Our Story. Karen Chadbourne (formerly Karen Miller) combined a lifelong love of spiritual exploration with the art of doll-making to create Original Presents, LLC, a business enterprise that celebrates the strength and beauty originally present in each of us, through doll-making. Karen makes dolls, and guides others in making dolls, that express their dreams and visions in an extraordinary and tangible way. She inspires people to experience the joy of tapping into something rich and powerful within themselves. The doll-making deepens people's connections with their internal guidance and with each other as their creative gifts are discovered and expressed.
Karen's resume includes extensive leadership experience in an international professional services firm, as well as within local religious and spiritual communities. Karen's education includes an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Colby College and graduate work at the University of Hartford. She also graduated from the Hartford Seminary's Women's Leadership Institute, where she discovered dollmaking as a sacred tool for celebration and healing. Karen is a devoted member of the Unity Church of Greater Hartford where she leads the Prayer Chaplain ministry.
In operation since 2004, Original Presents, LLC, has provided services to:
- Asylum Hill Congregational Church - Doll-making workshop
- Camp Totokett - 2 years, children's camp, meaningful doll-making activities
- Cedar Mountain Commons Red Hat Society - presentation to Red Hat Society
- Connecticut Childrens Medical Center - weekly one-on-one doll-making with patients for over 5 years
- Connecticut Elder Action Network - Healing Circle Doll
- Day for Women at ECSU - Doll-making activity
- Enfield UCC Women's Heart to Heart Group - Doll-making workshop
- First Congregational Church of Branford - several doll-making workshops
- Hartford Hospital Integrative Medicine Department - Doll-making retreat
- Hartford Seminary - Mother/Daughter Doll-making workshop and IA Department retreat activity
- Kensington Congregational Church - Doll-making retreat activity
- Marlborough United Church of Christ - Doll-making workshop
- Mary Kay Directors and Consultants - Celebration dolls and workshops
- Nia Connecticut - Capture a Dream doll-making workshop
- Pathways of Spirituality at The Spiritual Life Center - Doll-making workshop
- Phoenix House - Doll-making workshop for shelter residents
- St. Patrick/St. Anthony's Church - Doll-making workshop for shelter residents
- Spirit Matters - Mother/Daughter doll-making workshop
- Star Island UCCII Conference - Doll-making activities throughout weeklong conference - 3 years
- UConn Health Center - Doll-making workshops for nurses and staff
- Unity Church of Greater Hartford - Doll-making activities with youth groups and adults
- Women's Executive Council - Healing Circle Doll
- Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital - One-on-one doll-making with children
- and, numerous individuals - Doll-making workshops, Celebration dolls, Healing Circle dolls and more!
Karen is personally committed to "giving back" in ways that are powerful and meaningful. See how our charitable giving makes a difference.
