I made it to the Etsy front page! Yay!

During the presidential debate last night, my "Goodnight Irene" doll made it onto the Etsy front page!! This is my first time on the front page, as far as I know. I was so excited! Thanks again, Elena, for putting me in your treasury, and thanks Etsy!

And this morning, my "Lovely Lucy" was included in this adorable "Dolls for all!" treasury by Fraisebijoux on Etsy. Thanks, Nicky!

These things really make my day. I really do appreciate it so much when people compliment my work in this way. I have hard days, like everyone does, and the kindness lifts me up. Many thanks!

Gosh...I'd better finish those Lucy dolls that are waiting for me! I'm so pleased that people like them :)

My Irene is on a treasury on Etsy

My "Goodnight Irene" doll is on a treasury called "You, Color Admirers" on Etsy. Thanks, Elena!

I'm prewashing my new fleece, along with some other fabric. It's air drying on the porch right now. I've been making some more fleece slugs. My doll from yesterday is drying on my work table at the moment, and there is a lot of clutter to move from one surface to the next in order to do anything in there. That fleece is bulky and takes up a lot of space! So, I'm extra anxious to use it up.

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all my projects today. I like having a bunch going on at once, but that doesn't mean my head doesn't start spinning once in a while. I'm sure as soon as I see some more progress, I'll feel better. On that note, I am off to sew.

Rainy Thursday

I woke up this morning with an idea that I had had before for a doll. I had put it off before, not knowing where it would fit in, as far as marketing it went. I still don't know, but eBay has been frustrating lately anyway. So, I decided it didn't matter if I made a doll I couldn't include in any of the popular categories there. I wanted to do a more colorful, maybe 1920's style doll in a more stylized way, as opposed to the antique/primitive style that is more popular on eBay. The primitive dolls tend to be more subdued in their colors, and earlier in their clothing styles. I'm thinking of something more along the lines of my cloth dolls and toys, but as an art doll, for display only. Instead of putting it off again, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I don't know where that will lead me. Right now, I am trying a little of everything.

I made some pineapple and cilantro pizza last night. It came out okay. It is much better with fresh cilantro. It's pretty simple. Take any pizza dough (I used the pizza dough recipe from The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger), roll it out, and put it in a pan that's been lightly coated with some olive oil and cornmeal. On top of it I added some olive oil, mozzarella cheese, cilantro, and pineapple slices (no tomato sauce). I baked mine for 13 minutes at 475, but you'd probably want to follow the directions for whatever pizza dough you use.

I've also been sewing up more fleece "Hug Me! Slugs" in different colors. I've got a couple of pinks, blues, greens, a yellow, a lavender, and an orange fleece, just to expand the choices. I've been amassing a pile of odd supplies lately. That way, I can get up in morning and make just about anything I want!

I was pretty good

I corrected one of my kitten drawings, traced it, and transferred it onto Claybord. I have a newer kitten drawing I plan to paint on canvas, but I've been asked where this other kitten wandered off too. I thought I should circle back and finish what I started. I usually work in circles, mentally. I do a bunch of things at once, then go back to where I started. That's just how my mind works.

Check out my previous post for more on transferring a drawing.

I feel very excited about working on several projects right now, but today is Wednesday, and I promised Max I'd help edit doll photos and make up ads. Oh, take a look at this blog post called "Elizabeth Ruffing Rocks". Thanks, Shel! That's so sweet. I totally love that anyone thinks I rock...but some credit is due Max because Max rocks too. People tend to think we are all one person over on Ruffing's, but it's actually a shared site, even though I am "the webmaster" ;) Some dolls are mine, but many are Max's, including the new dogs. I'm always happy to pass a compliment along though!

Fleece and priming the well

I bought a few quarter yard cuts of poly fleece over the weekend, to use for embellishment on some sock toys, but I woke up and thought, "What else can I make with that?" That seems to be common with people who sew. You buy fabric for a particular project, get it home, and immediately start to think of other uses for it.

I made this slug, of course...so cuddly and cute. I will probably keep doing this, making more and more. I'm tempted to make a pile. I know...I did say I was planning to paint. A couple of people have nudged me on this and I will. I will! :) I took out my drawings and my reference materials. They are sitting on my work table right now.

I can't say I might not push them aside, on and off, to sew though. I was thinking that Julia Cameron calls this sort of thing "priming the well". You do simple, repetitive-type tasks that are meditative to unblock your creativity. I've recently begun rereading her book The Artist's Way. In my case, it's also called procrastination. Hah! I think I will try doing something on my paintings. I have a drawing I want to change a little. I'll stick a toe in the water. What I don't want to do is end up sitting for hours staring at my drawing, doing nothing, when I could be sewing and being productive. I want to get ready for the holiday season too.

I feel like I am on some sort of mad dash lately. I have a goal in mind. I think I see how to reach it and what I need to do. I feel like I did in high school when I was determined to get into "the best" schools. I got in. I'm not sure they were the best schools for me, but I did achieve my goal. Okay, well...I was eleventh on the waiting list for Harvard, which I withdrew to go to Yale....but c'mon, they make you choose one or the other in advance ;) Anyway, I feel like that now, impatient and determined. I can even remember writing, " I awake every morning with a sense of impatience," in my college application essays.

I think it is important right now to "show up" and work on something each day, whatever that may turn out to be.

Babies Everywhere

The "Gumdrop Baby" brood is growing.

These are the newest four.

These are Bobbie,

Monica,

Dominique,

and Hyacinth.

They are all original art toys, made to be hugged or displayed, made from my own designs and patterns. Each has a hand-painted face. They are all currently in my Etsy shop, where you will find more info about them.

I'd like to thank Heather for featuring my "Hug Me! Slug" on her Fabulous Fun Finds blog. The blog features her picks for online shopping.

And extra small makes five

Lined up like this, my "Hug Me! Slugs" remind me of the commercials where everything looked like those cell phone reception bars. I don't even have a cell phone...

but, I do have an new extra-small slug. He's pretty cute.

I don't know that I will make any more slugs in his size though. I was already near sewing over my fingers with my machine, while trying to steer him under the presser foot.

My basic, mechanical Viking is great for being tough. It's very reliable and sews through just about anything. But I could really use another sewing machine for the smaller details. I'd like some decorative stitches too. Mine doesn't have any. I like the idea of staying with the same brand so I can use all my accessories, but I'm concerned that, I've heard, the Vikings are no longer being made in Sweden, like mine was. I haven't revisited the dealer yet to ask her about this. Does anyone have any experience with the new models? I'm afraid to get a used machine, in particular an electronic/computerized one. One dealer told me you can't tell how used they are and if the computer in them dies, they are very expensive to replace. I've never sewn on a computerized machine before, and the prices are scary. I don't want to invest in anything that will give me headaches. Advice anyone?

By the way, the weather here is finally perfect! At least for today, and hopefully for some time to come. Oh, I forgot...I Skyped yesterday for the first time! I ended up eating a bowl of soup and a plate of penne with cheese, via webcam, in front of someone who was dieting, but the thing "rang" and there I was in the kitchen. It was kind of fun, for me anyway. I don't know about my friend who was skipping lunch!

Just experimenting with the webcam...

Just experimenting with the webcam..., originally uploaded by elizabethruffing.

It seems to be working fine. I wonder if I can clean the lens...what is that blob on my face?

I think the rain ate my brain

Just grasping for a title. It's dark and rainy this afternoon. So, I have no decent photos of the dolls I finished yet, four "Gumdrop Babies" and one extra-small "Hug Me! Slug". I think I will make a slug set with the tiny one and a medium-sized one because I don't think I want to try to make a tiny one again! He's cute, but he was challenging due to his smallness. I'm at work on some new doll/toy designs, and my Lucy dolls are still waiting to be sewn up. I'll have to update my Etsy shop sometime soon.

Other than that, I vacuumed my workspace and put my dolls in a big box to keep them clean and nice. I spent some time this morning trying to set up a webcam that wouldn't work, regardless of what software I tried installing, and then I tried to decide if I wanted to install Skype. A friend suggested I get it, but I don't really have a great love of talking on the phone to begin with. Add sitting at the computer some more to that, and I'm not sure it appeals to me. I suppose being able to see a person, via webcam, while talking to them might might eradicate one complaint I have about talking on the phone, which is not being able to read a person's expression, but considering what passes for the "casual wear" I wear to work here at home...I'm not sure I want to be seen! I'm not sure I like that little eyeball staring at me either. Maybe I'll come around with encouragement. Maybe not!

Update: The third (or fourth?) time is a charm? The webcam came on. I still have no idea what to do with it, and it is only photographing the kitchen while leaving me in total darkness...but it did come on. Such excitement.

Slugs of All Sizes

I'm expanding my slug population. They now come in small, medium, and large! I am particularly smitten with the small one. His very smallness is irresistibly cute.

I think I will even attempt an extra-small "Hug Me! Slug". I'm just not sure I can turn them right side out if they get any smaller.

The medium one looks kind of like a teenager :)

I have an extra-large one from before. He was the first "Hug Me! Slug" that I made, before I realized that those Priority Mail boxes didn't come that big! Oh well. I had plans at the time to smuggle him into my then-boyfriend's apartment, and leave him perched on top of the TV shelf, or some similarly semi-conspicuous place, as a surprise, but I never got back over there. Oh well, on that too. So it goes. Mr Extra Large is all mine now, I guess ;)

So...small is about 7 1/4 inches tall, medium is about 10 inches tall, large is about 12 1/2 inches tall, and Mr Extra Large is about 17 inches tall. I'm still working on about eight million other things all at once! I'll add more toys and dolls to my Etsy shop soon.

Socks and sock doll doodles

While waiting for my mom at the dentist's this morning, I drew out some ideas for some sock creatures. Yesterday, I picked up a variety of colored socks. I later wished I had grabbed some stripes or patterns too, but I was thinking of incorporating some quilting cottons into my designs. I'll see what happens once I start playing around with them.

This afternoon, we edited some more doll photos and got Max's next original one-of-a-kind folk art dog doll ready for the Internet. We posted her over on the Ruffing's blog first. She's a very sweet Cocker Spaniel named Charlotte. Be sure to go have a look. We are trying to post new dolls on the Ruffing's blog each Wednesday, and then post them on eBay with their auctions starting on Sunday nights. I thought I might be better able to keep up this fall if I set aside specific times to do those things. I'm still way behind setting up a shopping cart on the Ruffing's site. What is done seems to work, but I made a lot of changes to the pages that I haven't uploaded yet. Fall always seems to catch me off guard. No matter how many plans I make, I am never ready when the season gets here.

Soleil the Sock Baby Doll

This is Soleil, which means "sun". She cheered me up, and so I thought that would be a nice name for her. I modeled her sock body as closely as I could after the body of the sock baby I have from my childhood. So she has the same squishy softness I love so much about my doll. I used my own design for her sweet face, which I hand embroidered with Pearl Cotton, and I carefully hand sewed loops of honey-colored soft yarn all over her head for her curls.

She is presently visiting with my "Gumdrop Babies", my "Hug Me! Slugs", and one "Super Slug". I'll be making more toys and dolls and adding them to my Etsy shop.

I designed a more modern outfit for Soleil than the outfit my original doll had, which was more of a prairie-style dress and bonnet. Soleil has a pair of pants and a top which are both elasticized at the top so she can be dressed easily. Like my original doll, she is still dressed in pink. I added a heart appliqué to her shirt.

Soleil should be safe for children three years old and up, or any children who are no longer putting things in their mouths, or at risk of getting tiny fingers caught up in her yarn loops. I try to make my toys as child safe as possible. I've sewn down her loops of yarn hair and tacked down her ribbon ties, but yarn and ribbon make her better for children who are at least a little past babyhood.

Soleil can sit on a chair or a shelf for decoration, and she can be played with and hugged. I prewashed the cotton quilting fabrics I used for her clothing in Tide Free, and dried them in the dryer. Her clothes can be washed in warm or cool water. Soleil herself can be gently spot cleaned with warm or cool soapy water, rinsed, and set to air dry.

Paths Taken

I've been really enjoying making toys lately. It's fun. It's therapeutic. But, I've also noticed that I am putting off painting. This happens to me, more frequently than it should. I can easily overcome my nervousness by just doing it, which I will do soon. I realize that I let this happen to me too often. A lot of anxiety about making art is wrapped up in fear of failure, or even fear of success. There is even a certain amount of fear in just putting what you've made "out there" for people to see. Art is personal, and no matter what form it takes, it expresses who you are on some level. I'm comfortable enough, at this point, with these issues. What gets to me, and I am embarrassed that it gets to me, is the negativity I encounter from other people. I'm sure this happens to other artists...

People come into my life, usually people I've dated, people who say they "like" or even "love" art. They've usually dabbled in drawing/painting/sculpting, taken a class a more, gone to galleries, museums, etc. At first it seems great to have something in common and an encouraging person around. Then this weird thing happens, and it happens a lot. It usually starts with a statement to the effect that they "always wanted to be an artist" but they "just didn't have the time." It sounds innocuous, but really, I need to learn to run when I hear this. Usually, there is also someone they blame for their not becoming an artist as well, like an unsupportive parent, a needy ex-spouse, or children, and there is the-job-they-hate-that-makes-them-miserable. Before I say anything more, please, if you feel this way about your life, do what you can to change it now. Make yourself happy, even if that means being an artist part time. As far as I know, we only go around once, and it isn't worth it to spend our lives being unhappy. Throughout my childhood, we lived on my mom's art. Life was hard sometimes, but it was fun too. I don't think any of us would trade it.

Instead, so many people choose to resent their lives. These "thwarted artists" are the people who are like poison for me. At first they are very interested in what I do, and I think they might want to participate or join in in some way. Then they start putting me down in some subtle, and some not-so-subtle ways. They insinuate that I will fail. They try to "help" by suggesting new careers for me. One of my favorites was that I should become a "tooth carver" (I'm not sure what that is or even if it exists!) or a hair stylist, because those are "almost the same thing" as being an artist. I am sure they are someone's passion, just not mine! They imply that they would be doing what I am doing, if they only could, as if somehow, I had anything at all to do with their own choice of profession. They imply that it is unfair that they should be doing the work they are doing, while I am doing what I want to do, as if I were stopping them from a change. Somehow, if it weren't for me, they would be trying all sorts of things they never had the confidence to pursue before. Oddly, I imagine, of the people they know, I would be the person who would most encourage them to try something new. Usually, with or without me around, they continue to toil away along their chosen paths. Sometimes, one breaks free, and I hope they are happier for doing so. Most fail to see that what I do has nothing to do with what they chose to do. They are unhappy and, in their minds, it is only fair that I should be unhappy too, when really, I am happy and they should find a way to be happy too. Of course, it would be better for them to find people they don't resent in the first place, rather than try to change me.

So, the sad thing for me is that I feel the impact of this lack of faith in me. Every time I spend too much time with people like this, I have to recover. Even after they have gone, the shadow of that devil on my shoulder remains, a voice that says, "No, you can't." That is the poison. Fortunately, I still believe the angel on the other shoulder that says, "Yes, you can."

I'd like to thank everyone who sends me their well wishes and encourages and supports me, especially my parents, who have never wavered in their confidence in me.

I'd like to thank Jess today, for including my print "The Rabbit Dances", in her "EFA Birthday Bash!! Help Animals!" treasury on Etsy. Etsy for Animals is running a promotion right now, 20% off from participating sellers using this coupon.

Angelica the Gumdrop Baby

I thought I'd finish a doll, rather than just do a little on this one and a little on that one, so I'd have something to show for myself! This is Angelica.

She reminds me of Little Red Riding Hood, only as a baby.

We ran outside to try to photograph her before the rain started. The sun was shining here this morning, but it's been getting darker. We have rain so far, but no strong winds from Hanna yet. Here's hoping it won't amount to anything serious.

I have so many projects going on right now, I'm not even sure what I will finish next. Most likely, I will start a few things too. I've been putting my cloth dolls and toys over in my Etsy shop.

More supplies!

We are busy getting ready for fall around here. We have put Max's first original folk art doll, a Pug dog named Tillie, up over on the Ruffing's blog this afternoon. We also went out for more supplies. I have an idea for a new doll and maybe some other creatures using socks and yarn. I was inspired by a sock doll I have, that I got when I was little, maybe when I was five or so. I can still remember the shop where we found her. I don't know where it was, but I can still see both the inside and the outside of the shop, in my mind. I know it was a very rustic building, in a woodland area, and inside, it was loaded with handmade goods. I can still remember how excited I was that there were all these colorful sock dolls lined up on shelves and placed around the shop. I was allowed to pick one, and I still feel joyful when I hold her, even though she has aged. Well, so have I!

Just so you know, an Official Foot Holder is, apparently, required when you are taking photos of craft supplies. They are like sleepwalkers however. You must be careful not to wake them, or they become deranged!...

Cinderella's Floppy Shoes

In keeping with my recent Cinderella theme, I went out last night and lost not one, but both of my shoes! The soles on each one split right in half, in the same place on each shoe, clean through the soles. I can't imagine why they broke in half at the same time, except perhaps the one just couldn't bear to live without the other. The funny thing is, just before it happened, I was walking along, not sure exactly where the place I was looking for was, thinking it would be a humorous time for me to lose a heel or something. I will have to curb these kinds of thoughts! Maybe I have some Carrie-like telekinetic powers. At least the Pliers from Heaven didn't fall on my car, like they did that time I went out for coffee.

I wonder what this means? If nothing else, that it is time for me to put some new shoes on! Figuratively? Literally? Both?...

In other news, we spent the morning photographing new dolls. Be sure to check over at the Ruffing's Blog to have a look. We are going to try to be more organized this season and introduce the original hand-sculpted folk art dolls there first, so people will know where to look for the new ones as they become available. Then anyone who wants to can subscribe to receive email updates. There is an area in the upper right hand corner on the Ruffing's Blog where anyone can subscribe. I'll still be posting about my cloth dolls and toys here too, as I make them.

Thank you for all the slug love! There is still time to vote for Gerard! Please do! He loves attention ;)

Wow. September is here. I suddenly feel the need to clone myself again! There is plenty to do around here. I'm feeling kind of nervous! There are toys and dolls and paintings and prints and web pages and ads to be made. Oh my.

By the way, I recently purchased these two very adorable books on hand-knitted toys. I love looking through them.

They come with complete instructions for making the toys too, not that I have any time to do this, but I'm really enjoying the inspiration just the same. They are Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor, and Knitted and Felted Toys by Zoe Halstead. They are great fun.

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend!