Hurricane Katrina Volunteers

Grins and Giggles is a unique art enterprise operated by Jim and Zeata Ruff (The Fun Art People) who specialize in personalizing art work.  They are joined by daughter, Tyla, and her husband Jason Moody.

Jim and Jason are the mat cutters while Zeata and Tyla primarily do the art work. The double matted prints, especially the Christmas prints,  are very popular at major  art shows and festivals across the Mid Atlantic states.  The prints are personalized (while the customer shops) with Santa’s list, home signs, street signs, mail boxes and other unique methods.  The majority of our shows are juried “Indoor Shows”.  Even though we love the great outdoors, the weather will not cooperate with us.  Unexpected winds can blow us away and dampness damages our art prints.

Grins and Giggles’ home base is located in Clyde, a small quiet village nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, an area where art is very prevalent to the culture.  You might even consider “Grins and Giggles” a cottage industry, being that our studio and mat cutting shop are located in our home.  Both Jim and Zeata are retired from the public schools where they both have been art teachers  and are now doing what they love most . . . . providing chuckles and putting smiles on faces of those who just happen to come in contact with their art work.

Soup Kitchen Bound

Tyla, a Special Ed Teacher and Jason, a Police Captain, have  joined with us  in this endeavor. They live in Maggie Valley, NC, with their daughter Madison. We have truly been blessed. Our goal is to share sunshine and happiness with all our customers whether you visit with us at one of our shows or this website.

You can be assured that much of our profits go to feed the hungry and help make sure that underprivileged children have a joyous Christmas.   There is  much satisfaction in cooking meals in the local Soup Kitchen, playing “Santa” for a children’s home or traveling several hundred miles through the snowy Blue Ridge Mountains at Christmas time to provide gifts, food and a Christmas Party for  disadvantaged children.   So, WE THANK YOU, our customers, for  partnering with us in helping to make these efforts successful.