Hello and welcome to Down2Earth Dolls!

People often ask me how I went from cell biologist to doll artist but it's pretty simple really- I had children. It wasn't until I had my kids that I really looked at the dolls on offer for them to play with and when I did... sigh. Just about every girl doll I found had crazy amounts of makeup on (even the toddler dolls!) and every male was an adult action figure with rippling muscles and war paint. What if I wanted my kids to have dolls that weren't an unobtainable and frankly, ridiculous portrayal of beauty? Where could I find dolls that looked like boys and girls instead of adults, with natural-looking faces, no makeup or war paint and preferably not sporting mini-skirts, army fatigues or sparkly pink heels? I'm not anti-makeup. I'm not anti-war paint. I'm not even against the wearing of pink sparkly heels. But I wanted dolls that my kids could relate to as kids, not skewed ideas of adult perfection.

Then I saw the incredible work of a local doll artist on television. She was giving dolls “make unders”; creating childlike dolls from pre-loved fashion dolls. I fell in love with her dolls immediately. I wanted one for my daughter but soon found out that those dolls had moved into the realm of the collector (and way out of my price range!). So I decided to try creating some makeunder dolls myself.

My first couple of dolls left a lot to be desired but I was instantly hooked on the process of repainting dolls. I learned all I could about repainting styles. I played around with many techniques to enable me to produce increasingly detailed doll faces using pencil, my favorite medium. It is always fascinating to watch a new face come to life- it never ceases to amaze me how the smallest change in the angle of a line or choice of colour can produce faces that are completely unique although they start from the same head shape. I spent many hours reading doll's dressmaking books so that I could create my own doll clothing designs and many more hours playing with my dolls to make them cute but durable shoes. It's an ever-evolving process- that's why I love it!

I started to hear from more and more parents like me who wanted natural-looking dolls that inspire age-appropriate pretend play, and have a price-tag that encourages play, not just display. And so Down2Earth Dolls was born. Each doll I salvage from my local op shops and garage sales gets a spa day where she is thoroughly cleaned, her hair is reconditioned and sometimes restyled, and her factory paint is removed. Each has a new face meticulously hand drawn/painted to create a realistic, child-like and naturally beautiful doll. I hand make each of my dolls a new outfit which is simple, vintage-inspired and suitable for an adventure-filled life. A lot of love goes into my dolls.

My aim is to create dolls that look down-to-earth and friendly, are appropriate for children to relate to and encourage individuality, imagination and fun! I produce high-quality, one of a kind dolls with a diverse range of skin, hair and eye colours, inspired by real kids, for real kids. My shop is stocked with dolls drawn from my imagination but I also love doing custom orders! Simply click on the Custom Order button on any doll listing to contact me about creating your custom doll. (Please see my Policies section for more information regarding custom orders.)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sam

You can also check out the Down2Earth Dolls facebook page and Instagram feed (@down2earthdolls) for behind the scenes and work-in-progress photos!