Newborn Paige

So this is a wee kit called Paige. Paige is different as she isn't a custom, portrait or memorial order baby. Im  working on Paige inbetween doing order babies.
I decided to be inspired by this baby here to do a very newborn, not long born look

Its very hard think to  achieve the pinky-bluey-grey look!
Here is the baby here (i wish my babies went for that much lol, well deserved though, well  done to the artist).
As it is ive been told many  a time i don't charge enough for my portrait, memorial & custom babies. The quality of mine not to blow my own trumpet but there are not many  artists that do portraits etc and to get ones like mine from other artists usually cost £500+.
I just enjoy doing them. Very  stressful at times, some customers can be very difficult, its stressful seeing so many Angel babies and 'getting to know' them, but at the same time its a real priveledge.
So here is the lovely 'just born' ebay baby (currently at £1650!  wow!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290671641477?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Anyways here is my  Paige who is work  in progress.
Im now rooting him as an when i can,  but mainly working on the other baby im rooting.

As you can see from the  clothing my  Paige is going to be a boy. Name as yet undecided.
Now my order babies are without a doubt my top priority, but if i finish 'Paige' in time i am  going to be entering him in a competition. The company that produced and sold his kit is  running a competition, and the winner  chosen by the judges gets the amazing honour of being asked to reborn a prototype kit.

To be selected to do a proto is my absolute dream. Basically its like being selected for the Olympics of the dolly world, very few artists ever get the amazing priviledge and i'll probably stand 1% chance comparred to everyone else, but nothing ventured, nothing gained lol.
What is a prototype?
Well  basically a sculptor sculpts a baby out of clay and these babies are called OOAKS or  One Of A Kind babies. Now if that ooak baby is good enough it may be sent away to be made into reborn kits like what i use.
Firstly the factory cast wax moulds from the  OOAK, then they get  checked and ok'ed by the scuptor. then the factory will pour out about 2-4 of the very first vinyl versions of the  future kit for the sculptor to check before going ahead and mass producing the kits. Kits usually range from the more expensive limited edition ones which are anything from 200-1000 made world wide, or some kits are unlimited  until the demand runs dry.
So the first lot of kits, the 2-4 are called 'prototypes'. If they seem ok then the sculptor selects a couple of people to turn these reborn kits into babies. They are very very very lucky  people if they get asked to do it!! As i said to me its just as awe inspiring as being selected to take part in the Olympic games lol. Reminds me of the feeling Charlie in Charlie & the Chocolate factory had when he discovered his golden ticket lol.
Once these special artists have transformed the prototypes into babies, then they take a photo  shoot and  those photos will be used to advertise the kit once its been made. The prototype babies also get sold on ebay to riase awareness of the new kit, and they usually sell  for a lot of money!

Ive seen some kits sell out within 30 hours of the OOAK and proto babies going on display, and its not unheard of for artists to pay £250-300 just for a blank doll kit if its a sold out popular one!

So yep im going to enter Paige in a proto competition if hes done in time. Other artists will also enter their own Paige kits they have done.

And as for competitions ive just entered a reborn baby i just finished in a baby  of the month competition on one of the forums. I cant say too much, and i dont  expect to win but fingers crossed anyhow!!

Ovens

Updating things.

Grace is coming  along nicely, just varnishing her.  Then she will go in my halogen oven for 8 minutes. I then have to let the vinyl cool which takes ages.
Then flip the parts over and bake again for another 8 minutes.

Speaking of ovens, well ive had my share of reborns in ovens  disasters.
Firstly you never bake a reborn doll kit in an  oven you use for food, so i started off like most artists used to  do with a table top portable oven.
When i first got it i had a big doll  kit called Fabrizio. Fabrizio's head is huge. So i dragged hubby round numerous shops looking.
Argos was harder to have a sneaky look. I had to ask  the sales lady to 'have a look'. Off we went to the collection desk. A rather nice 20 something 'cor if only'  lad served me.
"I want to see the  oven  please" i requested whilst mummbling my words and going red at how  cute this guy was (really at my age! lol).
So he unpacks the oven from the box, shows me the rings on top etc. I told him i  didnt need those just i wanted to see if it was big enough to 'put my head in'.
Before he even had chance to look twice, i snook Fabrizios unpainted, bald head of of the carrier bag id half hidden behind my bag. I quickly whizzed Fabrizio's head into the oven and stood there studing how close the top  of him would come to the heating element.  The poor lad obviously thought i was a bit 'dotty'!! His face was a picture, as was the other people collecting their purchases, now visibly shuffling away from me to 'a safer distance' in their heads, just  in case i might have tried to shove their heads in the oven as well lol!! You could see one old lady and her hubby looking at her hubby as if to say "Eh Bob!! we've got one of those nutters here...... on of those fake baby people!!"

As it was Fabrizios head came too close and at risk of melting if id gone with that oven.
So it was back to the drawing board, round a few more shops, until i found a huge  one.
£100 odd punds later i was now the proud owner of a table to oven.

First time i used it i baked a new kit id bought called 'Tommy asleep'. Tommys vinyl is very soft silicone like, too  soft really. So i sat there with the oven in the front room (don't ask)!!!! baking Tommy for the first time. I glanced up for a second at the tv, glanced back, did a double look, then realised.
Tommy wasnt just 'asleep' he was very much 'dead' now. I had only gone and turned the grill setting on instead and melted  him!! He went flat and split apart. And to this day i still get  the colly wobbles if i see the same kit again.

So i now use a halogen oven with a extender ring. Its so much easier to use, turns itself  off which saves me getting distrated and forgetting......... but how did i Christen  my new halogen oven........ by melting a 'Demi' kit!!

Im  just glad that doesnt happen too often these days lol!!

Kyrin now Grace

Well the new mummy of Kyrin custom baby has decided she  is going to call  her Grace.

Fab name choice.
Here is Grace shes almost finished being painted now, so will be matt varnished  next, then rooting yay!

Busy Valentines day

Busy Valentines day. 11 years ago today my hubby who was my penpal came up on a coach to meet me.

I had a delivery of a gorgeous bunch of flowers  from him today, as well as a single rose yesterday and some music cds as well.

So today  my kit swap arrived. I swapped one of my Jack by Tina Kewy kits with a lady on a forum. I  swapped for Andi. Andi will be the first  'The Cradle'  kit ive owned.
Im a bit on the fence as to wether i like the kit or not to be honest,  but thats usally a good thing considering i always end up not being fussed on the  kits i loved  at first, and loving the kits i hated lol. I must be wired  up wrong!

I have been busy painting wee Kyrin kit for her mummy in  newborn pink  colouring. She has gorgeous veins on her head, and limbs. In pleased with her so far.

She is a tiny 14-15" kit so tipping the fingernails has been fun! They  are so tiny. Ive been painting with a cut down paint brush, it has just 3 hairs left, then tidying it up with a cocktail stick.

Memorial baby M's rooting is coming  on great, i managed to get a good section and half done today.

Im about to do more in a minute before heading off to bed!  Its now 01.45am!!

Night everyone, hope you all had a lovely Valentines day x

HHN

Memorial baby

Today im having a mammoth rooting session. Im working on memorial baby  boy 'M'
He is a 'libby' sculpt by  Cindy Musgrove
this is my progress so far...

Kyrin WIP

Little Kyrin kit who is currently work in progress is about  half done painting wise now
Here she is so far

Artists block!

Well yesterday i had a bad case of artists block!! I just kept mucking up my  painting. Went to bed early  in frustration.
Todays a whole new day so ive stripped the kit back, wiped it down with rubbing  alcohol and have done one layer of mint green to neutralise.
The kit is now just cooling in the oven.

Fingers crossed i manage to get past my block and my head is re energised.
I will get there again lol.

Work In Progress

So my current work in progress are as follows:
Harry- large 22" baby boy with  lovely thick  almost black hair. I finally finished him, he took me months, but was posted off today for delivery  tomorrow. Im excited hes finished, sad that im missing him even if he is 'just vinyl & mohair' and  nervous in case his mummy doesnt like him 'in the  flesh'.

M- M is a memorial baby. Im about 1/6th of the way into his rooting, so will be putting in some more late night/early morning mammoth rooting sessions

Custom Kyrin- Ive just started to paint a custom baby from the Kyrin sculpt. This one is a tiny 14-15" So far ive neutralised the vinyl orange tones with a mint colour, and am now doing flesh  layers and baking. Mottling next!

A- A will be beautiful reborn baby girl when finished. I am not due to start her yet, but i have her kit in on stand by. Her vinyl is a horrible grey  colour, very 'ill' looking almost white, its actually going to  be harder to neutralise or rather warm up  than  if it had been an orange kit!


Then there is  numerous kits for my own website that are in various  stages and wouldnt take much to finish them, when i get the time.

And thats not counting the numerous reborn babies whos plans are whizzing round my head, toddlers, ethnic babies, preemies,  mini dolls and many more!
Someone invent me a 48 hour day please!

So its time to finish for now, its tea time and i have Kyrin baby cooling in my oven....

Be back soon!

HHN xx

Hello

Hello i am the 30 something mummy of 4 mini people, and reborn artist at Happy Hearts Nursery.
Sometimes i have 'ready made' reborn babies available, but mostly i make reborns to order.
They come as the following:

Custom baby:
 The 'new mummy' gets  to chose what kit they want, eg sleeping, open eye, smiling, large baby, mini baby, preemie, crying baby etc.
They then get to chose what skin  tones they want, hair colour, hair thickness eg sparse, thick etc. They chose the name,  and if they want a boy or girl etc

Portrait baby:
This is a reborn baby made to look as closely as possible to a real baby from photos

Memorial baby:
This is the same as a portrait baby but is made in honour of a baby who has passed away. There is the option of a small pocket in the backof the dolls cloth body if the new mummy would like one. Some mummies like to have it so they can place a small amount of their babies ashes into the 'look  alike' reborn baby.  this is a free option to have a pocket. If the mummy doesnt want one thats  ok, the reborn baby will  have a normal body as per usual.

Anyways my website is happyheartsnursery.co.uk