Posted on

Himalayan Cat Art Doll with a Pocket Kitten, part one

Himalayan cat and kitten art dolls in progress

My mom is getting back to making our cat art dolls after a long break. These are a mama Himalayan cat with her little baby pocket kitten. She sculpted them years ago, and had them in a box. I have been encouraging her to get back to her art. She is going to finish painting these kitties.

Mom picked out the floral fabric she liked the best from my stash, and I will be sewing up a pinafore for her cat art doll. It will have a pocket in it to hold the kitten.

We are excited to have new dolls after this long break. Emily, one of our calico cats, loves to watch everything my mom does. She is excited too.

Himalayan Cat Art Doll with a Pocket Kitten, part one

We got out of the house today and took a walk, before making this short video of the dolls. It was a pretty spring day here, and we got back before the rain.

Anne Ruffing sits on a park bench with tall pine trees behind her.
Mom sitting on a park bench, enjoying the spring weather
Pale lavender flowered Chinaberry Tree/Persian Lilac in bloom
Posted on

A very generous gift from Tyber Katz, a box of wonders

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber Katz

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzWe received an amazingly generous gift today, a box of unfinished carved wooden doll parts from the super-talented doll artists, Peter and Patricia Tyber, of Tyber Katz, for us to assemble, paint, and clothe.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzTheir dolls are wonderful, beautifully sculpted and hand painted. They are carved by Peter Tyber. Their dolls are painted by Patricia Tyber. Their dolls’ bodies and lovely clothing are made by Patricia Tyber as well. Please go check them out on their website, tyberkatz.com.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzI think these “Newbies” kittens might be my favorites.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzThere are all kinds of kitties, cats and kittens, and some bears in the box.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzWe were so surprised when Pat wrote to us, and offered to give these to us to assemble and paint. Some of these are the masters they used for carving.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber KatzI plan to make bodies for them, assemble them, and make clothing for them. My studio-mate Max Bailey will do the painting. I’m sure it will take us a long time, as these are much bigger than we usually work, but I think they will turn out beautifully. Many, many thanks to Peter and Pat for this gift! And thank you for trusting us to finish these remarkable art dolls.

Anthropomorphic cat art dolls by artists Peter and Patricia Tyber of Tyber Katz

Posted on

Working on getting organized

Light green and daffodil yellow Hug Me Slugs, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingThese are some of the custom handmade Hug Me Slug stuffed animal toys that I sent out this past week. I’m trying to decide what to work on next, maybe some bunnies. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop

Purple Hug Me Slug, original art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI got part of my workroom more under control than it was. My clothes are now barricaded into the closet in the corner though. It’s hard to cram all that I have into a small area.

My workroom boxes by Elizabeth RuffingI have more boxes to fill, and am hoping to get more of the piles of fabric organized.

Elizabeth RuffingI experimented with the remote control I had for an older SLR camera I have, to see how it worked on the newer camera. I took photos of myself surrounded by my supplies.

Elizabeth RuffingThat is Beau Bear sneaking up on me, above. I made him a long time ago, from a Vogue pattern. Josephine used to nap on him when she first came here.

Tommy and Maizie, ginger tabby original one-of-a-kind art dolls by Max BaileyI am also working on the backlog of doll photos I have to edit. These are Randolf and Maizie, original, one-of-a-kind ginger tabby cat art dolls by Max Bailey. We posted Randolf here on our Ruffing’s blog, and Maize has her own post here.

Ginnie, miniature ginger tabby original one-of-a-kind art dolls by Max BaileyThis is Ginnie, a miniature version of Max’s art dolls. She comes with a dollhouse cradle. I talked Max into trying mini dolls in cradles, and so I hope people enjoy her and her mini-kitten friends we have to photograph next. Ginnie can be found here on our Ruffing’s blog. I have seven more sets of art doll photos to get edited and posted.

Lounging cats on the rug by the doorOur real-life kitties are doing well. Bertie is getting so big, we will soon be calling her Big Bertha instead. Phoebe is smaller, and shyer. Bertie has come into her own and is pretty confident. She wants to eat first and she wants the other cats to give her baths. Phoebe is making her own progress, visiting me at the computer and watching things I do.

Feral cats released from Wake County Animal ShelterYesterday morning, I got a call from Princess Marie saying that two feral cats were being released from the Wake County Animal Shelter to go to Operation Catnip, which is an all-volunteer group with a clinic that spays and neuters and vaccinates feral cats. She was going to pick them up and asked if I could go along to take some photos. There has been some controversy over the cats, and whether they could be released, which hopefully is all worked out now, although there are policy issues still to be discussed, regarding feral cats in the community. From what I understand, these two cats will now be living in an outdoor home, instead of being returned to the colony where they were originally trapped. The people at the shelter were nice to us while we were there, and let me take some photos of the kitties’ big day. Lots of people are happy about the cats getting to go free. They have already been to the vet, and are now settling in comfortably in a safe place.