softie Archives - Ruffing’s Artist Dolls and Toys

Happy spring and happy Easter! To celebrate, I have a whole colony, or fluffle, of Hug Me Bunny stuffed animal bunny rabbits! I have Hug Me Bunny and Wonder Bunny plush toys in lots of colors. You can hop on over to adopt one or two in our Ruffing’s shop.

Hug Me Bunny Easter basket ideas are further down in this post.

I love bunnies. They are sweet, intelligent, lovely animals. Please don’t give real bunnies as gifts for Easter! Having a rabbit as a pet is a big commitment and a lot of work. They are definitely not “starter pets.” They need lots of love and attention, like Oliver Bunny does.

The House Rabbit Society is a great resource for information about their needs and care.

Hug Me Bunny stuffed toy bunnies, however, are very easy to take care of, in addition to being cuddly.

I brought some Hug Me Bunny plush toys to Rabbit Day this year, and two of them were adopted by Louise and Arthur, two real bunnies.

Hug Me Bunnies stuffed animal bunny rabbits come in all colors, even apple green. They have hand-stitched fleece hearts in pretty colors. I love combining colors. I like to use my custom-printed colored eyes on them to make them even more colorful.

I started an Instagram page, for our stuffed animal art toys and original art dolls, if you would like to follow me there. I’m on Pinterest too. I started a Ruffing’s mailing list as well, so I can send out updates when we have something new.

Hug Me Bunny Easter basket ideas.

If you would like to make an Easter or a spring basket, like the one I made, shown at the top of this post, here are some instructions.

I got package of floral foam, which you can find in a craft store, or craft department, or online. I happened to get “wet foam”, because it was the best size for my basket, but that wasn’t necessary because I used pretend flowers. It’s called wet foam, because it is used for fresh flower arrangements, to keep them hydrated, but I didn’t wet it!

I set my basket on top of the foam, for size, and carved away the excess with a knife. It was very easy to cut. Then I put the block into a leftover plastic shopping bag, so the bits wouldn’t get everywhere, and I sealed the bag.

I cut my flowers away from their central stem. Silk flowers are wired, and so you will need a tool that cuts wire, like a pair of side-cutting pliers or wire cutters. I tried to cut them at an angle, to make it easier to insert them into the foam.

I put my bag of floral foam into my basket, and poked my flowers right into the foam through the bag. If you need to pull them out to reposition them, just poke a new hole.

I left some space in front of the flowers for my stuffed animal bunnies. The bow is made from wired ribbon that was made into big even-sized loops, and then pinched together in the center with a big pipe cleaner. The ribbon could be wrapped around a big tube or jar to get the loops even, with the tails hanging free. The loops are pulled into shape and arranged as desired.

I added a bunny ribbon around the rim of the basket. I set two Hug Me Bunny plush rabbits in the basket, and I was all ready for Easter.

Please join our Ruffing’s mailing list for updates when we have something new to share.

Hug Me Slugs handmade fleece stuffed animal banana slug art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing

I’ve been making lots of stuffed toy Hug Me Slugs lately! I realized today that I have been making stuffed animal slugs for almost half a decade now! Wow, that must mean I’ve made hundreds of plushie slugs.

I’ll be adding more adoptable slugs to our Ruffing’s shop, in all different colors!

They are all made of fleece and are soft and cuddly. Each one comes with a hang tag, which can be personalized. Their adopters can pick out names for them, or I print “For + a name” on the tag, which comes tied to each slug with a ribbon. There is even room for a short message on the back of each tag.

I discovered there are some slug cousins and more slug enthusiasts out there. There is a new animated show on called Slugterra, with a bunch of cute slugs, in all different colors too. They look like a fun group of characters. The slugs on the show are very action-oriented. I’m sure they will have their own toy versions soon.

Here is a video of some of the Slugterra slugs.

I found myself wanting to set all the slugs free. I wanted to release them into a shady green garden with all kinds of good things to for them eat.

In my fantasy slug-world, Hug Me Slugs live in a sanctuary full of fruits and vegetables that instantly regenerate whenever a slug takes a bite out of them.

When they are not eating or playing, they loll around, with the sun shining through the forest leaves above, smiling contentedly, telling each other jokes and stories. They may even have burping contests. They do seem to eat a lot.

I’m not affiliated in any way with the Slugterra show itself. I think my Hug Me Slugs and Bugs may be friends or relatives though. I’m sure they would enjoy playing together. Hug Me Slugs get along with pretty much everybody.They are peace-loving, gentle souls who are friends to everyone.

Please come visit our Ruffing’s shop to see my adoptable creatures. If you are on Facebook, please come “like” our Ruffing’s page.

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Hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on its way, with a happy Hug Me Bunny or two.

Hug Me Bunny Easter basket ideas.

Handmade stuffed toy plush slugs, and Slugterra, a new show for slug enthusiasts