Cell Phone Camera + Baby Doll = My new inner peace

When I was a little girl I didn't really like to play with dolls too much. I would play with my friends who wanted to play with dolls but was only interested in changing their clothes. I really wanted a real baby, not to keep but to cuddle and hold for a little while. See, I was more of a tom boy and did all the things my father and brother liked to do. I grew up fishing and digging for worms, playing ice hockey in our backyard, going to the drag races in the summer, and climbing trees. So the fact that I have found inner peace and happiness in taking pictures of Reborn baby dolls is still surprising to me.

It all started when I won a pallet of toys at an online auction. I own my own business and wanted to try something different than the usual items I sell. On this pallet was a Reborn doll and I just couldn't get over how real this doll looked. I then snapped a couple of quick photos of her so that I could post her online for sale. When I uploaded the photos I couldn't believe how adorable and lifelike she looked. I then started to research these dolls to see if there were others that looked this real. This was the most amazing journey into the never ending Reborn baby world and I couldn't stop looking at the pictures of all these beautiful hyper realistic fake babies.

I sold the doll from my pallet in 9 days and made a nice chunk of change. Now I was hooked and quickly invested that money plus a little more and bought 2 dolls, a boy and a girl twins from an online store and it was taking forever for them to even be shipped. I didn't realize they were coming from China when I ordered them. After the first 2 weeks I couldn't wait any longer and I started to search for dolls that had fast shipping and that is when I found Etsy and Mercari. Let me tell you I was in my glory and just couldn't choose which doll I wanted because I wanted them all. I finally found the most adorable baby boy who was actually a Realborn baby from the Bountiful Baby Collection. I ordered him and 3 days later when he arrived and I opened the package I immediately fell in love.

As hard as it was to think about selling him I knew that I would never do anything more with him than keep him on a shelf. These art dolls are not really meant to just be for display. They are used in many ways from children's baby dolls to grown adults therapy dolls because they bring so much joy and happiness to their owners. With this in mind I set out to make him look as real as I possibly can. I went on a shopping spree and bought the cutest clothes and blankets and pacifiers and toys that I could find. I then started to take pictures of him and pose him like I would a real baby. It became addicting and I just couldn't stop myself from changing his clothes and taking pictures to the point I lost all track of time. I didnt think about all the stress in my life and I was in my glory. When I looked at the pictures I was truly amazed at how perfect they turned out. He sold in 2 days and I sadly packaged him up with all of the clothes and items I bought for him wrapped up in tissue paper to give his new owner a great box opening. When the lady who purchased him from me received him she was so happy and grateful that she gave me her e-mail address and asked if we could keep in touch. We still talk to this very day and She told me why she bought this doll from me. She is a recovering addict and a cancer survivor and she believes that the 2 other Reborns she owns helped her make it through the hardest parts of her life. She was now facing a lot of hardships and had been struggling with her addiction so instead of turning back to drugs she bought a new baby doll to keep her strong. This brought me so much happiness and it touched my heart so deeply. I knew that I had to keep selling these dolls in hopes of helping and healing other people as well. I have done much of the same with the other 7 dolls I have sold, I just strive to become an expert cell phone camera photographer and I learn new tips and tricks all of the time.

I admit it, I am hooked and I have found so much inner peace and serenity that it has changed me for the better. I have now sold 9 dolls and have gotten to know each one of the people who have bought them. I love learning each one of their reasons for buying them. I do the best I can to give them a beautiful box opening and make sure the baby is perfect for them when they open it. The happiness it brings them brings me double that happiness and it feels so good to know that the dolls I sold them will be cherished the way they should. I have over 1,500 pictures in my phone of the 9 dolls I have sold and the 5 I am selling right now. I spend countless hours lost in changing clothes and posing babies to make them look as real as I possibly can. Not only for the peace that this brings to me but also for the peace it will bring someone else.