Sunday, April 5, 2015

Children Of America Doll Gets a Makeover!

Hello Doll Friends!!

In a prior post, I told you about C.O.A.D. Dolls and how two of them made their way to the Doll House. I loved them when I got them and still do... However, as you will see, when took the pony tails out of one of them, I made a very distressing discovery!!


Look at this!? Her hair was only rooted around the edge of her skull and down the middle like some strange mohawk or something?! There was no way she would ever be able to wear her hair down! So... When I discovered that, I put her hair back into a pony tail and put it as a 'to-do' in my mental list of projects, finding some way to 'help' her hair problem. 


Fast forward to recently when I was looking into doll wigs on eBay. I kept seeing these really neat looking ones that were labeled 10inch BJD 1/3 Doll Wigs in amazing rainbow colors and crazy colors! I didn't know, though, if they'd fit an 18" doll and that is who I was shopping for...


So then I found one on auction for 99c and figured I'd risk it and bid. Shipping was about $7 but considering it was coming all the way from China, I didn't think that was too shabby. I ordered a gray one because one of my favorite dolls, a TollyTot named Electra, has gray hair and I love her look. I ordered the wig for one of my BFC Ink Dolls because their hair is a tragic mess...


However, when the wig came, I knew it wasn't going to fit. One of my friends in the doll forums on Facebook had been able to make one work by stretching it like mad and super gluing as she went... I love the way hers turned out but I am not that brave! She even did it on an actual American Girl doll. So... I had a wig that was too small for the one I bought it for... Hmmm... *light-bulb-goes-off* Oh yeah! My COAD Doll needs a wig!! Here is me, trying it on over her hair to see if I like the color on her. I think she looks amazing!!


So... Off with her hair!


Isn't her original hair line kind of, well, creepy?


So here is the first try on after I got original hair off. Doesn't she look fantastic?!


So, I put all the hair up in pony tail holders, even the bangs, to keep it out of the way while I glued it on...


Then I turned wig cap inside out and tucked all the hair inside to try and keep it safe from the glue. 


I've used Aleene's Original Tacky Glue and a sponge type 'brush' to put all my doll wigs on and from what I understand, many doll restoration people swear by it too. You can buy it at Walmart for under $2. 


So, I slathered her head in glue... Pretty liberally... 


All over her head.


Then I use the sponge brush to spread it more evenly over her head until I have a nice white layer of glue. 


You don't want it TOO thick though because it will seep up through the wig. I know this from experience. 


Then, on goes the wig! I've learned to do several trial runs with a wig every time I wig a doll, before I do it with the glue in place. This way you get a feel for where the wig will fall to and where you want it to be before you have the pressure of having glue setting as you decide!!


The bangs are a bit long, naturally, but I'll have them trimmed up... 


So here she is, on my messy desk, drying... I think perhaps waiting for the glue to dry is the hardest part! I always wait for 24 hours just to be on safe side before I touch the doll. Want glue to have proper time to set. 

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Update!
September 19, 2015
This didn't ever get posted back in April?! I guess I never got around to taking proper photos of her "after" and it got stuck in drafts. Am posting without after photos for now because she is in storage and it'll probably be a month before I can get back to playing in the doll house because we have to sell house and move and unpack before that can happen. Boohoo! She looks great tho and much like the photo at the end. 

Thanks for stopping by!
Till next time! XXOO


















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