My Story
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I think I was around 6 years old when I'd sit with my Mum and make paper dolls together.
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Dolls have always been a part of my story and a connection with my Mum. Together we'd craft and sew. We'd collect objects from Nature to turn into something new. I had a doll house that my Dad made for me. My Mum would help me decorate it.
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Both my parents died young. My Mum was in her fiftys and was taken by an aggressive form of cancer of the oesophagus. My Dad died last year, aged 63, of pneumonia following covid. It was sudden and unexpected. A few months a go, we lost my cousin in an accident. He was 24.
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I struggle with all of this. I'm convinced that my family is cursed. I lost my Gramps, when I was a teenager, in a house fire. I never met my Nan - she died of "stress" before I was born.
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I worry about my future. The women in my family rarely meet their grandchildren. Will I be blessed to meet mine? I'm not convinced.
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I guess doll making is my solace. I'm at peace when I sew. The intricate embroidery is like meditation. I use at least 3 different shades of thread to form their lips. Their eyes require 6-9 different colours as a minimum, yet the pupil measures about 6-8mm across!
Three decades of creating lead me to the point, where, after my Mum's death in 2017; I realised I could heal by making dolls. In 2022, after a lot of praise and encouragement, I decided I'd start selling them.
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.. and so, I have reached this point. Its mid 2023. I'm definitely healing thanks to the support of my family and friends. But also thanks to creating.
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I hope you enjoy the dolls I make, along side the art I create to go with them. They really are special.
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Please join my mailing list to be in the know about future dolls, collections and offers.
Thank you.
