Blue Christmas Treasury on Etsy

Kathi at Out on a Whim Studio included me in her "Blue Christmas, Have a Cool Blue Yule" treasury on Etsy! Thanks, Kathi! Those are my rabbits in the middle of all the pretty blue things :) Go check it out along with all the handmade art and crafts, and check out Kathi's shop too.

These are the greeting cards of my dancing rabbits, closer up. Cards and prints are available in my shop.

Blue and Yellow Quilt, November Block

I took the weekend to just goof off and I did my quilt homework too. I thought I might have trouble with this block because it looked intimidating, but hand piecing really levels the playing field as far as difficulty goes. It is great for accuracy since you have more control than you have with a sewing machine.

Figuring out how to draw the templates was a bit of a brain twister, but once I realized it was just a twelve inch square divided into fifths, it came together. The only frustrating thing is that twelve inches doesn't divide so conveniently into fifths, at least not for me :) This is when I go metric. Metric is so much easier. A fifth of a twelve-inch square is 6.1 centimeters, which is 2 3/8 inches. It's just easier to do the math that way for me. Once you draw out a grid of five by five 2 3/8 squares, you can see how to draw the design. The long pointy blue triangles in the center part cross the span of two squares on the grid, with the longer diagonal line going from one corner of one square to the corner of the second square. The shorter diagonal line just spans one square on the grid. The block is assembled using the same techniques as the previous one.

I also made vegetable soup. This is when I take all the leftovers that are reasonable to use for soup stock, and dump them in a couple pots of water some onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and bay leaves. It is not an exact science. I let it simmer for a couple of hours, and then I strain it. I took about five cups of stock, a big can of diced tomatoes, 28 ounces, I think, and about five cups of sliced vegetables. I used carrots, celery, peas, green beans, corn, and parsley. I meant to add the parsley to the stock too, but I forgot. Now I have half a bunch of parsley in the fridge, and I'm not sure what to do with it. That kind of negates some of my satisfaction at using up the leftovers, but what do you do with parsley? I also added some macaroni to the soup. I added everything according to how long I thought it would take to cook, and let it boil until it was done.

Other than that, we have been editing more cat art doll photos of Max's. We have more to do. I've let the web site updating go because I can only spin so many plates at once, but I really have to get going on that too. Sigh. Oh, I won't even mention all the other things I have going. We'll see what I get done!

Doll Surgery

I hope everyone is having a pleasant holiday weekend. I sneaked a little work time in yesterday and started on some doll surgery. I am glad to say the crack turned out to be a surface wound and not something deeper. I removed the papier mâché and the paperclay in the neck area using a battery-operated manicure gizmo, er, um..."power file" I found at Target. I got it as a cheapo alternative to a Dremel kit, which I still hope to have one day. It works just fine at chipping off the above aforementioned materials.

Once I got down to the fabric of the neck area, I sanded it smooth. I then reinforced it with acrylic molding paste, which is somewhat flexible, as opposed to the papier mâché and the paperclay, which are strong, but not flexible. I even repeated the procedure on a second doll-in-progress, just as a precaution. The dolls are still not meant to be poked, prodded, or picked at, but I'm hoping this will make the area where their cloth necks meet their papier mâché and paperclay heads a little more resilient under accidental pressure.

I also decided that my repaired doll is going to be given away and not sold. I know just the ninety-two year old doll-lover with whom she will be going to stay. In light of the fact that both my doll and my grandmother have suffered recent injuries, and that they are both, thankfully, on the mend, I think they will make a good match. I hope they will bring each other some good cheer.

Apple Crisp

All done. I made my apple crisp this morning using the "Fruit Crisp" recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Yeah, I ate some already. Before lunch even.

I am supposed to be resting, but, of course, I am not. Resting is boring...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Cheesecake

One more dessert to make and I'm ready for Thanksgiving. This is "Cheesecake Supreme" from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It's really pretty easy to make and it comes out very nicely. I'm getting better at making it. This time the middle didn't crack.

Here is a slice with strawberries in sugar on top. I ate this piece right after I photographed it. It was hard to wait.

I am just starting another round of antibiotics, and so it will be interesting to see if I can manage an apple crisp tomorrow or if I will be too loopy to bother.

Art Nouveau-inspired Floral Prints

"Lavender-blue Iris on Green"

Here is a whole garden of iris, and some white roses. I adore iris and have a big bed of them out my back door, in a huge variety of colors. I also love Art Nouveau and William Morris' designs. With these paintings, I was exploring doing my own repeat patterns in that vein.

"Cream and Purple Iris on Green"

These are all available as mini giclée prints in my Etsy shop or on our Ruffing's website, all on 8.5 x 11 inch archival-quality, 100% cotton, 300 gsm weight fine art paper. They are printed with archival-quality, Epson UltraChrome pigment-based ink for longevity. Each print is signed below the image in pencil.

"Yellow and White Iris on Blue"

They are currently $22.00 plus postage, and they can be ordered through Etsy, through our website, or by emailing us at Ruffing's. Some are also available in print sets of two or three giclées. They can be found by clicking on the highlighted titles beneath these photos, and scrolling down the individual print webpages. Please visit!

"Valentine"

"Tan and Purple Iris on Green"

"Lavender Iris on Green"

"Innocence"

"Quiet Night"

"Music Box"

Spot

As I have said already, I have been fighting an infection and fatigue for some time now, and at the beginning of last week, I was quite exhausted. I had orders to fill, and did the best I could to get them together, packed safely and shipped out in a timely manner. Unfortunately, I received an email from a customer saying the doll I had sent her had a spot on it. I had seen what I thought was a brushstroke of blue on the back of the head that didn't blend in well, and I had debated over whether it was disturbing. I decided it was not, but I felt very bad that it obviously was to my customer. I had been more concerned about packing the doll so she would be safe, and padding her skirt so it wouldn't get wrinkled. It was just one detail of many and I felt I must have underestimated the importance of it.

I apologized and I offered to repaint the spot. I then looked at the photo I had previously taken of the doll to see what needed to be done. There was no spot on the photo I had taken after painting the doll, which indicated to me it was not paint. My mom did some investigating and found the bag the doll had been stored in had some blue print on it that, in all likelihood, had tranferred to the doll. It was soluble with soap and water, which I thought was good news, since the spot should come right off. My customer had said she wanted the doll for a gift, if only it had not been for the spot. I told her it might come off and asked her, if she would not mind, to please try washing the spot off, and told her either way, I would still be happy to repaint it. I meant only to save her the inconvenience of returning the doll, but she became angry and told me the doll was coming back to me the next day. She didn't want a repaint, and she didn't want to clean the spot off. I apologized again and told her I would refund her money as soon as I received the doll, thinking for some reason she just decided she didn't want the doll, regardless of the spot.

I was feeling terrible about the whole thing, thinking I must have really missed how disturbing the spot was because I was tired and not feeling well. I am normally very particular and detail-oriented, but I felt I must have slipped. The doll arrived back, and I saw the spot, 1/8 of an inch across, not solid, but a spotty blue-gray color. There was a note complaining about the postage too, saying I overcharged her. The postage included handling: the cost of the packing materials, tissue, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, but I didn't bother explaining. I just refunded her money and her postage, both to and from.

I had sent the doll carefully wrapped in bubble wrap, with two thick layers over the head, and tissue to pad out the inside of the skirt.

The doll came back to me with the head wrapped in a diaper and some crumpled tissue, and the bubble wrap taped carelessly around the whole.

The handmade hang tag was bent in half, but the worst thing, and the thing I didn't think intitially to check...

was that her neck was cracked from ear to ear at the chin and some of the neck area was chipped as well. I don't know if this was done before or after she asked me for a refund, but it made sense to us now why she didn't want to send it to me for the spot to be repaired, and she certainly didn't want to wipe the spot off. She had just wanted me to agree to the refund.

I wiped the spot right off with a sponge, but the neck damage will require resculpting and then repainting. I can do that, but it is hours of work. I don't really make a profit on my dolls, considering the time it takes to make each one, often two weeks. I put them on our sites as a fun addition to our other artwork, to gain some web traffic, and because people seem to enjoy them. It has been a pleasant experience to share them so far. I can fix the damage. That doesn't bother me nearly as much as the meaness. I am generally understanding, and I try very hard to do the right thing. It genuinely bothers me if I do something that ends up upsetting someone else. I do the best I can with everything I do, and most people appreciate that. I try to be fair even when others are not, and I try to be considerate even when others are not. There is no excuse for damaging my work. Even if the customer had accidentally cracked the doll, I'm sure I would have offered to work out an arrangement for repairing it for her.

Most people have been lovely and appreciative of the dolls they have received from us, and that is wonderful. I wish everyone could understand how much time and effort goes into each one. They are all handmade from start to finish. Our folk art dolls are not meant to be toys, or to mimic factory-made dolls. They are works of art, and they are meant to be treated as any other work of art, displayed and used for decoration, and treated with care. I have recently branched out into making some dolls that can be played with, and they are described this way. I wish I could carefully adopt each doll out to a loving home. I have never been a fan of selling original art, not just my own, but, and even more so, my studiomates' as well. Anyone who makes art will know how personal it is. It is not just "stuff" or merchandise, and really, no amount of money would make me want anyone who thinks of it that way to have it.

Support Independent Artists and Craftspeople

I had a lovely dream last night. I was in the company of a bunch of very nice men and women who all liked art and crafts and making things with their own hands. We had gathered in one of those old buildings with the high ceilings and the leaded windows. It reminded me of college. Everyone was talking about things they were making, or things others were making. They were sharing books about dollmaking and beading fabric, and they were talking about dance and galleries and museums they enjoyed. I felt like I had found a niche for the first time in my life.

It came up that my birthday was a month away, and some of them surprised me with presents that they had made themselves, and other handmade items, and pieces of fabric they thought I might enjoy, all personal gifts that I really, genuinely liked. I was so touched by the whole experience, I felt like crying. When it was time for me to leave, I stopped to leave a message for them, which I wrote in chalk around the hem of a vintage dress made of a beautifully patterned fabric. My ride arrived, a pleasant smiling lady in an old minivan. I waved for her to just wait a minute so I could write one more thing, "Thank you." Then I woke up.

It, of course, struck me immediately that nothing like any of this has ever happened to me, and that I wished it would. Then I thought about it for a while and realized that although this place might not exist in the physical world, it does exist, in a way, on the Internet. There are thousands of independent artists and craftspeople out there, and I read many of their blogs every day. They share what they are making, what others are making, books and materials they enjoy, places they like visiting, and their joys and frustrations. It is hard to be an artist, hard to persevere in what is usually a somewhat isolated work environment, and it is a great comfort to have that connection with other people who are sharing your experience, even if you don't personally know them.

These people are also worthy of your support, especially in this time when there is such a concentration on conspicuous consumption and cheaply-made, mass-produced wares. Consider buying handmade, directly from artists and craftspeople. Consider supporting Mom and Pop businesses, and farmers' markets. Consider buying directly from the source.

And one more thing, before I go...To all the people who put their hearts and souls into what they do, and to those who take the time to share that...Thank you.

Carbohydrates make the world a nicer place

It's raining here, which is wonderful because we have had a terrible drought, but it is also quite dark and dreary this morning. I woke up feeling melancholy and decided it was a pancake day. These are "Vineyard Pancakes" from Beth Hensperger's The Best Quick Breads: 150 Recipes for Muffins, Scones, Shortcakes, Gingerbreads, Cornbreads, Coffeecakes, and More, or, in other words, 150 shortcuts to happiness :) I know...carbohydrates are just a temporary high, but, well, who cares?

These are really good pancakes. They have a little cornmeal and whole wheat flour in them, which gives them a nice texture, and they puff up nice and big. We all sat down and ate them together, which was fun too.

New Handmade Winter-themed Holiday Cards

I've just put together a few sets of blank holiday cards for my Etsy shop. They are suitable for any winter holiday, or to be given just because. Above is "The Rabbit Dances".

This is "Snowy Night". Both images are printed on 100% cotton archival art paper, using Epson archival pigment-based ink for longevity, which means they can be saved, framed, and displayed.

I attached the images to acid-free ivory cardstock using acid-free glue to make cards that are 5 by 6 1/2 inches. They are blank inside, and they come with matching ivory envelopes.

They are available in sets of four, with a choice of four of one image, or two each of each image. They come bagged as a set and are currently priced at $8.00 per set of four, plus postage. They can be ordered on Etsy, or by emailing us at Ruffing's. Happy holidays!

Blue and Yellow Quilt, October Block

I'm still moving along on this Block-of-the-month quilt. Every month, I think I will slip behind, but I've managed to keep up with my class. I drew out templates on poster board and template plastic and hand pieced this block, as I have most of the blocks for this quilt. If anyone wants to follow suit and make templates, the blue and white corner squares are based on 4 1/2 inch finished-sized squares, with an diagonal line drawn corner to corner. The center white square is 3 inches, finished size. And the yellow and white rectangular sections are based on 4 1/2 by 3 inch finished-sized rectangles with lines drawn from corner to corner in both directions.

Cut out your templates and lay the templates on the wrong side of your fabric. Try to line up the outside edges of the main sections of the block and the outside edges of the block itself parallel with the straight of grain of your fabric. Draw around the templates with a pencil (the mechanical kinds work best, especially with a piece of sandpaper under your fabric to keep it from slipping around), and the cut out the pieces 1/4 inch outside the lines to create a 1/4 seam allowance. The pencil lines become your sewing lines. You just match them up by inserting a pin through both layers, and hand sew the pieces together with a small running stitch. Press your block once all the pieces are assembled.

Mini Giclee Art Prints, Kitties

I'm on my fourth try of a medication that doesn't agree with me, but is hopefully knocking out this infection I've had the past couple of months. So, I'll try not to say too much, lest I say something dopey, literally. I've been saying things like "bathroom" when I mean "background". Yesterday, when asked what Andy Griffith's real-life hometown was, I actually suggested, "Mayberry?" Good thing I was in the privacy of my own home. I might have gotten thrown out of North Carolina for that.

I've decided to introduce mini versions of my prints. I'm not sure how long I'll offer them, but I thought it might be a good way to gauge interest. I've been struggling a lot lately, trying to decide what to paint. That may sound odd, since I usually have too many ideas, but that is the problem. I've been too caught up in what I see is popular as well. I think, "I could do that...but I don't want to." I was trying to come up with something whimsical, cute, simple, but it just didn't suit me. In fact, it was making me quite cranky, which was the reverse of what I was hoping for.

I'm going to stick with the often-offered advice, "Paint what you like to paint." For me, that tends to be fantasy art, florals, cats, and other animals.

These cat paintings are available as mini prints in my Etsy shop, or on our Ruffing's website. They are printed on nice heavy-weight, 100% cotton art paper, using archival-quality, pigment-based Epson inks, and are signed below the image in pencil. They come in a protective cello sleeve. From top to bottom, they are "The Guardian", "Laurence with Primroses and Daffodils", and "Something Stirring".