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Posted on April 6, 2007January 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Bleuette Doll with Bluebirds, Original Painting on Poplar Wood by Max Bailey

I’m so excited about “Bleuette”! I just finished her and she is gorgeous! Her big blue eyes and sweet smile were inspired by the ever popular Bleuette antique dolls who were first introduced in France in 1905 in La Semaine de Suzette magazine. Little French girls learned to sew making the patterns the magazine offered for Bleuette’s extensive wardrobe. The premiere Bleuette was a Jumeau style doll, and was offered for free with a one year subscription to the magazine. Little Bleuette was so popular that she was offered in many, many incarnations until 1960. Today, she is still incredibly popular, and both the original dolls and their reproductions are widely collected.

This is an original painting done in the American folk art portrait style, with Bleuette emerging from a warm dark brown background that blends into black at the edges. Here Bleuette is shown as an angel who watches over bluebirds, two of which rest calmly in her hands and on her shoulder. She wears an old-fashioned blue dress with lace trim, and an ecru apron with a burgundy stripe.

Posted on April 3, 2007January 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Order out of chaos

Finally! I’ve sewn and stuffed and attached all my previously adrift doll parts. They look like little fencing champions, all lined up in white. Are there only ten? Oh, but it feels like there must be more! Perhaps I just had two more in mind.

To celebrate, I made Swedish Lucia buns which, according to our old Betty Crocker’s International Cookbook, are traditionally served in Sweden to celebrate their Queen of Light Festival, also known as Saint Lucia Day, which comes at the beginning of the Christmas season. Once again, I am a bit off with my holiday traditions.

They are wonderful, however, and similar recipes can be found online, like this one.

Copies of the old Betty Crocker’s International Cookbook can still be found on EBay, which reminds me…I’d like to get an extra copy for myself. Ours is getting tattered.

Posted on March 29, 2007June 20, 2019 by Anne Ruffing — 1 Comment

Rosalie the Red Rose Fairy, Original One-of-a-kind Art Doll by Max Bailey

Rosalie the red rose fairy is a handmade original, one-of-a-kind art doll, handmade and hand painted artist Max Bailey.

According to my grandmother, we had fairies to thank for all things beautiful on the earth. From her imagination (and from mine), here is Rosalie, the Red Rose Fairy.

In the spring, Rosalie flutters lightly through gardens like a butterfly, bending gracefully over the delicate buds of the red rose bushes, touching each with her rose-tipped wand to make them open.

Blue-eyed and raven-haired, she is dressed all in teal blue, with a cascade of roses, rosebuds, and leaves that flow down her body to her toes. The golden three-leaf motif at her neckline also encircles her wrists, and her colorful wings bear portraits of her favorite flower.

If this year, your red roses have elegant, exquisite, and heavenly blooms that sweetly perfume the air, it is very likely the enchanting Rosalie has paid your garden a visit.

Rosalie is 12 1/4 inches tall, and her wings measure 8 inches across. She is made from 100% cotton fabric which is sewn, stuffed, and completely hand-painted with acrylic paints. I quilted her wings and attached them separately. She holds a wand made from wire, with a rose at the tip that I created from ribbon.

There is a small loop in the back of Rosalie’s head, should you wish to hang her up. She can also sit in a chair or on a shelf, or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand not included.) She is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation.

Rosalie is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, created from my own design and pattern. She is meant for display only.

Update: Rosalie has already been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on March 18, 2007June 2, 2011 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Patricia Angel of Pansies, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Doll by Max Bailey

I’m pleased to announce the arrival of Patricia…Angel of Pansies! Pansies are among the oldest known garden flowers, and I like to think that over the years, some garden angels have been at work to create such beautiful blooms.

Patricia is one of these angels. When she picks a pansy from the garden, two more will bloom in its place.

Patricia is a true one-of-a-kind original work of art, created from my own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric, which is sewn, stuffed, and completely hand-painted with acrylic paints. She comes with her own oval wood stand, oak-stained and finished.

Update: Patricia has already been adopted.