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Posted on December 23, 2011March 13, 2022 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Hug Me Bugs handmade stuffed animals and a birthday

I made some fun new Hug Me Bugs this week, in novelty fleece. I also experimented with taking their portraits on bright, cheerful colors.

I sewed up bugs with polka dots, flowers, and even pink camouflage.

I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

Others are waiting under trees for Christmas morning, or maybe they’ve been discovered and unwrapped early. I made a pink fleece Hug Me Kitten too. She’s also a gift for someone this weekend.

I had some nice gifts of my own this week. My mom made me this beautiful cheesecake for my birthday.

We ate it with strawberries on top, after having Chinese food.

I received some fancy cookies, and this super box of 100% cotton Mettler thread. There is plenty of room for even more colors. It came with a nice selection, but I will add some more too.

A few purples, light blue, and bright light green, and I think I will have a color for just about any fabric.

Hancock Fabrics had a big sale on fleece this week, and so we went to look. I couldn’t resist getting some, even though I have lots of fleece. I wanted to add to my bright colors.

I pre-washed all of it, and put it out to dry on the porch.

We had sleepy, gray weather this week, perfect for napping, and for sitting on the bed, doing my hand sewing. I was beaten to my favorite spot by cats. I kept trying to fit in around them.

Posted on December 16, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Tweed Alley Cat Angel Sock Kittens

I sewed the wings on these two Alley Cat Angel Sock Kittens just in time. I was stuffing wings while I waited for my mom at the dentist’s today, and the only other sock kitten I had available was adopted while we were out. I got my mom to hold these for me while I photographed them. We got lucky. Even though it is overcast this afternoon, we managed to get some cute photos of them.

Ten dollars from the adoption of these will go a cat rescue, Alley Cats and Angels of NC to help cats and kittens. I have some Hug Me Slugs with a portion going to animal charities available too. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I always have to wait for winter to find these tweed socks! I grabbed the few pair I found so I can make some more kittens like these. I also have a kind of ridiculously large collection of all kinds of socks, enough for plenty of variety.

I’m enjoying the idea of making whatever I feel like making right now. I cut off my custom listings to relax a bit. I think last year, on my birthday weekend, I had a big migraine and was exhausted. I’m feeling very happy to just have hang tags to make, and boxes to pack.

My art toys come with hang tags that can be personalized with a name, or “For + a recipient’s name”. I’ll still be shipping this week, via Priority Mail, as usual. Priority Mail usually takes about two to three days to arrive.

Phoebe and the rest of the kitty crew around here aren’t working too hard. I hope we can find another blanket like this one, in a color my mom likes, for my parents. It really is as soft as Phoebe makes it look.

Posted on December 13, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Hug Me Bug and Hug Me Bunny handmade stuffed animal toys

I’ve been adjusting my patterns for my new Hug Me Bugs and for my Hug Me Bunnies, making them slightly fatter.

I just finished three Hug Me Bug stuffed animal toys. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I procrastinated a long time over doing the drawing for their hang tag. I get mental blocks about some things. The drawing came along fine, but I couldn’t remember how I put it into the hang tag format I made before!

I struggled with that in Photoshop Elements. My goal is to learn more about digital drawing and painting…and remember it too! Sooner or later it will sink in, and hopefully stay in my head. I’m sure it is one of those things like riding a bike, that you just need to do enough times before you don’t have to consciously recall all the how-to details. I’m thinking about eventually getting another computer, for my workroom, so I have a place to concentrate on any writing or drawing projects I might want to do.

As you can see, my current set-up is more open to interruptions. Bertie was afraid of those fleece toys initially, but she braved walking past them to steal my popcorn. Then she draped herself nicely over the printer.

Bertie loves food. She will try anything. She doesn’t exactly like popcorn, but that doesn’t stop her from taking it.

Phoebe has been trying out my bed. I have a wonderful new fluffy blanket that is irresistible. I woke up to purring, one morning recently, and Phoebe and Bertie were both kneading my blanket.

I will be making more Hug Me Bugs in assorted colors next. I am going to keep adding as many toys as I can to our shop.

Posted on December 13, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Stuffed animal Hug Me Slug art toys with a donation to help cats and kittens

I have finished a few more 7-inch stuffed animal fleece Hug Me Slug art toys. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop. Right now, a portion from each sale will be going to help cats and kittens in our community, through a local cat rescue, Alley Cats and Angels of NC. There are some sock kittens in the mix as well.

I went to a Christmas party for a local cat rescue group this month. They had a beautiful tree, lots of yummy food, and a secret Santa gift exchange. I brought cat toys, thinking anyone there could use them. I also came home with cat toys. These are handmade by the rescue volunteers.

The catnip squares and cigars were a big hit. They are selling these for fundraising as well. They will ship them too, if anyone is interested in stocking stuffers for their kitties. If anyone would like some, they have an assortment of handmade catnip toys available in the Alley Cats and Angels shop. I also made a tutorial for making catnip toys, including catnip squares, cigars, and kickers, with patterns I made for them.

I’ve been sewing away, and getting behind on posting toys I finish on my blog. As you can see, slugs are coming and going around here. I’ve cut off the custom listings for now, but I still have plenty of ready-made toys available. I ship Priority Mail, within the United States, which usually takes 2-3 to arrive. I usually ship out within a day or two, giving me time to make their personalized hang tags and get to the Post Office.

People can have a name of their choice, or “For + a recipient’s name” on each tag. There is room on the back of the tags for a short message. I even went out and got some gift bags, just in case anyone needed gift wrap. The postage goes up for this, as I need a larger box, but a few dollars usually covers a gift bag, greeting card, and the extra postage.

I’ve been well on schedule. It helps not to pile up on custom orders. I will keep adding more handmade toys to my shop.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season.