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

Fleece Hug Me Slug Art Toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, assorted colorsI 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.

Josie playing with catnip toys from Alley Cats and Angels of NC rescueI 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.

Tuxedo cat playing with catnip toys from Alley Cats and Angels of NC rescueThe 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.

Tabby cat playing with catnip toys from Alley Cats and Angels of NC rescueI’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.

Fleece Hug Me Slug Art Toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, purplePeople 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.

Fleece Hug Me Slug Art Toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, yellow, purple, greenI’ve been well on schedule. It helps not to pile up on custom orders. I will keep adding more handmade toys to my shop.

Fleece Hug Me Slug Art Toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, assorted colorsHope everyone is having a good holiday season.

Fleece Hug Me Slug Art Toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, green and blue

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My 300th toy shop sale, yay!

Light orange and pear green Hug Me Slug art toys by Elizabeth Ruffing, ready to shipI 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

Orange and yellow fleeceI’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.

Mailing boxes pileI 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.

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

Red, orange, yellow, blue tulip print Hug Me Bunny rabbit art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI 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.

Red, orange, yellow, blue tulip print Hug Me Bunny rabbit art toy by Elizabeth RuffingThese two red rabbits are about 12 inches tall.

Red, orange, yellow, blue tulip print Hug Me Bunny rabbit art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI 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.

Bright yellow fleece Hug Me Slug art toy by Elizabeth RuffingI’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.

Dark pink and medium pink fleece Hug Me Slug art toys by Elizabeth RuffingI will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop

Art Nouveau cotton print fabricsI 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.

Meredith, Original One-of-a-kind Tabby Cat Art Doll by Max BaileyWe 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.

Tabby kittens and Josie on cat tree, by Elizabeth RuffingThe 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.

Bertie gets a bath, by Elizabeth RuffingThey 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.

Josie and Bertie asleep in adjoining cat beds, by Elizabeth RuffingThey 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.

Josie and Bertie asleep in adjoining cat beds, by Elizabeth Ruffing

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Yellow Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten and Fleece Bunnies

Yellow animal print Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten by Elizabeth RuffingI photographed and posted a new Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten today. This one is yellow with an animal print, kind of like a leopard, only yellow on yellow, with a red fleece heart. She (or he) has soft stuffed fleece wings, and comes with a hang tag that can be personalized. Ten dollars from the adoption of this sock kitten will go to a local cat rescue, Alley Cats and Angels of NC.

Yellow animal print Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten by Elizabeth RuffingI will be posting my new handmade stuffed animal toys in our Ruffing’s shop.

Yellow animal print Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten by Elizabeth RuffingI have been sewing away, trying to make a variety of animals.

Yellow animal print Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten by Elizabeth RuffingI also finished some new fleece Hug Me Bunnies.

Assorted colors of fleece Hug Me Bunnies by Elizabeth RuffingAnd I picked out a limited number of colors for custom bunnies.

Assorted colors of fleece Hug Me Bunnies by Elizabeth Ruffing, in light blue, lavender, light pink, and daffodil yellow