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