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| Tami Lahey March 2008 |
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Baby Toby |
One might say it was fate that Tami Lahey would come to live in a place called Aurora. Aurora, Colorado, that is. Each morning waking to breathtaking views of the Colorado Rocky Mountains gives Tami plenty of inspiration to create her amazing, fantasy inspired pieces.
Growing up, Tami always loved arts and crafts. "My mother and father are very creative people, so I expressed an interest in art at a very early age," she said. "I remember making outfits for all my dolls and always excelled in my elementary school art classes." She even won an art contest while in school; an award she still displays in her home to this day. |
Cubby |
In 1997, she started her own company, Dolls N Dreams. Tami began making soft sculptured dolls for family members and friends. Then she moved into designing one-of-a-kind fashion dolls. "This entailed turning Barbie dolls into mermaids and fairies." She went on to win numerous Barbie Bazaar Crystal Awards for her creations. She continues to design for Barbie; transforming each Barbie into mermaids and fairies with stunning outfits and embellishments.
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Fritzy Love Bug |
When Tami felt it was time to stretch her creative talents, she decided to bring her fantasy themes into the teddy bear world; and that was about two years ago.
"My inspiration behind this move comes from viewing all of the wonderful animals on eBay that other artists were creating," she remarked. "My love of fairies inspired me to design a line of fairy bears that I named Fairy Doogles."
She was thrilled to have one of her creations win a 2007 TOBY Industry Choice Award. "This was a living dream for me," she stated excitedly. She proudly displays them all in a lighted cabinet. "Whenever I feel overwhelmed or uncreative, they always give me inspiration." |
| The joy of bear making permeates every part of her world. "The part I love about bear making is having a vision of my creation and watching it come alive by using some mohair and fiberfill." She noted, "When someone looks into those black glass eyes, they will see a loving soul staring back." Tami also enjoys giving each character a name that will fit his or her personality. Her husband sometimes helps her with this process.
Tami's goal is for her bears to inspire happiness in collectors. "All of my creations are fantasy themed; something one might envision in a dream or fairytale forest." |
Donovan |
Tami sells her creations mainly on eBay and her web site. She even finds time for an occasional online show.
"Designing keeps me very busy but I still find time for my other passion, cooking and baking. I have a large collection of fantastic cookbooks and love experimenting with new recipes."
Tami continues to cook up wonderful creations that spark the imagination and give collectors a taste of dreams and fantasies. "Although I don’t know what the future holds," she remarked, "I know it will be an opportunity to stretch my creativity and imagination."
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Doogle Dog |
Lil Bit |
Tiffy |
Phebe Wabbit |
Lorella Cuddletails |
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3428 Hillvale Road 
