of approval.

In art toys news, my Hug Me Toad was in this very cute blog feature from Harmonica Mama, and my toys continue to show up in treasuries on Etsy. Toys make me smile too. I enjoy making them, and I like that they brighten someone’s day.

Day: April 7, 2011

Slug love

She made herself at home