Aloha,
My name is Bo Bergemann. And this is the story of how I became a
doll maker. It is also the story of my adult life. It is a story of
God bringing beauty from ashes. If you are interested in hearing
how it all began and where it is now going for me. Please read on .
. .
Beauty
From Ashes!
My husband and I struggled with
infertility for 8 years. We both had a beautiful life and marriage.
The love of the Lord and everything going for us. But, we could not
have children. It was a painful and growing experience for us both.
A couple in our church at the time took in teen aged foster girls!
Yes, they were indeed in my opinion saints and their last name was
Crook!
As I grew closer to this family and one teen aged foster girl after
another gave birth to a baby whom the system would then take away,
I mourned for the mother’s, and cried out for the babies whose
needs I felt deeply.
All this lead me to the divine inspiration to be the one who might
take in some of these drug addicted newborns and care for them. My
arms cried out for a baby to hold and their tiny arms cried out for
a stable adult run household to care for them in their fragile
state. My husband and I took a white nuckled leap of faith and
became foster parents on June 1, 1995 to the most beautiful baby
boy I’m sure ever lived.
He was addicted to Meth and alcohol. The effects on his system left
him unable to eat, failing to thrive. He was brought to my home
having refused any sustenance for nearly 24 hours since his birth.
I was warned by the social worker that if he did not take in at
least 6 oz in the next 24 hours, I needed to bring him to the
ER.
Well, I am not one to give in easily to the ravages of this world
on such a helpless individual. So, I held and nurtured that baby
through the next 6 days literally feeding him drops on his tongue
and loving and snuggling and praying for him and willing him to
swallow making sucking sounds and massaging his tiny frail neck. I
got 6 ounces down him that first 24 hours, and each of the next
literally drop by precious drop. By the end of the week, he would
actually nipple and suck down 2 whole ounces at a feeding every 3
hours day and night! And his eyes brightened and he was so
intelligent and so beautiful I could hardly believe the treasure
God had placed in my arms, our home and our lives.
Thankfully, God was gracious and he did not allow him to be taken
from me. We were allowed to adopt him when he was 18 months old. He
never knew the care of any other mother and is my oldest son,
Kaleo, now 15 and drop dead gorgeous GQ handsome, brilliant beyond
any parents wildest dreams, plays 5 instruments VERY WELL. Tests
off the charts and takes AP & Honors classes as a sophomore at
a fabulous private school.
Best of all, he still loves me and holds me dear. He even still
hugs me right in front of his friends! In the picture below, we are
on a favorite hiking trail on Maui at Iao Needle. He and I have
loved and enjoyed this place together since he was very
little!
Chelsea Rose . .
.
My second
foster baby came into our home when Kaleo was 6 months old. She was
14 months old and had been in the care of a fellow foster mom and
friend, Julie, since 5 months old. What a treasure!
Julie got pregnant and got sciatica. Doctors warned she needed to
stop taking care of Chelsea to keep her own health and the baby
growing in her womb safe.
I had been babysitting Chelsea once a week already. Jeff and I
decided we could manage two. So we took her in. Her first word was
“pretty.”
She learned her ABC’s and sung “Desus wuvs me!” with me every night
in the rocker before bed. One day six months later, the social
worker called to say her great aunt in NC was qualified and willing
to care of her and she would be on a plane in 48 hours!
I was in shock.I prayed and packed everything she had, including
her bedding and decor from her room in hopes of helping her find
some sense of familiarity in her new surroundings in such a foreign
place with people she’d never met.
I clung for one last hug, tore her little hands free from my arms
and ran in the house to crumble on the floor. Thankfully I had
Kaleo to care for and cling to!
I spent 4 days lost and trembling, in constant prayer. I did not
even have one shred of anything to remind me of Chelsea left in my
home. Not realizing what the aftermath of this first foster
parenting trauma would bring, I’d sent everything - or so I
thought, with her.
Four days later, in the spare room at my sewing table, I stumbled
across the beginning of a little blue floral dress I had begun
sewing for her. I picked it up and clung to it and cried. And then,
it struck me. I’d finish it.
My First Doll!
I was a woman possessed. I am a passionate person. Can you tell? I
finished the dress and another idea struck me. I’d stuff it and
make a head and arms and legs that looked like Chelsea and make a
doll! Well, I can’t say that it looked all that much like Chelsea,
but it did serve as a surrogate for me to rock and pray for Chelsea
when I put Kaleo down for his mid day nap each day. This helped
soothe me through the grieving process. I also believe it served
and continues to serve her as well. As I know God hears my
prayers!
This was my first ever doll! I had painted, crafted in every form,
loved photography, and of course scrap booked. I was always
artistic and creative. And God used doll making as a sort of
self-help therapy to teach me to mourn and cope with the inherent
losses of foster parenting life
After this, each time a new baby would come, I’d throw myself fully
into loving that child as my own - come what may. Then, when the
child would be moved to go live with extended family who had
qualified to care for him or her, I’d throw myself passionately
into making a doll to remember the child by and remind me as I
passed it on my shelf to pray for that precious little one I had
held and known as my own for a time. Slowly but surely, I began not
to dread the losing part as much because I learned to trust God’s
sovereignty more in my own life and the life of the child.
I eventually began to look forward to having sleep filled nights
and energy filled days for a time between medically fragile and
drug addicted newborn babies to recoup my own health, enjoy and
meet the needs of my own growing family and find time for doll
making.
I had a passion for realism and desired most of all to accurately
capture that child’s looks in a doll. This lead to my seeking out
better mediums than paper mache. Yes, I hate to admit it, but my
first doll was indeed made of paper mache. I tried liquache.
Eventually took porcelain doll making classes, played a bit at
cloth doll making and then discovered polymer clay! I was sure I’d
found the end-all-be-all of doll sculpting mediums then. I still
sculpt in it!
Then I took a long break from foster care after a particularly
overwhelming child left our care because my health was
flagging.
At this point Jeff and I thought we were done with foster care, so
I determined to throw myself into the perfecting of my doll making
skills and really spent a little over a year focused and passionate
about my hobby.
Then, I began making and selling OOAK’s to collectors. Went to EXPO
08 in DC and met Jack Johnston who invited me to his professional
class. Loved and enjoyed that experience, and was dubbed a Master
Doll Maker (not sure I’ll ever really be any such thing!)I began
sculpting miniatures next. I got down as tiny as a 1” naked newborn
baby at my smallest. I found I liked 2” naked newborns better
because I could fit in more detail in the fingernails, wrinkled
toes and scrunchy faces!
Researching mini’s online I found bjd’s. I was in love. But I could
not find bjd babies. I went to Idex 09 and saw bjd’s in person and
fell doubly in love. Still no babies. I went home and found a few
online, never available always sold out! So, I determined to make
one.
Thus began my year and a half bjd journey. I had to learn silicon
mold making & resin pressure casting. Both of which are NOT
some of my favorite parts of the process of developing a new bjd.
But, the end product is worth the hard work of the process. I
realized pushing through these challenges that doll making was
something I would truly love to dedicate myself to full time.
I find it fascinating how God works in that my big initial doll
company launch is being held in NC. Someplace I have never been
either. It seems like a "full circle" thing to
me!
BJD’s are both - an
heirloom quality doll for avid collectors to display and enjoy and
a hobby canvass for the creative &
artistic!
Complete full-set, themed dolls are such fun to make as an artist.
I can dream up the whole theme & personality of the doll. I can
start sculpting (my absolute favorite part) and end up with a
finished fine collectible doll like my new Sugar Sweet LE. Then
with BJD’s I can also take the same sculpt and cast it in a
different color resin, paint it with different painting techniques
and colors and details and come up with a completely different and
yet equally wonderful fine collectible doll like my Brown Sugar
LE.
Now artistic and creative collectors can do the same. They can
purchase a sculpt and add their own paint, eyes, wigs, costuming to
create their own truly original work of art that peaks into their
own soul and shares a bit of themselves with the world! I love it!
If I had discovered bjd’s before discovering my love of sculpting,
I might never have started to sculpt! That would have been tragic
for me I think. But for doll makers who do not desire or have the
time and energy to learn to sculpt, bjd’s are the way to
go.
That is
where we’ve come from. Where we are going is forward, daily, full
throttle!
I have never been a person to do
anything halfway. My first foster baby girl began doll making for
me, and my last foster baby girl whom God has graciously allowed to
become my daughter, has inspired the whole Sugar N’ Spice Heirloom
Dolls line. My daughter Bree wanted a little girl doll who looked
like her to play with. She also wanted one who looked like
me.
One of Bree’s favorite questions is, “Mommy, when you were a little
girl, did you or were you . . .?” She is always comparing and
trying to understand herself and life in light of me. What an
incredible honor! She is severely hearing impaired and was born at
just 1lb 2oz! She lived on an oxygen tank for the first 19 months
of her life. And she has not only survived but at every turn she
fights, gives her all, and does her best in excellence! In the
midst of all this, she always has a smile and a hug filled with
encouragement for others. She is truly amazing. And Everyone LOVES
Bree. I am so proud of her and she is so very inspiring. On the
outside we are as opposite as any two people could be, but on the
inside we are truly two peas in a pod. Isn’t God good!
On the outside, I am Sugar, and she is Spice. Where I am a blue
eyed blonde, she is a raven haired exotic beauty. She is a modern
little minx with her own artistic style and a vibrant imagination
as well! She and I, our relationship, the juxtaposition of retro
vintage sweet, and modern sci-fi flair have all inspired my newest
doll line! She plans to grow up to be a Spy Girl because she
already reads lips well, a necessary spy skill. I thought I’d grow
up to be a Pediatrician, marry Prince Charming and raise
babies!
Of course, God had even better plans for me! And I will always be
grateful. And He has the best plans for Bree too I'm certain. But
for now, the little girl in her reminds and inspires the little
girl in me who always loved to play dolls. And once again, I am
grateful.
A Bright
Future!
We are coming out with a 3rd Sugar Baby
sculpt named Jade Blossom in addition to our Chelsea Rose and
Leilani. We are also coming out with Spice, the 2nd sculpt in our
Sugar N’ Spice Heirloom Dolls line with the 18cm 3-6 year old body.
Both are at the factory now and I should receive my samples to
approve the molds any day. We intend to begin shipping those in Dec
and have them with us in stock at Idex in January.
Our next big project is a 7-10 year old body doll likely between
10-11” tall. And we will have new sculpts coming out in all our
doll sizes and lines each season. We will offer both complete full
set themed limited edition dolls and our hybrid PJ versions, as
well as true basics.
We are hoping our hybrid PJ versions and Persona Sets will help the
US doll collector make the step into purchasing a bjd to transform
into their very own doll. Persona Sets are meant to inspire a
collector by giving them everything needed to give one bjd several
different personas.
We are hoping this will help adapt mainstream US doll collector’s
to the bjd collector’s passion. Or at least get them to play more
with their dolls.
All this makes doll collecting more fun and fascinating for a whole
new generation of doll collectors. Which leads us to further hope
that US doll collecting will be reborn into a new growth phase,
leading to a thriving new era and bright future for us all! Like I
said, I’m passionate! And pleased to meet you!
However, whatever becomes of my doll making, wherever the future
leads, I will be headed there with God in the lead, and my family
surrounding me every step of the way. I am so blessed and grateful
to be thriving. I know I am right where God wants me for now. And
look forward to seeing all He plans to do!
Mahalo,
Bo Bergemann
