[Jess Brown dolls available at Miniluu, left to right: Boy doll, Loup Charmant, Wovenplay, Boy doll, Loup Charmant]
Max welcoming his new friends...
For the mister's birthday I made him a "papa doll". It's a look a like doll complete with glasses and a bald spot in the back (had to keep it real, people). Max watched me make it and took a keen liking to it once it was finished. Now he carries his papa doll around and offers him food and talks to him. It is the first time I've seen him personify a doll. And it's surprisingly moving on an elemental level to see him relate to a pretend person...basically to see him replay the love, attention and companionship he receives, onto another.
I first fell in love with Jess Brown dolls (pictured above) when I saw this photo diary by Stephanie Rausser of a little girl's trip to Paris. Being handmade from tea dyed muslin and clothed in a variety of re-purposed fabrics, no two Jess Brown dolls are exactly alike, just like the kids they're meant for, and their generous sizing makes them perfect companions. But when I ordered them for the shop, I didn't anticipate that I would want to keep them all for myself.
I'm not trying to be cute here. I literally want to put them all on a shelf and keep them for myself. As soon as I make some dough, mark my words, I will buy ten and start my collection. Certainly they are ripe for collecting, with limited edition dolls by creative modern children's designers like Atsuyo et Aikiko, Wovenplay and Loup Charmant. The best part though is the new boy dolls (*swoon*). So you don't have to have a little girl to get one!
