Looking for a timeless handmade gift made with love, then I have the perfect company to introduce you to today. This small business creates the most beautiful ethically conscious and proudly South African handcrafted heirloom dolls and designer toys called – Charlie Loves Studio. What makes this online store so unique is that with each of the dolls purchased a portion is donated to a special someone in need.
To celebrate lovilees 10 year anniversary earlier this year, I teamed up with Colleen from Lieflingkind Design to bring you the biggest give-away to date on the blog. A special someone stood the chance to win a rebrand for their business and a blog profile article on lovilee. After lots of deliberation, we awarded two prizes with Charlie Loves Studio being the winner! And there is no better time to celebrate a new logo than on Spring day, with her website going live soon!
How beautiful is this 100% custom logo created by Colleen? The bunny is an actual drawing replicating one of the Charlie Loves bunnies! This could not be more special to have a logo with a custom-drawn element!
The Lady(s) behind Charlie Loves Studio
Charlene is the girl-boss behind the brand, with a childhood dream to have her very own creative company – but making toys for little children was coincidental. As she grew her career in corporate, it was only the combination of circumstances and passion that nudged her in this direction – passion, purpose, pain and the lack of financial independence.
After being retrenched from her day job whilst on maternity leave with her firstborn, she spent 4 years as a stay-at-home with her two kids. It was however only after she lost her mom to cancer, the most painful and emotional experience she ever experienced and which made her more aware of eternity, that she decided to start a business with significance to others. Starting a business that would pay it forward to members of communities in need – her first creation – a unicorn softie.
Why the name Charlie Loves?
‘Charlie’ represents the little girl within Charlene (also her childhood nickname used only once by her favourite cousin). She is the dreamer and the inner child who thinks anything is possible. She loves the idea of the secret garden and is the little girl who stares in awe when she walks into the worlds largest toy store.
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‘Loves’ – because, for Charlene, it is a personal journey of love and hopefully for her clients and beneficiaries too.
Why buying a doll from Charlie Loves Studio matters
With each doll sold, Charlie Loves Studio reaches out in our hurting communities to provide a meal to a hungry child or care for hurting children. Each doll helps create employment and is a vehicle to provide the opportunity for skills transfer and empowerment in our local townships. As far as possible, the vision is to create beautiful things in our townships.
It hasn’t been an easy choice and takes many hours, but through the Charlie Loves programme, from March 2018 to present, they have engaged with and up-skilled 9 ladies from the townships of Diepsloot and Katlehong. Some ladies have stayed on and some have left. But their hearts are always warm, knowing that they planted a seed – that if just nurtured, can blossom into something beautiful. You can view more on the companies that they support here.
Some of my favorite favorites from her collection
- Superhero Bunny
- Lola bunny
- Frienship dolls that will be launching soon!
You might have also seen the DIY bunnies that I used from Charlie Loves Studio as activity for the guests to make at ‘A bun in the Oven’ Baby shower.
Visit her new-look website on www.charlieloves.co.za or follow her journey on Instagram @charlielovesstudio
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2 Comments
Oh my, the branding is absolutely perfect! Love Love Love ….
I absolutely Loooooooove it