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Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingThis is Heidi, a very determined tabby cat who lives in the Swiss Alps with her good friend Helga. Helga is Heidi’s white goose, and her very best friend.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingIt is spring in the mountains, and the flowers are beginning to pop out of the earth. It’s a good time for singing, or in this case, for yodeling. Heidi’s dream is to win the championship trophy at the annual yodeling contest. Helga has agreed to be her partner and lovely assistant.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEvery morning the two venture high into the mountains to practice. They love to yodel on the very top of the mountain. Their seemingly melodious sounds echo back at them a hundred times or more.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing“We are getting very good at this,” Heidi proclaims. Helga nods happily.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingDown in the valley, the townspeople come out of their houses into the square.

“What is that terrible howling-honking noise?” they wonder. They put their hands over their ears, and go back inside, slamming the windows shut.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, created from our own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric which has been sewn, stuffed, and completely hand painted with acrylic paints. Her face is sculpted from paperclay smoothed into her fabric head. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread. She is 13 inches tall.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHelga the goose is made of wood. She has blue eyes and lots of painted white feathers. Her collar is black with gold bands, and is covered in a delicate pattern of little flowers and leaves. Her wheels are gold. Helga is 5 inches tall and 6 inches long.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi is painted in a multitude of tabby colors…silver gray, buff, ivory, gold, and black. Her paws are needle-sculpted, and her arms are button-jointed with antique-looking buttons of filigreed silver on black, so she can easily pose.

Heidi’s curled tail enables her to sit prettily all by herself on a shelf or on a table, or in a cabinet. She will also obligingly sit on a chair, or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand are not included.) Heidi and Helga are meant for display only.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi’s painted underblouse is ivory, with a scalloped neckline and sleeves. Her bloomers are painted in matching ivory. She wears white tights and black high-button shoes that look just right on her little kitty feet.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi’s pretty Swiss dress features an off-white bodice and puffy sleeves edged in lace, with a tiny red rose at the center of the collar. Delicate patterns of red embroidery run down the front of her bodice and set off the wide hem of her apron. Her black vest has gold embroidery to match its gold lining, and her dress has a full red plaid skirt.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. They come with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Heidi and Helga, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Tabby Cat Doll and Hand-painted Goose by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingUpdate: Heidi and Helga have been adopted. Thank you!

Beatrice and Beulah, Heidi and Helga, Chelsea the Maine Coon Cat, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingHeidi and Helga’s friends are Beatrice and Beulah (left) and Chelsea the Maine Coon Cat (right).

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Heidi and Helga, original tabby cat folk art doll and painted goose, are now on our Ruffing’s site

Heidi and Helga’s web page can be seen by clicking here. I finally got their photos taken and edited and uploaded. Whew. In the spirit of “avian week” last week, I thought it would be fitting to get them up online.

I’ve got two more original, one-of-a-kind folk art cat dolls to get up online, and one waiting for some overalls.

We’re working on writing articles to submit to magazines, something we’ve been talking about doing for a long time, but not getting around to doing. Now is as good a time as any. My mom has now sprained her ankle, and is being a good sport by taking notes and jotting down ideas while she keeps her foot elevated. She is tired of being called “Poor Mom” and so I will refrain from saying that.

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Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily is a ginger tabby cat with amber-colored eyes that reflect her very sweet personality.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingOne of her favorite toys is a little gray elephant she calls Edwin.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing“Edwin, you need your exercise,” she will say to the sleepy-looking elephant.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily then grabs his cord and goes tearing at full speed through the house. She likes to hear the clatter of his wooden wheels on the hard floors. She also likes the thumpity-bump sound he makes when she pulls him up the stairs, and the bumpity-thump sound he makes when she pulls him down the stairs.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEdwin is endlessly entertaining, and, despite all the bumping and thumping, is none the worse for wear. He’s made of painted wood. His base is country blue with golden wheels. His blanket has gold tassels and multicolored stripes. Emily pulls him by a hemp cord decorated with red and blue wooden balls. He’s 3 inches long and 2 3/8 inches tall.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth Ruffing

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily is an original one-of-a-kind work of art, created from our own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric which has been sewn, stuffed, and completely hand-painted with acrylic paints. She is 13 inches tall.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily’s paws are needle-sculpted, and her arms are button-jointed with antique-looking buttons of filigreed silver on black, so she can easily pose. Her face was sculpted from paperclay smoothed into her fabric head, and her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread. Emily’s curly orange striped tail helps her to sit perfectly upright all by herself on a shelf or a table, or in a cabinet. She will also sit nicely in a chair, or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand are not included.) Emily and Edwin are meant for display only.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily’s green blouse, with its dainty white collar and cuffs, and gold buttons, is painted on. She has ivory bloomers and two-toned striped green stockings. Her fancy high-button shoes are golden brown with black buttons, and look just right on her little kitty feet.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily’s white apron is edged in lace and adorned with a country blue satin ribbon overstitched with a pattern of green flowers. A graceful line of green leaves is embroidered above the ribbon, and a green geometric pattern is embroidered below.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily’s green skirt is beautifully decorated with embroidered linear patterns in country blue. A plaid ruffle that picks up all the fabric and embroidery colors is attached below the skirt.

Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Ginger Tabby Cat and Elephant Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. She comes with a hang tag, a certificate of authenticity, and a copy of her story.

Beatrice and Beulah, Emily and Edwin, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily and Edwin are available for $950.00, plus shipping. Please inquire to [email protected]

Emily and Edwin, Beatrice and Beulah, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Dolls by Max Bailey and Elizabeth RuffingEmily’s lop rabbit friends are Beatrice and Beulah.

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Original one-of-a-kind folk art dolls, Beatrice and Beulah, and Emily and Edwin, are up on our Ruffing’s site

Beatrice and Beulah, our lop bunny rabbit dolls, and Emily and Edwin, our ginger tabby with her pet elephant, are up on our Ruffing’s site now. I just finished up their web pages.

Please click here to read Emily and Edwin’s story,

and please click here to read all about Beatrice and Beulah. There a plenty of other photos on their web pages to enjoy too. It’s been lots of fun creating them, for both myself and Max Bailey. More to come!