New OOAK Original Kitten Folk Art Doll Figurines and Cards by Max Bailey

This is "Millicent" my new tuxedo kitten. She is planning a snowball ambush on a boy at school. Maybe she likes him, but she isn't telling.

In their one room schoolhouse, Tommy is the boy who sits behind her and teases her all the time. When the teacher isn't looking, he pulls her whiskers, and dips the tip of her tail into his inkwell. Then he calls her "Silly Millie".

Tommy will come around the corner soon. He'll walk right past her like he doesn't even see her. Then WHAP, he'll get a snowball right in the back of his head. Millicent will say "That's for you, Tommy Salami!" The snow will go down his neck, and he'll squeal and run home to his mama.

This is "Crybaby", my latest tabby kitten doll figurine. She is Hungry!!! Her little empty green bowl is ready to be filled! Now!

She cries when she’s too hot. She cries when she’s too cold. She cries when her mother leaves the room, and she cries when her mother comes back. She cries when her bowl is empty, and sometimes she cries when it’s full. No one ever asks “Where’s Crybaby?” They know where she is.

Please click here to visit Millicent's webpage. Please click here to visit Crybaby's webpage. Please click here to visit our online doll gallery.

We also have a set of handmade blank greeting cards featuring images of my folk art cat dolls, including Millicent, Crybaby, and Frannie the tabby cat, up for auction on eBay too. The auction lasts until next Wednesday, December 5th.

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

New Original Folk Art Doll Greeting Cards by Max Bailey

We've made up a few sets of handmade greeting cards featuring images of my one-of-a-kind art dolls. The images are printed on archival-quality art paper and glued, using acid-free glue, to acid-free ivory-colored cards, that are blank inside. They are printed with archival-quality pigment-based ink, and so they are suitable for saving and framing.

The cards are 5 by 6 1/2 inches and they come with matching ivory envelopes. Each card is individually bagged for protection. They make a nice gift for cat lovers and for art doll lovers.

We will be putting these greeting cards up for auction on eBay in sets of four. Please go check out our eBay store for our art doll listings as well. We will be putting some of our dolls up at Buy It Now prices in our store for the holiday season. Currently, "Frannie" and "Leah the Star Baby" are available for adoption in our eBay store. Other one-of-a-kind art dolls are available through our web site. Please check our art doll gallery page to see our currently available dolls, and email us with any inquiries. We have more on the way that are waiting to be photographed and we are a little behind updating our web site...So, please feel free to inquire if you hear one of our dolls calling your name :)

New Max Bailey Christmas Elf Prints

I've been adding more new prints on Etsy. These are two Christmas elves.

The sweet little elf above is dreaming of Christmas, while his chickdee friends keep him company. A big yellow moon is coming up in the night sky behind him. It is called "A Christmas Dream".

In "Final Touches", Santa's helpers are very busy putting the finishing touches on a Christmas ornament. Only the most artistic mice get to be Santa's helpers!

Both these prints are on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with an image size of 8 x 10.5 inches, and retail for $22.00, plus postage. They are printed on art paper, using Epson archival-quality pigment-based inks, and come in protective cello sleeves. If you would like to order one directly from us, just email us and let us know.

"Clara" OOAK One-of-a-kind Original Izannah Walker-inspired Folk Art Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

This is Clara, my new original folk art doll! I designed both her body pattern and her dress pattern myself. Her design was inspired by Izannah Walker dolls, and her face is a Jumeau-style antique reproduction. She is one-of-a-kind. There are no others like her.

Her body and her dress are both 100% cotton fabric. Her dress is a beautiful pink quilter's cotton scattered with pale pink chrysanthemums, a symbol of innocence, hope, and cheerfulness. I sewed two pin tucks and a three inch hem at the bottom of the dress, to make it stand out nicely. A sash ties in a pretty bow at the back. All the seams are carefully finished.

I made her head using a combination of Creative Paperclay and Li-Qua-Ché pourable papier mâché. She is entirely hand painted first with a layer of gesso, then finely detailed with acrylic paint, and then sealed with matte varnish for protection.

She is jointed at her shoulders, hips and knees, and her bottom is weighted with Poly-Pellets so she can sit nicely. Her hands and arms are lightly wired to allow her fingers to have a more realistic curl, and to allow her elbows to bend slightly.

Her hand-sculpted ringlets go all the way around her head, and little pin curls cover the top of her head.

Her antique-style lace-trimmed undergarments are hand-painted and detailed with painted white lace trim and tiny buttons.

Her hand-painted boots have little painted gold buttons on their sides. I named her Clara after the character of that name in The Nutcracker. Lots of hours went into making Clara an heirloom-quality doll. She is meant for display, and would make a lovely addition to a young, or a young-at-heart, girl's room.

Clara will be up for adoption on eBay. More photos of Clara can be seen on Flickr.

Sneak Peek...New Max Bailey Prints!

This is just a bit of what is on its way! We are introducing a new line of Max Bailey prints!

They are a standard size 8.5 x 11 inches and can also fit a standard 8 x 10 inch mat and frame set (not included).

Above is "Proud Mom", a Victorian-style rabbit mother with her overflowing carriage full of baby bunnies.

This is "Shopping Bears", showing two very excited teddy bear girls on their way home from a big shopping trip.

Both are currently available both on eBay and on Etsy, and they can also be ordered by emailing us.

Other images can be seen on Flickr. More to come!

Three Little Kittens, One-of-a-kind Original Cat Art Dolls by Max Bailey

Here is a sneak peak at (from left to right) "Ginger and George", "Crabby Alice and Ruthie", and "Hedda and Hopper", my brand new one-of-a-kind original cat art dolls. We photographed them over the past two mornings, and they are very excited about making their Internet debut. We'll be introducing them one at a time, to give each one due attention, in coming blog posts. I assure you... they can't wait!

Their new pictures will be going up on Flickr soon. All they talk about is who looks the prettiest.

We have a new and improved Ebay About Me Page as well. Elizabeth made us a new logo and revised the whole page. It really needed some dolls! Much better now! Be sure to check it out and check back here for new kitties!

"Goodnight Irene", One-of-a-kind Original Art Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

After much hand basting, machine appliquéing, stuffing, machine and hand sewing, "Goodnight Irene" is complete.

I made her pattern basing it on my much loved Miss Annabelle, a favorite doll from my childhood. She is a big doll, about 22 inches tall, and about 14 inches seated. I drew and painted her face, giving her very pretty green eyes.

Here she is seated with "Lovely Lucy". Both are available in my Etsy shop. More photos can be seen on Flickr.

I also spent some time today organizing our ruffingsartdolls Flickr photo album, adding sets off to the right to make finding dolls of special interest a little easier.

I've been updating our eBay store as well, adding information to our My World page. I hope to do a complete overhaul on our About Me page soon.

I've added a really cool Etsy widget to the home page of elizabethruffing.com I'm enjoying looking at all those thumbnails of my artwork grouped together on the page. So colorful.

And, we have Max Bailey cat dolls still to photograph!

New Chrysanthemum Flower Baby Fairy Art Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

"Greta", my new chrysanthemum flower baby fairy is finished! I'll be putting her up for auction on eBay starting Friday, June 15th at about 9pm EST.

She has an antique reproduction baby face of papier mâché. Her head and pointed ears are paperclay, and her body is 100% cotton cloth. Her pale green butterfly wings with yellow spots are hand quilted and she is entirely hand painted with acrylic paint. She will be sealed with matte varnish for protection.

She has hidden button joints which make her posable, just like "Rosa" who left for her new home at the beginning of this week. I managed to get a few pictures of them together before she left on her journey.

Greta has an oak-colored stand that lifts her in the air so she can practice flying, and running through the air. She enjoys that.

You can view more pictures of them both on Flickr.

I'm also introducing some mini art plaques. I've painted 6 by 6 inch solid poplar wood to coordinate with my artwork and mounted several reproductions of my original watercolors on them. Above are "The Fairy and the Dove" and "Fairies and Butterflies".

Clockwise from the upper left these are "The Guardian", "Laurence with Primroses and Daffodils", "Iris and Foxgloves", and "The Rabbit Dances". They are all made using archival grade materials and I will be varnishing them for further protection. Prints of these images are available on our website.

Rosa the Flower Baby Original Art Doll by Elizabeth Ruffing

She's done! Rosa is all painted and ready to go. I'll be putting her up for auction on eBay tonight starting at about 9pm EST.

Rosa has an antique reproduction baby face of papier mâché. Her head and ears are paperclay, and her body is 100% cotton cloth. Her periwinkle butterfly wings are hand quilted and she is entirely hand painted with acrylic paint. She will be sealed with matte varnish for protection.

I will be offering "The Fairy and the Dove" and "Fairies and Butterflies" as handmade mini art plaques for auction at the same time. I made them myself from archival materials and I carefully coordinated them to make a nice set of companion art pieces for Rosa.


Please pay a visit to eBay this week and bid! In the meantime, you can see more photos of Rosa on Flickr.

New Red Rose Fairy Original Folk Art Doll by Max Bailey

According to my grandmother, we had fairies to thank for all things beautiful on the earth. From her imagination (and from mine), here is Rosalie, the Red Rose Fairy. She flies through gardens like a butterfly, and touches the rosebuds with her rose-tipped wand to make them open.

She is a one-of-a-kind, original folk art doll, made of 100% cotton painted with acrylic paint. She has a small loop for hanging. Blue-eyed and raven-haired, she is dressed all in teal blue, with a cascade of roses, rosebuds, and leaves that flow down her body to her toes. The golden three-leaf motif at her neckline also encircles her wrists, and her colorful wings bear portraits of her favorite flower.

Rosalie will be up for auction on EBay starting Friday, March 30th, at about 9pm EST. Please go bid on her!

Also, please go check out my new MySpace page. If you are on MySpace (it's a social networking site that is free to join), go ahead and add me to your friends list!

New Max Bailey Angel with Pansies Original Folk Art Doll

I'm pleased to announce the arrival of Patricia...Angel of Pansies! Pansies are among the oldest known garden flowers, and I like to think that over the years, some garden angels have been at work to create such beautiful blooms. Patricia is one of these angels. When she picks a pansy from the garden, two more will bloom in its place.

Patricia is a true one-of-a-kind original work of art, created from my own design and pattern. She is made from 100% cotton fabric, which is sewn, stuffed, and completely hand-painted with acrylic paints. She comes with her own oval wood stand, oak-stained and finished.

She will be up for auction in our EBay store shortly. Please come bid on her!

Welcome to Ruffing's new blog

This blog is meant to continue where our "In Progress" page left off. I've switched to a blog format to allow for greater ease in keeping everyone updated on our most recent paintings, giclées, art quilts, and art dolls.
I've also been working on a new web site, The Art of Elizabeth Ruffing. It features links to our Ebay Store, my Etsy Shop, my photo portfolio, and my personal blog which offers a behind-the-scenes look at my studio and my latest creations. Please visit and have a look around!