The following article appeared in the "St. Maarten Nights" magazine 2002 edition. This article is being published trough the king courtesy of St. Maarten Nights N.V.

“My dolls reflect St. Maarten,

“They are dressed in traditional St. Maarten clothes and have joyful,
welcoming expressions.”
Esther takes great pride in ensuring that each and every doll she creates truly represents the heart and soul of St. Maarten. She is president of St. Maarten Cottage Crafters Industry Foundation, a gathering of dedicated handicraft specialists who are committed , says Esther, “to giving tourists the real,
made-in-St. Maarten souvenir handicraft and not common, recycled souvenir items you find all over the place.”

Esther studied doll making in Holland. For the past several years in St. Maarten, she has been making and selling dolls, ceramics and “lots of other things, because I like creating with my hands.”
“It actually started as a hobby when I was a child,” she recalls, her face blossoming into a radiant smile as childhood memories flood through. “I would like dolls to decorate my parent’s house, dolls for friends as gifts, I even made dolls for my mom to use as potholders and then I made dolls to cover all kitchen utensils.”

Today, those custom-made kitchen utensil cover dolls are her biggest sellers, followed a close second by her famous, and somewhat unusual, two-sided dolls.
No matter which side of the doll you face, it embraces you with the beaming Caribbean smile.
If you’re not aware, you’ll swear there are two different dolls (which are half true, giving that each side of the doll is dressed differently). The only thing that seems uniform is the pose. Even the captivating smile exudes deferent warmth, depending on your point of view.
Esther and her fellow crafters take great pride in their work, especially at the time when downtown Philipsburg is teeming with assembly line St. Maarten souvenirs that are “made anywhere but here,” says Esther.

“They are unable to capture the true essence of the St. Maarten spirit of culture. We do it because we live it and love it,” explains Esther, who teaches others her craft. “It labor intensive, painstaking work and you must love it to-do it!” Her devotion is paying off.
“I have orders from souvenirs shops here in St. Maarten, plus St. Thomas and Antigua.”
How can you be sure that you’ve come face to face with one of Ester’s dolls, not an impostor? Just look for the autograph Lulu, Esther’s pet name. Better yet, visit the Cottage Crafters colorfully painted tour bus stop at Belvedere, right on the border between Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin …if you’re lucky, you might even catch Esther making an  authentic St. Maarten doll right before your eyes!

Esther of Lulu's Dolls can be found at Harbor Point Village, Point Blanch. Cruise ship passengers can visit us there.