Welcome to Nanny's Cottage Originals! My name is Nena Crouch and I live in the beautiful Catskill Mt. Region of New York State. I have been married for 33 years to a most wonderful man who is my #1 encourager and inspiration. We are Christian music ministers by trade and between all the traveling and rich times we spend with all our children and grandchildren, my 'spare' time is spent making folk art and primitive dolls.

As a young girl I spent many a summer with my friends on the picnic table designing and sewing clothes for all my Barbie dolls. The first doll I ever made, however, was for my daughter when she was about 3. She has since grown up, married a wonderful man, and now has 3 beautiful children of her own. I still have that first doll!

In the 1980's I made soft-sculptured dolls that I sold at a resort gift shop in the Thousand Islands. The dollmaking was put on the shelf during the last 10 years as our ministry developed and we relocated due to my husband's job. It was not until three years ago (after much encouragement from my husband) that I returned to designing and creating dolls. At this time, I discovered polymer clay and a whole new world opened up. I also found a love for the cloth primitive dolls while exploring on eBay, and have been able to incorporate many of the soft-sculpture techniques that I used in my earlier dolls.

Nanny's Cottage is named in honor of both my grandmothers. I spent my first 5 summers at the cottage of my maternal grandmother from Switzerland who died at a very young age of 58. I called her 'Nanny' and she was the first to introduce me to Jesus. Growing up, I spent lots of time during summer vacations at the cottage of my paternal grandmother from Ireland. At the cottage, Grandma Alice taught me all the fine arts of any kind of needle (as well as the proper way to eat Limburger cheese!) We would spend many hours on her iron swing in front of the cottage working on our 'projects' together and watching all the big ships going by on the St. Lawrence River. Grandma just recently went Home at the young age of 106.

Now I'm a grandmother known as 'Nanny' and I am very much looking forward to the years ahead when I can pass along to my grandchildren all that I know and have learned......(the Limburger part should be interesting!)

Thank you so much for visiting the Cottage and may your day be Blessed!