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Posted on May 3, 2010 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Jessie and Jeannie, Original One-of-a-kind Art Cat Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

When Jessie woke up this morning, her soft little kitty doll Jeannie was right next to her, just where she was supposed to be.

“What do you want to do today?” asked Jeannie, who is one of those dolls who can talk, and always does.

“Sleep some more,” mumbled Jessie, opening one eye. But it was such a lovely spring day, filled with sunshine and adventures yet to happen. Jessie took Jeannie over to the window to look out on the garden below, and they purred together at the beauty and excitement of their little world.

Jessie dressed Jeannie in her favorite blue dress, the one with the lilac ruffles at the neck and at the bottom of the sleeves, with matching lilac pantaloons and little black shoes. She picked out the pale pink petticoats that exactly matched her own. Jessie dressed herself in a light beige dress with blue flowers and pink polka dots. Over it she wore a rosy pink jumper that she tied in the back with a big bow.

Jessie and Jeannie are original one-of-a-kind works of art, and are meant for display only. No molds are ever used in my work. They are hand-sculpted from paperclay, and are entirely hand painted with acrylic paints. Jessie’s whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Jessie 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.

Jessie is an itty bitty kitty. She stands only 4 3/8 inches tall.

Update: Jessie and Jeannie have already been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on May 3, 2010May 3, 2024 by Anne Ruffing

Tulip the Dutch Bunny, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Rabbit Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Tulip the Dutch Bunny, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Rabbit Art Doll Figurine by artist Max Bailey

Tulip is a handmade original, one-of-a-kind black-and-white Dutch bunny rabbit art doll, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

I am pleased to introduce Tulip, a hard working Dutch bunny with a very serious nature.

Tulip was named after her very great great grandmother Tulip, the illustrious founder and President of Tulip’s Tulip Farm, where the most spectacularly beautiful tulips in all the world are grown.

Someday, Tulip will be President of the farm. For now, she loves to go out into the fields in the fall, and dig perfect little holes with her front paws. Her brothers and sisters follow along behind her, rolling tulip bulbs carefully into the holes. Cousins and second cousins follow along behind them, filling in the holes with dirt to cover the bulbs.

In the spring, when the tulips burst into bloom, all the Dutch bunnies dance through the fields in celebration of the beauty they have helped to create. Tulip loves the lavender tulips the most. You can tell from the lavender tulip pockets she has sewn on her sky blue dress.

Tulip 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 is hand-sculpted from paperclay, and entirely hand painted with acrylic paints. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Tulip 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.

Tulip is an itty bitty bunny. She stands only 4 1/4 inches tall. She comes with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Tulip is available for $450.00, plus shipping. Please inquire to [email protected]

Her friend, Matilda the Tuxedo Kitten, on the right, has already been adopted.

Posted on May 1, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Mock orange and a new kitten figurine

I went to the crawl space for a shovel to work on planting my blueberry bushes, and I was surprised to find our mock orange in full bloom. I wish I’d planted it in a more prominent location, because it’s one of my favorite bushes. I love the smell of the flowers, and it’s so beautiful.

I think I just put it in an available spot when we first moved here, to make sure I got it in the ground. Someday, I’ll have to move some, or plant some more, where I can enjoy it.

I just put up the web page for “Jessie and Jeannie”, Max Bailey’s new one-of-a-kind, original white kitten folk art doll figurine. Be sure to go read her story. I love the part where she and her talking cat doll purr together as they look out their bedroom window. I think they are just adorable!

Posted on April 30, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Newly-hatched cardinals and a mini shop update

There were a lot of cheep-cheep-cheep noises coming out of the the bushes next to the porch last night. We kept seeing a male and female cardinal, hopping along the railing, and flying in and out of one of the bushes. I followed the noise and found four baby cardinals, with their eyes still closed, in a nest, waiting for their mom and dad to bring them some dinner.

It doesn’t seem like the best place for a nest, but birds make some odd choices sometimes. We’ve watched birds building nests in the hanging plants before too. I tried to give these cardinals some extra privacy by attaching a board to the porch railing, to block the view, at least from the porch. I took these photos first.

As you can see, when their mama arrives, all their mouths open at once. You can see her tail feathers through the branches. I tried to get a picture of her feeding them, but the light was fading and she wasn’t still for more than a second at a time. Their dad has been just as busy feeding them.

I hope they’ll be safe in there.

I just put some “Hug Me! Slugs” up in my Etsy shop and updated our Soft Dolls and Art Toys page, for a quick overview of what’s available. As I mentioned, I’m switching out the custom-order listings with ready-made dolls and creatures. I’ll continue doing that so I can get caught up on everything around here.