Soft Dolls and Art Toys Archives - Page 31 of 50 - Ruffing’s

Posted on June 15, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Super Slugs and Super-sized Slugs

As promised, I have some toys to show for myself today. We went out into the heat and took some photos. These two 12 inch tall “Super Slugs” are over in my Etsy shop right now.

This is the first time I’ve done a 14 inch “Hug Me! Slug”. He looks like he might be the real super slug here, but he’s already on his way to his new home. He’s a Father’s Day surprise for a dad who surprised his wife and son with their own personalized slugs. They wanted an even bigger one for him. He’s supposed to be “Dad sized”.

As you can see, the 12 inch slugs look dainty compared to him.

I also sewed up a 9 inch tall “Super Slug”. He flew off a few days ago to help look after a new baby. These slugs keep busy.

I should have taken one of them to the Post Office with me today. I could have used some assistance. I got a flat tire. I thought I heard a funny flapping noise over the air conditioning, and just as I approached the shoulder-less road home, the noise got louder.

I didn’t really have a safe place to pull over, and so I drove the rest of the way home. Luckily, it wasn’t far. The tire is still on the car, because it is just too hot out there right now to touch it, but, hopefully, there’s no damage to the rim. That’s a project for tomorrow.

We also photographed some of Max Bailey’s kitten figurines. I’ll get to work on editing those photos and putting up their web pages too. They’re very cute.

Up, up, and away!

Posted on May 28, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Cleaning and rearranging

I’ve been knocking myself out, cleaning and organizing my workspaces. I’m still working on it. My kitties are competing with each other over who gets to sit on the new shelves, or on my old desk that I moved into my bedroom so I can sew while I watch, or at least listen to, TV. I’ve got lots of aches from hauling things around, and I feel a bit like I’m living in a storage facility. Still, the new arrangement sure beats having to lift eight boxes to get to the right color fleece!

That’s a good thing, because, in spite of my new organization, I still couldn’t find my light pink fleece this week. I pulled a few boxes off my new shelf, only to discover the pink was hiding in a bag on my table. But don’t worry…I went out and got more boxes! I should have supplies floor-to-ceiling, everywhere, soon.

As you can see, I turned my pink fleece into a pink fleece Hug Me! Slug. She left for her new home this morning, along with this cheerful pink polka dotted Hug Me! Toad, who is on her way to Australia.

Lately, I seem to be attracted to this pink color. When I was five, I think that was probably my idea of the best color there was. I had a fuzzy toy box that color. I picked up some more pink fabric, which is sitting on my ironing board, since I prewashed it. The fabric with the stars is fleece. I thought that was a good find.

I have some interesting information about my sewing machine, but I’m just waiting for confirmation about where to send it first, before I give an update about it.

Posted on April 30, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Newly-hatched cardinals and a mini shop update

There were a lot of cheep-cheep-cheep noises coming out of the the bushes next to the porch last night. We kept seeing a male and female cardinal, hopping along the railing, and flying in and out of one of the bushes. I followed the noise and found four baby cardinals, with their eyes still closed, in a nest, waiting for their mom and dad to bring them some dinner.

It doesn’t seem like the best place for a nest, but birds make some odd choices sometimes. We’ve watched birds building nests in the hanging plants before too. I tried to give these cardinals some extra privacy by attaching a board to the porch railing, to block the view, at least from the porch. I took these photos first.

As you can see, when their mama arrives, all their mouths open at once. You can see her tail feathers through the branches. I tried to get a picture of her feeding them, but the light was fading and she wasn’t still for more than a second at a time. Their dad has been just as busy feeding them.

I hope they’ll be safe in there.

I just put some “Hug Me! Slugs” up in my Etsy shop and updated our Soft Dolls and Art Toys page, for a quick overview of what’s available. As I mentioned, I’m switching out the custom-order listings with ready-made dolls and creatures. I’ll continue doing that so I can get caught up on everything around here.

Posted on April 29, 2010January 9, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Super Sammy Slug of Santa Cruz

I wouldn’t want to have to call him for help, because that would be a mouthful, but, I have to say, he looks very willing to help if asked. Or even if not asked.

“Super Sammy” the Super Slug is heading to California right now. He’s going to be a graduation gift for someone who is will be attending the University of California Santa Cruz. Their mascot is a banana slug. Their mascot’s name is also Sammy, but not “Super Sammy”, although I’m sure he is super in his own right.

I’m going to try to get some more slugs up in my Etsy shop soon, and then I think I’ll take a break from custom-made toys while I get our Ruffing’s web site reorganized. I need to edit some art doll photos and work out the blog migration over on that site. I’ll still have the “name your own” option on the soft dolls and toys, so everyone can still get some customization, which is fun for gifts or just because.