Today Sunday January 7th 2018. I had a visit from a lovely couple Steve & Eileen Doyle who donated a beloved family heirloom with an intriguing story to my Reborn Nursery and collection of vintage baby memorabilia. Steve originally contacted me back in 2017 after reading a article published about my Reborn Doll making & studio tour in the Australian magazine HUNTER & COASTAL LIFESTYLE magazine spring issue. He expressed interest in donating their families beloved cradle to my Nursery & wanted to bring his lovely wife for a visit to see the babies Nursery and Studio. I agreed and looked forward to their visit. When they arrived to my door bright eyed and joyful to pass on their gift I was touched by their love, family values and most of all entrusting me to their treasure that has housed so many of their precious newborn baby memories.
The Doyle families cradle had a tale to tell of its own. Originally the family discovered the cradle at a Convent (Australia NSW) many MANY years prior the story goes like this... the Nuns had the bassinette in there possession to bed the abandoned babies found on their doorstep. It was not an uncommon thing for babies to be abandoned by unwed mothers in early to mid part of the 1900’s and this cradle provided the first refuge of comfort and care during these desperate times of abandonment for these little ones. When the Doyle family took possession of the cradle after it was being moved on by the Nuns at the convent it was then used by the Doyle family for generations to cradle their own little ones, born in love which was quite a transition from the cradles first Intended use. In latter years the Doyle family documented the babies names and dates on the underside of the cradle starting with their first born son and so on. The cradle is brittle, tired and aged after its 100years and many layers of paint, colours that reflected the times or gender of all the little ones, it has nestled so many newborns innocent boys and girls how many for sure we will never know but now it’s days of cradling babies has come to a close It will now spend it’s final years being used for display Cradling my personal collection of Reborn Baby Dolls who hold many stories of their own. Thank you for your gift that has now become my Nursery treasure God Bless xox
Stay tuned for future photos and blog updates with babies in the Cradle ~ Cathy
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