stuffed-animals Archives - Page 20 of 25 - Ruffing’s Artist Dolls and Toys

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

Hug Me Bug and Hug Me Bunny handmade stuffed animal toys

I’ve been adjusting my patterns for my new Hug Me Bugs and for my Hug Me Bunnies, making them slightly fatter.

I just finished three Hug Me Bug stuffed animal toys. I will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

I procrastinated a long time over doing the drawing for their hang tag. I get mental blocks about some things. The drawing came along fine, but I couldn’t remember how I put it into the hang tag format I made before!

I struggled with that in Photoshop Elements. My goal is to learn more about digital drawing and painting…and remember it too! Sooner or later it will sink in, and hopefully stay in my head. I’m sure it is one of those things like riding a bike, that you just need to do enough times before you don’t have to consciously recall all the how-to details. I’m thinking about eventually getting another computer, for my workroom, so I have a place to concentrate on any writing or drawing projects I might want to do.

As you can see, my current set-up is more open to interruptions. Bertie was afraid of those fleece toys initially, but she braved walking past them to steal my popcorn. Then she draped herself nicely over the printer.

Bertie loves food. She will try anything. She doesn’t exactly like popcorn, but that doesn’t stop her from taking it.

Phoebe has been trying out my bed. I have a wonderful new fluffy blanket that is irresistible. I woke up to purring, one morning recently, and Phoebe and Bertie were both kneading my blanket.

I will be making more Hug Me Bugs in assorted colors next. I am going to keep adding as many toys as I can to our shop.

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.