All Creatures Great and Small Archives - Page 16 of 24 - Ruffing’s

Posted on April 30, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

More fleece, more Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal toys, more drawings

Today has been such a beautiful day that I decided to sit outside and finish some Hug Me Slugs. I’ve been wanting to photograph them in the flowers that have been cropping up everywhere, but rain was interfering with my plans.

This orchid-colored Hug Me Slug is posing with my purple Siberian Iris.

I made a new hang tag for my slugs. I’ve redone all my tags, or added new ones, and am in the process of getting them ready for the web.

I had a small amount of this deep red-orange fleece, and made a slug from it. He or she is posing in front of some mock orange, the smell of which I love. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

These are this mornings sketches of Hug Me Slugs and a Hug Me Kitten. They are still very rough. I’m going to clean them up, pen-and-ink them in, and try working on them on the computer.

I finally got myself a book so I would be less intimidated by trying Painter. I hope that does the trick!

I have also been cutting up insane amounts of fleece. This is only a very small portion of what I have. I must cut it and organize it by color, or I have no idea what I have without lifting boxes and boxes.

These are some of my scraps that will become catnip knots. I will be putting them in packets for fund raising for a local cat rescue.

Santana the Peeping Tom Cat, at long last, showed up in the window while Josephine was watching, and while I happened to be here too. I am sure he has seen her many times already, but this time I caught him with my camera. Fresh cat.

Posted on April 24, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 4 Comments

Alley Cat Angel, handmade stuffed animal sock cat

Happy Easter, everyone! As I promised yesterday, I am posting a special Alley Cat Angel sock kitten today. All the proceeds from the sale of this kitty will go to a local cat and kitten rescue group, Alley Cats and Angels of NC, less the shipping amount. Update: This Alley Cat Angel has been adopted! Thank you! I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

My Alley Cat Angel is approximately 16 inches tall from the top of her pointy ears to the bottom of her paws, and approximately 11 inches tall when seated. She is a lovely light blue, with a red fleece heart. All her details are sewn on by hand with embroidery floss.

She has a very sweet expression, fitting an angel.

Her puffy white wings are made from socks too! They are also attached by hand.

Being a kitty, of course she likes to climb trees, but unlike regular kitties, she can fly back down when she wants to.

She comes with a hang tag that can be personalized as you wish. I can add a name for her or “For + a recipient’s name” if she is a gift. Her hang tag comes tied to her with a ribbon. I am happy to include a gift card for anyone wishing to send her as a gift to a separate address.

I plan to make more Alley Cat Angel sock kittens. If you are on Facebook, please “like” our Ruffing’s Facebook page. The proceeds from this first angel will be entirely for the rescue, and a portion of the proceeds for the next couple of Alley Cat Angels will go to animal charities as well. They (and you, if you adopt one) will be helping animals in need.

As you know, if you’ve been reading my blog, our little Josephine was rescued by and came from a cat rescue, and she is a very good girl indeed! Please consider adopting a pet, and please spay and neuter your pets.

Posted on April 23, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 4 Comments

New Fleece Hug Me Kitten

I finished a new fleece Hug Me Kitten handmade stuffed animal cat. She (or he) is cream-colored with a magenta heart and cornflower blue eyes.

She bears a bit of resemblance to Josephine, and even had her funny smile.

She has a tail that sticks straight out in back.

I love the back view.

She comes with a hang tag that can be personalized with a name or “For + a recipient’s name”. I plan to make more, in different colors. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

We had a surprise yesterday. Mama duck left her nest and came to visit us in the pouring rain, with eleven ducklings! She greeted me with a big quack when I came outside. She is taking such good care of them.

They were tired from their long walk up the hill from the pond, and all piled together for nap while she watched over them.

Babies get tired. They stayed like this for a long time, foraged some more, and then made their way back to the pond.

This baby gets tired too. She’s discovered windowsills and loves napping in them when she is not busy helping me or running around with her friends. She came from a local cat rescue, and tomorrow, for Easter, I’m going to have a special Alley Cat Angel sock doll. The proceeds of this first angel will go to that rescue, and then I will made some more, with a portion of each sale going to a local cat rescue. So, I hope you’ll come back to see tomorrow.

Posted on April 7, 2011August 1, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Slug love

I received these great photographs from two architecture students who celebrated the passing of their exams with some Hug Me Slug love. They have been taking tests for four years, and “SLUG” is the term they have used for the series of difficult exams they have had to take. They were both very happy to have some fun slugs as a reward for all their hard work. Congratulations to them both and thank you for these photos! I love them.

They had a celebratory get-together at a new restaurant, and the slugs went too! And, it would appear that the slugs like mac-n-cheese and salad! It looks like they all had a happy day. I think the slugs look very pleased with all the food. I’m told the waitress was quite taken with them as well.

Lots of other slugs have been shipping out all over the country, and the world. Here are some more that went on their way to their new homes recently. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I am still catching up, with more custom orders to finish, and some doll clothes to make. I made a fleece kitty pattern design I am waiting to sew too.

The weather has been beautiful here, and warm. I want to get outside and do some gardening.

The azaleas have started blooming, and the dogwood flowers are just opening.

I have an extra assistant now, one who steals all my pens. This is Josephine, formerly Frosty, planning an attack on a ballpoint pen. She has plenty of toys, but pens are of special interest to her. I think she may want to be a writer when she grows up.

Or a thief. That might be closer to her true aspirations.