Since the day Heidi Bartruff’s father introduced her to a neighborhood puppy when she was only 3 years old, she was completely smitten for life. As she grew up in Los Angeles, CA, she displayed an inherent artistic ability which won her several awards throughout her school years.
But it wasn’t until her own children were born that she discovered her niche. Desiring to make her daughter a special plush animal on her third birthday, Heidi taught herself to sew and then combined her artistic skills with her love and knowledge of animal conformation. The results have delighted her family, friends and toy manufacturers ever since.
Heidi went on to design “Toto” for The Franklin Mint’s porcelain Dorothy doll and she is the original inventor of the line of small, magnet-filled toys called”Magneatoes” which have been manufactured and sold successfully world wide by the Mary Meyer Toy Co. for several years.
Heidi says: “I enjoy creating sweeter-than-life, soft, cuddly, tangible creations that bring comfort and smiles to my customers… to somehow make magic seem possible during such sad or tense times as we are experiencing tends to bring hope and joy as the old fairy tales do… I guess my artworks give me those comforts while I am designing them so it’s really as much a therapy for me as for the client!”
Heidi’s studio is nestled in the tall pines of the southern California mountains where the beauty of serene nature and wildlife surround and inspire her!
Heidi’s Plush Animal Replicas were
recently featured on the NBC Today Show. Her first Illustrated Children’s Book — “The Wish” — won the DOVE organization’s highest rating and has won the Mom’s Choice Award in 2010.