The most anticipated sculpt of 2015 for me is def Adelya by Olga Auer for forever! I just cannot wait for this baby (& I am usually not an open eyed sculpt fan). But this one. Boy oh boy. Keeper collection for sure!
Love her! That expression! Def my fave Auer sculpt of all time. And since I have been seeing prototype examples pop up, I suspect her preorder might be soon! I hope this also means that Olga has recovered from her bout of pneumonia too!
Too cute, right? 
Some calming (yet still energizing) beats to combat the ZOMGTOMORROWISPREORDERDAY (for Adelya)! I’m shaking already!
** This is a monthly blog feature, for reborn artists by a reborn artist! This is not a sponsored post by the sculpter or distributor, just a featurette I personally would love to read about the ins & outs of specific sculpts in the market currently. I will try to cover all the important points, my fave parts of the sculpt, proper eye size for open eyed sculpts (because sometimes distributors have different eye sizes listed), body type, limb type, vinyl colour & whether neutralizing washes will be required per skin tone, & baby clothing size! Think I missed something? Feel free to comment with additional info you’d have liked to see about the sculpt & I’ll try to include them in my next feature & answer the current questions in the comments section below.
Now introducing ‘Harley’ by Melody Hess
Pulled from Melody’s website: Harley is 19″ long with a head circumference of 13″. She has full arms and full legs. She will be included with a doe suede body (your body will be signed by me if you order your kit off of my website) and a Certificate Of Authenticity. Her vinyl is a light cream skin tone with no need of any neutralizing and the perfect baby skin softness.
Edition Size: 500
Status: SOLD OUT 
First off, Melody didn’t lie one bit about her skin tone. No neutralizing required, and she was a nice 19 inches in total. I believe I used one flesh layer to lighten her a bit, but only because I like my Caucasian babies a little on the paler side. But truly fabulous base colour!
Now to start, let me just say I was super super excited about this sculpt. A beautiful face (totally reminded me of my Meekly at birth), full length limbs (my fave!) and Melody was even offering a contest open for artists. Which, let me just say, for a still-relatively-new-to-the-profession reborner, it’s a tremendous opportunity. And super fun! I also believe Melody’s contest is still open so if you happen to have a Harley in your possession, it’s probably not too late to still get your baby in before judgment day. 😀
All the prototypes I saw of Harley were AMAZING too!
I immediately had an idea of what I wanted to do for my contest submission but I ended up being approached by a previous client to reborn her keeper Harley, and, of course, I said yes! She wanted Harley as a boy with painted hair.
Which brings me to my next point: Gender! This sculpt works as both a baby or a girl! And not all sculpts can be either, or at least not successfully. Some just look more boyish or girly. Harley made an adorable boy, and for the record, my Harley was going to be a girl, with barely there rooted hair. 😉
Here are some pics of my little Harley (& contest submission)!
Perfect little ears!
See? Such soft vinyl – perfect for posing.
I personally thought Harley’s body was a little ill matched for the limbs (pre-birthing). Because the limbs are skinnier, like a real newborns would be (great touch, Melody). But once I put him together, I was amazed that he was perfectly proportioned. I think left to my own devices, I could probably have put him on an 18 inch full limb body too and probably would have gotten away with it. But I gotta say, I just love the full body with a ruched bum – the one Emily Jameson and Laura Lee Eagles always use for their babies. I think it has to be my favourite body ever, and this is the one that comes with Harley. So truly, no complaints on body size from me! 😉
Also, hers came signed by Melody (which makes it infinitely cooler!)
My fave addition: his milia!
His head is on the softer side, but won’t distort when filled well with polyfil (as some super soft sculpts will sometimes do). Although I didn’t root him, I imagine he’d be perfect for rooting as he’s super soft. But if you prefer a firmer surface you can stuff him with some polyfil before rooting too.
Some of my additional fave features of Harley Hess:
– He magnetized easy, despite having an open mouth. Which means both modified and magnetized pacis work for him. Usually, again, it’s one or the other with an open mouth sculpt.
-His open mouth also meant he can suck on his fingers. And since all of his fingers are separated (AWESOME!) you can pose him chewing on almost any of them! (& I did).
See? Super cute & totally realistic!
You can also bend his legs and fingers. Almost unheard of for a vinyl sculpt that isn’t an LDC sculpt. Truly super soft & flexible!
– I also loooved his feet so sooooo much. I don’t think I’ve ever had a sculpt that had such realistic newborn foot wrinkles. It was one of the pleasant surprises about the sculpt. They look just out of utero wrinkled. I only wish I’d thought to give him a heel prick. (I love heel pricks).
All told, he is the perfect newborn sized. He fits all of Carter’s newborn stuff, and H&M baby size 0-1 mos. With his existing body, he’d probably wear 0-3 mos for most brands (& not swim in them). But on a slightly smaller body, you might be able to squeeze him into some preemie shirts & footless pants. 😉
Have a question about Harley still? Let me know in the comments! Or if you’ve reborn him (or are a collector and have him on your wishlist or in your collection already) let me know what you love most about him!!
Since I looooooved doing this so much last year, I figured a repeat was def in order for this one (& future years to come, for sure). So without further adieu my top 10 fave sculpts (& sculpters) of this past year.
10) Harper by Andrea Arcello.
Twin of Tate, I reborn this cutie twice (& would love to reborn a third). Such a sweet face & equally cute as a boy or a girl (Caucasian or AA). ADORABLENESS!
9) Pixie by Bonnie Brown
I had to have this baby as soon as she came out & I adored reborning her so soooo much. And her ears, boy oh boy! LOVE AFFAIR! I would have loved to do one combi but both ended up as fully rooted babies! Next time… I’m looking at you, Ellie-Sue. Bonnie’s 2015 sculpts are going to bankrupt me. LOL!
8) Sawyer by Emily Jameson
I can’t say enough about this sculpt! Incredible sculpting from head to toes! And the vinyl was exquisite. Perfect base colour and translucency (think Quinlynn Eagles!) He also reminds me so much of Franklin Marx (another fave sculpt of mine) & incidentally, Emily told me he was one of her faves too! I reborn Emily’s keeper Sawyer this year and it was the greatest honour. THANK YOU AGAIN, EMILY! ❤
7) Leelou by Cassie Brace
How can you resist this face? Am I right? Such a sweet expression. I have reborn a few other Brace sculpts, and this one narrowly beat out Sienna Rae (which I thought for sure would make this list when I first saw her). Absolute perfection!
6) Harley by Melody Hess.
I am so in love with this sculpt I’ll be devoting a blog entry to it in the near future. *stay tuned!*
5) Coco by Natali Blick
I reborn sweet Coco (a preemie ball jointed vinyl baby) three separate times and would have held onto any of one of them for my keeper collection (if they hadn’t been promised to their momma’s already). I just love her. She has the most beautiful face and she took paint so soooo well. The only pitfall was how stinking hard it was to put her together. Haha. BUT TOTALLY WORTH THE SWEAT AND CURSING! I even had a hook, but being tinier she was significantly harder to put together than usual LDC sculpts. I absolutely must reborn a 4th. This is on my agenda for early next year (and hopefully as a keeper baby for Meekly!)
And speaking of keeper babies…
4) Juniper by Sabine Altenkirsch
I cannot say just how much I love this sculpt! Seriously! Her face. Her mouth. Her limbs. The moment I saw her I had to order a second for myself. And I will absolutely be reborning her next (Nico’s future sister). Most adorable little newborn baby girl. And her full legs make her a dream to dress & cradle.
3) Owen by Laura Tuzio Ross
I honestly never expected to love Owen as much as I did. His vinyl was incredible! Again, the best base colour and translucency (I wish all sculpts were as gorgeous a vinyl). AND he took paint so beautifully. And his expression!! He also has full length limbs! And was perfectly proportioned. Srsly, I cannot say enough about this sculpt. And I’ve never seen a reborn Owen I didn’t love! I almost bought a few! Actually, same goes for Juniper. I think I wanted every one I saw on ebay. Ergh, same for Coco too actually! HAHA! Digressing, srsly, if you haven’t reborn this one yet, DO IT! You will not regret it! And also, for an open mouth baby, he magnetized like a dream too! REBORN HIM! (I also have one of him in my keeper collection – which grows by the month! LOL!)
2) Caspar by Christa Goetzen
This baby! I missed the preorder by an hour or something and ended up buying her from Australia! Worth every cent it took to import her. And I was devastated I didn’t have two of her. (Because I totally would have). Also just the cutest little baby. She has separated toes, her right hand is just the best ever! & she reminds me sooo sooooo much of my two favourite Legler sculpts – Nico & Linus. Win all around.
& Finally…..
1) Quinlynn by Laura Lee Eagles!
I confess it was nearly impossible not to pop Miracle on this list too (& I very nearly did). But in the end, I had to let Q win this one. All the hype around this sculpt is legitimate. She is an insanely beautiful baby. To paint, to photograph, to hold. All of Laura’s babies are just the most beautiful babies to hold. They feel so real. And their full limbs and proportioning are always so beautiful, but Q to photograph on top of that. I think I must’ve taken 1000 pics during her shoot. She has only good angles! And so realistic. I only wish I’d ordered more than two of her!
Other noteworthy mentions (that very narrowly made my list) Moira by Heike Kolpin & Asher Asleep (the realborn) & Alexa by Joanna Kazmierczak.
So sound off, am I missing any? Comment with your top ten! Or feel free to add a few to my list!!
I plan to do a 2015 anticipation post shortly of the babies I am most excited for next year!
After a tremendous response to my poll question on FB, I have officially decided to raffle off my beautiful baby Lulu Printy (Winter Rose) all proceeds going toward the Heart & Stroke Foundation!
In honour of two of my favourite people: my father & my Albino aunt (who was the inspiration behind this version of Lulu, with her white blond hair and pale blue eyes) who both passed away far before their time – my aunt 9 years ago this past summer, and my father 4 years ago this coming January. Both of whom never lived to see me selling my art, full time.
My Pa, my auntie, and my brothers & I. ❤
This is a foundation extremely close to my heart & that my fans feel the love for this cause too makes it all the more special.
So in lieu of a giveaway, here’s is how to participate and have the chance to own this amazing baby girl! All proceeds are going toward the Heart & Stroke Foundation. To participate, leave your donation of $5 or $10 respectively to be entered to win.
I will be drawing December 1st, with time for baby to arrive before Xmas! ❤ Thank you so so much to everyone who voted! Very, very excited and thankful! ❤
More pictures of baby Winter Rose.
Winter Rose is the now discontinued Lulu sculpt by the very talented Jen Printy! She has been meticulously painted using Genesis Heat Set paints – custom mixed for a completely unique skin tone, complete with blue and yellow undertones, and over five layers of mottling for ultra realism. Her capillaries and blushing is blended well with tiny milia on her button nose.
Her skin has been sealed with matte varnish to keep her shine free permenantly and dewy skin finish was used to create realistic, still soft to the touch, newborn skin texture. Shine was added to the corners of her eyes, lips and nostrils. Baby Winter’s hair was micro painted one follicle at a time using two tones for dimension and rooted using slumberland mohair – the effect being an ultra realistic head of painted hair that will always look and feel perfect, no styling required! I am open to offers on her, as has a flaw under her hair. Painted her hair twice, but both times the paint cracked where the hair was rooted. Have rooted her thick through the crown so it is only visible when her hair is moved. Looks like cradle cap. *see pics. Was selling her for $449 OBO (as a baldy, regularly she’d be $599).
Winter’s body is the custom doe suede body by BB. She has 3/4 limbs. She weighs 7lbs, 4 oz and her limbs and head have been sealed and weighted. Her body is weighted in all the right places to give her an authentic newborn feel (perfect for cuddles). Limbs have been filled with glass beads and polyfil, with glass beads in a sealed sac in her torso and head (so nothing will leak). No sand is in her body so she can travel worldwide!
Her eyes are german Lauscha glass eyes, in light blue, perfectly set to look like a curious newborn!
Winter comes with a birth certificate (customized! You can change her name to whatever you like & pick her birth details).
Included with Winter:
Pink Hello Kitty onesie & tutu leggings set by Nevada Baby.
Black sparkly long sleeve tee by Nevada Baby
Apple Sleeper by Joe Fresh
Hand Knit & fabric eared Bunny hat
Aveeno Cat Pacifier magnetized
Black sparkly bow by Joe Fresh.
Receiving Blanket by Circo
Socks
She also goes home with a birth certificate, receiving blanket & five disposable diapers.
To view more of her pictures & information, you can check out her album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.362296073945191.1073741995.155579544616846&type=3&uploaded=68
I am going through my sculpts and reborning some of the babies I’ve had in stock for a while, which means, some discounted babies now available in my shop & looking for a home, just in time for the holidays! 4 available currently, but should have another new face up here by week’s end. 😀
Winter $599 NOW $499 Ivy is $549 NOW $449 Elena is $649 NOW $549
Averick $549 NOW $449
Babies ship for $30 within Canada, +45 ship to the US, +70 worldwide shipping. Fully insured & expedited with tracking #. Babies will be posted within 24 hrs of cleared payment. Click their pics to see more pics!
I also accept layaway and can work out any payment schedule you choose. Balance on your baby is paid before baby ships. Interested inquiries can email me at customreborn@gmail.com.
Back in May I wrote a post about my first keeper baby, a baby I made, sold, bought back, and then made over. My Nico by Gudrun Legler. Well, I have finally, FINALLY made the transition into collecting from other artists. Of course, on that much coveted list, most are artists I could never dream of being able to buy from, like Silvia or Melissa. CUZ ZOMGEXPENSIVE! Even though, yep, I have bid on dream babies on ebay! LOLOL! But I’ve also been dying for a baby from Jody Slater (of Heavenly Babies Nursery) and her babies are still similarly priced to my own, so I’ve been just waiting for the right time to finally buy from her. I missed out on her Polly Maynard, earlier this year, and ever since, I’ve been waiting for my perfect baby to appear!
Then she did an AA Benji and it was GAME OVER. I absolutely love her AA tones, and Benji is one of my fave sculpts. I reborn him once before, have another in my collection to reborn soon! So when I saw her, I just had to have her! I believe I even wrote Jody about her when she was still in the process of reborning her (not having even painted her hair).
I also have been dying to see another artist’s painted hair in person (and since I’m not likely to also be able to afford an Evon painted head either) Jody was a good second. In this industry, EVERYONE paints so soooo differently, and painted hair is esp diverse. Since I’m also not about to hit up a doll show and be able to fawn over other artist’s work up close, this is a really great alternative. And I confess that I am going to spend HOURS pouring over every paint stroke. Esp hair at the temples. Oh and her brows. 😀 I still pour over my friend Donna’s babies’ painting every time I get to paint hair for her, because I love seeing how our techniques differ. But Donna doesn’t paint hair (& she’s still not keen on trying! TRY HAIR PAINTING, DONNA! LOL!) AND on top of all of this I am also dying to see another AA tones in person, as I still consider myself more of a novice in this domain, it never hurts to have an awesome example to study each time I work! 😉 Haha. XD
So all this to say: I have a new keeper baby! And she’s on her way to me. *Squee* Yep, I will absolutely film a box opening (because who doesn’t love a box opening?) video and will share when she arrives. I am soooo stinking excited! 😀 Now for some pic spam (taken by Jody).
Seriously so cute, right? I ordinarily see Benji as a boy, but I def think I’ll keep her a she to balance out the genders! Suuuuuuuper excited! Will post again when she’s home! 😀
In lieu of Halloween, behold one of my favourite twisted reborners! I found Lacey Michelle’s work a while ago and it makes me want to start collecting Victorian baby furniture (& Sphynx cats) so, soooooo bad! Check them out!
I seriously cannot resist Drew Boneham as a vampire! Too sweet!
And this outtake from her flickr (which I confess to stalking! LOL!) cracks me up!!!
Happy Halloween,
Oh my goodness! I have been away most of the summer and I just got back home. I was too excited to do a box opening and pose these gorgeous babies. I have to say Shaylen Maxwell, you out did yourself. I love, love, love my babies!!!!! Everything about them is perfect! I am going to get back to work making my own babies while these two give me much inspiration. Thank you so much!
Wauuwww what a talent my baby boy reborned by the amaaziing Shaylen Maxwell wuw those details he is so so realistic <3 <3 <3 my little love. thank you
He is just so absolutely amazing! I love soooo much how he came out! He is just sooo above and beyond!!!! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for him. He is a very special baby to me, I have named him after my uncle. He will hold a very special place in my heart always. Thank you so much! Thank you so much for all the goodies that you sent home with him! I love soo much all the clothing that you sent home! They are the cutest outfits ever! And thank you so much for the kitty and the booties! I love them so much! I have a feeling that kitty wont be leaving his side. Thank you so much for a gorgeous baby and a amazing box opening! I loved everything! 
Reborn, Sweet - dolls by Shaylen 