Are you my soul sister? It sure feels like that! 
2 Likes
Porcelain is a hollow clay material.
Check it out. She gave me all of this and a huge electric kiln. As well as bins of fabric and lace. Including everything I need to make the dolls correctly. Eye setters. Tools for cutting out the eye sockets. For smoothing and polishing the porcelain.
Some partially finished dolls too.
So far its 2 truck loads of just molds. We go back this week for the rest.
I’m in shock.
I will share pictures as I go through things too.
10 Likes
WOW! Can’t wait to see what you do!
2 Likes
Oh my goodness, what a kind generous woman! I am so excited for you! I have never seen a porcelain doll deconstructed before. It looks much less overwhelming seeing them like this. Do you have a space that you will be able to set up in, looks like you may need a large area! If you find a modern twist on this product, you could be on the bottom floor of making and selling just the right dolls necessary. I am looking forward to seeing your ideas come to life 
3 Likes
I have a back room full of care bears. I’m going to put them in storage until we get a bigger place or add on and use the room for doll making. Seems a better use of the space for now.
I’m excited.
3 Likes
Thought you guys might like to know the story about the lady with the kiln.
It was a total fluke. I posted one of my dolls on the fb marketplace and she contacted me. Saying she had porcelain doll molds and I could have them.
I almost ignored her. I was thinking “I don’t want a bunch of useless molds that I cant use.”
But she kept contacting me. Every day. For about a week.
I finally called her and she told me I could have the kiln too.
I told Raymond and he agreed to go and get the kiln at least. So I waited in the truck and after about 4 minutes he comes back and says. “You need to come see this. Now.”
(The house is in a rich mountain neighborhood with a cliff on the side of the driveway. I was not getting out. Lol)
So I go. And there’s this little white haired elderly lady. She opens the door and it was overwhelming. Doll supplies and porcelain dolls everywhere.
I decided to take the molds too. So Raymond starts loading the truck. And the lady and I get talking.
Turns out she has done porcelain for 40 something years. Owned a ceramic store years back Done dolls. Pots. Lamps. Ornaments. Pottery using a wheel…this is what she does.
So I’m staring at the dolls on the shelves. Oohing and ahhing over them. And she’s telling me the sculpt names. Some of them I recognize as vinyl sculpt names. So I started pulling up pictures of the reborns I made using them and showing her.
She’s holding my phone in complete shock asking questions about how I do it. And we are going through which sculpts are in the molds she gave me.
So I tell her when we do the second load I will bring one of my dolls so she can see it.
Then I asked her why she’s stopping. And this is where it gets hard. She’s 83. And her memory is going. And her husband. Who smoked for 40 years has to have part of both lungs removed. On the 31st.
She’s scared. That much is obvious. And she keeps telling me I’m an answered prayer. That she wanted to give the supplies to someone who would use them and keep her love of dolls going.
So I brought her one of my dolls and she held it for hours just marvelling over it. Asking my techniques. We compared how both dolls were made and laughed about the similar techniques. She showed me some of the finer details of porcelain. How to remove the cover over the eye sockets. How to smooth the seams. Etc.
Her husband comes down and ends up standing around with us. He looks at me and says. “Are you really going to use all this?”
I showed him the doll I brought and I could see him visibly relax. Although he did look sad as Raymond brought the stuff out to the truck.
I did convince her to keep some molds and use her second kiln when she has someone there to help her. Because she is going to want to do it still. And I told her I’m happy to sit with her and make them when she feels the urge. I can’t imagine how much she is hurting.
I feel blessed. But also so guilty for taking years of her work and passion from her.
Ill be going back this week to hopefully get everything out before her husband goes in for surgery.
As I was leaving she said. “I knew God would send me the right person. I just knew it.”
20 Likes
What a beautiful rich history comes with those molds! Her contacting you so many times atleast can give help emotionally knowing you are ultimately giving her peace of mind and heart 
I t worked out perfectly that you were able to spend that time together as well. I bet your imagination is creating and designing …
2 Likes
My mind is spinning with ideas. Lol
Its also funny to me how some reborn sculpts are also porcelain molds. Tibby by donna Rubert is one I have. Actually I have a lot of Donnas sculpt molds. Lol
2 Likes
That is interesting, I had no idea they crossed platforms like that. One thing I personally would love to see is tiny sweet porcelain dolls that could be sold with a Reborn sort of as its own baby doll 
5 Likes
I have some of those. And little molds for baby bear heads. Bunny heads. ECT. That go on a tiny cloth body.
2 Likes
Oh my goodness, those sounds so wonderful! Especially the animals 
.
2 Likes
Oh my gosh!! That’s amazing!
2 Likes
