BALTIMORE — She's one of the biggest stars on the planet, shrunk down to an 18-inch doll.
Kelly Heil is the creator of custom-made Taylor Swift dolls. By day, she works as a teacher at St. James Academy. In her spare time, she's creating dolls for Swiftie fans.
The idea came to her when her youngest daughter asked for one and she couldn't find any in that size.
"I bought a blond hair, blue-eyed doll, gave her a complete Taylor make over, made an outfit for her. I had a lot of fun with it," she said.
She cuts the doll's hair to give them Taylor's signature bangs, a cat-eye and bright red lipstick.
Heil hand-sews sparkly body suits, in pink for the Lover-era or blue for the Midnight-era. She makes tiny friendship bracelets with words like kind, hope or dream. She even paints the doll's nails with the colors representing each of Taylor Swift's eras.
When friends and family saw the doll she made, they too wanted one. This year, Heil is expanding her customer pool with an Etsy store called "Live for the Hope of It", a lyric from one of Taylor's songs.
Heil doesn't do this alone, her daughters help to put on the finishing touches. It's a chance for mother and daughters to connect through their love of Taylor Swift. Heil hopes her customers will build the same memories as she is with her kids.
"When its an artist and its a woman we look up to and has been really successful and is using her talent to make all her dreams come true, it’s a great thing to see your daughters be excited about and to bond with them."
