I got part of my workroom more under control than it was. My clothes are now barricaded into the closet in the corner though. It’s hard to cram all that I have into a small area.

I have more boxes to fill, and am hoping to get more of the piles of fabric organized.

I experimented with the remote control I had for an older SLR camera I have, to see how it worked on the newer camera. I took photos of myself surrounded by my supplies.

That is Beau Bear sneaking up on me, above. I made him a long time ago, from a Vogue pattern. Josephine used to nap on him when she first came here.

I am also working on the backlog of doll photos I have to edit. These are Randolf and Maizie, original, one-of-a-kind ginger tabby cat art dolls by Max Bailey. We posted Randolf here on our Ruffing’s blog, and Maize has her own post here.

This is Ginnie, a miniature version of Max’s art dolls. She comes with a dollhouse cradle. I talked Max into trying mini dolls in cradles, and so I hope people enjoy her and her mini-kitten friends we have to photograph next. Ginnie can be found here on our Ruffing’s blog. I have seven more sets of art doll photos to get edited and posted.

Our real-life kitties are doing well. Bertie is getting so big, we will soon be calling her Big Bertha instead. Phoebe is smaller, and shyer. Bertie has come into her own and is pretty confident. She wants to eat first and she wants the other cats to give her baths. Phoebe is making her own progress, visiting me at the computer and watching things I do.

Yesterday morning, I got a call from Princess Marie saying that two feral cats were being released from the Wake County Animal Shelter to go to Operation Catnip, which is an all-volunteer group with a clinic that spays and neuters and vaccinates feral cats. She was going to pick them up and asked if I could go along to take some photos. There has been some controversy over the cats, and whether they could be released, which hopefully is all worked out now, although there are policy issues still to be discussed, regarding feral cats in the community. From what I understand, these two cats will now be living in an outdoor home, instead of being returned to the colony where they were originally trapped. The people at the shelter were nice to us while we were there, and let me take some photos of the kitties’ big day. Lots of people are happy about the cats getting to go free. They have already been to the vet, and are now settling in comfortably in a safe place.

I had a hard time getting any response from Giggle Moon, but was told in two emails over the past seven months that there were reasons the work couldn’t be done, even though I continued to see photo sessions posted, throughout the same time period, on the Giggle Moon Facebook page. I’ve reported the incident to Etsy, and asked Giggle Moon to reimburse me for the toys.

I’d like to warn anyone on Etsy about participating in trades. I know I won’t be doing any more trades. Everything looked legitimate, and I’d had a good experience with sending my toys to be photographed for a TV show, with another Etsy member, who returned them in perfect condition, in short order. So, I thought this would be a similar experience, and am very displeased over the situation. This is my business. Even though it is pleasant to make toys, most of the time, I don’t do it for entertainment. I do it to make a living. I would never expect to walk into a store, take something, and not pay for it. I don’t expect anyone to do that with my shop either. If anyone else has had a similar experience, please report it to trust@etsy.com. Etsy doesn’t mediate in trades, but they do investigate suspected scammers.

I am continuing to make my toys, and trying not to be angry. This is what my workroom looks like right now, filled with fabric and projects, with hardly any room for me. As you can see, I am not some big toy company, but one person, working from home, making toys by hand. I don’t wholesale, and I don’t send out free samples. I send toys directly to their new homes, where I hope they will be appreciated and loved.

The first is an Alley Cat Angel Sock Kitten. Same as before, this kitty is helping out real-life cats and kittens. $10 from his adoption will go to Alley Cats and Angels rescue, in North Carolina. He (or she) will come with a personalized hang tag too, with his adopter’s choice of a name, or “For + a recipient’s name”.

He has fuzzy white fleece wings and a pink fleece heart. His features are all hand sewn on, with embroidery floss in a blanket stitch.

I’m enjoying how he looks like he is flying here and there in my photos.

I was lucky to have a blue sky and some white clouds just long enough to take his pictures today.

I also made a smaller sock kitten, in the same red-and-pink stripe. He or she also has hand embroidered details, and a pink fleece heart.

I finished him in the nick of time to get his photos too, and then it got all gloomy again outside. I’m glad I was able to get these posted today.

They would both be great Valentine’s Day gifts. They are both over in my Etsy toy shop right now.

Also perfect for Valentine’s Day are Echo and Tommy. These are new, original, one-of-a-kind black-and-white tuxedo cat art dolls by Max Bailey. I am finally getting to editing some of the doll photos that got backlogged before the holidays. There are quite a few more beautiful and handsome dolls still to share. Echo can be found here on our Ruffing’s blog, and Tommy can be found here. They each have their own story.

I had been thinking for a long time that I should have business cards for my toys, but couldn’t decide where to order them. So, I designed and printed them myself. Since I love rainbow assortments of things, I ended up making them in several different cheerful colors.

I handed out my first one last weekend, to someone who was feeling blue, and, right away, it made him smile and laugh, even though he’d been wiping tears away a minute before. That reminded me that what I’m doing has a positive impact, and that my toys spread good cheer and comfort. I’ve got toys heading out to peoples’ Valentines, and I’ve got toys going out to lift the spirits of people who have lost loved ones. Some of them head off to welcome new babies and to help people celebrate birthdays, and they make people smile.