Author: Elizabeth Ruffing

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Hearts, butterflies, and pinwheels

Grass green Hug Me Slug stuffed animal art toy by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with pink butterfly gift bag and personalized hang tag

Red and green pinwheel with shadow on the ground, Elizabeth RuffingI finally got to the cardiologist, and had some tests done. It was sure stressful waiting for the two weeks for my appointment, but it turned out okay. My heart is beating irregularly, but it is structurally normal, which means the improvising it is doing is mostly just an annoyance. It is something I’ll have to get used to, even though it feels weird. It can be set off by anything that throws your body off, like fatigue or stress. Unfortunately, even normal amounts of tension can get it going. I have to work on getting more rest. The cardiologist said if it acts up, doing some exercise and getting my heart rate up can help.

I’m just waiting for some blood work to come back, to make sure I’m not anemic, that my electrolytes and magnesium are in balance, and that my thyroid is fine. I don’t expect any problems with that. The lab technician gave me this pinwheel on my way out. I was so relieved at the time. I’m keeping it as a memento on my desk as a reminder.

Grass green Hug Me Slug stuffed animal art toy by artist Elizabeth RuffingI got to see my heart beating on the echo-cardiogram, which I thought was the coolest thing. I wish I had a video. I really do. The valves clap together like little hands, so precisely. They look like the furry hands of Dr Seuss’ characters. It’s amazing to watch. There is something very reassuring about seeing that and thinking about it.

I still feel stressed over the whole thing, which is giving me pins and needles, something else that acts up when I feel tension. Hopefully I will calm down more as the days go by and I’ll get used to the idea.

Grass green Hug Me Slug stuffed animal art toy by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with pink butterfly gift bag and personalized hang tagI tried to get some Easter bunnies made, but people keep adopting Hug Me Slugs for Easter. So, I guess it is okay that I didn’t get my stuffed animal Hug Me Bunnies posted yet. I do have Hug Me Bunnies, if anyone is looking for one. This slug is a gift and the customer asked if I could gift wrap her. I have lots of gift bags. I seem to favor the ones with butterflies on them.

I have plans to make a lot of different toys, but I end up making slugs because people ask for them. I’m glad people enjoy them. I think I forgot to mention before that I passed my 500th toy sale.

Multicolored quilting fabrics in a pile waiting to be washed, Elizabeth RuffingI’m trying to rest more when I need to, but I’m also trying to get things done. I pre-washed more fabrics today, and I have stacks of fleece to sew into stuffed animals.

Pile of pink and lavender fleece cut out, waiting to be sewn into toys, Elizabeth RuffingI, at long last, potted my poor African violet leaf that has been waiting in a coffee cup on my desk. I have more violets to re-pot.

African violet rooted with new leaf growth, Elizabeth RuffingI hope to get around to cleaning out the flower bed in front of the porch, before more flowers poke through, but that seems like a lot right now. I have some catching up to do, with rest and with projects both.

Pink camellia flower in my hand, Elizabeth RuffingThe camellias are in bloom. They are so pretty. I picked this bloom up from the ground on our way back from a walk recently.

Cuddling sleeping black and tabby cats curled up together on my bed, Elizabeth RuffingFor the past couple of days, the weather has been dreary. The kitties responded by piling together on my bed for napping. I thought it was so cute the way they lined up in a cuddle chain. That is Phoebe, the shyest of the group, sandwiching herself between two friends.

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

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

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel is a delicate-looking little gray and white kitten with green eyes.

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel’s dress is pale lilac-blue with ruby-red bands around the sleeves, and a ruby-red ruffle around the neck.

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel loves her home, her family, and her friends. Most of all, she loves her wooden chair with the soft fuzzy red seat. It belongs to Laurel ad comes with her.

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel 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.

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel was painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time. She is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Laurel, miniature gray-and-white cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyLaurel and her chair are 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) She is 1 and 3/8 inches tall.

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

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Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyRegina is a handmade miniature original, one-of-a-kind cat art doll, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyYou never see Regina without her doll Ragsy. The two are inseparable.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey Regina is a tabby Maine Coon kitten with big amber eyes. Her pretty pink dress has a square neckline with a white ruffle around it, bordered in green.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyRegina always looks after Ragsy, keeping her safe and clean. Ragsy looks like she needs taking care of. She’s a tuxedo rag doll with big trusting yellow eyes, and wears a pale lavender dress with a ruffle around the neckline, bordered in purple.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyRegina 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.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max BaileyRegina was painted under a magnifying light, with tiny brushes, one hair at a time. She is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Regina and Ragsy, miniature Maine Coon cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey Regina is 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) Regina is 2 inches tall.

Update: Regina and Ragsy have been adopted. Thank you!

Regina’s friends above are Kimmie The Ragdoll kitten, Patches the calico kitten, Laurel the gray-and-white kitten, Juniper the tabby kitten, and Louisa the Himalayan kitten.

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I redesigned my personalized hang tags for my toys a little

Purple fleece Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal art toy by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with a personalized hang tag with a poem on the back

Fleece Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal art toys by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with personalized hang tagsPeople sometimes ask me to print messages that don’t quite fit on the front of the hang tags for my toys, and so I redesigned my tags to make room for personalized messages. I made them so they now fold in half, and have a reverse side. They hang lower so the different colored hearts are more visible as well.

Purple fleece Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal art toy by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with a personalized hang tag with a poem on the backThis one has a poem about slugs by Judy Darley on the back.

The poem is called “Instructions on How to Kiss a Slug” and it goes like this:

Close your eyes, and hold your nose,
Pretend you’re just smelling a rose.
Purse your mouth, tight and round,
Bend down almost to the ground.
Ignore the slime, kiss him quick,
And don’t forget to wipe your lips!

My customer asked me to include this poem with her gift of this Hug Me Slug for her grandchild. I thought it would be nice to have her message right on the tag, and so I printed it on the back.

Now I don’t have to mess around gluing anything. I can print my tags, slip them into vinyl sleeves, and tie them onto the toys, without having to wait for the glue to set.

I just heard another story, from a lady who is sending one of my Hug Me Slugs as a gift, about one of my toys being passed around and admired at party. She saw him at a baby shower. She said the slug was a huge hit, and there was a baby who loved it. I love hearing things like that.

Green fleece Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal art toys by artist Elizabeth Ruffing with personalized hang tagsHope everyone had a nice Saint Patrick’s Day. These green Hug Me Slugs all celebrated. We had cake. I don’t think the slugs had any cake though.

Container of dry cat food for kitty visitors, Elizabeth Ruffing with personalized hang tagsWe have several cats who come to visit on our porch. I don’t usually feed them, but one looked like he needed some plumping up. This is our “visitors” jar, easy to find in dim light, with or without glasses.

Red, yellow, orange, green, blue, turquoise striped catnip kicker cat toy by Elizabeth Ruffing with personalized hang tagsThe cats have decided suddenly that they all love this one catnip toy kicker that they weren’t especially interested in before. It is about 3 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches and it is filled with just catnip. I had one out on the porch. It was demolished quickly. I have to take some time to make a stash of them.

I’m trying not to be too nervous while I wait to see the cardiologist later this week. My heart seems to calm down, and then I feel it improvising again. I’m staying close to home until I feel more secure about taking trips by myself. Waiting to see what is going on is hard. Hopefully I will feel relieved once I have more information.