Porcelain doll making Brighton where I made dolls

I wonder what it would be like to make a real life doll of your child? A cute little baby one like the picture of my darling daughter above.  Over the weekend I was sorting my little girls bedroom out and we came across some lovely little porcelain dolls my sister and friends had brought her over the years. It was then I remembered that I did a porcelain doll making course down in Brighton, East Sussex (UK.) My Nan has always been my true inspiration from childhood with her wonderful endless books on Arts and Crafts. The first ever doll I made was a peg doll, which Nan showed us how to make. And lucky me, she gave me her wonderful old sewing box so she is never forgotten. No money on this earth could ever replace this valuable sentimental item, so future family keep it safe and don't you sell it otherwise I will come back to haunt you. And that is a promise, te he.

First I would like to share with you some peg dolls I made to promote my fairy book Butterfly Lullaby. You can see the photographs from the book, which show the true character and then you will see my little dolls:



Here I show children how to draw a face on a peg doll using felt tip pens. The Butterfly Princess peg doll is one I hand painted:



In the video below I am talking about my Nan's sewing box which inspired me to make all the fairy costumes for my Butterfly Lullaby fairies. Seriously I have no idea how I managed to make all the costumes, write the story, create the photographs and then co write all the songs. What a shame Justice has let me down and not protected all my work. Maybe one day my Prince will come and fight off all the gremlins, ha ha. Well, one thing I am good at and that is dreaming! I don't need a Prince just someone that wants to help Mum's give their child a better future. Not a lot to ask from a Country that is not meant to be 3rd world.



Anyway, when I got the Porcelain dolls out of the cupboard they had been attacked by moths a little. One of the dolls was very scary looking as her eyes had fallen out. So I had to whip off her wig and scull and glue them back in. Then I had to glue the scull back on and I am waiting for that to dry before the wig can be replaced. The other doll's wig had fallen off so that is back on now. Funny thing is this particular dolls is the one I used in my Butterfly Lullaby story. Let's see how the story goes:

Princess Melody slowly woke up and yawned, "Did you have to wake me? I was having a lovely dream!" She grabbed her very old butterfly fairy doll that Great, Great Grandmother had given her in the small box and silently dropped off to sleep again. "Looks as if she likes her leaf," they all chuckled.

The Butterfly Lullaby story is based on my little girl who did not want to sleep in her own room. I was constantly having to get up through the night because she would call for me all the time, and in the end it was just easier to put her in our room on a put me up bed as that was the only way I could sleep. But my partners Mum came to the rescue and with her help we got her into her bedroom. In the Butterfly Lullaby story the Queen could not get her little fairy daughter to sleep on her own leaf so she ended up getting very frail and ill.

Well I will upload some photographs of my little hand made porcelain dolls. Stay with me as it may take a little bit of time. In the picture below you can see the Little Butterfly Princess sleeping with her antique fairy doll. Will be back soon.

P.S. Is there any Porcelain doll making courses in Pontarddulais or Swansea? My little girl really wants to make some too. I feel quite proud that she thinks I am the bees knees for making these dolls. Nice to know that someone thinks I have talent, ha ha.

Here we go a photograph of one of the antique style porcelain dolls I made. I managed to use a kiln in Sevenoaks I think it was a school or college. It was quite a hassle having to travel back and forth so I just fired the dolls and hand painted them with doll paints that do not need putting in a kiln to keep the paint on. If that makes any sense.

As you can see above the antique doll is the same doll that I featured in my Butterfly Lullaby fairy book. I just added wings as she was the antique fairy doll that Great Great Grandmother had given the Butterfly Princess.

This is my little girls favourite doll. I feel so proud that she thinks I am clever and wants to show and tell all my handmade porcelain dolls. Sad thing is I have had these dolls for nearly 25 years and really looked after them. I have only recently given them to my daughter and one got broken yesterday. The baby sailor porcelain dolly. His leg broke. I was so upset because I treasure everything I make and posses. But at the end of the day it is just a doll and I am lucky to have my little girl as she is the true dolly and the one that mended my broken heart. So thankful am I. One day I will make her so proud because I will fight to show her the world outside these horrible black mould damp walls which makes her wheeze and sneeze, as life is too short to let it pass you by. Never give up, keep fighting verbally and keep dreaming. Love always finds a way. And believe it or not one day I will make the UK people sit up and feel proud as I am the only one that can change children's lives because I know what it is like to struggle and have to fight for justice. Don't worry little children I will not let you down. We will get Mummy working from home so she can be with you instead of far away.

Dreams become reality when you fight hard and make things happen!

SCRAPBOOK WITH ME, SHARON J. BAINBRIDGE: http://www.facebook.com/people/Sharon-J-Bainbridge/595087537 www.butterflylullaby.co.uk, fairy songs, fairy portraits, art and crafts for children, music, fairy music, true stories, poems, children's stories, free fairy network for businesses and stay at home Mum's (Mom's) scrapbook layouts every photo tells a story