Tag: Soft Dolls and Art Toys

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Posing with slugs and one lone toad

I’ve finally settled on slug sizes that I’m happy with. I was going to just have two sizes, but I kept the small, 7 inch size, and just added a 9 inch, and a 12 inch slug size. I’ve readjusted their pricing to be proportionate with the new sizes. The custom-made slugs are currently available in 9 or 12 inches, and I have a bunch of ready-made 7 inch ones. You can still name your own slug, either way.

I’ve got ten new sluggies to put in my Etsy shop. I added a “Hug Me! Slugs” category to make finding them easier.

I’ve also added a “Sock Animals” category. I will get all these guys and girls in there as soon as I can. Unfortunately, our old computer is having fits of despair, which is making all my work go much more slowly. I think this may be the weekend we finally opt to get a new computer. I’ll have to learn how to use it though, since we’ll be switching to a Mac this time.

I talked my mom into photographing me holding slugs yesterday, so you all can see what the sizes really look like in comparison to a person. Looking at them all by themselves doesn’t give much sense of scale.

It was the end of the day, and I was pretty tired when we took these. I tried to smile, but even the corners of my mouth were tired!

Hopefully these will give you an idea at least, of the new sizes. I’ll add them to my listings as soon as I get a chance.

I sure hope editing photos will be easier on a new computer. I’ve been here all day, just trying to adjust these to sort of match each other. It’s been exasperating. I guess that will make me all the more happy to have a new computer, once we get one.

I need to expand my toad collection too!

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Valentino is someone’s Valentine

Today is “Valentino the Hug Me! Slug’s” big day. He’s been waiting to hear who his new adoptive parent(s) will be.

He’s been talking about it to all his friends. As you can see, he’s developed quite a following around here, lots of admirers.

Well, here’s the big news………..Sam A. is our big winner. I will get in touch with you (so glad I figured out who you were!) to get a shipping address. Thank you so much to everyone who entered and left such lovely comments!

Valentino still has slug friends who are looking for homes over in my Etsy shop. I’ve added some special “I (heart) you” tags as an additional option to naming your own slug.

I hope you all have a terrific Valentine’s Day!

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Valentine’s Day Slugs and Toad Tags

I finally got my drawing done for my “Hug Me! Toad” hang tag. I don’t know what took me so long. I must have been making slugs like crazy. I’d like to grab some time to make some more toads and sock hippos especially, some sock zebras too.

I’m still playing with slug sizes. These are the newer “small” slugs, about 8 inches tall, next to the “large” I’ve been making all along. As I was saying before, I’m aiming for two sizes, instead of having a “medium”. I’ll try making the large a little smaller soon.

I made a batch of Valentine’s Day “Hug Me! Slugs” too and put them up in my Etsy shop. They are in my original small size, about 7 1/4 inches tall, and they’re made of cuddly fleece.

I think this magenta pink one is my favorite. I love his (her?) whimsical expression.

But then, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I enjoy discovering how they each seem to have a personality once I’m done sewing and photographing them.

They’re an amusing bunch.

There is still time to enter for a chance to win “Valentino the Hug Me! Slug“. I’ll be announcing the winner tomorrow on my blog.

Speaking of my blog, Blogger.com is making some changes in mid-March. They are discontinuing the ability to upload your blog to your FTP folder. That doesn’t effect most people who use Blogger, from what they say, but it does effect us unfortunately. They are promising a “migration tool” but it won’t be ready for another couple of weeks. So, I can’t say for certain yet where our new blog addresses will be, but they will change soon. I plan to post announcements on the blogs. If anything should go wrong with that, and hopefully it won’t, please check the home pages of our websites, ruffings.com and elizabethruffing.com, or our Ruffing’s Facebook page for the announcement. If you’re on Facebook, please “become our fan” on the Ruffing’s page.

Most likely, the new blog addresses will be ruffings.com/blog. I haven’t published anything to those addresses, as of today, though. I’ll post more information about that when I have some.

Mostly, I’ve just been sewing and sewing and sewing, while watching so many movies that I can’t even remember what movies I’ve watched.

Good night. I will talk to you tomorrow when I post “Valentino’s” adoptive parent’s name on my blog 🙂

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My 300th post, 3 year blog anniversary, Valentine’s Day giveaway extravaganza

In honor of my 300th post and my 3 year blogging anniversary, not to mention Valentine’s Day…I am having a giveaway! The handsome, debonair, and very red prize will be Mr Valentino, the Hug Me! Slug! Thanks, Miko, for the idea!

Update: Thank you all so much for the great comments and compliments! And thanks very much for entering, and for reading my blog too! Sam A. has won the draw for “Valentino”. Congratulations, Sam! I have some more Valentine’s Day “Hug Me! Slugs” over in my Etsy shop as well. Please click here for the “official” announcement.

“Valentino the Hug Me! Slug” is an original, one-of-a-kind art toy, designed and made by me. He’s about 7 1/4 inches tall, and he’s made of soft, fuzzy fleece. His “Son of the Sheik”-inspired headdress is made of 100% cotton striped fabric.

His arresting eyes are hand sewn on using a blanket stitch. He has a purple heart because he is also very brave, in keeping with his romantic-hero personality.

He is, of course, also mysterious, irresistible, and cuddly.

I’m curious to know who you are, and so to enter to win “Valentino the Hug Me! Slug”, please leave a comment here, between February 1 and 7, 2010, saying hello and whatever you might like to say by way of introduction. Please include your name so I can put your name in a hat, and a link, if you have one, where I can find you (your web site, your Etsy/eBay page, blog, Facebook page, whatever you’d like). Otherwise, you can separately send me an email address where I can reach you if you win. I’ll be accepting entries up until a week before Valentine’s Day, February 7th, to allow for shipping time. Please check back here on February 8th, when I’ll announce the winner.

If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry…I have comment moderation in effect. As long as you leave a comment (click “comments” or “post a comment” at the end of this post to get there, type your message in the “leave your comment” box, and click “publish your comment”, for anyone who might not have used that before), and it is in my mailbox when I get up in the morning on February 8th, I’ll include your name in the draw. One winner will be chosen from a random draw. Thanks for visiting my blog, and happy posting!