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Herman the Blue Persian, Anthropomorphic Gray Kitty Cat Art Print by Max Bailey

Herman the Blue Persian Cat, fine art kitty gray grey cat with suspenders print by artist Max BaileyThis is a new fine art giclée print created from the original acrylic painting, “Herman the Blue Persian” by artist Max Bailey.

When Herman grows up, he plans to be a gentleman farmer.

He will oversee a huge catnip farm with lots of kitty employees who will tend to fields of fine-quality aromatic catnip plants. He will encourage his helpers to take frequent breaks to roll around in the catnip and hopefully be as silly as possible. He is aware that product testing is of the utmost importance.

Herman the Blue Persian Cat, fine art kitty gray grey cat with suspenders print by artist Max Bailey
This is an 8 x 10 inch image on 8 x 10 inch paper. This print was created using archival-quality pigment-based Epson UltraChrome ink and heavyweight 100% cotton archival-quality, acid-free, 300gsm weight fine art paper with a matte finish. It comes in an acid-free clear cello sleeve with an acid-free backing board, and is all ready to put in a standard size frame (frame not included).

The print of Herman the Blue Persian is available in our Ruffing’s Etsy art shop.

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Cats in clothes, and kitty and bunny assistants

Alice the White Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a doll print by artist Max BaileyI posted the first two anthropomorphic kitty cat art prints by Max Bailey over on our Ruffing’s art blog, and in our Ruffing’s Etsy art shop yesterday. These are “Alice the White Cat” and “Louisa the Himalayan Cat“, two girls in pink dresses.

Please go have a better look at them. I think they came out really pretty. I finished editing and printing another today, which I will post soon, and we have a bunch more to add. I’m doing so many revisions, trying to get them just right, that we are going to have to order more ink today.

Louisa the Himalayan Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a library book print by artist Max BaileyI am back to doing as much work as I can do each day. I enlisted my crew of kitty and bunny helpers yesterday, while I trimmed address labels and miscellaneous stationery.

Oliver Bunny likes to pick the scrap papers up in his teeth and move them around for me. When I stop petting him, sometimes he tries to pick up one of my fingers with his teeth, to make it move again.

Elizabeth Ruffing with kitty cat and bunny rabbit helpersWe were surprised early yesterday morning, after getting an email saying the power company wasn’t coming to mark the lines in our yard, by a phone call at 7:15am. It was the guy who marks the lines, calling from our driveway. So, I went out, got some flags to mark the power and phone lines, and we picked up a tree too. My tree-planting project is back on track, as soon as the temperature goes above the thirties, provided I have the energy.

Elizabeth Ruffing with kitty cat and bunny rabbit helpersWe also just set up cataract surgeries for both of my parents. That will be four trips to the hospital for surgery, and eight follow-up exams. That feels like a lot to get through, but it would be wonderful if they could both see again. Their vision has been terribly impaired, which makes a lot of things difficult. I warned my mom that she will have to trim some labels and stationery and prints once she can see. She said she would be happy to be able to see to do it.

Elizabeth Ruffing with kitty cat and bunny rabbit helpersI stuffed some Hug Me Slugs and worked on their bottoms this morning. I picked up some pretty new colors last week. Right now I am working on the ones I have sewn and trimmed already, but I would love to add to the colors. I have lots of fabrics that aren’t sewn into bodies yet. I keep going until I get too tired.

My insomnia is still a problem, but I did stay in bed last night, mostly because it was too chilly to get up. Sooner or later, my sleep pattern will have to even out.

Elizabeth Ruffing with kitty cat and bunny rabbit helpersIn a recent blog postI was talking about how I became self-conscious about talking about myself in my blog, and I said that I was relieved that a couple of people were no longer reading it. I hope I didn’t offend anyone by saying that. I realize people sometimes think I am talking about them, when I mean someone else, since I don’t like to identify people, unless it is to say something nice, or warn other people about them. I feel like I should clarify that a little. I meant a couple of people I knew, one who was negative about things I was trying to do, who was hanging around, but had disappeared. I also mentioned being shaken by an experience with someone I went out with five years ago. That person’s mom read my blog, the whole thing, and so I never mentioned him, in part because he didn’t want me to, but also because I didn’t want to upset his parents.

His sister had, at that time, befriended me on Facebook, and his mom used her account to read what I said there too. His mom knew me better than he did, and would tell him everything I said. She would ask him who people were in photos I posted on Facebook, and correct him when he said something about me and she knew otherwise. He told me she had a crush on me. She had a photo of us together, which she hung up, and he told me that was the first time in his life he made it to the refrigerator door. I decided to think of her as a fan. I thought she must have been getting some enjoyment out of reading about what I was doing.

Elizabeth Ruffing with kitty cat and bunny rabbit helpersHer husband was in the final stages of cancer when I went out with their son, and he passed away two months after we broke up. Their son had been staying with them on the other side of the country, and moved here to be near me, although I did not ask him to. He frightened me, and when his sister wrote to me to tell me their dad had died, she said she understood what I did was best for my own happiness. I sent my sympathies, and told her I hadn’t said anything because I didn’t know if they knew what had happened. After I stopped communicating with him, he ordered a bunch of my toys, one or two a day for weeks, for friends and family, with gift notes, some that mentioned me. I didn’t know if he was trying to make amends or if he wanted to give the impression we were together because he didn’t want to upset the people close him. It made me more uncomfortable, and I worried for a long time that he was going to show up again, even though I told him not to. I said nothing about any it, not on my blog, not on Facebook, not to most of my friends.

Then, after posting about how people were no longer reading my blog, I looked his mom up last week, and found out she passed away two months ago. I felt sorry and sad about it, thought of expressing my condolences to his sister, for the family, but then thought better of it. I am sure I am of no interest to them now, which also means no one will know who I am talking about. So, it seems strange to say it here, but I hope she rests in peace. I never spoke to her. I did get a call from her Skype account once, after I’d broken off communication, but I was too alarmed to answer it. Still, I saw her show up on my feed for a long time, and I feel like I should say farewell somehow.

Communicating over the Internet can be strange and awkward sometimes. I’m trying to talk about my life again, and not just post my finished work. We’ll see how that goes.

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Alice the White Cat and Louisa the Himalayan, Anthropomorphic Kitty Cat Art Prints by Max Bailey

Alice the White Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a doll print by artist Max BaileyWe are back online after a long disappearance and we have more cats in clothes! Max Bailey has been hard at work on a new line of anthropomorphic kitty cat paintings which we are turning into art prints. They are based on Max’s art doll characters. We have more original one-of-a-kind art dolls to post too. These are the first two prints we have, and they are available in our Ruffing’s Etsy art shop.

The first is Alice the White Cat. Alice’s little doll was especially made just for her by her favorite aunt. Alice calls her “Angela”. In a soft voice, Alice tells Angela all her secrets, and shares with her all her kitty dreams. Alice is very sweet and always cheerful, and she thinks her life is really quite nice. She’s glad to have Angela to share it with.

Alice the White Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a doll print by artist Max BaileyThe next is Louisa the Himalayan cat. Louisa walks to the library at least once a week to get a new book to read. She’s read almost all of the novels in the library, and especially loves the classics. Louisa wants to be an author when she grows up. She feels there are too many stories about people, and not enough about kitties.

Louisa the Himalayan Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a library book print by artist Max BaileyBoth prints are 8 x 10 inch images on 8 x 10 inch paper. They were created from Max’s original acrylic paintings, reproduced using archival-quality pigment-based Epson UltraChrome ink and heavyweight 100% cotton archival-quality, acid-free, 300gsm weight fine art paper with a matte finish. Each one comes in an acid-free clear cello sleeve with an acid-free backing board, and is all ready to put in a standard size frame (frame not included).

Louisa the Himalayan Cat, fine art kitty cat in pink dress with a library book print by artist Max BaileyAll of our images are copyrighted and the words “Ruffing’s Copyrighted Image” that appear on this online image will not appear on your print. If you are on Facebook, be sure to come “like” our Ruffing’s Facebook page as we will post updates on our page as well.

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Hug Me Sock Cats, dressed!

Sewing cat dolls skirts, Elizabeth RuffingI am still fighting insomnia, and woke up at 3am again. I woke up at 1:30am a day or two ago. All week, I have been up too early. But, I am working my way through it.

Sewing cat dolls skirts, fabrics before elastic waists, Elizabeth RuffingAt long last, I finished those sock cat doll skirts I said I would finish a year ago! Wow, I had someone who was going to write an article about them then. I will have to contact her and see if she remembers me! As I said in my last post, I have fallen behind this past year. I am taking steps to rectify that!

Assorted Hug Me Sock Cats stuffed animal art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing Elizabeth RuffingThese Hug Me Sock Cats, dressed in coordinating skirts, are all currently over in my Etsy toy shop, hugmeslug.com. They each come with a personalized hang tag, with room for a personal message on the back of the tags. I am happy to send a gift note along too, if anyone would like to send one as a gift.

Red and Pink Striped Hug Me Sock Cat stuffed animal art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing Elizabeth RuffingI had such a nice thing happen this week. A repeat customer ordered a Hug Me Slug as a gift for a baby, but had the address wrong. The person who received the package took the time to look me up online, wrote to me, and offered to drop the package at the right house, if it were nearby! I thought that was so kind. I emailed her and my customer, and we arranged for my customer’s husband to pick the box up. I was touched that they all made the effort to do that. It worked out great.

Magenta Striped Hug Me Sock Cat stuffed animal art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing Elizabeth RuffingI edited the first of a series of anthropomorphic cat prints by Max Bailey today. We are very pleased with how it came out. I will be posting it over on our Ruffing’s blog and in our Ruffing’s Etsy shop soon. I will probably be working on getting those edited, printed, and posted this coming week and a half or so.

Magenta Polka Dotted Hug Me Sock Cat stuffed animal art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing Elizabeth RuffingI also ordered and have already received another bunny cage for my workroom. This one is on wheels, and will allow me to remove a big table I have in there right now, making way for my shelves and a new worktable, which will come together eventually, I hope! I have a lot of packing to do, and then building, and painting furniture and walls and trim. None of those appeal to me terribly! I never finished redoing my bathroom due to my lack of enthusiasm for these kinds of  projects. I’m going to do the best I can, and tackle it all a little at a time. I have gardening and tree-planting projects on my list that never ends as well.

Red and Pink Striped Hug Me Sock Cat with hearts stuffed animal art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing Elizabeth RuffingEverything sure would be easier with a few nights of sleep. I hope I can get back on track with that. I have to accept that I have to stay away from people who upset me, or who treat me in an uncaring way. I always want to understand people I let into my life, and I tend to want to help them, even when I can’t. If people I care about are distressed, I absorb it, and I’ve been trying to understand someone I dated, who I can see is depressed and doesn’t seem to want to seek help. I talked to him, and it sounds like depression is something he has been struggling with for a few years, at least, and I can see obvious causes for it that he doesn’t seem to want to see. Instead, he wants to be left alone, and I’m not sure he even recognizes that he is depressed. I know it is just my perception, but nothing adds up any other way. For my part, I have to stop trying to figure it out, and focus on the things I need to do.