My Inspiration

My inspiration came from my daughter Corabelle. She loves dolls. She loves girl dolls, boy dolls, elephant dolls, dog dolls, bunny dolls, kitty dolls, oh how she love kitties…but yes, she loves all dolls. I discovered Waldorf dolls on the Internet. They seemed absolutely  beautiful and special. I loved that they were made with wool.  I love wool and will talk about this healthy obsession later. I really wanted my son, Kosei to have a doll. I have tried my best to raise him free of social expectations as far as boys play with cars, girls play with dolls, girls wear pink and boys wear blue.  I want my daughter to play with cars and trucks and get just as dirty in mud puddles as my son does and I want my son to play with dolls, learn to sew and cook and all those “girly” things. Don’t get me wrong, my son has a huge love for trucks and diggers and dirt.  Every morning when he wakes up I ask him what he dreamt of.  His answer is “trucks, dirt and more dirt”.  My daughter loves pink and princesses, butterflies, and oh yeah, did I mention kitties? I just don’t ever want them to feel shamed for exploring something out of their social box. I believe it makes a more well rounded individual. At home, I want my children to feel free of those silly expectations. I also want my children to be able to learn, act out and get familiar with all emotions through play. They had a few actual “dolls” that I had passed down to them from my childhood. These dolls have the hard plastic faces and when Corabelle would give them a huge loving hug, this plastic face would clumsily hit hers, she would literally wince and put the doll down. I thought to myself “she needs a Waldorf doll to be her special handmade doll to give her soft nice hugs.”

In September of 2013, I attended a local Indianapolis Waldorf doll making workshop, and it was amazing. I am a member of the group and the families are just wonderful. The workshop was lovely and very well organized. I fell in love with Waladorf dolls because they just made sense to me. And wool, oh yes the wool. The creamy soft, luscious fleece of these, beautiful amazing, gentle animals. If I lived on a farm, I would share the land with sheep.  I had already become a huge fan of wool in our household, mostly because of my children. I cloth diapered with my first born and invested in a stash of “woolies” from Chickadee & Me. Thank you Sarah for initially schooling me on the benefits of wool. I also invested in some very cool wool mattress covers (puddle pads) that I still use with my toddlers and consider a necessity to protect our mattresses and more importantly, keep my children warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Wool is just amazing. So naturally (pun intended), I was excited to make a doll for my children with this wonderful material. I spent many months after the doll workshop searching the Internet for tutorials and tips on how to develop my doll making craft. Then, I got busy.

I made the first two dolls, one for my daughter and one for my son. Sewing and creating brought such joy to my daily routine, a sense of balance in my life journey.  Then came my next doll and my next. I realized I loved creating these special dolls that seemed to warm the souls of the little girls and boys who played with them. I really enjoy seeing their faces upon receiving the doll. Childhood is so magical, and I remember receiving my special dolls from my parents. To be able to create magic for boys and girls around the world is a pretty awesome feeling. I have always dreamed of starting a small business, supporting natural and organic products and sourcing locally whenever possible.

Memories I hold very close to my heart, are of my Aunt Jean. She was very artsy, mostly with ceramics and dolls. I vividly remember always wanting to play with her dolls. She had a room full of dolls, shelf after shelf of handmade dolls. To a 8 year old girl, that is heaven.  I was always so inspired by her art. My mother was always creating for us. I remember pajamas, dresses and costumes. I hope to have this same positive impact on my children and hopefully plant a seed. So here is the start of my doll making journey, very new for now and simply a fun hobby that enriches my life.

I should have new pics up later this week of my dolls. My goal was to get them in my shop by the start of spring…and holy smokes! It’s (thankfully) right around the corner.