@GenC not to be unkind, but @Shera1 has been doing business as Barefoot Baby Boutique for quite some time now and would probably appreciate it if you didn’t use a nursery name so similar to hers. Reputation is everything in this hobby. Since you’re so new, would you consider changing your nursery name?
It’s always good to do a quick search via Google, bountiful baby, reborns, and Facebook to check that a name you like is available before you use it.
An absolute disgrace and a slap in the face to our wonderful talented sculptors who spend HOURS on end sculpting and providing us with doll kits. If standing up for them is considered “the mean girl clique” Then sign me up because this is absolutely outrageous.
GenC Hello I am Shera1 and have had my nursery name for 11 years. I would sincerely appreciate your choosing another name that would be less similar to mine. I have worked hard to establish my business and this is not something I can just change after 11 yrs. My nursery is Barefeet Baby Boutique and is my established nursery name and business cards, birth certificates and all advertising is in this name. I would appreciate your consideration on you establishing yourself under a different name. Thank you. 
What if you didn’t check to see who had the name you wanted for your nursery and used someone elses that had hers for 11 years. Not being mean or “mean girl clique” but you should research before just taking a name that is established by someone else.Namely me.I feel this is disrespectful also. My nursery is and will remain Barefeet Baby Boutique . TY Shera1
Oof. This looks like it went downhill fast.
You’ve been here about a month, you received a very warm welcome and have gotten some nice encouragement. Keep that in mind.
I understand that this kit is certainly yours to do with it as you wish.
You say you would never knowingly undermine a legitimate artist.
Yet you have already posted several sculpts that were knockoffs.
People here don’t take kindly to illegal sculpts or the people who are willing to use them, and, obviously, will rally to take the side of the original artists.
They’ll tell you to destroy what you have now rather than putting an effort into trying to reborn it.
This is to protect your health and your reputation if you are to become a respectable reborn artist of any sort.
It isn’t a personal attack.
There are only a few legit sites to buy authentic kits. The real deal aren’t cheap, and they aren’t often found randomly.
I noticed you recently reborned a Bountiful Baby Realborn. 
I urge you to continue to seek out these reputable sites as well, Macpherson’s, and Irresistibles.
Don’t buy cheap. You don’t know what you’re getting when you do. If you have to kindly turn down a “gift” of a knockoff, please do so.
And if you bring it here, expect a mob that wants your illegal kits burned at the stake, but fears the toxic fumes.
There’s so much to learn. I do hope you’ll choose to continue to be a member of the reborn community and this forum. You seem to enjoy it and have a lot of potential. Just make sure your basic materials are up standards.
Oh I’m hoping to get some writings published too, I did come across your published writing and was going to use some of it in my own writing, didn’t realise it was yours!
Of course now I know I won’t use it in any I get published but I will still use it and enjoy doing so too as I’m sure some elderly lady out there will still love to read it even if it is stolen!
If I did that I would have no morals or integrity, the minute you put the first stroke of paint on that kit you have none either!
“Copied”, “stolen”, “illegal”, “illegitimate” sculpts, whichever term one wants to call them, have no place here or in the reborn world whatsoever. For all the reasons stated previously. Even if they are just for “practice” or “to keep for myself”.
New artists sometimes buy them without genuinely knowing the history behind them or the reasons for not buying them. (Myself included).
BUT, once educated new artists and veteran ones should learn from their former inexperience and stand behind the legitimate sculptors and their work.
By not buying or painting these fakes.
We are not trying to be a “mean girl clique”. We are trying to help you and save you from being ostracized and targeted by others who are not so kind as we are in trying to educate you. We are also artists who fiercely stand up for the sculptors who have tried to make an honest living creating kits in which we can create beautiful art.
We are an honest, caring and supportive group here and welcome you. We do however not support you creating babies using these stolen sculpts and are only trying to help you in the long run. Some of us just express that concern more firmly than others.
Please consider our comments in the true spirit they are given.
Edited to say I didn’t use my sculpts from China once I knew they were copied. 
Especially Bonnie-her kits are the best, IMHO!
I thought most of the forum members were being rude to me too, for awhile. Then I sat down any really thought about it and realized that I was in the wrong. Read all my posts if you’d like to see the progression. I’m sure everyone here can fill you in about it too, unfortunately.
I’m not sure how long you’ve been reborning, but if you’re a beginner, please just read what everyone’s responses are and think about them with an open mind. If you’re not a beginner, I still suggest you do this and reflect on it even more.
I have marketed my reborns under Carolina Cuties for close to 17 years. It has been copied a couple times. I contacted both of the people using it with absolutely no positive results from either of them. Both claimed to have researched before choosing the name. I have been living with it for quite some time, including people coming to me with complaints about their dolls that I have nothing to do with that were made by one of the others using the same name.
That’s a pain. I’m beginning to think that “first name” “last name” art dolls might be the only way to keep people from ruining your reputation. I really like my nursery name, but I may rebrand for just that reason.
@CarolinaCuties, I have two people using my nursery name too; one changed two letters and another copied it exactly. I’ve thought about a trademark but they are expensive.
Oh boy, this post was hard to read. If this was a completely ignorant purchase wasn’t the damage already done by the purchase? If she chooses to reborn it for personal use and acknowledges that it’s a fake, it’s her own reputation put on the line. If someone bought a pair of Nike’s and found out they were fake, would we throw them in the trash if they were a gift? Honestly? I’m not supporting or defending her choice either way, I just think the backlash was really harsh. How many times has someone posted a kit ID only to find out it was fake-what did people do with those kits? They never shared. Her mistake is that she did. I have a fake in my stash, I’m guilty. It was purchased yrs ago when I didn’t know better and it is clearly a fake. I would never pass it off, but I’m not saying I’m not going to reborn it for myself or use for practice. How many others are in that same boat. I bet more than would admit. As far as names go, given the thousands of nursery names out there, similarities are expected. Trademark would be the only way protect your name, but even that can’t prevent similar names. It’s not malicious, just inevitable. By no way am I supporting fake copies, just feel this went off the rails.
To the crowd—
Ms Shera - You did not need to be testy about your request. While I do not think the names similar enough for there to ever be an issue, I have changed my nursery name. I would have done so because you asked, without the need for admonishment by you as to research in Google, etc.
I realize the time and effort you have put into your craft over the years and would have welcomed calling you friend had you, and the rest of the mean girl pack here not ganged up to be so hateful.
Had any of you taken the time to educate with love and hold off on the bitter and hard judgement — your messages would have been much better received and responded to.
As it is, since all of you have shown your true selves and frankly, selves that are not too pretty, I find that I don’t wish for my little simple operation to be associated with yours any more than you would want your enterprise perhaps tarnished by a new and not so experienced artist’s work.
So I have changed my nursery name. But I will never do so again, unless someone shows me a trademark. I will not be bullied by anyone online or otherwise.
Love and Mentored friendship, coupled with time and education, could have gone a long way in this situation. But many here chose to take the mean girl path to try to press their point. Everyone here started somewhere and learned, techniques and rules and such. They seem to have forgotten that you don’t come into this art form knowing all there is to know about it. And they were mean about it.
I will continue to purchase Bountiful Baby Realborn Kits because, frankly, they are some of the best I’ve experienced and I would recommend them to anyone learning this. But I no longer have the desire to be mentored by any of the mean girls here no matter how excellent your work or experienced you are. I’m not into cliques or cyber bullying.
As far as the one kit that I inadvertently purchased that was a knockoff (my first one when I did not even understand about sculpts and things) and which I innocently posted here some time ago, proud of my ugly little first baby — and the doll that was gifted to me a friend - the one I asked about — I will not be bullied for not knowing what I could not have known at the time. Nor will I allow myself to be be bullied for painting them. These were innocent newbie mistakes. Just like it was a mistake to think I might find friendly, compassionate mentors here.
I loved the Yawning Leilani and the Sleeping Martin that I purchased from Bountiful Baby and have given both good reviews. The BB Company, I can recommend - the forum — not so much.
My best to all of you in your continued endeavors. And I hope By changing my nursery name that I have allayed any worry you may have felt due to the slight possibility that your work might inadvertently have been associated with mine. Lord knows, I do not want that any more than you do.
To the last poster who commented as to many having Had a knock off kit somewhere in their past - Thank you for trying to bring some gentleness and common sense to this thread— it is very much appreciated. I appreciate your humanness and compassion in what were truly newbie mistakes.
To the rest of you mean girls — I hope no one ever speaks to you the way you have chosen to get your message across here to me.
Gen Coleman
Neva’s Nursery
(Formerly Barefoot Nursery).
I thank you for changing your nursery name and think you chose a catchy one. We are not trying to be a clique or " mean girls". I asked very nicely with my first come back to you to understand where I was coming from. I am defensive because I have used my name for many years and it was chosen by my late husband and has a special place with me. When I got no response my reaction was okay she is a newbie but a little consideration and an acknowledgement would go a long way with some kind of response. I realize your need to shine and you feel put upon and you think you are being picked on, we all got a few unkind words or rash statements, criticism of our work, but we all muddled through. Good luck wherever you go.
I’m glad to know you meant no meanness. I’m sorry I was so defensive but honestly, I had already been a bit piled on here on this thread. You can’t deny that. And the reason you got no response at first was because I had distanced myself from this forum for obvious reasons. I started my little nursery to honor my late mother who never had a store bought doll as a child and when my son was five he found what was then - a doll that was very much like a real baby and he bought it for her from a yard sale using his allowance. He was so happy to give it to her. That’s when we found out she had never had a store bought doll.
To honor her memory, I started out by giving away porcelain dolls and I still do that. I give them to elderly ladies, widows, Empty Nesters and cancer patients - to try to bring a smile to them. That part of what I do is called Miss Opal’s Legacy. To fund that endeavor, (because sometimes I mail them and to cover postage etc) I thought I might try my hand at learning the art of reborn and adopt a few for small fees to provide smiles and also fund my other project.
Like you, my nursery project has great sentimental value.
I respect everyone’s work here but I don’t agree with ganging up on new members here and new artists and thumping them over the head in public. That won’t serve the art form well.
My husband said (because he was feeling protective of me)… just paint them and give them away … but I didn’t want to do that - although it is certainly my choice — but I didn’t want to pull the market down any further by giving away work that is a true art form even if mine isn’t yet on par with some of yours. But trust me — it will be as I learn more.
Anyway - I say all this to show you I am a decent human being who didn’t deserve the mean that was shown to me here.
-Gen.
I think everyone was just trying to educate you. 
Try to see the words in a different light.
Honestly, these are a great group of ladies!!! Knock offs are just a really sore spot. 
I am brand new here and am very careful in what I decide to post and respond to… and this entire post is exactly the reason why. I think everyone would agree it is not okay to buy knock offs and it hurts the artists etc… but there is a way to go about getting that message across to someone who may not be informed in a way other than an angry mob. I think it would be more beneficial for everyone to go back and read the posts they sent to GenC and decide if someone said that to them how they would feel. Sarcasm is not a great way to get a point across.
My impression being very new is there are some “cliques” and some people who only respond to certain people’s posts etc. I get the feeling that there is this OG group of artists and every time a new person comes it’s an issue because it’s taking Business away from those that have been doing this a long time. I’ve also seen posts of people angry when someone sells their very first ever doll instead of keeping it and I never understood why it bothers you if someone else wanted it enough to buy it then so be it.
Again not trying to ruffle any feathers I just have to make the point that being new to this forum this is the perfect example of why I feel I need to be very careful in what I post. This is a great place to learn tips and tricks and get feedback. If someone posts something for opinions they should be able to handle honest constructive feedback, but those responding should also try to be considerate in their use of language and sarcasm. I felt the majority of the responses here were completely rude and unnecessary to Gen C… the point was made in the very beginning that it was a knock off and that should have been the end of the post. There is enough crazy going on right now in the world that we can’t control… let’s not add more.
Thank you. I hope we all can get passed this. I don’t like having ill feelings with anyone even in cyber space. Like you, however, going forward,
I will be very wary of participating here. When I first arrived, I was like a child on the playground… eager to join in. Now, I think you’re wiser and will follow your lead. Here’s to a new beginning.
Reading is up to your interpretation. You put the tone in what is said. No one here is a “mean girl.”
There are men here too. Btw.
We aren’t a clique.
We simply wanted to educate you on stolen sculpts.
As far as people selling their first dolls. Very few are good enough to sell right out of the gate. They don’t want to see that. But it is true.
This art has to have standards. No fakes. And it’s just not recommended to sell the first doll you make.
But it isn’t as if we show up and stop you.
Voicing opinions is part of this forum. Doesn’t make us mean.
