Month: August 2015

Posted on by

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyEddie and Ethel are handmade miniature original, one-of-a-kind cat art dolls, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyEddie and Ethel are tabby Maine Coon kittens who live next door to each other and have been friends for all their young lives.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyIn the spring and summer they sit on the big white swing in Ethel’s back yard and have long conversations. Eddie likes to tell stories.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“Once upon a time there was a very very handsome prince, the handsomest in all the land. He lived in a two-story house on Larkspur Lane.”

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“Did he have a job?” asks Ethel, who is very practical.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“No. Princes don’t have jobs. They play with toys, climb trees, swing on swings, and look for princesses.”

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“I live on Larkspur Lane,” Ethel says. “I don’t know if I’m a princess, but maybe I am.”

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“You’re definitely a princess!” exclaims Eddie. “When we grow up, will you marry me?”

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max Bailey“I will if we can still live next door to each other,” answers Ethel.

Eddie nods and looks very pleased, and very very handsome.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyEddie is wearing tan pants with shoulder straps and a sweater that has blue, orange, and pale gold stripes. Ethel’s dress is burnt orange with an ivory ruffled collar edged in pale orange.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyEddie and Ethel are one-of-a-kind works of art, and are meant for display only. They were sculpted from paperclay in multiple stages, to allow for drying and detailing.

Eddie and Ethel were painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time. They are signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and come with a certificate of authenticity.

Eddie and Ethel, miniature Maine Coon cat art dolls, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kittens by artist Max BaileyEddie and Ethel are 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) Eddie is 1 and 1/2 inches tall, and so is Ethel.

Update: Eddie and Ethel have been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on by

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy is a handmade miniature original, one-of-a-kind cat art doll, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy is a calico kitten with dramatic markings and yellow-green eyes.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyShe is a free spirit. She does exactly as she pleases, and makes her way in the world on her own terms.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy loves to explore, and if she were not so brightly colored, she would be very hard to find.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyShe likes to perch on high places, and hide in little out-of-the-way nooks and crannies.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileySometimes Gypsy appears from out of nowhere, and surprises everyone. She thinks that’s great fun.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy is wearing a two-toned green dress, with a soft gold ruffled collar. She sits prettily on a wooden chair that has a woven seat.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy is a one-of-a-kind work of art, and is meant for display only. She was sculpted from paperclay in multiple stages, to allow for drying and detailing.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy was painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyShe is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy is 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) She is 1 and 1/2 inches tall, not including her ears

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyUpdate: Gypsy has been adopted. Thank you!

Gypsy, miniature calico cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyGypsy’s friends are Gretchen the silver tabby American Shorthair kitten and Doreen the tabby-and-white kitten.

Posted on by

Hug Me Slug Angel, at home

Stuffed toy Hug Me Slug Angel and Hug Me Slug by Elizabeth Ruffing, with their owner I was trying to decide whether I should add this photo to my last post about this special Hug Me Slug Angel, but since it made me so happy, I decided to share it on its own post. Here he is, united with his companion Hug Me Slug, and their mom, or my customer’s mom. They were both gifts for her. She wrote to tell me her mom loves her Hug Me Slug Angel, who was made in memory of her dad, who passed away last Christmas. Their 57th wedding anniversary would have been this month. She says her mom is enjoying her new independent living apartment. She told me her mom has her slug angel in her living room there, but will likely be taking him out to share with other residents in the community. I hope he makes everyone smile. I enjoy thinking about the conversations with this adorable lady about her slug and the story behind him.

This is what toy making is all about, spreading some joy and some comfort, making someone feel good. That makes my day.

Oliver Bunny with his lips on his cage bar, asking for bananas, Elizabeth Ruffing This is how my day begins, with these characters. Oliver Bunny waits for me to get up so he can have his veggies and his banana slice. Sometimes he gets super excited about this. Here he is, with his lips around the bar of his pen, letting me know he needs immediate attention. He was really taking a break from chewing on his litter pan, which is does to make a point. He turns to look at me, to make sure his efforts are effective. He gets what he wants, and then he comes out for the day to hop around.

Oliver Bunny with his lips on his cage bar, asking for a banana slice, Elizabeth Ruffing And this lady below is usually asleep when I wake up, even though she has been yelling during the night lately. I am pretty sure she has hyperthyroidism, since our cats keep coming down with it as they age. I need to make an appointment to take her in for a blood test. I got an iodine test that people use on aquariums, but I don’t know if there is anything to be done if I find iodine in anything, or what the safe levels are. It isn’t regulated in water and no one I’ve asked has had much information. And it isn’t necessarily the cause. The vet and the person I talked to at the local public health department both said there seemed to be a lot of cases of hyperthyroidism in cats in this area. It’s more of a mystery.

Tabby cat, with tummy in air, lying in sun on bed, Elizabeth Ruffing Cats have continued to show up here, popping out of the woods behind my next door neighbor’s house in the evening, and then running back. He doesn’t want us to trap there, and Santana, our other neighbors’ cat chases them away from our house. I am hoping his owner can lure them over to her yard, since that seems to be our only option for catching them, to get them fixed. I count four adults so far, and surely one is a female, probably the mom of the kitten that showed up. If this goes on any longer, there will be more kittens and my neighbors will have a colony behind their houses. I don’t have the funds to take care of that situation. They are going to have to come together. If the cats get fixed and vaccinated, it will be okay, but that has to happen.

I’m sewing through stacks of fleece, trying to get more colors of Hug Me Slugs together. I get sleepy when I sit at the sewing machine. Watching the needle go up and down is hypnotic. It is so much easier to stay awake with a movie to watch. I will be able to do that when I move on to stuffing and hand sewing. I also need to take my sewing machine in to be cleaned. I thought I was a year behind, doing that, but Facebook showed me one of those “4 years ago today” posts, and there was my machine, just back from servicing. Oops. There must be a lot of fuzz inside from sewing all that fleece!

Posted on by

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen is a handmade miniature original, one-of-a-kind cat art doll, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyThis is Doreen. She’s a tabby-and-white kitten with soulful green eyes and a pink nose.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen is a daydreamer.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyWhen she stares off into space, you know she is thinking wonderful thoughts of yummy food, pretty new dresses, and funny games to play.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen rocks slowly in her country white rocking chair, losing track of time.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyShe wears a bright yellow pinafore with blue polka dots, and blue edging on its ruffles.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyHer blouse is soft pale yellow.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen is a one-of-a-kind work of art, and is meant for display only. She was sculpted from paperclay in multiple stages, to allow for drying and detailing.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen was painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyShe is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyDoreen is 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) She is 1 and 1/2 inches tall.

Doreen, miniature tabby-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyUpdate: Doreen has been adopted. Thank you!