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Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat and Hug Me Kitten sock dolls

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingToday, I put the finishing touches on two new sock dolls, a Hug Me Angel Cat and a Hug Me Kitten, both red and pink striped, and photographed them. I think these came out extra cute.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingThe first is a Hug Me Angel Cat sock doll. Same as before, this kitty is helping out real-life cats and kittens. A portion from his adoption will be donated to an animal charity, Alley Cats and Angels of NC. He (or she) will come with a personalized hang tag too, with his adopter’s choice of a name, or “For + a recipient’s name.” I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingHe has fuzzy white fleece wings and a pink fleece heart. His features are all hand sewn on, with embroidery floss in a blanket stitch.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI’m enjoying how he looks like he is flying here and there in my photos.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Angel Cat Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI was lucky to have a blue sky and some white clouds just long enough to take his pictures today.

Red-and-pink striped Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI also made a smaller sock kitten, in the same red-and-pink stripe. He or she also has hand embroidered details, and a pink fleece heart.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI finished him in the nick of time to get his photos too, and then it got all gloomy again outside. I’m glad I was able to get these posted today.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingThey would both be great Valentine’s Day gifts.

Red-and-pink striped Hug Me Sock Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingAlso perfect for Valentine’s Day are Echo and Tommy. These are new, original, one-of-a-kind black-and-white tuxedo cat art dolls by Max Bailey. I am finally getting to editing some of the doll photos that got backlogged before the holidays. There are quite a few more beautiful and handsome original cat art dolls still to share. Echo can be found here on our Ruffing’s blog, and Tommy can be found here. They each have their own story.

Echo and Tommy, Original, One-of-a-kind, black-and-white tuxedo cat art dolls by Max BaileyI had been thinking for a long time that I should have business cards for my toys, but couldn’t decide where to order them. So, I designed and printed them myself. Since I love rainbow assortments of things, I ended up making them in several different cheerful colors.

Hug Me Slugs and Friends business cards and original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI handed out my first one last weekend, to someone who was feeling blue, and, right away, it made him smile and laugh, even though he’d been wiping tears away a minute before. That reminded me that what I’m doing has a positive impact, and that my toys spread good cheer and comfort. I’ve got toys heading out to people’s Valentines, and I’ve got toys going out to lift the spirits of people who have lost loved ones. Some of them head off to welcome new babies and to help people celebrate birthdays, and they make people smile.

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Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max Bailey

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy the tuxedo cat is certain of two things: 1) that he is extremely handsome, and 2) that he is remarkably popular.

Echo and Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Dolls by Max Bailey“Maybe it’s the cool striped overalls,” Tommy wonders, “or it could be the flashy red truck I drive.”

Echo and Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Dolls by Max BaileyWherever he stops his truck to make a delivery, the girls all swarm around Tommy. They giggle and nudge each other, and act very silly. The boys all shout “Hey! It’s Tommy!” They pat him on the back and shake his hand.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy, though a little flustered by all this attention, tries to do his job as best he can.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyHe stops to deliver his goods to stores like The Kitty Emporium, and Katie’s Kitchen, where he is always welcomed.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyInto each shop, Tommy carries case after case of fine quality aromatic catnip, for making catnip tea, or for filling pillows, or just for sprinkling and sniffing.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy loves his job.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy’s colorful overalls are striped in brown, yellow, orange, green, and blue. The blue matches the blue of his sweater. His undershorts are white, and his socks are yellow. He wears brown high-button shoes with gold buttons.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, created from my own design and pattern. He is made from 100% cotton fabric which has been sewn, stuffed, and completely hand painted with acrylic paints. His whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy’s paws are needle-sculpted, and his arms are button-jointed so that he can pose. His face was sculpted from paperclay smoothed into his fabric head.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy’s curled tail enables him to sit proudly on a shelf or a table, or in a cabinet. He can also sit on a chair, or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand not included.) Tommy is meant for display only.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyTommy is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. He is 8 and 1/2 inches tall.

Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyUpdate: Tommy has been adopted. Thank you!

Echo and Tommy, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Dolls by Max BaileyTommy’s tuxedo-cat girlfriend is Echo, who can be found by clicking here.

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Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max Bailey

Echo original one-of-a-kind black-and-white tuxedo cat art doll by artist Max Bailey

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho is a handmade original, one-of-a-kind black-and-white tuxedo cat art doll, hand painted and hand sculpted in paperclay by artist Max Bailey.

Echo is a beautiful tuxedo cat with big yellow eyes.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho says everything twice, which is how she got her name.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max Bailey“I’m hungry,” Echo will say. “I’m hungry,” comes the echo.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyPerhaps she is afraid she won’t be heard if she says something only once, and it’s very important that she be heard.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyBecause she is such a sweet cat, Echo’s friends don’t really mind that she repeats herself. They wait patiently until she is finished before they respond. They accept that all kitties have their funny little ways, and love her just the same.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyToday Echo is repeating herself in a striking black pinafore with red star flowers and tiny daisies in blue and lavender. The bib and over the shoulder straps are ruffled in the same fabric. Under her pinafore she wears a country red blouse with blue collar and cuffs banded in gold.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho has a black tail with a white tip. It emerges from white pantaloons. Her tights are blue, and over her kitty feet she wears black high-button shoes decorated with gold bands and gold buttons.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho is a one-of-a-kind work of art, created from my own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric which has been sewn, stuffed, and completely hand painted with acrylic paints. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho’s paws are needle-sculpted, and her arms are button-jointed so that she can pose. Her face was sculpted from paperclay smoothed into her fabric head.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho’s curled tail enables her to sit proudly all by herself on a shelf or on a table, or in a cabinet. She can also sit on a chair or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand not included.) Echo is meant for display only.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho is signed and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She is 8 and 1/2 inches tall.

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho is available for $650.00. Please inquire to [email protected]

Echo, Original One-of-a-kind Black-and-white Tuxedo Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyEcho’s tuxedo-cat boyfriend is Tommy, who can be found by clicking here.

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Yellow kittens, blue kittens, and slugs

Light blue fleece Hug Me Kitten, original art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI have more Hug Me Kitten stuffed animal toy kittens. These are fleece and the ones below are sock dolls.

Yellow Animal Print Hug Me Sock Kittens, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI was curious to see what would happen if I modified my Hug Me Kitten pattern to make a sock kitten, and they came out pretty cute.

Gray Fleece Hug Me Slug, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI also finished some more 12-inch fleece Hug Me Slugs. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

Magenta Purple Fleece Hug Me Slug, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI’ve been sewing whatever I feel like sewing, while watching movies. Today, I added a few custom toy listings, since the holiday rush is no longer a worry.

Orange Fleece Hug Me Slug, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingIt was strange to have some free time around the holidays, after the past two years. It was much easier to handle just making the custom tags for the toys, without having the time crunch to finish any custom colors.

Looking in my workroom window, photo by Elizabeth RuffingThis is my workroom, without me sitting at my table. We came back from a walk the other night and this looked cozy and inviting. So, I took a photo.

Tabby kittens bird watching at the door, photo by Elizabeth RuffingBertie and Phoebe are sprouting up. These are the two of them bird watching, from yesterday.

Cats sunbathing in the window photo by Elizabeth RuffingSunbathing is also popular here.

Feral cats sunbathing, photo by Elizabeth RuffingThese are a couple of the cats from the feral colony near the area where I picked Phoebe and Bertie up, sunbathing outdoors. I think the one on the right may be a sister of theirs. We looked for the injured kitten, but couldn’t find her. Marie picked up three other cats to be spayed and vaccinated. I haven’t heard back if this is one of them, but I hope so. She said she picked up a kitten too, that may be tamable, but I haven’t heard if it was one I saw, or a new one. It’s been so upsetting thinking about the kitten out there, and the others that will likely be born there too. I kept checking, but didn’t see her.

Feral cat in brush, photo by Elizabeth RuffingI photographed some of the other cats while I was there. I wondered if this girl is a relative of Phoebe and Bertie too. She has eyes a bit like Bertie’s. There are so many cats there with a family resemblance. I hope they can be helped out, and that they can get spayed/neutered and vaccinated soon. There is so much demand everywhere.

Nice stray tom cat, photo by Elizabeth RuffingThis nice tom cat sits with me when I change the water bowls. I think he must have wandered into the colony looking for girl cats, since he seems tame. The past couple of times I have gone down to check, someone has thrown the feeders’ bowls and my water bowls into the ravine. Having food in bowls, and fresh water helps prevent sickness in the cats. Eating off the ground and drinking filthy water is very unhealthy. That is probably how Phoebe and Bertie got Giardia, which needed to be treated. It’s so disheartening when people are uncaring.

The manager at this location, another restaurant not far from the steakhouse where our kittens were, had seemed fine about the cats being there, when we talked to him, but maybe there is someone else there at a different time of day, who feels differently. It is very frustrating when you are trying to help animals in need, and it really is beneficial to everyone to have the cats healthy and fixed, instead of scrounging in dumpsters, etc. I hope things will get straightened out for everyone’s sake. It makes no sense to interfere with a rescue trying to help you with your problem. The cats are there because there are multiple restaurants with open dumpsters, not because of a couple of bowls of clean food and water.