Elizabeth Ruffing, Author at Ruffing’s | The Little House of Cats

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Siamese mom and kitten, and signs of spring

Loretta and Lulu are all dressed now. I have to admit, I had one heck of a time making this little apron! That apron bib was something else, all edged with lace and lined. I had to turn it right side out at one point, and I wasn’t sure I could do it because it was so small. In fact, I was just about sure I couldn’t. But I persevered and did.

Doesn’t Lulu look just right in that pocket? So cute.

We aren’t officially listing our dolls yet because we have some we are still working on and we want to photograph them together. So, it’s going to be a while before they are over on the Ruffing’s site. I’ll be sure to post here and on the Ruffing’s blog when they are ready to be adopted.

Our breakfast guest came for an early dinner today. I had to stick around to make sure there wasn’t any food sharing going on. My guy didn’t understand that, but he graciously put up with it. They made some cheerful chirping conversation after dinner.

Our guest was very happy with his full tummy.

Our duck friends made an appearance today too, for breakfast time and dinner time. They haven’t ventured up from the pond for months. Spring must make them want to go visiting. You’d think you were the Beatles the way they run after you when you have a cup of corn. They’re like hysterical quacking fans.

I was eating a muffin this morning, when I saw a whole lot of white out the back door. They bob around, trying to get a look at you through the windows, to see if you’re in there. They’ve been back several times today. When they catch sight of you, they come closer to the door. That gray duck was odd man out. I tried to put some cracked corn apart from the rest for him.

The Bradford Pear trees are all in bloom. This one has sprouted from a tree that split, along with so many other Bradford Pears, in an ice storm several years ago. They are very susceptible to storm damage, but they are so pretty people plant them anyway. This one looks like a giant flowering bush.

We’ve been having some lovely sunsets too. I tried to capture all the pinks and lavenders in this one, but by the time I figured out the controls on my camera, the sky had completely changed color.

I had it set and ready for this one though, the following night. So nice and peaceful here.

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Itty bitty pocket kitty

Sunny, warm weather is here, and I did some sewing outside, bare feet and all. I’ve also been urged by some to change my mind and take the advice of Naughty Kitty! Ha. I will have to think that over as I sew. For now, I’ve got kitties to clothe, like this one…

This is Lulu. She fits in the pocket Loretta the Siamese. I hand appliquéd a heart onto this pocket and added a machine-embroidered stitch along the bottom. I used some of the rayon lace I picked up yesterday to edge the apron. Next up is a skirt and an apron bib.

Posted on March 8, 2009January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Collecting supplies

I’m back. No worries. I haven’t gone over to the dark side 🙂 I haven’t grown to 50 feet tall, and no old boyfriends were harmed, at least not by me. I’m thinking if I do ever wake up and notice I’ve grown to gargantuan size, my first thought would probably be, “Cool. Now I can eat all the cupcakes I want,” followed by a zillion worries, the first of which would probably be “I hope I don’t step on anyone,” and then “How do I get some privacy?” So much for wreaking havoc. It’s just not my thing.

I accumulated some more supplies today. Sulky rayon thread, above, for my machine embroidery stitching. It’s going to look so pretty combined with all those Kona cotton colors for doll dresses. Sulky threads are on sale right now at Joann.

Hancock Fabrics is having a sale on lace and trims too. I picked up these cotton and rayon laces and a yard of off-white Kona cotton. I’ve been getting my Kona cottons through the mail at this Hancock’s, Hancock’s of Paducah, and have been happy with them.

I also went over to Jerry’s Artarama and was tempted by these 6 x 6 Claybord Aquabord squares. As you can see, I’ve got a collection of Claybord at this point! I didn’t get all these today, just the 6 x 6’s. They had a pack of 4 x 4’s too, but I decided “cuteness” wasn’t a good enough reason to add those to my pile. They were awful cute though…

Btw, they’re participating in a fundraiser over there, at Jerry’s, to raise money for children’s cancers, which you might want to check out. I was kind of wondering what happened to people’s hair when I went in!

I also, for no other reason than inspiration, picked up these “Day and Night” Notecards, featuring the paintings of Edward Robert Hughes. I love the Pre-Raphaelites, and have long had a love of his “Night and Her Train of Stars”, above. It was part of my inspiration for both my “Moon and Star” and “The Moon Sings a Lullaby“. In fact, I wrote a children’s story inspired by this painting, and those are two of the illustrations from that story. It was never published, but who knows, I may get back to that idea some day.