2014-08-14

Post #101: mostly thrift store finds

Ah yes, the difficult 101st post.

I'm quickly running out of disk space, so I've started uploading my doll pics to Flickr instead. The downside is that after tagging and organizing them (and writing comments explaining why there are 15 photos of a doll's elbow), I'm no longer in the mood for writing a proper blog post about them as well. :( But on the upside, I'm not dead at least. 

Anyway, here's what I've been up to lately, dollwise:




• Upgraded/finished the Steffi Love hybrid!

Since mine was an incomplete thrift store doll I bought a new one to get the baby and the detachable outer belly, plus some clothes that fit. She can hold the baby too! 



• Found two Disney Store dolls at my local thrift store! 

Pretty unexpected, since I'm fairly certain we don't even have Disney Stores here (I guess I'm not the only one who knows about online shopping). 
Their face sculpts are pretty bad imo, I only got them for the articulation. Merida is fully jointed! Rapunzel's click-knee legs might be a case for Dr. Frankendolly. 


Rapunzel's hair is the worst mess I've ever seen, but it might be salvageable for rerooting. Maybe. To be honest I'm still working up the courage to deal with it.



• Stripped Mattel Rapunzel's head!

She was my test subject for The Talcum Powder Temporary Cure for Greasy Hair, but then I decided I couldn't be bothered (note to self: don't test these things on the doll with the MOST hair to comb through). Since her screening was so wonky I decided to just get rid of everything at once. 

This mold is a lot better than the Disney Store one, but she looks a bit creepy without eyes.

I wanted to make sure all the glue was definitely gone, so I scrubbed the inside of the head with sugar AND steel wool. Hard to tell if it made any difference, but at least it probably didn't hurt. The glue-soaked Nikki I rerooted last time had a pretty sticky scalp even after I washed it, so to be on the safe side I gave rapunzel's scalp a sugar scrub too. I don't know if it was sticky before, but at least it isn't now!


L-R: Raquelle, Rapunzel on Simba super model, Liv Katie, Disney Store Merida (from above)

This is one head I'd really like to have on a shorter body (the original was ~25cm), but she's too pink for Simba's Super Models and not pale enough for Obitsu. For full-sized bodies someone suggested Raquelle/Midge, and it looks like Liv Katie might be an acceptable match too.



• New doll: Mattel Belle! 

Probably my favorite thrift store find in a while. Belle from Beauty and the Beast, by Mattel. Not exactly sure which version, but she came in an original dress (stained and missing the apron). As you can see she was also wearing a pair of boots that looked like they belonged in a sci-fi anime rather than medieval France, but at least the colors matched.

(Fun fact: that price tag on her dress has three stickers on top of each other with three different prices. Lately I've come to the conclusion that thrift store pricing is completely random and mostly up to the individual employee, and this only confirms my suspicions. And no, the last price wasn't the lowest. :( )


Her hair was pretty frizzy, but luckily all it needed was a boil perm (it looks like kanekalon, so I'll have to be careful if I do it again). The bangs were a bit trickier - the hot water removed the frizz, but also all the volume, and I had no idea what to do with them. Finally I tried combing them flat to one side, and that turned out a lot better than I could have hoped for.

Then I put her on a Fashionista body and gave her all of Style Teresa's stuff (did I mention she's my favorite?).

I also seem to recall renaming her, but I've forgotten what. Nina? I should write this stuff down. 

13 comments:

  1. Your Belle looks so modern in the last picture!

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  2. Now Belle's body can match her expression! I like the head tilt position with the crossed ankles.

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  3. LOL, I actually like the boots Belle is wearing even though they don't really go with the time period.

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  4. I like how you re-styled Belle's hair. She looks like a new doll.

    I don't recognize the smiley-faced head on the Liv Katie body. Do you know whose head that belonged to?

    Congrats on finding the articulated Disney bodies ;-)

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  5. These are some great finds! It was good to see the completed Steffi Love hybrid.

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  6. @Nella Thanks! It's weird actually: one boil perm and you'd never guess she was from a Disney cartoon.

    @grandmommy Yep, she can! Thanks, I try to remember to use more interesting poses than "doll propped against wall". :)

    @Muff Oh yeah, they're pretty nice boots, just when you look closer you realize they're completely out of place...

    @D7ana Thanks! It took surprisingly little effort, actually - she had a good haircut under all the frizz.

    I forgot to mention the head belongs to Jane, a doll from the movie Peter Pan 2.

    @Roxanne It's always fun when you've finally gathered all the parts for your Frankendolly, isn't it?

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  7. Hello! I always enjoy your reviews. I've never seen frankendollying on the 1:6 scale, so you're a great resource. I love your Belle, too. She looks so good in Teresa's clothes.

    Keep up the good work!

    -Kayleigh

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    1. Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful! I'm still pretty new to this, but there are lots of people who mod 1/6 dolls. If you're looking for inspiration, there's a lot of good doll blogs in my bloglist on the right. ->

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  8. I love what you did with Belle's hair. Now I'm eying my own Belle dolls...

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  9. Congrats on your 101st post! Nice finds too, and incredible Belle makeover!

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  10. @BlackKitty &Barb Thanks! You should check out this lovely Hipster Belle on flickr, she was my inspiration for the hair: https://www.flickr.com/photos/74564075@N06/14129105013/in/faves-andersonsallpurpose/

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    1. Aww! I love that repaint of Ariel/Bloom (???) at the bottom of the page, too!

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    2. Not sure which one you mean, this one? https://www.flickr.com/photos/kd_230692/14378983303/in/faves-andersonsallpurpose/

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