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Be-flowered Fairies and Babies in Progress

For these little fairy babies, I tried out Mimi Kirchner‘s directions for hidden button movable joints. They worked out great. I’ve made them jointed at their shoulders and their hips so they can sit or lie down. I’ve also weighted their bottoms to make them sit nicely.

They are made from all sorts of things, 100% cotton fabric, Creative Paperclay, and Li-Qua-Ché pourable papier mâché, not to mention fabric flower petals, pipe cleaners, carpenter’s glue, and Poly-Pellets. I hand quilted their wings and left an opening on each one for wooden stands that I plan to add later. Since they they can be posed, I thought it would be fun to

This is my Spring fairy, a little further along. She is actually a little further along than pictured here, and has been already sanded and gessoed, as have the babies. I am just a bit behind on my photographing!

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New Original One-of-a-kind Star Baby Art Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

“Sigrid the Star Baby” is making her debut. Sigrid is a newly born star. She is jointed at her shoulders and hips so she can lie down or sit. She is made of 100% cotton which was gessoed, painted with acrylic artists’ paint, then sealed with matte varnish for protection…just like I would treat an original painting.

She has an adorable pouting baby face, with one little tear on her cheek. Please click here to visit Sigrid’s web page.

I put my picture “Moon and Star” her hang tag because it goes so nicely with her turquoise and gold onesie.

Prints of “Moon and Star” can be found on our web site, in my Etsy shop, and on Ebay.

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Original Angel Cat Acrylic Folk Art Painting on Wood by Max Bailey

This is “Terence the Tomcat”. With his roguish good looks and feline charm, he is surely an angel, even if, at times, he may be thinking less than angelic thoughts.

Terence looks out from a rich warm background of browns blending into black, which gives the effect of Terence having just emerged from the darkness. He is painted in acrylic on solid poplar wood. I coated the painting with clear gloss varnish to give it depth, and to protect and enhance the color.

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Banks Miniature Horse Farm

I had the best time last weekend at Banks Miniature Horse Farm in Clayton, NC. Bill and Pam Banks allowed a group of us to come photograph their adorable miniature horses, and one very friendly miniature donkey, Dixie, who was especially envious of my straw hat.

Bill and Pam breed, sell, and show miniature horses, and have the largest miniature horse farm in this Southeastern part of the country. Their horses become pets, companions to race horses, and even seeing-eye animals. They are wonderfully gentle, curious, and sweet creatures.

There were several new foals to see, one only a few days old. Bill was telling us how a couple of the foals were playing “King of the Mountain” on a pile of soil in his barn one time, and he managed to get a picture.

Linda Vassilion took this one of Dixie the donkey, and Sunny giving me a kiss. Sunny and Dixie had a plan worked out, I think, to get that hat off my head.

Jay Massengill took this one, and the one at the top of this post, of me and Dixie and Sunny, still hoping for a straw hat. Bill wanted to cut two holes in it for ears!

Bill and Pam were not only nice enough to have us over, but they also have buses of school children, and handicapped children come for visits to the farm. The animals are very well-behaved with children and are a real treat to spend the day with. Bill and Pam are fun too!

Special thanks to Bill and Pam Banks for having us over, giving us the tour, and answering all my questions! I always have a lot! Special thanks to Jay Massengill and Linda Vassilion for allowing me to use their photos!

Please be sure to visit the Banks Miniature Horse Farm web site too!