<strong>JOB DESCRIPTION:</strong><em>Plush artist and owner of 40 Threads, manufacturer of stuffed toys, wall d&eacute;cor, blankets, pillows and clothing, 816-531-5819, <a href="http://www.40threads.com">www.40threads.com</a></em></p><p><strong>How did you get started making plush items?</strong></p><p>I attended the Kansas City Art Institute and did a lot of childlike art. When it didn&rsquo;t catch on, I didn&rsquo;t do it anymore. But through my husband (Donald Ross, who is known as Scribe), I saw there was a demand for it. He&rsquo;s a graffiti-based artist. He makes vinyl toys and illustrated the children&rsquo;s book &ldquo;There&rsquo;s an Octopus Under My Bed&rdquo; (Clerisy Press, $13.25). He made a vinyl rabbit character from the book, and I made a plush octopus to go with it. That got me started.</p><p><strong>What inspires your art?</strong></p><p>My kids. We have two boys, Elijah (5) and Jonah (3). I&rsquo;ll make one thing and they&rsquo;ll say, &ldquo;Hey, make a spider instead.&rdquo; They enjoy that I make funny things.</p><p><strong>What&rsquo;s your favorite piece?</strong></p><p>My first life-size deer head. The artist Stretch bought it. I was bummed because I was looking forward to taking it home. People have different reactions to a plush deer head mounted to a wall plaque. A few vegetarians find it somewhat offensive. Some people think it&rsquo;s funny because it riffs on taxidermy.</p><p><strong>What does the name &ldquo;40 Threads&rdquo; mean?</strong></p><p>Long story, but here&rsquo;s the short version. My nickname is Ali Baba, so instead of &ldquo;and the 40 thieves,&rdquo; it got shortened to this. </p><p><strong>You are friends with HGTV&rsquo;s &ldquo;Design Star&rdquo; winner Jennifer Bertrand. How did you meet?</strong></p><p>She and Scribe were both working on a residential project. Scribe told her about what I do, and she loved it. She used my pieces when she appeared on the HGTV special &ldquo;Showdown,&rdquo; where she competed in a playroom design. Then she used plush in her baby son&rsquo;s nursery.</p><p><strong>Tell me about the clothing line you&rsquo;re developing with Bertrand.</strong></p><p>It&rsquo;s apparel for children who have special needs. (Bertrand&rsquo;s 9-month-old son, Winston, uses a feeding tube so holes are cut into his one-piece outfits). We&rsquo;re in the prototype stages, and we have some fun ideas. If we can help people, that will be great.</p><p><strong>Tell us about your home.</strong></p><p>It&rsquo;s 105 years old and in midtown. We found it when it was a complete mess. It had been abandoned for two years. But I knew it was my house as soon as we walked in. I love its ornate woodwork and how open it is. We remodeled it and fixed it up. There are murals on a bunch of the walls.</p><p><strong>What&rsquo;s your favorite room?</strong></p><p>Our bedroom, because we have a large collection of vinyl toys from vacations and gallery shows Scribe has been in.</p><p><strong>Besides toys, do you collect anything?</strong></p><p>Insects, the pinned scientific kind. I have 100 different species from different parts of the world. They&rsquo;re absolutely beautiful.</p><p><strong>Where do you have the bugs displayed?</strong></p><p>Interestingly enough, they&rsquo;re in the kitchen.</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">See Alisa Ross&rsquo; work </span></strong><br /> <strong>When: </strong>5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 19</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> Californos restaurant, 4124 Pennsylvania</p><p><strong>What:</strong> Holiday Ric Rac Roundup, more than a dozen local artists and crafters are selling items.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> Free</p><p><strong>Details:</strong> Call Bon Bon Atelier, 816-756-0855</p><p></div>