Lesley Jane Dolls

I am thrilled and very honoured to introduce you to this super talented lady who I find so inspirational....Lesley, the lovely lady behind Lesley Jane Dolls.  Those of you familiar with Lesley Jane Dolls will know how difficult it is to secure one of her very unique dolls.  I just love them and I am sure you will also enjoy reading about the lady behind the business as much as I have.

Which brings me to something very exciting!! Lesley is giving you the chance to purchase one of her dolls via a ballot right here on the blog.  But before we get to that I would love you to meet Lesley......

'Hello!  My name is Lesley, I am 34 and I live in Scotland.  I used to be a librarian until one day I picked up a book, from a dusty shelf in my local library, on how to make art dolls, and that took my life off in a whole new direction.  I listed my first doll on Etsy in December 2010, never for a moment dreaming that it would turn into a business.  Just as is the case with lots of women, this started out as a hobby for me.  Some friends and family had seen my dolls and asked me to make some for them, then word spread and I started to get more requests.  It was really out of curiosity that I decided to set up an Etsy shop to see if other people would be interested in my dolls too.

The inspiration behind my business, I think, is that I like beautiful things, and I like trying to make things that other people will consider to be beautiful.  I am interested in clothes and hair and make-up and how we use them, and I like being able to experiment with all of these things on my dolls.  Another big inspiration for me is the response that I have had from people. Hearing such lovely comments about my work is definitely a big motivation to keep going, keep improving, and keep finding new ways and styles to keep people interested.

I am never quite sure how to describe my dolls!  They're little cloth creations, based on a simple rag-doll pattern that I try to make as glamorous and quirky and unusual and eye-catching as I can.  Some of them are cute, some are gothic, some are sexy and some are creepy...I find it impossible to stick to just the one style.  I know that in the doll world, ballerinas and fairy-tale characters are always popular, and I like doing exotic dolls, from far-off lands (so that I can go to town with headdresses and jewellery!).  I think perhaps what makes my dolls a bit different is their faces.  I am asked almost every day if I paint the faces myself, and the answer is yes.  I use all sorts of different pens and pencils and paint, but I always finish off with a bit of glitter, because you can never have too much sparkle, can you?!

My inspiration seems to come out of nowhere....an idea just pops into my head (mostly when I'm half-asleep!).  I'm also forever collecting photos and pictures that catch my eye...maybe a beautiful dress, or some fancy eye make-up, and I'll save it to browse through later if I need ideas.  Pieces of fabric, jewellery, hair accessories that I see in shops can also spark off an idea in my head....nothing is safe from me!

As for the future, I really ought to have a plan, but I've always been one to just go where the wind blows me.  I hope it blows me somewhere a bit sunnier than Scotland soon!  The dolls seem to be popular and selling well at the moment so I'd best keep doing what I'm doing, where they're concerned.  I'm trying to teach myself figure drawing and fashion illustration at the moment.  So many of my doll designs and ideas start out as sketches and I often wonder if I could do something with the pages and pages of doodles that I have.  Time will tell.....'

You can find Lesley Jane Dolls on Facebook here and on Etsy here.  Lesley can also be contacted via email at lesleyjcameron@hotmail.com.

So now to your chance to purchase 'Rochelle', whom Lesley is selling via ballot here to coincide with this feature.  Rochelle is 14" or just over 35.5cm tall. She features a hand painted face and shoes, and wears a cream-coloured lace dress.  She is slightly weighted with rice to help her sit up.  Please note; she is an art doll, therefore not suitable for children. She should be handled with care and not played with as a toy.

She is $93.00 AUD and shipping is $17 AUD (if sent outside of the UK).  The ballot IS open to residents outside of Australia (you will need to calculate other currency as prices quoted here are $AUD).  Payment is to be made via Paypal - please do not enter if you do not intend to pay or cannot do so via Paypal.

The ballot commences now and ends at 9.00pm (Qld time) on Saturday 14th April 2012.

To enter and qualify for a chance to purchase simply;

1. Like Lesley Jane Dolls on Facebook.  (I will check so please abide by the rules)
2. Secondly comment 'Sold' along with your email address. (below on the blog)

A random name will be selected within 24 hours of the ballot ending.  The winner will be contacted via email, prior to being announced publicly via the Tout Mon Amour Facebook page.  The ballot winner has 48 hours in which to make payment via Paypal.  If payment is not received in the specified timeframe another random name will be drawn. 

Good luck!!