Tag: hug-me-slugs

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Sixteen slugs are a lot

Especially when they all need names.

Me: “C’mon, wanna help me name some slugs?”

My mom: “How about ‘Tommy’?”

Me: “Okay, which one looks like ‘Tommy’?”

My mom: “Um, that one.”

Me: “What does this one look like?”

My mom: “I don’t know. They all have the same face.”

Me: “No, they’re different…”

Lilith
Megan
Brady
Marshal
Timothy
Stephanie
Millie
Stella
Ryan
Molly
Riley
Macy
Tommy
Edith
Eddie
Rachael

These “Hug Me! Slugs” are all up for adoption over in my Etsy shop. I’ll keep all the available soft dolls and toys on this page of our website too, just to try to keep things organized 🙂

In duck news, we haven’t heard back from the avian vet and, in the meantime, we haven’t seen the limping duck, except from a distance, floating on the pond. Then he disappeared. We’ve had visits from the one mama and papa duck and their one duckling, but those have been the only sightings. Just hoping for the best with their tiny flock, and we’ll do what we can. Have you noticed that animal emergencies always seem to happen on weekends or when the vet isn’t there? It is surprisingly difficult to find anyone who will treat white ducks who live in the wild. The wildlife rehabilitation organizations we’ve contacted before only treat native animals, which makes finding help tricky. So, fingers crossed for them.

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Sixteen slugs and a sock hippo

I’m pretty proud of myself this week. I actually sewed up all sixteen of those toys I cut out and fused. It’s been too unpredictable outside to get some better photos, but here is my new batch of “Hug Me! Slugs”, all lining up for their school photos. Maybe tomorrow, kids.

I also made “Hilda the Hug Me! Hippo”, my sock hippopotamus. She’s quite a bit larger than the slugs I made this week. I keep picking her up and carrying her around. She just asks and asks. So, what can I do?

We watched a cute movie this weekend, Lost in Austen. For anyone who enjoys Jane Austen, it is a miniseries takeoff of the novel and a entertaining spin on the miniseries Pride and Prejudice. A modern woman finds a door in her bathroom that leads directly into the Bennets’ house, switches places with Elizabeth, and inadvertently disrupts the order of everything. They must have cut out this scene from the version we watched:

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Art toys and strawberries

I finally put these fuzzy slugs up for adoption in my Etsy shop. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my soft dolls and toys, with the CPSIA legislation still unresolved, but given they are still working to sort out the details, I thought I’d post my slugs. From what I understand, you are safe if you say, “safe for children over 12,” which I will do, if necessary. It’s hard to understand the rules, or how toys made from materials already on the shelves of retail stores, like Polyfil, which is advertised to be 100% non-allergenic, or 100% polyester fleece, or 100% cotton fabric could ever possibly end up being considered an issue for anyone, but hopefully, they will come up with a list of “okay’d” materials, rather than make a blanket law that requires every children’s item to be tested for lead and phthalates. I believe they’ve already given libraries a reprieve by not insisting each of their children’s books be tested, and I think they’ve made allowances for thrift shops so they can continue to offer items for children. The law seems appropriate for companies that use raw materials to manufacture parts, but the way it is written, it seems to include just about anything.

My tummy and head haven’t felt too great the past couple of days. This morning, I couldn’t think of anything I could eat except a cookie, tea, and strawberries, which didn’t sound like a proper breakfast at all. I remarked that it sounded more like a breakfast a storybook mouse might eat. A friend told me that sounded about right for me, and when I thought about it, I agreed. So, that’s what I had and I did actually feel better.

I’m also reading my way through the last of my E M Forster novels, Maurice. And contrary to what you might guess, they did sneak Helena Bonham-Carter into the film adaptation too!

Other than that, I’ve been watching an eclectic assortment of arty films on IFC, and occasionally slipping over to Chiller, where I caught Killer Klowns from Outer Space. That sounds about right for me too.

Update: According to this Storque article on the CPSIA, dyed and undyed textiles, fabric and non-metallic thread and trim, are included on the okay list and can be used to make children’s items.

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A gaggle of slugs

I’m on a finish-what-I-started mission, at least when I can fit it in. The way I jump from one project to the next, that could take years to accomplish, but I’m trying to make more of a focused effort. These little slugs have been waiting for their embroidered parts for a long time.

This group is made of baby blue polar fleece, which is soft and cuddly. Their fuzzy hearts are each different shades of pink and red.

I gave them all French names. Why? I don’t know. Does it give them an air of sophistication?

I almost named them after The Brady Bunch after arranging them in these composite photos, but then I couldn’t think of enough Brady Bunch names. I didn’t really relate to that show as a kid, but then I was an only child. They seemed pretty strange to me.

I positioned their pupils so that they would be looking this way and that. I find the upward-glancing ones particularly amusing. They are either rolling their eyes, or praying for assistance. I’m not sure which. Both maybe.

The others seem very curious about everything. This group is a pear green color. They are also French.

I modified their hang tags to say they may be spot cleaned with cool water. Poly fleece seems to do better with cool water. They can be set to air dry if necessary. I prewashed and air dried the fleece I used to make them. They should not go in the dryer! Yikes! They would be scared, but that is also bad for fleece. It melts with heat.

I am listing my available soft dolls and art toys here on our Ruffing’s site. I’ll be listing fleece “Hug Me! Slugs” in my Etsy shop as well, with some options for naming your own slug too.

We are still putting together our first original folk art cat doll collaboration too. I don’t want to give away any surprises though. Time to go catch up on some more stuff…