softies Archives - Page 19 of 23 - Ruffing’s

Posted on December 13, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 1 Comment

Stuffed animal Hug Me Slug art toys with a donation to help cats and kittens

I have finished a few more 7-inch stuffed animal fleece Hug Me Slug art toys. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop. Right now, a portion from each sale will be going to help cats and kittens in our community, through a local cat rescue, Alley Cats and Angels of NC. There are some sock kittens in the mix as well.

I went to a Christmas party for a local cat rescue group this month. They had a beautiful tree, lots of yummy food, and a secret Santa gift exchange. I brought cat toys, thinking anyone there could use them. I also came home with cat toys. These are handmade by the rescue volunteers.

The catnip squares and cigars were a big hit. They are selling these for fundraising as well. They will ship them too, if anyone is interested in stocking stuffers for their kitties. If anyone would like some, they have an assortment of handmade catnip toys available in the Alley Cats and Angels shop. I also made a tutorial for making catnip toys, including catnip squares, cigars, and kickers, with patterns I made for them.

I’ve been sewing away, and getting behind on posting toys I finish on my blog. As you can see, slugs are coming and going around here. I’ve cut off the custom listings for now, but I still have plenty of ready-made toys available. I ship Priority Mail, within the United States, which usually takes 2-3 to arrive. I usually ship out within a day or two, giving me time to make their personalized hang tags and get to the Post Office.

People can have a name of their choice, or “For + a recipient’s name” on each tag. There is room on the back of the tags for a short message. I even went out and got some gift bags, just in case anyone needed gift wrap. The postage goes up for this, as I need a larger box, but a few dollars usually covers a gift bag, greeting card, and the extra postage.

I’ve been well on schedule. It helps not to pile up on custom orders. I will keep adding more handmade toys to my shop.

Hope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Posted on November 29, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

My 300th toy shop sale, yay!

I reached my 300th toy shop sale in my Etsy toy shop today. Yay! Thank you so much to everyone for your support! It is so nice to think about that many people having toys I made and enjoying them. I appreciate everyone who has collected my toys through Etsy, through our blog, through Facebook, as well as everyone who has requested one through email or in person. I also appreciate the positive messages and compliments you all have sent my way. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop

I’ve made toys for as long as I can remember, but I wasn’t so sure of myself when I started making them for other people to collect. I can remember saying I didn’t know how to be sure something was cute, because I thought that everyone else’s taste would be different from my own, but I have been pleasantly surprised to find that my innocent, smiling creatures have appealed to so many.

I am, right now, tripping over fleece and boxes at every turn, trying to prepare for the holidays. I am still taking some custom orders, and will continue to until I think I can’t keep up. I will see how that goes. I can never predict. I’m starting to feel a little swamped right now, and the first two weeks of December tend to get booked up suddenly. I have more ready-made toys waiting to be detailed too.

Posted on November 27, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing

Tulip Hug Me Bunnies, Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal toys, and a new original tabby cat art doll

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I got a little sewing in. These are my tulip bunny Hug Me Bunny stuffed animal toys. I’ve had this fabric for a long time, and could never decide what I should make with it. It is very bright, cheerful, and showy, and needed a project where it could stand alone.

These two red rabbits are about 12 inches tall.

I finished some more 12-inch fleece Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animals as well. This yellow one already has a new home. I’m sending him and some others out tomorrow. I hope the lines at the Post Office will be reasonable. From what I’ve heard, Monday is when people run in to start mailing all the things they braved Black Friday to purchase as gifts.

I’ve been avoiding the stores myself this weekend, but still need to make a run for some food. I’m not crazy about the idea of diving into the crowds.

I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop

I did get to the fabric stores this week though, and picked up some pretty new prints I intend to use for more bunnies. I have a couple of sock kittens to dress as well, but I am using solid colors and some decorative machine stitching on their clothes.

We just posted a new original, one-of-a-kind tabby cat art doll named Meredith on our Ruffing’s blog. She is another very pretty doll by Max Bailey.

The kitten sisters had their big spay day on Monday, and they got their microchips and their booster shots. They needed to rest for a couple of days. They are back to their usual selves now, and staying out loose in the house after bedtime. They have been surprisingly well behaved and quiet at night.

They still do plenty of tearing around, in between napping. They’ve been getting along well with the other cats here. Bertie asked for this bath.

They are trying out the various cozy spots for naps. There has been a lot of competition for this one particular perch, which is Josie’s favorite. Phoebe keeps stealing it and will not budge.

Posted on November 8, 2011July 30, 2019 by Elizabeth Ruffing — 2 Comments

Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animal toy shop update

I finished a new group of Hug Me Slug handmade stuffed animals. One already went on his way to a baby shower. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animals in our Ruffing’s shop.

I’ve been getting organized. I even pressed and put away the big pile of quilting cottons that was taking over my ironing board.

I also narrowed down my colors for custom Hug Me Slugs. I’m putting a limited number of listings up for custom slugs in November, and I will probably hold off on taking custom orders past the first of December so I can get everything out on time without feeling frantic. I will see how it goes.

These first two sets are the colors I chose for the 9-inch custom Hug Me Slugs.

These second two sets are the colors I chose for 12-inch custom Hug Me Slugs. I still have many more colors than these, but I am going to try to make them into ready-made toys to increase the selection I have.

I often wish I could make more than I do, and make everything more quickly than I do. There is just no rushing these, when sewing so much by hand. I like the handmade look, and I like to make things well. So, I am going to use my time as wisely as I can, and concentrate on doing a nice work.

The kittens came out to run around the house today. They had lots of fun. We’re still settling them into bed in the laundry room at night. We lure them in with Fancy Feast and baby food. They’ll be ready to pop back out the laundry-room door in the morning. I’ll have to get some photos of them exploring and playing.