Vancouver-based artist Wendy Tsao turns children's drawings into adorable, handcrafted plush dolls. The toys, which she calls “softies,” are one-of-a-kind reflections of the kids' creativity and imagination. Anything that they can dream up–from rainbow cats to cute bat-pig hybrids to three-headed snake monsters–are brought to life through Tsao's unique handiwork, providing the children with cuddly companions they can cherish forever.
The artist made her first toy in 2007, transforming her four-year-old son's self-portrait into an original stuffed toy. Tsao says, “I loved it because it was his first creative effort to make sense of his world.” Since then, she has been delighting children around the world with her creations, putting time, love, and care into crafting about 120 custom-made softies each year.
“I am an artist, and I value creativity in all walks of life, including children's artwork. Every child's drawing that I see was created with that child's unique outlook and skill. The drawings are always original and distinct, like children themselves (and almost all them come with smiles),” Tsao writes on her website. “Each softie is an art project between me and the child, where I do my best to capture the spirit of the drawing in my unique way, to ‘breathe life into it' so-to-speak. The final result is my own genuine, heart-felt response to the joyfulness in the child's drawing. A softie to be cherished for many years to come.”
Tsao's handmade toys have become so popular that she has a full waitlist until June 2015. To find out more, be sure to check out her business's website, Child's Own Studio.
