Ok as many of you know i won one of Nikkiroc’s PIF. Here is my pay it forward to any of you lovely ladies that would like to be entered. I would like to know how many babies did you all paint before you decided to start selling them? Also has anyone ever wanted to just give up? And if you have thought about giving up making babies but continue to make them, then please tell me what has kept you going?
I will be running this until Friday November 20th. I look forward to reading everyones response.
I put my 2nd baby in a consignment shop. It didn’t sell so I brought it home and put it away. About a year later I took it out and thought ‘OMG, I can’t believe I thought somebody would pay money for this’. I stripped it and started over. The 2nd time it was sale worthy. I’ve never wanted to give up. I intend to make babies until I die or am unable to do it, whichever comes first.
I made 10 before I decide to sale any, I didnt think they’d sale, and I still have a hard time parting with them. I enjoy making them , it’s sort of like a stress reliever. Even though at times they cause me stress😊, I’ve not thought of stopping , but at times on certain ones I do have to stop and put them to the side, due to them not looking as I would like . I’ve given several away as well,
I enjoy making people happy. Right now at the school I work at I’ve got 5 adults wanting one, and I’ve had 4 kids ranging from age 7 to 13 begging for one, and it’s really sad because most of them don’t have much. One little girl told me her mommy said $35 was her limit. I have to pray about it, but I thought I may make those kids some out of the kits I have double on.
I can’t play because I am in Oz but will join in the fun anyway… I started reborning in 2009 .I put my very first one up for sale…It was heartbreakingly hard cause you think they are so ‘special’…lol My hubby was the one who ‘helped’ me decide…He said you will make hundreds of them and you will want to keep them all if you don’t start out ‘letting go’ with the first one…I think he was right but I have to admit there have been a few that really broke my heart to sell and I still miss them… He told me to put them in my Gift shop for 2 weeks, if they didn’t sell and I really loved them I could take them home…I thought that fair enough…Later after I sold my shop, I started Ebay sales and the rule was if it was one I wanted to keep, list it once and if it didn’t sale, it was mine (problem with that system is that most time when you love it enough to keep chances are very high some one else will love it well enough to buy…lol - never was able to keep any that I really liked and as you know…no matter how close you get a second one, most times you don’t love it as well as your first…)
I got burnt out in 2012, partly because if health and partly because I was doing a huge custom order of 12 toddlers, 2 of the 5 year old size Angelicas and 1 -5 year size Gabriella by Reva Schick and about 8 infants for a child clothing photographer…he was very pedantic about what he wanted - german glass eyes, human hair, rooted brows, specific weights, etc…the money was excellent but most were wanted on a time schedule so I was working non stop to get them done…It literally took all the stuffing out of me and I grew to look at the reborning as a chore instead of fun. Once I finished the order, I went into hibernation from reborning…sold all my paints, brushes, cooker, kits, you name it…I was done…sold everything…
Well, I felt really good for about 3 months but I started back looking at Ebay to see what was going on there…mostly telling myself that I just wanted to see how sales were going or what new kits or artist were about, etc…Unfortunately for me, the love of dolls and babies is deep seated…I told myself that I would just buy some babies instead of making them…and I did…I bought 2 from well reputed artist but it just didn’t do anything for me…I felt like I had wasted my money…not because of the quality of the reborning but because I knew I could have made them for about a quarter of what I had spent on them…I was still in denial when I bought a new fan forced convection cooker…telling myself it was for cooking more healthy meals…yeah right!..next I bought ‘just one’ kit and even borrowed a set of paints from a friend cause I kept telling myself it wasn’t going back to it…ha! …well long story short, one baby became two…then three and so on till I had a bout 15 new babies…I kept seeing more kits I liked so I decided to sell off one or two | had bought and some that I had made to get new ones…once I started listing again…many of my old customers started emailing wanting to know if I was starting back again and wanting dolls…well…here I am 2 years later and up to my eyeballs in doll parts!..and as Maxwell Smart use to say…"And LLLLoooovving it!
My first few babies were just terrible and I knew I couldn’t sell them, but my fourth baby was a cutie and I thought, why not. If people don’t like her, they won’t buy her. So I put her up on Ebay and she sold right away. It was fun having my next one paid for by the sale of the first and because I don’t collect things, it was easy to part with that one. There have been a few that were hard to sell and one or two I wished I had kept. (Serenity and Phoenix) But for the most part, I love selling them and hearing people’s happy reactions when the new babies come home. I never feel like I am good enough, so I have learned to judge by my customers reactions rather than my own feelings. They love them, so they must be okay. By the way, I have never seen a reborn in person except for my own so I have nothing to judge by. Isn’t that strange??? That will all change at ROSE next summer though!
I sold my 2nd cause I didn’t like the way it was painted. My husband said if you don’t like it just sell it. I wanted to repaint because I was sure it wouldn’t sell but it went for $40 more than I asked. I’ve never thought about quiting. I love it. I’ve given 6 away. It gives you a awesome feeling when someone snuggles one of your dolls and it makes them happy.
I made my first 2 for my granddaughters. That’s all I was going to do. I bought just the basics to get Honey and Savannah made. Well…the granddaughters begged me to make 2 more for their BFF’s. By then I start realizing I need more tools, paints, etc. I bought my first 2 from Go Baby and then discovered BB. Then the mother of one of the BFF’s asked me to make one for a niece. One night while painting I looked at my husband and said these very words…I think I might have found something that uses all my artistic, crafty, shopping and sewing skills! I’m really loving this. He looked at me and said he was amazed at how real they looked. My husband NEVER EVER gives compliments. From there on this has become my obsession. I’ve not once wanted to give up but I have gotten frustrated with eyebrows enough that I’ve felt like cussing.
@honojane. I have never seen anyone else’s work either. Just mine… Until the Christmas baby express gets here lol. But I would really LOVE to see the babies at ROSE!
I would like to share but please don’t include me in the draw. I stumbled upon Reborns several years ago when I had my bakery. I really wanted to try but did not have the time. I let it go and over the last few years, sold my bakery, got divorced, moved back to NY and now live with my sister who is also divorced. I investigated so much and even went as far as purchasing several Reborns from different artist so that I could see them up close. My intention was always to sell them but my first one was a used doll that had some issues with the vinyl so I wouldn’t sell her (I feel partial to her anyway). I have made two more and sold them both. I never felt like I want to quit, I battle with my body not wanting to function so I get frustrated with how long it takes me to complete one. I look forward to the next one. My sister and I each have a room used for are craft. She sews, OMG does this woman have fabric lol, so she has her sewing room and I have my nursery /photo studio/painting studio, OMG I forget what kits I have lol. I will do this till I stop breathing.
I wanted a baby doll…LOL! Bought a doll from a doll store and kept it but it didn’t quite hit the spot. Then bought one from Ashton-Drake, hated the way it looked, rooting was awful! Returned it and bought acrylic paints from Bloomers and Bows and a Paisley on sale. Tried to save money by rooting it with my cousin’s llama hair! That was in 2007. Looking back, she was awful! Made a few more and sold them for $40 to $60 just to buy more. Rooted one and fell in love because she has hubby’s hair! About that time, started using mohair and had to switch to Luminaires because Bloomers and Bows closed when Elena died. Had horrible ups and downs with stripping some over and over, health problems and ups from making someone happy. I invested in an oven from Home Depot and genesis paints last year but stopped almost completely this last year due to health problems.
Having to stop for a year at a time a few times has made it harder to keep my skills up. Gets discouraging too. Plus youngest daughter gets jealous but hates feeling that way so i have to cuddle in secret! I am down to just a few babies right now that are definite keepers…for now! A Juliet with clay fairy ears, a NA Scarlet, whisper by clymer, Lucy with hubby’s hair, and nessa by winterswhimsies. Hoping to fall in love again soon! Nessa might get sold in favor of a slightly bigger baby (10-13").
I have given away or sold at cost most of my babies. Highest I have sold was $150. I still feel I have a long way to go before I get even close to most of you. Hoping I learn to like Genesis but probably asking for acrylic set for Christmas! I just want to make dolls to bring joy to someone. Still trying to sell a few to afford supplies though. Got up courage and really priced Codie high but no nibbles so far.
I painted my first baby that came with the starter set. It was puddin. And I sold him for 50 plus shipping. I needed to get some money back to put back in. Since I feel like I am busy a lot I fall in and out of reborning but I always love to look at them, browse kits, stuff like that I do all the time.
Hello there ladies… Im lovin all your responses!!! I just wanted to update you all on my prize that i had gotten from @Nikkiroc she gave me a gift voucher certificate to put towards any BB purchase. With it i purchased sweet little crying Quinton which just came in today!!! He is a little cutie even though he is screaming his head off… Lol. Keep the entries coming
Ok ladies as you know i gave the PIF ending date of november 20th which is today… Please bare with me as a lot of you know i just started a new job… Im going to get comfy and prepare to draw a name… I will post the name of the winner here when i draw it… And i will also send a PM to the winner to get email and home address.
Alrighty… I wrote everyones names on a little piece of paper, folded it up, i put them into a box, shook it up and my son pulled a paper out, the winner is… @colee1970 Congratulations Mandy!!!
He told me to put them in my Gift shop for 2 weeks, if they didn’t sell and I really loved them I could take them home…I thought that fair enough…Later after I sold my shop, I started Ebay sales and the rule was if it was one I wanted to keep, list it once and if it didn’t sale, it was mine (problem with that system is that most time when you love it enough to keep chances are very high some one else will love it well enough to buy…lol - never was able to keep any that I really liked and as you know…no matter how close you get a second one, most times you don’t love it as well as your first…)
