Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

"Nativity" by A E Ruffing

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone from all of us!

Etsy for Animals: Artists Helping Animals

Mom and I joined Etsy for Animals just recently. This is a group of artists and craftspeople who have shops on Etsy, and who love and want to help animals. Many of them donate a percentage of their Etsy shop sales to animal charities each month. They also have an Etsy for Animals Shop. Items from this shop are donated by members, and 100% of the proceeds go to animal charities. You might want to check out their blog too.

We will be donating 10% of our Etsy shop sales (less shipping) to animal charities each month. My mom, along with Max Bailey, and later Abby Laurence, can be found at Art from the Studio of A E Ruffing on Etsy, and I can be found at The Art of Elizabeth Ruffing on Etsy.

Incidentally, I've also added the EFA links on the right sidebar of our blogs, along with a new categories section on the Ruffing's blog. Now it is a bit easier to find things...I hope.

Hedda and Hopper, One-of-a-kind Original Folk Art Calico Cat and Rabbit Dolls by Max Bailey

"Hedda and Hopper" are in our eBay store for the holidays. They took a little trip to be photographed and now they are back. Hedda and Hopper are the best of friends. She’s a calico cat with watchful green eyes. He’s a white bunny with inquisitive blue eyes. They see everything that everybody is doing.

Hedda and Hopper also have big ears. They listen to anything anybody says. There are no secrets these two don’t know.

Hedda is wearing that soft yellow and orange dress, with the big bow and a ruffle that frames her pretty face. Her arms are button jointed with antique looking metal buttons of filigreed gold on black, so she can easily pose. Her blouse is cream colored with yellow cuffs, painted on, as are her white bloomers with yellow polka dots, and her two-toned high button shoes. She’s an original one-of-a-kind work of art created from my own design and pattern, and is made from 100% cotton fabric which I sewed, stuffed, and completely hand painted with acrylic paints. I made her dress from 100% cotton fabric, and it too is created from my own design and pattern.

Hedda is 13 inches tall. Her face was sculpted from paperclay smoothed into her fabric head, and her stiffened pearl cotton whiskers were threaded through the paperclay before it dried.

Hopper the white bunny is made of wood. I painted his eyes a brilliant blue and coordinated his colors to match those in Hedda’s dress. He’s about 4 ½ inches long and 2 inches wide.

Hedda’s curly tail allows her to sit up all by herself on a shelf or a table, or in a cabinet. She can also sit in a chair or stand with a doll stand. (Chair and doll stand not included.) She is signed and dated, and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. Please go visit them! We have some greeting cards featuring Hedda and Hopper along with some of their friends up on eBay too!