|
Amy Harmon of by Lisa A. Lawrence
Amy Harmon was born and raised in the hills of Kentucky. Her parents and paternal grandparents are Buckeyes (from Ohio!) while her maternal grandparents moved to Kentucky as Missionaries in the 1950s where most of her family still remains. For thirty years her grandpa pastored the same church while her grandma was the Sunday School teacher.
I asked Amy what makes her husband wonderful. "I could write a book," Amy answers. "He has always supported and encouraged me in my endeavors. He works long hours away from home and then comes home and works all weekend on our house. He's loving, kind and one of the best fathers I have ever seen. Most of all he is my soul mate. Oh yeah, and did I mention he is very handsome?"
Prior to this, though, Amy's life wasn't so easy.
"I used to be a welfare
Mom." Amy states. "I was married at eighteen, a mother after turning
nineteen and divorced after one year. Megan and I struggled for years while
I tried to find a way out." Amy credits her return to her Christian faith
for giving her the strength to make it through those years.
She started doing repaints on Barbie about 7 to 8 years ago but only did about a dozen of them. After she discovered Gene® and the larger fashion dolls, she began repainting them too. She practiced for several months and finally sold her first repaint on eBay® in April 2001. Her repaints take anywhere from one day to several weeks. Amy has only done one collaboration, which was with Cheryl of Crawford Manor. "I think Cheryl is one of the best in the OOAK business!" Amy proclaims.
"It isn't always easy. Some days I'm scanning the neighborhood for the nearest bus so I can toss them on it. Then there are days when I watch them both quietly working or see the pride in my seven year old's eyes when she gets something right ... and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Amy doesn't have set number of
hours she works and rarely works on weekends.
Asked if her daughters
also do repainting, Amy replied, "My oldest tried it once. She wasn't happy
with her work. Her real passion is music. She plays the guitar and sings
beautifully. She made it into the semifinals with 24 other people in the
National Christian Artist Talent Search this year. We took her to Nashville
where she was the youngest person competing. Although she didn't win it was
a great learning experience for her. We are very proud of her and expect to
see her 'make it' one day. It's her dream." Amy's daughters think that Amy
is famous for her repaints and are always ready to give their input into her
current work.
About two years
ago, Amy and her husband bought a farm house that they have been renovating
ever since, in a Victorian style of course! Although they have recently
moved into it, their home "has a ways to go" before it will be complete."
Her family is finding it challenging to continue their renovations while
actually living there.
While her family
currently has a Maine Coon cat, a guinea pig, a parakeet and a pair of white
doves who raise lots of babies, Amy is looking forward to having chickens
and other farm animals now that they are settled into their farm. She also
loves growing roses. She had about 30 different roses at a previous home
and can't wait until next Spring to add them, as well as perennials and herb
plantings, to their farm.
|
Amy
has two daughters, Megan, 17, and Cheyenne, 7, and has been happily married
to a "wonderful" man for 8 years! Her husband is a coal miner.
She
started collecting Barbies®
about ten years ago. While Amy currently has about 30 of them, she no
longer collects them. Instead, Sydney®
is the star of her collection...although Amy just recently sold her Raven
and Black and White Ballgown Sydneys.
Amy's
repaint business is home based and part time. The remainder of her days go
into home schooling her daughters. When asked why she home schools her
kids, Amy responds, "I
believe 'who better to teach their children'? Loving parents can and should
be a big influence on their children's lives. Of course, let me add that
not everyone can or wants to home school and I don't judge them for it or
think I'm the better parent because I do. All the girls' friends go to
public school."
"Megan
was home schooled in 7th grade. After going back to public school in the
eighth grade, she decided she no longer wanted to go to public school This
is her fifth and final year of home schooling. Cheyenne has never been to
public school and thinks that she would not want to go. For the most part,
both girls enjoy their home studies."
Amy
often uses family names for her repainted dolls. She's also been inspired by
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer. Her resources include
at least a dozen books on historical fashion and a huge collection of
clothes patterns for 11 1/2" to 16" fashion dolls.
When
Any was eight, her Dad was considering buying an old three-storey Victorian
house. After walking through that grand old house, Amy knew she would never
like any other decorating style as much as as the wonderful antiques spread
throughout that home.
Amy
has a wrought iron bed from the 1800s as well as various other antiques that
she's picked up cheaply through the years. She also has an antique claw
foot tub and an old wall sink that will eventually go into the downstairs
bathroom when it's completed. Amy has purchased wallpaper for various rooms
in the house, but as of yet, none of it has been hung! The farm house also
has an extra room which Amy is converting into her very own studio/office!
It's not yet complete either, but it will be the first time she's had her
own private "work space!" Luckily, just in time for winter, they finished
installing a heat pump!
