Re-do baby just in time for Christmas

While I am not usually one who likes to do "re-do" reborns after finding out a friend had purchased a baby back in 2007 and it had been living in her closet because she was so disappointed in it how could I not in the spirit of Christmas remake this baby!
He started out as the Ember sculpt by Tasha Edenholm from  Bountiful Baby.
Photos really do not do this little boy justice as the weather as has been terribly overcast which is not good for taking pictures but I wanted him home with his mummy before Christmas

hugs Gayle

Durability of real effect air dry reborn paints

I have had a lot of questions lately regarding the durability of the real effects air dry paints, so I decided to make a short little video to demonstrate just how durable they are.
I honestly have found real effect paint to be just as durable as the genesis heat set paint. Of course it does come down to the artist using them and their skill level, if they aren't used correctly then yes there may be some issues just as if the genesis paints are not used correctly you will have a lot of issues.
As with any artistic endeavour you need to learn how to use your mediums properly to get the best effects and durability from them.
Hope this video is helpful

hugs Gayle

Ordinary Miracles Reborn Gift Certificate on Ebay

I have listed on ebay for auction a gift certificate for a private order reborn baby so if you were wanting to get a reborn for your someone special as a Christmas gift but not sure what they'd like why not give a reborn gift certificate.  15% of the total will be donated to ovarian cancer research so you will be in fact giving 2 gifts :) click here to visit the auction
I do have other gift certificates available contact me for details.
hugs Gayle

AA Reborn Tutorial

Well I finally finished uploading my AA Reborn Tutorial on Youtube  you can check out all 24 parts on my channel by clicking here

I will be doing a video on the rooting of these two reborns as well once the hair arrives, it most likely will not be very in depth but will give you an idea.

wow November just flew by and next thing you know Santa will be coming down the chimney
I have finished one Christmas baby made from the Pippin sculpt by the talented Bonnie Brown, she will be on her way to her new mummy next week hopefully!

So I guess you could say the November was a productive month in the nursery have the twins Beau & Mira-Jo by Jannie De Lange painted their AA Skin Tone Reborn Tutorial uploaded, Pippin by Bonnie Brown completed, Kathy by Regina Swialkowski from Doll Dreams almost painted lets hope December is even more productive as I have started a redo baby today who is Ember by Tasha Edenholm from Bountiful Baby I will put up some sneak peak photos of him soon. I also got Jack by Tamie Yarie rooted but he still needs some more work on him before he will be ready for adoption

hugs Gayle

Colliii Awards 2011

Well I was very proud to receive 2 nominations for the Colliii Awards 2011 
1 in the Reborn Baby Category
Beautiful little Ravi was nominated in the Reborn Baby Category he was made from the absolutely stunning Nico sculpt by Gudrun Legler

1 in the Fantasy Reborn Category
And my beautiful Indian was nominated in the Fantasy Reborn Category, she was created from the amazing Gabriella reborn child sculpt created by the ever talented Reva Schick

It was a competition full of wonderful artistry so I feel very privileged to have been nominated amongst the cream of the crop (so to speak)

hugs Gayle

AA Reborn Tutorial

So I have been asked to do some reborn tutorials and I have made a start
these 2 little cuties are the product of that AA Reborning Tutorial 

They are Beau & Mira-Jo sculpted by the talented Jannie de Lang
they are not quiet finished yet still needing blushing, nails and creases but you can start to watch the videos on you youtube channel  I am still uploading but it takes time so please be patient with me :)
Hugs Gayle

Crisis averted... maybe

Oh my gosh what a day! Every had one of those days where you wish you hadn't gotten out of bed?? that was me today. I was about the set the eyes in place on my arch angel Raphael ( Lulu by Adrie Stoete) and I got super glue on his beautiful little face right under his eye! I thought I had ruined his exquisted Blasian/AA colouring but this little reborn is such and angel, I did acidently take a small mount of paint off when I tried to remove the glue with acetone .. but then I have the bright idea of using one of those hair removing sand papery things to gently file the glue off and it appears to have worked! I just have to see if I can touch up the paint that I removed and fingers crossed he will be a beautiful Blasian.AA reborn baby again
Will keep you all updated
hugs Gayle

www.ordinarymiraclesrebornnursery.com Amorina Reborn Baby Girl by GayleM...

African American/Black/ Biracial Baby Photos

Does anyone have an african american/black/biracial child that wouldn't mind sharing baby photos with me for use in a tutorial? I am still only in the planing stages of the tutorial so I am not sure if it will be an ebook or a dvd at this stage. If you'd be happy to have your babies photos featured please email me
thanks
hugs Gayle

Colour Diary pt 2

Well I did not get the painting completed like I had hoped I got distracted decorating for halloween lol but I did get alittle more done

Okay this is my last colour diary entry for this baby at the moment I am happy with her base colouring and I want to root the hair before I decide where to go next with her colouring as I find hair can change the whole look of the babies shading and blushing  etc so I like to wait to see what it looks like before doing any finishing touches

This is what she looking like at the moment

Colour Diary

Ok so I have had afew people asking me lately to make some tutorials and it is something I fully intend on doing.. however I always start with the best intentions and then next thing I know I have stopped writing steps down and taking photos lol so I am going to try to do a colour diary just to keep me on track and get me used to taking photos at every step.
So the baby I will be using for this diary is
Sunshine by Marita Winters
she will be painted with real effects air dry paints and is at this stage going to be a light to medium skintone biracial or aa reborn baby(this may change along the way)

 I've done 2 more colours since this so will load thos pics tomorrow and hompefully actually get her painting finished

hugs Gayle

Reborn Custom Copies

Ok for those of you who don't know a custom copy is when you custom order a doll baised on a photograph of a doll reborned by a different artist.

Do I do custom copies? HELL NO

Why not? for two reasons

                1. I personally feel like it is plagiarism however I do not pass judgement on others who choose to do this

                2. Every artist has their own individual techniques/ styles and it is very hard for someone to reproduce another artists style.

Why am I writing about this topic? Because there are a number of collectors who order/buy custom copies. Some of these collectors are find the dolls they recive are NOTHING like the doll which they ordered and end up very disapointed (heartbroken).

So I guess the point of this entry to educate collectors if you are going to order a custom copy PLEASE look carefully closely and at length at the artists work whom you are considering to make this copy. You want the orginals artist and the one you have decided to go with to have a silimar style.

If you choose an artist with a different style think of it like asking Picasso to recreate a Michealangelo don't be suprised that you most likely will not get what you want, sometimes it will be horrible and sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised and like your new baby even more than the orginal.

Also don't forget quiet often you get what you pay for.

hugs Gayle

oh and PS if you do not get the baby you wanted and you end up going to yet another artist to haveyour baby re-reborned please make sure you are thankful and appreciative of the work this artist is putting in for you because it is ALOT of work to re do a reborn

Arch Angel Raphael Reborn work in progress

Well little Arch angel Raphael has been a wip for about 12months I have been wanting to make him just perfect as he is a gift for my mum. So I finally figured I can get him exactly how I would like him so I started in on his hair last week and finally finished that this morning. He has a lovely double crown which looks to be a heart shape which I just adore!! It doesn't show up so well in his  wip pictures as his hair was all mussed up and I was alittle to lazy to comb it lol
 He still needs a little depth work on his skin tone, eyebrows, nails, alittle more blush and creases on hands and feet, i'm thinking I can do that tomorrow so fingers crossed he will be all done and have his finished photo shoot done before the end of the weekend :) I am so excited about this little arch angel

hugs Gayle

Custom/Rooting Service

I have decided to open up for rooting service. I will only take a small number to start with
Prices are as below you will need to provide the mohair or alpaca I will only use mohair from slumberland or Susan Nagel and Alpaca from Suri Hill
measurements are for head size not kit size
10-12 inch: $75.00
13-15 inch: $110.00 
16-18inch: $150.00

please note blonde and light brown hair will incure a $25 surcharge and will take me longer to root & these fees do not include return postage

please allow 2 to 3 weeks for the head to be rooted I am not the fastest rooter in the world but my skills are certainly worth the wait :)

if your intrested please contact me through my website or facebook

hugs gayle

Back & Open for Orders

Well after a fantabulous time overseas meeting other uber talented artists, traveling around and visting family I am back and recharged, inspired and ready to start taking on portrait (reborns made based on a photo of your baby/grandchild/ sefl etc) and private orders again .
Please note private orders are not the same as custom orders. As an artist, I need to feel creatively inspired to make a gorgeous baby doll. For a private order  mummies will choose the kit, and I will create the baby. You may request a certain race or speacial features and I will do my best to accommodate  but will not always beable to do so. If I feel I can not include what you have requested I will discuss it with you before starting work on your baby.
Custom Orders I will consider on a case by case basis for previous collectors at this stage.

On another exciting note 2 out of the 3 dolls I had entered in the Colliii awards have been nominated!! how exciting to be nominated amoungst all the other extremly talented artists.

hugs Gayle

all is quiet in the nursery

Well it has been quiet in the nursery I am not anticipating getting much more done before I take vaccation at the end of the month as I am snowed under with my "day" job but a friend of mine posted a lovely quote on her facebook page and I thought I'd steal it and share it with you all .. and how true this is at times lol

An artist must have downtime, time to do nothing... An artist requires the upkeep of creative solitude. An artist requires the time of healing alone. Without this period of recharging, our artist becomes depleted... We strive to be good, to be nice, to be helpful, to be unselfish. We want to be generous, of service... But what we really want is to be left alone. When we can't get others to leave us alone, we eventually abandon ourselves... our true self has gone to ground.



-Julia Cameron

I have also entered 3 of my little creations into the Colliii awards this year my first time entering so am very excited and nervous all at the same time :)

I will be endevoring to get Reese completed within the week, but beyond that I can't see any reborn babies being completed and up for adoption before october I am sure I will be having withdrawals before then lol

hugs Gayle

Winona is getting a sister and reese updates

Well my Winona (Gabriella by Reva Schick) is getting a little sister made from the Cherish sculpt by Tina Kewy cherish will be available for purchase once finished however there is still alot of work to do on her detailing and hair.

Reese is almost finished just afew creases to shade and varnishing of lips and nails then he can be put together I love how he has come together just unfortunate that I am the worlds worst photographer! Just when I think I have it right I find out I don't lol

Ofcourse I will load better photos once he is all together
hugs Gayle

Reese Arcello Work In Progress

Well its another cold and windy day in the mountains but the sun is shining so a perfect day to stay indoors and do a photo shoot!  So here are a few sneaky peak pics of my current work in progress. If you'd like to see more pics or Reese there are more on the nursery facebook page

To all OOAK Reborn baby sculptors

I don't know if you all have heard about this but thought I would give you a heads up.
The lovely Lydia from Perfectly Persnickety Reborn and Collector Doll Boutique is running a OOAK sculpting contest
a snippet of the information:

OOAK Sculpting Contest!

OOAK doll sculptors are invited to participate in our first sculpting contest!
Grand Prize Winner will receive:
$350 cash prize
Your original sculpt made into a vinyl doll kit
Your choice of 7% of selling price of each kit sold or 25 doll kits of your sculpt for you to sell
We are looking for an original sculpt between 19-20 inches in length, arms and legs with open or closed eyes. Submissions must be able to endure the mold making process and made of Polymer clay or resin. The sculpt must have a hard finish, and not painted. It must not have applied hair, sculpted hair or hair line. The finish must be smooth and free of marring or roughness.

The contest is open to all sculptors who are not currently under contract or licensing with other producers or manufacturers.**



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
for more information vist their site

good luck and give it a go get your entries in! :)
hugs Gayle

Reborn Air dry Painting Tutorial :Fixing mistakes

hugs Gayle

Playing with the camera

Well I spent the afternoon playing with the manual settings on the camera and my model of choice ofcourse was vivien she is just so photogenic! even with her "bed hair".
She was also a good model because it gave me a chance to figure out which settings work best for her lovely skin tone. So I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at some of her best photos for the day. Hoping for good weather tomorrow so I can set up and do her real photo shoot.

hugs Gayle

Reborn Video Tutorials

Well again its been a long time since I have been in here! I guess there are no surprises there lol blogging is not my strong point
I have been busy making some short tutorials one is on rooting eyelashes on open eyed reborn babies and can be found on youtube

I am also in the process of making one on glazing eyes it should be finished and uploaded tomorrow night.

If you want to see mini tutorial on any particular subject relating to reborning let me know please note I said "mini" can't do a whole video on skintone and upload it the file would be too big. I will in the future be doing some skintone tutorials which will be combination of written with photos and short video clips but that is alittle ways off.

hugs Gayle

wow where has the time gone?

well the saying is true time flys when your having fun! ... or is it ... "when your rushed off your feet" lol
I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful easter break and you are all refreshed and raring to get back into life :)
well it has been such a long time since I have updated where to start! ..
Lorena Mae has been finished and living at her new home for quiet a while now. Her new mummy was thrilled at the new adition to her reborn family.

Devin (aka Nele) has also been sent on her way home all the way over to NZ I was informed this morning that she arrived safely and her mummy is so happy with her she doesn't want to put her down!

Its always soooo lovely to recive feedback, its a nice feeling to think you have made someone else happy.

As for nursery news well I am now on FaceBook! I know I said I would never join but I caved to peer presure so if you would like to be kept up to date with the most current info feel free to "like" the nursery page.

Vivien is still a work in progress I have most of her skin tones completed and am just waiting on her scrummy hair to arrive  I can not wait to get started on her hair I have big plans for this one i'm trying so hard not to let it slip what I am trying to do with her hair incase it doesn't work lol but knowing me I will slip up
Photos don't do this little one justice

Whilst I am waiting I am debating on wether I should start painting someone else.... having trouble deciding who will be next

oh and how could I forget!! Ravi took out 2nd place in the Baby Banter babies day out comp in march! how exciting

hugs Gayle

So close

I'm so close to having Lorena mae finished!!!! I am just waiting on glue to dry, body to arrive and I need to find her an outfit...... I can not wait! Hopefully I will have pics by the end of the week at the latest.

a mish mash of things

Well I am rooting my fingers to the bone so to speak with 2 babies at different phases of the rooting process!
I also recived a set of luminaire paints in the mail yesterday so was itching to have a go and see what results are possible with these paints. So I got a few layers done on Vivien just some colour correcting (her head is painted in the pic and arm is the blank vynil colour) as you can see she still has a long way to go before she is neautralized as she is quiet  orange, she is the older real effects vynil their vynil these days is a much nice colour to work on..
and remember orange is corrected with BLUE not green. make sure your layers are really thin though you shouldn't beable to see any blue on the vynil. Its a good idea if you don't know much about colour theory to get your self a colour wheel. Locate the colour your vynil is closest too on the wheel and then you use the colour that is opposite to it to neautralize.

Little Ravi (aka Shim) is on the way home as of yesterday so sad to see this little one go but he is going to a fabulous home and will be well loved.

hugs gayle