So much to do, so little time to blog...

Last weekend, my cousin, Steve, his wife, Erin, and their kids, Benjamin and Sophia, were in town for Erin's brother's wedding. I got to visit with them, which was great fun.

Their new cousin, Eliana, Ben, and Sophia are so amazingly energetic. You can't help but enjoy yourself around them.

I even got ambushed...

I was too large to be carried however.

Sophia tied my legs together when I said I was going to be on my way. After securing me, she decided to let me go.

I also made it to the web design group I hadn't been to for about two years. The nice Wordpress theme developer, who was giving the presentation, gave me lots of tips for our web site migration. I was very happy because he was able to answer some questions I'd been trying to find the answers to for two weeks.

Right now, I think I am mostly trying to get up my nerve to make the change. I know that the navigation will not work just right until I've got the whole site moved over, and I'm nervous about that. Plus, I keep debating over whether or not I want to put the blogs on the home pages of our sites, or on their own sub-page. At some point, I will just jump in.

In the meantime, the Ruffing's blog is not active, although it is still up. So, here is our latest offering, "Matilda the Tuxedo Kitten", an original, one-of-a-kind art doll figurine by Max Bailey. You can read more about Matilda by clicking here to go to her web page.

We are also debating over computers right now. We need a new one, and we're trying to decide which Mac to get and when. We also need to learn to use a Mac, which adds a little extra excitement. We need a desktop to edit photos, but I'd also like a laptop, to make myself more mobile. I know you can hook the laptop to a monitor, but I'd like the option to take trips or work elsewhere for some variety. The desktop we are looking at is kind of intimidating. It seems like a TV set to me. So, another plunge to take.

Oh, and "Beatrice and Beulah" the lop rabbit folk art dolls by Max Bailey and myself, are up for adoption on eBay this week. The auction ends tomorrow night. You can check out Beatrice and Beulah's eBay page by clicking here. Once again, I'm putting announcements on our Ruffing's Facebook page. Please join us there.

I'm also finishing up a small pile of Hug Me! Slugs and a Hug Me! Toad or three. I'll be putting them up in my Etsy shop as soon as I can.

Two tutus...ta da

These are Opal (above) and Celeste (below), our two new Pixie Kitten original art dolls. They are a collaborative project, made by myself and Max Bailey. We've taken some very pretty photos of Opal with a bouquet of lavender chrysanthemums. Once I've edited the photos, we'll put together a web page for Opal.

We'll make a run to pick up some cut flowers for Celeste as well. There were flurries here this morning, but we're making an effort to at least create the illusion of spring.

I'll keep you updated on our blog migrations. I've been looking into re-uploading them at their same addresses. I'm going to have to devote a lot of time over the next two months to our web sites, but I'll try to keep posting our new dolls. I'm not too pleased right now with Blogger and their blog migration plans, but I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to switch things around in a way that may, ultimately, be easier to manage. I prefer having our web content in our own FTP folder, as opposed to hosting it on Blogger, and so I'm working on switching to Wordpress as a blogging platform. I feel a bit like I'm cramming for exams, given the short notice of Blogger/Google shutting down their FTP uploading option.

I'll feel better about it all once I get a handle on what I'm doing. I'll keep you posted. As I keep saying, if anything disappears temporarily, please check either of our home pages, ruffings.com or elizabethruffing.com or our Ruffing's Facebook page, for updates.

Two tutus to do

This is just a sneak peek at one of the Pixie Kittens that Max Bailey and I made. Two of them have been waiting for tutus for a long time. I had been waiting for my other sewing machine to be repaired, but now I'm forging ahead without it.

This tutu is for fitting only, but the final one will be in the same color.

I've been working on the Ruffing's site, trying to make some necessary changes so I can switch our hosting accounts over to Linux. I'm looking into using Wordpress instead of Blogger, but it has some features that appear to work better, or that are at least easier to implement, on Linux. Again, if you're on Facebook, please join the Ruffing's fan page. I will use that as a place to post an announcement, if I run into any problems over the next two and a half months, while I attempt to get everything moved. I'll also post any announcements on our home pages of each of our sites, but just in case those pages are down, I'll use the Facebook page as a backup plan.

My neck and shoulders are so sore and prickly from working at the computer! Ah well. Hopefully we'll be getting a new computer soon too, as this one is groaning away. Lots to do...

Our second snow of the winter

We had a beautiful snow last night. In the dark, the solar lamps looked like pinwheels of light on the white, and the trees were collecting little clumps of snow on every branch, no matter how small. Our kitty went out to watch the snow fall in the light from the front porch. He looked up at it for a while, and then decided to come back in the house. He's just not an outdoorsman anymore.

Again, we had one track of kitty prints going down the front steps, and one track coming back. That's it. Today he's commandeered my workroom chair and is engaging in some intensive napping. I added one track of human prints down and back too, so I could take some photos. I will probably add some more later, so I can go for a walk in the snow.

More amazing than having a second snow this winter, my mom claims to have seen a plow this time! She also claims to have never seen one here before. We went to get some food last night, and even the cashier knew about our ice-covered hill from a couple of weeks ago. "Is that the only way out of there?" Yes. "Well, you wouldn't want to go down that and end up in the lake." No.

So, this is a nice snow.

I'm waiting for a book on using Wordpress for your website. I'm still considering the options I have for our two blogs. Whatever I end up doing, the announcement will be on the home page of both elizabethruffing.com and ruffings.com. I have to at least start new blogs at addresses other than the current addresses because of Blogger discontinuing the option to upload your files to your FTP folder. In fact, I may even move the blogs to the home pages of our two sites. I now have until May 1st, but I'm hoping to resolve the issue before then. I'm not sure the fix Blogger is offering will work with our setup, and I'm not sure I want to use their fix. I have to look into it some more, and I'm still waiting for them to come out with their migration tool. If anything goes really wonky in the meantime, please check our home pages or the Ruffing's Facebook page for an update. Hopefully, everything will go at least somewhat smoothly.

Valentino is someone's Valentine

Today is "Valentino the Hug Me! Slug's" big day. He's been waiting to hear who his new adoptive parent(s) will be.

He's been talking about it to all his friends. As you can see, he's developed quite a following around here, lots of admirers.

Well, here's the big news...........Sam A. is our big winner. I will get in touch with you (so glad I figured out who you were!) to get a shipping address. Thank you so much to everyone who entered and left such lovely comments!

Valentino still has slug friends who are looking for homes over in my Etsy shop. I've added some special "I (heart) you" tags as an additional option to naming your own slug.

I hope you all have a terrific Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Slugs and Toad Tags

I finally got my drawing done for my "Hug Me! Toad" hang tag. I don't know what took me so long. I must have been making slugs like crazy. I'd like to grab some time to make some more toads and sock hippos especially, some sock zebras too.

I'm still playing with slug sizes. These are the newer "small" slugs, about 8 inches tall, next to the "large" I've been making all along. As I was saying before, I'm aiming for two sizes, instead of having a "medium". I'll try making the large a little smaller soon.

I made a batch of Valentine's Day "Hug Me! Slugs" too and put them up in my Etsy shop. They are in my original small size, about 7 1/4 inches tall, and they're made of cuddly fleece.

I think this magenta pink one is my favorite. I love his (her?) whimsical expression.

But then, it's hard to pick a favorite. I enjoy discovering how they each seem to have a personality once I'm done sewing and photographing them.

They're an amusing bunch.

There is still time to enter for a chance to win "Valentino the Hug Me! Slug". I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow on my blog.

Speaking of my blog, Blogger.com is making some changes in mid-March. They are discontinuing the ability to upload your blog to your FTP folder. That doesn't effect most people who use Blogger, from what they say, but it does effect us unfortunately. They are promising a "migration tool" but it won't be ready for another couple of weeks. So, I can't say for certain yet where our new blog addresses will be, but they will change soon. I plan to post announcements on the blogs. If anything should go wrong with that, and hopefully it won't, please check the home pages of our websites, ruffings.com and elizabethruffing.com, or our Ruffing's Facebook page for the announcement. If you're on Facebook, please "become our fan" on the Ruffing's page.

Most likely, the new blog addresses will be blog.ruffings.com and blog.elizabethruffing.com. I haven't published anything to those addresses, as of today, though. I'll post more information about that when I have some.

Mostly, I've just been sewing and sewing and sewing, while watching so many movies that I can't even remember what movies I've watched.

Good night. I will talk to you tomorrow when I post "Valentino's" adoptive parent's name on my blog :)

My 300th post, 3 year blog anniversary, Valentine's Day giveaway extravaganza

In honor of my 300th post and my 3 year blogging anniversary, not to mention Valentine's Day...I am having a giveaway! The handsome, debonair, and very red prize will be Mr Valentino, the Hug Me! Slug! Thanks, Miko, for the idea!

Update: Thank you all so much for the great comments and compliments! And thanks very much for entering, and for reading my blog too! Sam A. has won the draw for "Valentino". Congratulations, Sam! I have some more Valentine's Day "Hug Me! Slugs" over in my Etsy shop as well. Please click here for the "official" announcement.

"Valentino the Hug Me! Slug" is an original, one-of-a-kind art toy, designed and made by me. He's about 7 1/4 inches tall, and he's made of soft, fuzzy fleece. His "Son of the Sheik"-inspired headdress is made of 100% cotton striped fabric.

His arresting eyes are hand sewn on using a blanket stitch. He has a purple heart because he is also very brave, in keeping with his romantic-hero personality.

He is, of course, also mysterious, irresistible, and cuddly.

I'm curious to know who you are, and so to enter to win "Valentino the Hug Me! Slug", please leave a comment here, between February 1 and 7, 2010, saying hello and whatever you might like to say by way of introduction. Please include your name so I can put your name in a hat, and a link, if you have one, where I can find you (your web site, your Etsy/eBay page, blog, Facebook page, whatever you'd like). Otherwise, you can separately send me an email address where I can reach you if you win. I'll be accepting entries up until a week before Valentine's Day, February 7th, to allow for shipping time. Please check back here on February 8th, when I'll announce the winner.

If your comment doesn't show up right away, don't worry...I have comment moderation in effect. As long as you leave a comment (click "comments" or "post a comment" at the end of this post to get there, type your message in the "leave your comment" box, and click "publish your comment", for anyone who might not have used that before), and it is in my mailbox when I get up in the morning on February 8th, I'll include your name in the draw. One winner will be chosen from a random draw. Thanks for visiting my blog, and happy posting!

Snow day

When the sun came up this morning, the snow really did look pretty. I wasn't sure what to expect, since it had been sleeting. We even had some frost on the front door.

Snow is looking unfamiliar to our kitties, I think.

One brave kitty soul took a quick run down the steps and back.

No one has plowed here, not even the highway. So, it may be midweek, when the temperature might rise above freezing, before I get to the Post Office to mail any orders. I'm sure the hill to the main road is slick right now.

That should keep me focused on my projects for a couple of days at least. One of those projects is a surprise. My next blog post will be my 300th post. Well, actually this is my 300th post, if we count the one that said "Just testing" that I deleted :) It will also be my 3rd year blog anniversary! That sounds lucky to me. So, I'm going to try something I've been thinking about for a while, a little blog giveaway. It's going to be Valentine's Day themed, and I think I'll run it until a week before Valentine's Day, February 7th, to allow for shipping time. I'm curious to know who you are, and so to enter, I'll be asking you to leave a comment saying hello and whatever you might like to say by way of introduction. I'll ask you to leave your first name so I can put your name in a hat, and if you want to, a link where I can find you (your web site, Facebook page, whatever you'd like). Otherwise, you can check back on the 8th. I'll have more information about the prize in my next post.

Cuteness

I just wanted to share this adorable little boy and the "Hug Me! Slug" he got for Christmas. What a smile! His "Hug Me! Slug" had a "disappearance", and I am right now helping him have a reappearance. I tried to make "Marigold II" look as close as I could to "Marigold I" :)

Harry Potter and the Temple of Hug Me! Slugs

Before I forget...I set up a brand new fan page for Ruffing's over on Facebook. I'm posting photos of art from each of us, and my videos, and anything new that comes up. Please "become a fan" if you are over that way. To those of you who already became a fan, thanks very much!

We are getting some snow and sleet here, the only snow we've had so far this year. I hurried to get a couple of "Hug Me! Slug" orders out ahead of the storm, just in case we got snowed in. There isn't much snow, but I don't know how the ice will be.

You might notice I am playing with my slug sizes. Super Slug is a little bigger than the other small-sized slugs. I'm still experimenting. I'd like to just have a small and large size, instead of having a medium in between. I might even leave the Super Slug a bit larger than the other slugs. He is super, after all.

I made his cape fuller too. It's easier to do more with his cape when he's bigger like this.

He came out about 8 1/2 to 8 3/4 inches tall, instead of the 7 1/4 inches of the small slugs. I might make them closer to 8 inches tall. I'm fiddling.

I also changed my web site photo. I asked my mom to take some new photos of me. I was going for more casual, a little more nerdy.

I find this one amusing, and the next really sad.

But I do think my eyes look really cool in that one, even if I look forlorn. Click on it and you'll see what I mean. Kind of cat like, with the light center and the dark rim. It's interesting how whatever you stand in front of brings out different aspects of your appearance.

These are one of three or four cheapo reading glasses I use. I have different strengths, depending on the focal length I need.

People have been having fun on Facebook talking about my photos. So far, I've been compared to Princess Diana....

and Harry Potter! Haha!