Wigged Was the Answer!! Electra Gets New Hair!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!

Computer problems!! I've been having them and so didn't get a chance to post at all this weekend. I'd like to say that since I couldn't get on computer, I spent the entire weekend creating creating creating... Sadly, although I had a million ideas in my head but just couldn't muster the energy to implement them. Does that ever happen to you? I suppose all hobbies wax and wane. 

Don't get me wrong, I did do 'doll stuff' this weekend, I created a new doll house background so now I have three large backgrounds with the viney Contact Paper 'Wallpaper' like you see in the kitchen here. I like to have more than one of the same paper because then I can make very large rooms or rooms that expand into two (think living room and kitchen) with the same continual wallpaper. If that makes sense. 

I also re-dressed and combed out or re-styled the hair of several of my dolls. I find that incredibly relaxing and fun to do... And being as I have so many dolls I could likely change and style two or three a day and still end up with dust in the hair of a few anyway...? Teehee. Maybe not. I try to change out and style each doll at least once a season. (Ugh, that sounds terrible! But it's not like the sweat or get dirty, right?) I am rambling... Sorry about that! On to the subject of this post!

Electra got new hair!! The other day, in a previous post, I couldn't decide for sure, once I cut my Tolly Tot Electra's hair, if I should actually just let her keep her original, albiet shorter, hair. So, I decided to wash it and see what I thought afterwards...

Ironically enough, before I washed it, it looked reasonably cute in a 'shoulder length bob' sort of way and I thought I'd done a so-so job of cutting it. 

However, after her wash out and hot dip, you could really tell I have no idea how to cut hair. Haha. Seriously, there's a reason people go to school for that. Eh? Boy haircuts are more forgiving, I think and I've pulled off a few of those but girl hair is a different matter altother apparently. 

Poor dear! Looks a bit forlorn!

I asked my husband his honest opinion about how she looked and he said "Well, it's a bit choppy..." and I knew that, despite the fact that I loved how her hair likely was originally (Those purple highlights are so cute!) the fact was it was pretty much ruined. Oh well, at least I tried to save her hair before I chopped it all off. Eh?

I got her wig from EXQUISITEDOLLDESIGNZ Wig Shoppe. I actually took photos of the envelopes when they came in but I guess I forgot to post them in this blog draft. The package was identical to the first one though. This wig, I must report, was one of the tightest of the wigs I've ever bought. I literally had a moment where I thought it must've just been made wrong and I'd maybe have to send it back or something!? I kept yanking and tugging, having to repeat to myself over and over again that this wig was made for a doll this size, I got it on. At one point, I even went and measured the Tolly Tot head to make sure it's not a lot larger or something and it's the same. It seems like Sew For Dolls had a similar issue with one or two of the wigs from Exquisite Doll Designs but, as she said, one nice thing about it is that, once you get that wig on, you likely don't even need to glue it on because it is not going anywhere. I may try and push the end of the tip of my glue bottle under it at certain places just so it's 'glued' but maybe not because it's on pretty securely just with it being so tight.

What do you think? Isn't she adorable with her new wig? I think I am going to change her name now that she looks so much like a friend of mine. So I think Electra is going to become Jan. Maybe I'll let her keep Electra as her middle name but I've needed a Jan doll to represent one of my life long freinds in the Doll House and this little lady looks just like her with her now 'all white' hair.

Better run, out of time...!
Have a great week!
XXOO
Heather

Melissa and Doug Washing Machine Find At Goodwill! Perfect for 18inch Dolls!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends,

I went into town for work yesterday and, you guessed it, stopped by the nearby Goodwill. What did I see but a cute little washing machine that looked, literally, like it was made for 18inch dolls. Score! Then, when I picked it up and realized it was actually made out of wood I was even more intrigued. Looking closer, I realized it was a Melissa and Doug toy. Nice!! I love their toys because they are always made as if to survive the end of the world or something. By this I mean they are very sturdy and hard to break, as all toys should be really. My own children had a number of their toys when they were smaller, all gleaned from Garage Sales and Thrift Shops because, especially when the kids were little bitty and I was staying home with them, there's no way I could've afforded the new prices. Are you kidding me? Hahaha. Luckily, because they are so well made, they oftentimes make it to the second hand market and so I found my kids quite a few of them. I digress... But suffice to say that Melissa & Doug toys are top notch. 

I was so happy with the price on this piece too! It was marked only $3.99! WOOT!! Especially when I went to the Melissa and Doug website and found out that this is called the "Lets Play House! Wash, Dry, Iron! set and it retails on thier website for $39.99!! So I got it for 10% of the new price! Of course I didn't get any of the accessories that came with but who cares when it's 90% off, right? After looking around the internet I found you can find it cheaper at Walmart where it was more than $10 cheaper at $28.47. By the way, what is up with Walmart and their oddball price points, eh? I digress again but how weird is that? Hahaha. I am too TypeA for Walmarts weird pricing! Now I am giggling at myself. At least someone is amused, eh? (Can't tell it's Friday and I am so happy that it is?) 

Back to the washer! So the one I found was in nearly perfect shape. It could afford to be wiped down but this is literally how I found it. 

Here Annie is modeling by the newest appliance in the Doll House! The dolls were all very excited! They had been hand washing all their dolly clothes and what a lot of work that was. 

*giggles*

As you can see on the dial, it's meant to be a washer and a dryer. How convenient and space saving! The top of the shelves is meant to be an ironing board. I have to say I really love this piece! I think it could likely take years of play and still look just like this. A lot of the toy appliences actually made for dolls are made of plastic and not nearly as sturdy as this is. This reminds me of the toy kitchens I often saw in churches when I was little bitty, all made out of wood and sturdy like this. So totally cool that I have it for the dolls. I've hinted that I may be doing a bit of 'traveling' with my doll house in the near future to bring the doll house to real live kids to actually play with... (Not all of it mind you, the breakable bits will stay safe at my house!) So I think this will be the making of a whole laundry room for that venture. So excited!!

As you can see, you can fit very large loads of laundry in the machine! I love high capacity washers! I have one of my own! 

Uh Oh! The laundry fell out! (Kidding!)

Annie is ironing a skirt! (I got all the accessories you see here at thrift stores and garage sales. The iron is a 'wind up toy')

I also love that you can store all the accessories in the washing machine when you're all done playing. I took a photo of that but forgot to upload it apparently.... So I'll come back and update with that photo from my phone soon.

Better run!
Till next time!
XXOO
Heather

To Wig or Not To Wig, That Is The Question?

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!

So recently, as you know if you read this little blog regularly, I've been on a bit of a 'kick' where I am going to force myself to purge some dolls from my somewhat embarrasingly huge collection. Either that or force myself to make over whichever dolls I have that collect dust in their hair into dolls that I love too much to leave on the shelf. If that makes sense. So quite a few of my dolls have gotten makeovers into OOAK or One Of A Kind Dolls lately and I've been really having quite a bit of fun with it!

So Electra here really has always been a favorite because she is a Tolly Tot Doll and a doll named Rose was my very first 18inch doll. She was a garage sale doll but was my first 18inch doll, a gift to me from my daughter from her small collection way back when I made my very first upcycled doll clothes to use as a 'fit doll'. So even though they don't make them anymore, Tolly's will always have  a special place in my heart. I got Electra on eBay for a steal once but her hair was always a bit of a mess. 

I'd hot water dipped her hair and everything but it never sorted out the sad bushy frayed ends. I had always considered just cutting off the horrible ends but worried I'd mess up and make her worse and so she has spent her entire time in the doll house with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. However, I still loved her silver and purple hair and so I never really wanted to take the plunge and re-wig her. Until recently as I realized she hardly ever leaves the shelf or the doll rack and so it was time to do something about her hair. So, I ordered a 'white' wig (it was my mothers day gift from hubby cos he asked what I really wanted), determined to just cut off her hair and put a new wig on.

I saw in mail tracking that the wig would likely be here the next day and so I figured I'd get her out and perhaps cut her hair off so I'd be able to just put the doll wig on when it arrived. 

See? Isn't it dreadful?? There was no way she could ever wear her hair down with it looking like this. As I pulled it down, knowing I was probably going to cut it all off, I thought "Well, why not at least try to see what it looks like if I just cut off the damaged parts". So I did that...

And after I was done, I couldn't decide what I thought. Upon looking at the photos this morning (I cut her hair last night) I realize it likely needs to be 'shaped' just a bit better on the ends but... Honestly, I think she looks pretty cute like this. I am going wash it tonight and give her another hot water dip but.... I might just leave it as her hair. Like I say, I always loved the silver hair with purple highlights and so if I can manage to keep it, I likely will. What do you think? Be kind, I am not a hair stylist by any stretch of the imagination! I just tried to do what I've seen them do on my own head a hundred times... I pinned up the top portions and worked from the 'underneath' out. If that makes sense. 

All in all, I think she looks pretty cute! So let me know what you think? I'll show you how she comes out after her shampoo and hot dip too... If I don't end up using the pretty white wig on her, I am 99% certain some other doll in my collection is going to end up with it because it's super pretty too!

Better run!

Till next time!

XXOO

Heather

New Dresser In The Doll House Bedroom!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!! 

I suppose that all houses are a continual process of upgrading as you find items that are more suitable for each room as opportunity and funds become available. I am finding it much the same in the Doll House. I'll think that a room or a scene looks 'just perfect' as it is and that there isn't a thing you'd change or nearly nothing... Until you stumble on a new piece of furniture that, once you add it or change it out with an existing piece, you think yet again "Ok, now it's perfect." 

So I thought my little Doll House bedroom was pretty perfect as I had set it up... I had the amazing wardrobe that I'd gotten from Frann and when she sent me the beautiful furniture she sent two 'dressers' along with it but I ended up using them in the doll kitchen as 'counters' because they are pretty perfect as that too. So... The dresser I had in the bedroom was pretty perfect in scale and style and the 'mirror' (I think it is supposed to be a picture frame) I found separately fit it nearly perfectly too. So I wasn't looking for an upgrade or a new one in any way at all. Untill...

I was in Goodwill this week and my eyes landed on this adorable little doll sized dresser! The wood color was nearly exactly the same as the furniture that Frann had sent! I also loved the style of the dresser as I have always admired 'real' ones in this style. It's almost like it has a built in jewelry box with those two cute little drawers on the top where you can store all your treasures. 

What do you think? Isn't it perfect? My only moment of pause was that I really liked the look of the 'mirror' on the other 'dresser'. I'll just have figure out some other good place for it to 'live' in the Doll House because this dresser literally looks like it was made to go with the wardrobe here, don't you agree? Just perfect. (This time I might even mean it... hahaha)

Better run!
XXOO
Heather

Introducing Spectrum! Another OOAK Doll In The Doll House!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!!

Uh oh... I've seemingly become somewhat obsessed with doll wigs and customizing lately. I mean, I've done many doll makeovers in my time writing this little blog here but the further I get into my doll hobby, the more bold I get in my choices. Since I do have quite a few dolls (And isn't that a nice calm way to say that about this Doll Army I've been building? Hahaha!) I guess I have decided that some of them deserve a bit more attention rather than collecting dust in their wigs. Right? All dolls need some love afterall. 

So finding the 'fantasy' colored wigs has been so much fun! I say 'finding' them as if I hadn't seen customized OOAK dolls on Pinterest and such. However, I guess I found the wigs so 'expensive' when compared to, you know, an entire new dolls (hair included!) that it seemed silly to buy them. If that makes sense? That being said, now that I really feel I need to stop buying dolls so much, spending 'doll sized money' on new wigs for the dolls I already own started to make more sense. Not to mention that I found the 'first' fantasy wigs I bought  were a really great deal. Finding those made me start to watch eBay for other pretty and affordable options in the fantasy wigs. So that's how I happened to find this one... For some reason, the night I found and bought it, it was marked only $13.99 plus $4.95 shipping! So less than $18 shipped!? What?! Naturally I bought it immediately because the other wigs in the sellers online shop were all in the $30 range save one that I also wanted to buy that was marked a dollar more than this one. However, sometimes when you've spent quite a bit of money on doll stuff your Doll Mad Money can run low and even another $18 isn't in the budget so I just purchased the one. When I went back to look the very next morning, the prices were both back up to $30?! So... Suffice to say I am totally stoked to have gotten at least the one for such a great deal!! (And trying not to kick myself for not buying that second one for such a steal too! LOL) 

So what is the shop? It is called Exquisite Doll Designs and they have both that Etsy shop and an eBay Store for Exquisite Doll . I linked the Etsy shop first because it seems she sells them a few dollars cheaper there (likely because lower fees than ebay I imagine).

So here is the wig as it arrived. I loved the little chevron printed bag and the wig was also in a plastic ziplock bag and a hair net with tissue paper in the cap of the wig to holds it's shape. Very top notch all around.

I decided that Adilyn (on the left) was going to be the one who would be getting a new wig. I originally found her for only $2.99 and brought her home and cleaned her up and admired her... But mostly she just sat on the shelf especially since I got her sister Aliyah  as a gift from my husband. Because I am not trying to play favorites but naturally the doll I got from hubby means at least a bit more to me than her thrifted sister. Is that wrong? Eitherwise, she was collecting dust in her hair. Poor dear. So... It was time for a whole new lease on life! 

Here are the two sisters next to one another for the last time where they both have the gorgeous jet black hair. Don't they nearly look like twins despite Adilyn being a Journey Girl and Aliyah being an Espari doll? Actually, poor Adilyn had been rather roughly played with at her last house and I suspect her hair was quite a lot thinner than it might've been when she was new out of the box. So a new wig wasn't totally out of the question in any case. 

They really are pretty sisters! They are named after a couple of sweet girlies I know in real life who used to be in the Awana program when I was a teacher so they really are special to me for that reason too.

So meet Spectrum Adilyn!! I gave her a new 'fantasy' name but kept Adilyn because I didn't want her to get some manner of identity crisis. Hahaha. She, in my 'doll stories' will still be Aliyah's sister... Just with fancy rainbow hair. 

Isn't she gorgeous!?!?! I know she is going to see a lot more time in Doll House photos now because I smile every time I look at her. 

The wig is really nice and I love it. I am positive that, as soon as June comes and my Doll Mad Money is replenished, I going to be purchasing at least one more. Maybe that is what I'll do, buy one a month as I slowly re-make dolls in the doll house who need more love? So if you're looking for a great doll wig at a great price, check out this great seller. I am sure they'll become a favorite of mine.

I changed the photos to grayscale like I like to do sometimes and thought it was so interesting that in these photos, you'd think she had blonde hair with highlights! Don't you think?

Better run!
Till Next Time!!
XXOO
Heather

Summer Gets a New Body!

Hi Doll Friends!

Once upon a time I gave a Positively Perfect Doll a doll armature because she had a soft body and couldn't even stand up on her own. However, sadly, even though she could stand up, she still had the shoulders that were really not too attractive in shoulders so mostly she just sat on a shelf. Recently, deciding I was no longer going to keep dolls I was luke-warm about, I decided I better do something with her or donate her. So... She got a body transplant.

I couldn't bring myself to part with her because I still think that this doll has one of the prettiest face sculpts I've ever seen and her hair is gorgeous!! So... All I needed was a doll body. Since I was weeding out dolls I wasn't 'in love' with, I had several options to work with.

I decided this doll's skin tone was as close as I was going to get and so it was the one.

So, off with their heads!!  Haha.

When I got 'into' the Our Generation Body that was going to be hers, I realized it was one of the poseable type and, in a way I've only seeen once before, the head was attached to the armature it had. Uh oh! Will the PPD Doll's head fit?!

Luckily they had nearly identical necks and so it worked like a charm.

You'll have to excuse my really dreadful looking stitches. This must be an older OG doll body because the fabric was more of a muslin and acted like it might fray and so I had to make my stitches really overlap the fabric if that makes sense. Luckily clothes will cover it up unless she wears a swim suit and then her hair will likely cover it up.

So... Meet Summer again! She's got a whole new lease on life and will make a great model in future doll photographs! Awesomeness! 

Better run!
XXOO
Heather

Latest Thrifty Finds For The Doll House!

Greetings and Salutations Doll Friends!

As you may know, I recently started a YouTube Channel for this little blog here. It has been lots of fun putting the videos together as I learn to edit and post them. It's not nearly as hard as I imagined it would be when I started but, especially in its first blush stage where I was trying to post a plethora of videos and launch the channel, it is very time consuming. Given that I work full time at a 'day job' and have kids and a husband and a house and and and (all the normal stuff really) it meant that I haven't had as much time to work on blog posts as I'd like. Haha. I know, first world problems! 

So my point in saying all of that? Well, obviously since I've been allowing myself to go to thrift stores again after taking a break for lent I have found bits and bobs for the Doll House that I've faithfully taken photos of the day they were aquired but sadly haven't really gotten a chance to come back and show you in scenes with the dolls yet... So before they get lost in the history of photos on my phone, I decided to just post the photos of the items as I took them when they came home. Then, as I pull them out in the future, I can reference back to this post as to where they were purchased or at least sort of when they were. Make sense? 

These adorable little tea pots made me smile so big! My mother bought me a tea pot very similar to this in 'real size' like 20 years ago when she went to Italy. My 'real' one is actually shaped like a purple plum but these two doll sized fruit shaped tea pots are likely to be a couple of my favorites in the doll house... Aren't they cute? The white basket I purchased specifically to make into a 'planter' for the doll house. I recenly discovered Be Chic Forever YouTube Channel which is amazing and has such great ideas for Doll Houses. There is one about how to make plants and flower arrangements in doll size and so now when I go to Thrift Stores I am seeing 'planters' everywhere. I've actually made quite a few flower arrangements for the Doll House already, I just haven't taken the time to point them out or show them to you specifically. A couple of them turned out really cute so that post will be coming soon.

Speaking of planters... I may have used a couple of these napkin rings towards that... More on that when I tell you about what I made! (Think plants and planters and I bet you can guess) You can find napkin rings at thrift stores for like a dime a dozen (well no really but always cheap) because very few people actually use them anymore. I've been wanting to come up with a 'doll application' for them for a while now and so I was excited to think of a doll craft that they will work for! Stay tuned to future postings for that!

I begin to think I may have a problem when it comes to doll sized dishes. I can't seem to pass them up when I find them! Aren't these plates cute?!?! I love the pasta plates with the olives on them! So adorable! I'll have to figure out how to make some doll sized spaghetti for them! Right? The mirrored candle holder? Again, got that to use as a planter! The little tea set... Well, can you have too many tea sets when you have as many dolls as I do? I say no. Hahaha.

This is a crazy mix of stuff I know but I have ideas for all of it in the Doll House. The little bottles in the top right I have already used as 'Candy jars' in the Sweet Shoppe and isn't that plush toy adorable!??! My daughter collected the 'real size' ones of this sort so it made me happy to find a doll sized one!

This 'well' I bought because I think it might look very cute in an 'outside' scene with the dolls making wishes.... I'll have to change it just a bit but that's my plan.

Books and candles... Can you ever have too many? I say no.

Yes... More dishes and cups... I can't help myself!! But just to prove to you I don't buy every doll related item I see at thrift stores I have started taking photos of the 'ones that got away' too! Meaning things I see that I am somewhat tempted to buy because, well, doll sized. Right?

I saw this doll at Goodwill but I already have this one because I found her at a Flea Market last year.

Then in the next aisle, I found another doll! You may notice I carried the first one with me to that aisle..! I said I didn't buy her, I didn't say I wasn't tempted to! But I made myself set down the first one and walk away from both of them. As you may have been reading, I feel like I have 'enough' dolls so unless I have a specific purpose in mind for them when I buy them (say to use as a body transplant for another doll with a face sculpt I can't not have in my collection or something). 

This one was hard to walk away from too! I think it would be so cute in outdoor photos. In fact, I went back to this thrift store later in that week deciding that if it was still there, I was going to get it. However, it was gone. Never walk away from a treasure you can't live without at a Thrift Store, that's for sure! Oh well, it's for the best because I only have so much room to store stuff and it is a large item!

These dishes nearly got me too.  Aren't they adorable! They wanted too much for them I thought though and so I walked away. (Don't think I won't be checking back to see if they make it to mark downs though because they are so cute!)

This one was hard to walk away from because I have one already and the more I get the more cute it would be to make them into a 'wall of lockers' for a school scene. I was too cheap to pay $3.99 for it though so it stayed there.

This, too, was hard to walk away from! A bowling bag!! But it was $4 and I have loads of doll bags and so it stayed there too.

So, see? I don't buy all the doll sized items I see.... Just most of them! Hahaha!

Better run!
Till Next Time!
XXOO
Heather