All meticulously handcrafted, Camille Allen, 35, often spends several weeks creating each one, beginning with a simple ball of clay.

Features are delicately carved out of the clay using crafting tools, resulting in adorable, tiny newborns ready to captivate her customers.

Explaining the process, Camille said: “Starting from a lump of clay and tiny tools, including toothpicks, sculpting a life-size or miniature baby begins. It takes many, many hours of patient concentration to form a realistic baby and finish with fine details – including wrinkles and fingernails.

The babies have soft English mohair to imitate fine baby hair and are blushed with paints for realism to enhance their tiny wrinkles and creases.”

Camille’s skills were passed down within her extended family after her husband’s grandmother, Clara Allen, taught her how to sculpt life-size baby dolls.

The life-size dolls inspired Camille to try her own creations, specializing in the miniature babies, which she has dubbed ‘Egg Babies.’

Camille said: “The first miniature baby I made was curled in a fetal position, and I even gave it an umbilical cord, as if it was still in the womb. The shape and size of the baby seemed similar to that of an eggshell. I tried this, and the baby fit perfectly inside an egg!

“This was how the idea of ‘Egg Babies’ was born. I think the fragile newborn baby is complemented by the eggshell, reminding us of how fragile new life is and how gently they must be treated and cared for. Later, I tried sculpting a baby inside a seashell – thus, the ‘Shell Babies.’

The shapes and textures of different seashells either echo the soft curves of babies or they provide an interesting contrast to emphasize them. Some Shell Babies have pearls in their navels or are holding a pearl, like two little treasures found in one shell!”

Camille says that her customers love her work, with many people buying for both sentimental and heartwrenching reasons, including bereaved parents seeking a form of therapy.

She said: “They really touch people’s hearts, often reminding them of their own children or grandchildren as babies. Many who have lost a pregnancy or child are deeply moved.