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Located in Langley, BC, Canada, just east of Vancouver, BC, the Timeless Doll Gallery has been serving private doll collectors, doll makers, doll making students, antique dealers, insurance companies, flood and fire restoration service companies, museums, and prop masters throughout Canada, the United States, Great Britain, New Zealand, and Japan since 1996. The Timeless Doll Gallery is also home for A Timeless Doll Hospital where dolls and ceramics are restored and repaired.
It is owned and operated by Certified Master Doll Artisan, Sheila M. Callen (AKA Sheila M. Eldstrom). Working with Callen is her partner Brian G. Wood. Callen's artistic and municipal government background combined with Wood's experience in engineering and manufacturing make for a solid team. Their completely different approaches to studio business offer clients a high level of commitment to product originality, quality and customer service.
To learn more about Sheila M. Callen and the Timeless Doll Gallery, visit our Press Room.
On November 5, 2004, John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun wrote and published an article about Callen, entitled "Artisan's nips and tucks give old dolls new beauty". Callen's
contact information was not published in that article. If you are still searching for Sheila Callen, this is her site.
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 When Sheila Marilyn Callen was six years old, Santa
Clause gave her a Barbara Ann Scott doll. Her mother made her an entire wardrobe of beautiful 40s fashions - everything including lingerie, tailored suits and hats, evening gowns, and a fur stole. Eventually Callen began making her own doll costumes using any available fabric, including tissue paper. This early Mom-inspired creativity was to influence Callen throughout her entire life. Callen has always loved doing artistic things - interior decorating, knitting, sewing, crocheting, floral arrangements, hair styling, and oil painting.
In 1991, when Callen discovered that it was possible to make porcelain dolls herself she signed up for classes right away. By 1996, after a feverish five years of taking every class and workshop she could squeeze into her schedule, she earned her certification as a Certified Master Doll Artisan (CMDA) through the Doll Artisan Guild (D.A.G.) in New York. Callen began her career by specializing in reproduction antique and modern dolls. She has received many awards for her dolls in competitions both in Canada and in the United States. Over time, she has affectionately become known as "The Doll Lady" to her family, friends, clients, and students.
In 1996, Callen became a qualified D.A.G Doll-making instructor. In spring 1997, Callen instructed her first doll-making class and taught typically ten students per term for 10 years. Today, Callen prefers to offer one-on-one lessons in her studio.
In 1996 Callen created the Timeless Doll Gallery, an exclusive doll-making studio located in the historic Murrayville area of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, just east of Vancouver.
In 1997 Callen accepted her first doll restoration project from a client whose mother published an article about Callen's restoration work in a local magazine. Once discovered, work quickly came her way and since then Callen has completed hundreds of restoration projects for private collectors, antique dealers, insurance companies, fire and water restoration companies, and museums.
In 1998, Callen created a line of Christmastime porcelain giftware, which she originally sold at craft fairs. Now that the word is out she sells exclusively to giftware clients from all around the globe from her web site and to local clients visiting her studio.
Today, Callen and her spouse work full time in their 650 square foot studio in Langley, devoting their time to Callen's most impressive creation - the Timeless Doll Gallery. Clients come and go, and return with more orders or more work, and they bring yet more new clients. The film industry has discovered her and her dolls frequently show up in movies and television advertisements. Newspaper and magazine articles have been written about her, and Callen's attendance at antique shows in Western Canada is a rally point for doll collectors of all ages!
For more information about Callen and the Timeless Doll Gallery, visit our Press Room.
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 Shortly after meeting Callen in 2000, Wood took over maintenance of
www.timelessdolls.com. At that time Wood was in business as a contract Technical Writer after a 25-year career as a 'captive employee' in the high tech industry.
As their relationship deepened, Wood recognized many parallels between the processes of Callen's studio and the many factories he worked in and visited over his career in industry. With a downturn in the local high tech industry in 2002 and a curiosity to understand the porcelain technology, Wood took on more responsibilities in the studio. Today, working full time in the business, he maintains www.timelessdolls.com and www.timelessdollhospital.com, develops marketing criteria, and does the daily 'dirty' work in the studio. With a background in material evaluation, Wood also develops new processes used in the restoration and repair services of A Timeless Doll Hospital.
Wood also owns and operates www.collectsportfishing.com, through which he buys, sells, and consigns sport fishing collectibles.
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