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Posted on December 18, 2014 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

Happy birthday to me

It’s my birthday, and I made a Hug Me Slug, or worked on one. I also received some nice presents, like new sneakers in pretty colors, chocolates, and cookies.

My mom made me eggplant Parmesan and a cheesecake. I got some nice cards and lots of happy birthday wishes. Thanks to everyone.

These photos are from the past week and a half. I’m sewing slug eyes, which can try my patience. Luckily, I have a kitty helper.

She really wants to steal my chair, and does, whenever she can.

She hops over the baby gate I use to keep Oliver Bunny in the hallway, while he tries to chew through the gate from the other side. He wants to help me too. They are in cahoots. She knocks the gates over and he hops through. He escaped three times yesterday. I have to keep an eye on him so he doesn’t chew any electrical wires. As you can see, he is very good at chewing. He made a hole in one, big enough for him to fit very neatly through.

Here I am attaching the eyes to my toys. This all takes so much longer than you would expect. The eyes seem to take me the most time.

Then we go outside to photograph the toys before I put them in the toy shop.

I post them over on my Hug Me Slugs and Friends Facebook page too.

I think there is just one yellow slug left in the shop right now. I keep getting down to one.

Here I am packing slugs getting them ready to go to the Post Office. I’m wearing my “casual wear” here, my pajamas. I change out of them before I go to the Post Office. Someday, I may skip this step.

I’ve been taking some custom orders. This little blue slug was a special order. He was a birthday present for someone who ordered a Hug Me Slug for her boyfriend’s birthday before. He was returning the favor, and wanted one she could carry around in her backpack.

I made him a “Slug Sack” so the sluggie would stay safe on backpack journeys.

This is the Hug Me Slug he received for his birthday, dressed and ready for Christmas.

I haven’t done much for Christmas so far. I put some lights up. I did get an evergreen forest of my own to plant. That seems Christmas-y. I planted some in the front yard, and these are for the back yard. There was a big sale on arborvitae, and I got ambitious about the number I would plant!

Posted on December 7, 2014October 8, 2015 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Olga, miniature Norwegian Forest cat art doll, handmade original, one-of-a-kind kitten by artist Max Bailey

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

Olga is a tabby and white Norwegian Forest kitten. Her luminous eyes are golden yellow, and she has an air of sweetness about her.

Everyone loves Olga. Her eager little face is hard to ignore, and gets her lots of attention.

Perched on her flowered chair, Olga is always ready to talk, or listen, or play a game.

If you cannot think of a game, she will help you come up with one.

Olga’s forest green dress has a big off-white ruffle around the neck. The ruffle is edged in gold, as are her long sleeves.

Olga’s upholstered chair has pink and lavender flowers with soft green leaves. It is her favorite chair, and comes with her.

Olga 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.

Olga 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.

Olga is 1:12 scale. (One inch equals one foot.) She is 1 and 1/2 inches tall.

Update: Olga has been adopted. Thank you!

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Happy Thanksgiving from the kitties, the bunny, and me

Oliver Bunny wishes you all a happy Thanksgiving, and he wants to know where his dandelion greens are. We have been having at least three days of rain, and I haven’t been outside to hunt for them in the yard yet. We all hope you enjoy your holiday, or partial holiday, if you have to go into work today.

While I was having breakfast this morning, I saw the huge pile of sale flyers on the table, and thought, “I am not participating in this!” I don’t usually participate in the big shopping event that follows the holiday. I often work, work, work, trying to get toys ready for Christmas. One year, my hands were all taped and Band-Aid-ed, from needle punctures, or maybe that was more than one year. I can remember hurting and my fingers and arms being all prickly.

So, I had this crazy idea…I think I will not participate. I won’t change my pace. I will keep working. I am here. I am available. But I’m going to hold steady instead. I am more a tortoise than a hare.

I am sewing and getting orders ready. If any of you would like something, I am still happy to help out. I’m just not going to try to get my toy shop stocked up any sooner than is reasonable. I have lots of Hug Me Slug bodies sewn, as you can see from this photo of Jojo sitting on top of my boxes. I have lots of fabric colors, and I am adding more all the time.

I also decided to reintroduce another size. I will have 7, 8, 9, and 12 inch Hug Me Slugs. Why? I couldn’t decide if I should, and so I thought I would try them all.

Some people get crazy when the holiday season starts, and I don’t want to be one of them. I can remember last-minute semi-frantic shoppers who wanted toys right now, and I tried really hard to do that. I will still do my best for anyone who asks.

I am hanging out here, staying out of the fray. The other day, my mom and I almost got hit by a car. A kid missed us by only four inches I believe, pulling in front of us without even turning his head. I see that every year, as soon as the holidays begin. I want to stay out of it.

In other news, I found out yesterday that we made it to Buzzfeed! I see that site show up on Facebook all the time. I say we, but it was really Henrietta pussy cat here, above. She is number 15 on this 17 Crafty Cats That Will Make Your Heart Purr Buzzfeed post. She is famous. She steals my chair every day now. She was already stealing my chair that I have at the computer, but she has taken to marching into my workroom in the morning, to steal that chair too. Oliver Bunny doesn’t think she should be there, but she doesn’t care.

I am going to sew some slug eyes today, and I will have to fit on that chair with her. She doesn’t make that easy.

This morning, I also decided that I need to try harder to focus on the good and stop taking things other people do or say personally. I actually tell myself this a lot. I always say I am compulsively conscientious, and I try so hard to do right by everyone. I tend to think about other people all the time. That can wear me out. I do my best, and that is all I can do. Most people appreciate that, and I am glad for that. My attention needs to go in that direction. I like to help people and I like to try to help them feel better. Still, I’m not responsible for other people’s happiness, and I don’t want to be down over things I can’t change. Lately, I have been down over things I can’t change, things I know aren’t my fault, which is hard on me.

I would like the sun to come out. It is raining again, and Oliver needs those dandelions. I cater to animals too. 🙂

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Elizabeth Ruffing

I’m grateful for my customers

This is one of my pretty kitty assistants, ready for business. She is occupying our stack of shipping boxes that came in recently. We have print mailers, doll boxes, toy boxes. She also likes this vantage point so she can reach over and try to pat the bunny. I discourage this. He doesn’t care to be patted on the behind either, and grunts his disapproval. I gave her a nail trim, to be safe.

I received the nicest email today from a customer. I can’t share it, but sometimes my customers really make my day. They melt my heart, and break my heart at the same time. People send my toys as gifts, often with notes attached. I love seeing people being kind to each other and expressing their love for each other. It touches me and at the same time makes me wish I had that for myself. Maybe someday I will.

We posted another kitty cat print over in our Ruffing’s Etsy art shop and on our Ruffing’s blog. This is Herman the Blue Persian by Max Bailey. I love these. I think they are so cute.

I’m being stalked by my neighbor’s cat. The other day, he was at kitchen window, my bedroom window, the back door, and the front, all before breakfast. He is around all the time. I think we have at least three kitty visitors, in addition to this guy’s brethren. I had another at my bedroom window when I woke up this morning. I thought they would stop visiting when Mr Bear passed away, but they keep coming. Maybe he is there in spirit, inviting them.

I’m trying to get myself to go out and be sociable. That is not the easiest thing for me, but I am tired of hiding myself away, in different ways. I need to start doing my artwork again too. That quote about not hiding your light under a bushel keeps coming into my mind. I don’t want to be someone who avoids experiences out of fear or discouragement. Moving to this area has been personally discouraging for me in a lot of ways, but I have to be who I am and pursue what is important to me, even if it means rejection from some. There are people who do appreciate me and what I do, and that means a lot to me. I am thankful for everyone who has supported me. Even if you don’t realize it, every time you reach out to me, share your stories or photos, or purchase something I made, I appreciate it very much. Thank you.