A very special treasure has arrived~Celebrating Dianna Effner

 Roughly 10 years ago I traveled to the studio of Dianna Effner in Jamestown, Missouri.

I was there to teach her the art of reborning a vinyl doll.  

The doll was her own sculpt, Huggy Bear.  

It was her first vinyl reborn doll kit and not only did I have the honor of spending a week with Dianna to teach her (as if there was all that much I could teach this 40 year doll veteran...she ended up teaching me!)

 I had the duo honor of bringing her Huggy Bear vinyl prototype to life.

He was who I worked on while Dianna worked on another Huggy Bear kit;  one of her "artists samples".

We spent very long days and nights working on our dolls, all the while filming the work for an upcoming DVD Life-Like Reborning Course, a dream I had for several years before.  Dianna offered her studio and the knowledge and help of her son, Ivan and Expressions to film, edit, create cover art and send to the publishers.  

I have very fond memories of the time Dianna and I spent together.  The food, the visits, the walks around Jamestown when we needed a break and the late night movie!  Not only did she share her art and techniques with me, she taught me things outside of the studio about health and happiness.  I traveled back home on November 7th, 2011

On November 16, 2011, I submitted my finished pictures of the Huggy Bear Prototype to post in their Expressions website store to sell the Huggy Bear kit, and on November 16, 2021, ten years later, one of Dianna's Huggy Bear artist samples arrived on my doorstep. 

 

You see, Dianna left this earth, far too soon, on October 14, 2020 and recently her family began auctioning off her private collection.  

This is not the Huggy Bear that Dianna worked on during my week there, but I believe to be one of them that she did after I returned home.  (I saw the one she did while I was there on auction last week, but I had already won this one and didn't want to be a "hog" so I let that one go to another collector....I did not even bid.)

I am so honored to have this sweet girl join my collection and I will adore and cherish her until I leave this earth.  

One of the things that a Dianna is known for are her painted eyes.  I never attempted painted eyes but woweee could Dianna paint eyes, in 3-D!  The Huggy Bear kit was available with empty eye sockets or paintable eye blanks.

My sweet girl has those famous painted eyes:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how Dianna did "combo" hair on this baby.  She painted underneath and rooted overtop yet she left some areas "rubbed" like a real baby would have after a month of so of age.  It is so realistic!  

I am over the moon with her!  

Such an honor!  

We did complete the DVD set.  That too was such an honor and a huge effort on all of us!

I will never forget their kindness, their hospitably, their love.  

I still have plenty of copies of the DVD for sale.  I have revised it to accommodate for other painting systems and matte finishes.  

~DVD~

So many emotions going on right now!  

XXOO

Miss me?

 They say that making a habit takes 7-14 days.

Apparently breaking one takes that little of time as well!

I have gotten out of the habit of coming to my blog to write.  

I AM well and have been well...just busy.

For the winter, I am going to try to be here more often.  I know that I still have blog visitors (thank you so very much for your faithfulness!) and this is such a great platform to share all things dolly.

Today's post will be for new offerings of mohair.

But later this week (I HOPE!) I will have a new and very special doll to share from my collection.  I have yet to get tracking for her but I assume she is on the way.

Click the link below for current mohair offerings:

~MOHAIR LISTINGS~

I will see you later this week or the first of next.  If she doesn't arrive by Thursday afternoon, I'll have to wait till Monday to share her as I have horse related things to do on Friday.  

XXOO

Website is back up!

 It took quite some time on the phone, several times,

but my website is back up!

~They Never Grow Up Nursery Website~

I think there is still a little kink or two to work out but at least it is available in cyber space!

This sweet little micro-preemie full body silicone girl is available on my website under "Available Babies"

also...the June prototype is available BUT, I have not placed her on my website yet.

She is available through my Facebook Business page:

~See June HERE~

Her pictures do not do her justice AND I learned some new things with my camera so I may just have to re-take her photos when I have a minute (or two!).  She is gorgeous, full body silicone measuring 21 inches long

Happy St. Patricks Day!

XXOO

16 years came and went! And, website down.

 Can you believe this?

SIXTEEN YEARS at They Never Grow Up Nursery!

It actually happened in February 2021 but that month came and went SO FAST!

So here were are into March already.  

This next year will be a new beginning for my business, but that said, it will take me a bit to realign myself, especially as we come into the spring and summer season which is always very busy for me in my daily life.

My mother has lived with me for the past 3 1/2 years, and I spent a significant time prior to that getting ready for her arrival.  

She is turning 80 later this month and has decided that she wants to go "home";  back to Idaho to live on her own.

She his healthier than when she arrived here but could use all the prayers you can muster up as in my and my family's opinion, she is not healthy enough to live on her own.  She is pretty dependent on others.

So please pray as we enter this new phase of life.

The next thought on my mind is that my website seems to be no longer.  I am still paying a boat load of money for it, and I can go to my host and edit/update/add, but the provider (whom I've never even heard of!) that publishes it is not publishing in.  I am currently in conversation with this provider trying to resolve the problem.  It is pretty frustrating!

In the Nursery:

A new FBS prototype from Lilianne Breedveld will be arriving in the first week of April!

XXOO

Prototype Nino is FINISHED and ADOPTED!

 

LOOK at all that cuteness!!!

Nino is the prototype for the sold out full body silicone kit, 

Nino.

Nino has been ADOPTED :)

Thank you!

He was "born" on November 3, 2020 at 4 pm

He is an anatomically correct little boy measuring 19 inches long

weighing 8 pounds

He was sculpted by Lilianne Breedveld

poured into Soft Blend silicone by Claire Taylor

and brought to life by me, Debbie Henshaw of

They Never Grow Up Nursery.

He has full armatures from the palms of his hands through his shoulders.  

His paint is exceptional and applied in a manner that will last and last.  I guarantee all of my workmanship.

I have rooted dark blonde hair into his precious and detailed scalp with a needle that "knots" up the hair inside the head so that you can brush and snuggle this head of hair for years to come.

His lashes and brows are rooted as well and sealed.  

Nino can take a preemie sized nipple or a full size if it is pushed down inside itself.

This baby is a DREAM to hold and look at!

And I encourage lots of cuddling of all of my silicone and reborn dolls.

XXOO

Debbie

My heart hurts at the passing of Dianna Effner

I had the unspeakable privilege and honor of spending an entire week with Dianna Effner at her studio in Jamestown, Missouri back in November of 2011.  

I taught her how to reborn using her first produced vinyl kit, Huggy Bear.  We recorded the teaching sessions that spanned over the week, working tirelesly from early morning into the late night and with the help of her son and a production company, my first, and only to date, teaching DVD.  

Although that was a great honor and a monumentous achievement, the beauty of the week was getting to know Dianna.  She taught me about life balance and proper nutrition.  She taught me many "tricks of the trade" that I still use to this day.  Her positive outlook on life was a refreshing breath to my soul.  Her compassion, generosity and graciousness resounded through all that she did.  

Being in her big, comfortable studio/home kept me in awe.  

Her dolls resonated who she was.

I will never forget her and my heart is feeling the loss.  

Her obituary shows the love she had for her family, her friends, her dolls and shows how intricately she glanced her life.  

She left us all too soon but her 75 years here on this earth exemplified a life well lived.  

She will forever be an inspiration.

~Click here for her obituary and be sure to watch the video to the end~

Until we meet again...

XXOO

 

Mohair is available!

 Whew!  I DID IT!

Beautiful colors are listed now on my 

~ArtFire Site~

(Click link above)

Happy Shopping and Happy Fall!