Today was the day I decided to tackle Kit’s new lips… If you remember I won this Kit doll off Ebay but she had quite the “lip situation” going on.. She does have a stain on her chin too, that I plan to try and remove using the Oxy treatment…
[If you click on any picture it will enlarge.]
They were quite a disaster…painted with acrylic paint.
Well, me, being the crafty person I am, thought, how hard could it be to repaint them? Well, let me tell you, it’s hard!!! It’s tedious and there is no “set lip color” so you have to mix and mix and mix…and try and try and try…and wipe off and wipe off and wipe off…
I gathered up what I thought I would need… paint brushes in the tiniest sizes… 0 and 10/0, paper towels, water, Winsor and Newton Paint and brush cleaner, some acrylic paints in “lip” colors, Textile Medium to make the paints flow smoothy…(or so they say!) and my “reading glasses!”
I turned my phone off, didn’t have any noise in my sewing room and started. I used the Winsor and Newton on a Q-tip and removed most of the mouth paint. Then I dabbed a tiny paint brush in it and got in all the corners of her mouth.
That was the easy part… if you do this, just make sure your Q-tip isn’t dripping wet, and don’t get the paint remover any where else on your dolls face… (I didn’t want to be painting freckles too!!)
Mixing the paint was hard to come up with a pretty color. I wanted sort of a pretty peach… NOT! It just didn’t happen that easily…
This was how it kept looking…
I probably tried 20 or more times and they all looked like this, only in various colors. They were too “enamel” looking and had such a distinct edge to them. I wanted something much softer…and without that hard edge of paint…so I got out my pastel chalk paints. These are what I used to paint Elin’s face. They are very flaky and like an ultra ultra super fine glitter… You have to be very careful with them or you’ll have them all over your dolls face. Normally they are used on a harder faced doll, like a resin and not a vinyl, like the American Girl dolls.
My first try was something like this…
…and I thought I was getting close, but I smeared one of the teeth and had to start over… SEVERAL TIMES… *sigh*
I tried a few more times and when I thought it was pretty good, I took a close up picture of it, and looked at it on my computer…and there were “glittery” speckles everywhere…
Instead of starting over, I decided to try a Magic Eraser and very carefully see if I could remove the speckles. It worked pretty well and after 3 hours I was ready to call it quits… I think she needs a little more top lip and I did give her some extra blush… I’m a little concerned that her mouth looks like it has that “Ravioli” stain around it. You know how little kids get the Ravioli all over their face and it sort of stains it? I may have to wait and see what she looks like in her first photo shoot before I decide to tackle it again. It was quite labor intensive!
So this was my final picture of her…
Okay, now I need some help with Molly’s dress. I made quite a bit of headway with it today… I re-did the sleeves again on her white blouse… I thought they looked too “droopy” like they did once before…
Before…
and After…
I decided to make the jumper separate from the white blouse… it’s so cute and can be used with lots of other things so they are separate. What I’m wondering is, what ribbon do you like best with the jumper? Let’s call them Gold edged ribbon with squares… this one…
Or do you like the thinner Glittery Gold ribbon?
This picture is a little washed out, but you can see the ribbon okay in it…
I was planning on stitching the ribbon in place so the bow would be pre tied and part of the jumper…I still have several things to do to finish it, but it’s coming along and Molly’s been dancing on the cutting out table… :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a productive day! Your patience is amazing. It might help to see Kit full length, possibly in a dress, to see how her mouth will look when she’s on Ebay. When we are concentrating this hard on it, it’s eventually hard to see what’s really there. I keep wondering what the other stains are that are so hard to remove. Fortunately you can test the remover on the stain on her leg first.
On Molly’s dress, I prefer the narrow glittery gold. It doesn’t compete with that fabulous plaid.
After a day this active, how is your foot?
Hi Marilyn,
When I look at Kit standing on my cutting table, she doesn’t look too bad, but I’ve been staring at those bright pink lips for so long, that “anything” is an improvement. Maybe putting her in something and then taking a picture of her full length would help… thanks!
The small gold ribbon was my first choice but I do wish it was a bit wider though.
Well, I paid for my foot being down for that long. It is very sore today and I can hardly let it touch the floor… oops… We are supposed to go to a cookout and George said he’d fix me up with some comfortable chairs to sit and prop my foot up in…
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
I like the gold glittery ribbon. I think it stands out a little more and brings out some of the gold thread in the dress skirt.
Karen
Thanks Karen,
I think you are right…about the gold threads in the skirt standing out more with the small gold ribbon…
I appreciate your feedback…
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne! I hope you are feeling better, despite your foot. I know what it is to be usually active e and on the go, and then, bam, you are stuck in a chair most of the time. At least you have a lot to do sitting down!!
Oh, I do think Kit’s lips are a major improvement! Yes, like Marilyn says, it would help to see her full length to see how they look overall. Boy, you sure have patience with things!
OK, about Molly’s ribbon, I also like the thinner, glittery gold ribbon best. Since the plaid of the skirt is quite a strong, bright one, it kind of makes the gold with squares a bit too transparent looking, and it just kind of recedes in the background, if you know what I mean. You know, I was thinking, I now have my Molly with her hair down in a half pony, like Samantha’s is usually worn, with a big bow in the back, and I think your Molly would look good like that too, when she is dressed up. A big, black satin or velvet ribbon would be very nice!
HI Linda,
My mom broke her kneecap in half about 3 years ago and had to come live with us for about 6 weeks… there was one evening when she had a melt down…knowing that it was a long road of recovery ahead and life was going to be very different. My foot isn’t nearly as debilitating as her knee was, but reality has set in that this is going to be more difficult than I first supposed… *sigh*
I’ll have to dress up Kit and see if I notice things differently…
I think everyone seems to like the smaller solid gold ribbon better. I may see if I can find one just a little wider than this one though.
I was actually thinking of unbraiding her hair for her Christmas dress. It was actually a picture of her with her hair undone on Ebay that made me want to buy her. It was so pretty just flowing down… I’ll have to have a “beauty shop” day with her before we decide. Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I vote for the thinner ribbon.
Blessings, Beth
Well, Beth, it seems the thin gold ribbon has won the challenge! Thanks for your input!
Blessings, Jeanne
I think you did a great job with Kit’s lips….you are a master of perfection! When some of my doll’s lips begin to look “faded’, I just touch them up with a pale pink marker…..markers work well for freckles too…..:)
I vote for the thin gold ribbon…nice!
HI Kathy,
Ooooohhh… Markers sound so much easier than these paints…
Thanks for voicing your opinion on the gold ribbon…
Blessings, Jeanne
The doll is beautiful and your patience amazing! I like the glittery gold color ribbon too. I wonder what it would look if the piece of ribbon was wider or another piece of the glittery ribbon was placed above the current one and tied in the same way but slightly offset to make the belt wider in scale.
I forgot to mention in my comment two days ago about the Sunbeam Hot 2 Trot mini steam iron that for your International followers, it also has a dual voltage switch. Makes me wonder why a simple curling iron should be so expensive when this little item with all these features is so reasonable.
I know that the hardest accommodation with your foot outside of the medical is not being able to drive. I would follow the doctor’s orders until she releases you to drive as it would become an insurance issue should you have an accident while injured. I’m sure your church members would be happy to help out, so don’t hesitate to call on them once in awhile. I’m sure many of us wish we were there to run errands for you and help out. Wishing you the best and many thanks for your wonderful Blog.
I read Sussette’s description of her mini-steam iron and went to ebay and bought one for about $15, but I noticed that there were opportunities to pay a lot more. Then I bought a sleeve board. I’ve wanted one forever. I wonder where I thought I’d put it.
HI again Marilyn,
I’m glad Susette’s iron appealed to you and you decided to get one. You’ll have to let us know your thoughts on it too… as Susette is quite taken by hers.
Good going on the sleeve board… you’ll love it…
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Susette,
Well it appears the thin gold ribbon is everyone’s favorite. I might see if I can find one only slightly wider in width… it seems it could be just a bit wider…
The iron you mentioned seems to be what many of my subscribers liked…thanks for sharing it.
There is no way I could even think about driving…my foot hurts when I even just tap it against something, so I know if I had to slam on the brakes, I’d be in big trouble. So far, my family has been good at getting me where I need to go…and yes, I have friends who would take me someplace if I needed to go…Thanks for your very kind thoughts…
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m a ‘challenged painter’ and never could have done what you did with the lips. whew.
I’m not real crazy about either ribbon… hmm… do you have a green one that is near the green color in her skirt?
Hi Mary,
I think anyone could have done what I did… which wasn’t much when I look back on it. I just count it as a learning experience…and maybe next time I’ll know more than I did this time… I read about 20 tutorials on how to do it, but they seemed so easy to do… NOT!
I haven’t tried any other ribbon colors except the two that I showed.. I may look at some other colors… Thanks Mary,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like seeing the progress you are making on Kit’s lips. They are already about 100% improved. The cheek blush looks nice too. Molly’s dress is coming along nicely. I like the width of the first ribbon,but not the sheerness. Could you maybe stitch the narrower ribbon onto the center of the sheer one and use them together, or would that be too much?
HI Carolyn,
Thanks for your comments about Kit’s lips. It is certainly an improvement whether or not its perfect…
I appreciate your comments about Molly’s dress and hope to get it figured out soon…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, I am amazed at the projects you are willing to tackle. Woosch… don’t get me near anything smaller than a paint brush for walls or trim. Yikes. I can’t even draw decent stick people ! Those lips are a challenge for sure. I was thinking that the teeth were a bit too stark white maybe???? I like the color you are using for the lips but I do see that “Ravioli” stain as you are calling it. Hard to know when we are focusing so hard on that part of her body.
I’m voting for the solid gold ribbon but I also like the width of the first sheer ribbon. Maybe with some trickery you could fashion a wider sash with the solid gold ribbon.
Now that’s just my two-cents.
I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!!
Hi Jeannie,
It’s not that I’m all for tacking projects that I know nothing about…it’s just that I couldn’t resist the price on this Kit and thought it would be an easy fix… not so much!!!
I read in on of the tutorials I watched on lip painting, to use an off white for the teeth, so I picked a warm white for them…I think my picture makes them look a little whiter than they actually are in person. I am going to put her in something and look at the whole picture to see if her lips still jump out at me.
I do have some other gold lame fabrics, so I might take a look at something a little wider to use for her sash…
I have had a wonderful Sunday already… thanks for your comments Jeannie,
Blessings to you too, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Okay, it looks even harder than I thought to paint lips. You did a very nice job though. Do your pastels have glitter in them, just wondering where the glitter came from? Have you ever tried an acrylic thinner to make the paint translucent? I will try the WN brush cleaner for removing Lisbet’s dark paint in the crevices. Thanks for the advice.
Molly’s dress is very pretty. When I saw the first photo with the wider ribbon I thought that it looked pretty, but then you showed us the other and that looks nice also, but a bit thin. Mary’s suggestion of green might be pretty too. It would bring in more Christmas color. Choices, choices… I don’t think that there’s any wrong answer.
Hope you can enjoy the cookout. Maybe it’ll take your mind off of your foot.
HI Cindy,
No the chalk pastels don’t have glitter in them, but they are just so fine the little particles seem to sparkle. On the Ball Jointed Dolls where most of them are made of resin, or plastic type materials, the chalk pastels, just brush off the dolls faces and you spray them with Mister Super Clear, but on the AG dolls, their skin is more vinyl so the chalk sticks to them and you can’t just brush them off. They sort of embed in the rubbery vinyl…
I bet the WN brush cleaner will work fin on your Lisbet’s lips… she’s smooth skinned, isn’t she?
I think I will look at some other ribbons to see if another color in a wider width might work for her sash…
The cookout was nice, but it started getting cool when the sun went behind the shelter at the park. It was delicious too…we had a lot of fun… and I didn’t have to do any of the work! Just got to sit and nibble the whole time… all different kinds of meat, marinated and grilled, grilled onions, mushrooms, garlic, all rolled up in lettuce leaves, with rice, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apple dumplings… yummy! It was nice to visit with a few friends… it was the lady who cooked, plus 3 of us couples…and 5 kids…
Thanks Cindy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Great job on Kit’s lips..you have more patience than I do. Molly’s dress is very pretty, and I also like the gold ribbon, but think it would look better if it were wider ribbon.
HI Regina,
I appreciate your sweet words about Kit’s lips… and I think I’m going to have to find a new ribbon…it seems everyone wants the gold but in a wider width. I am going to look and see what else I might have…
Thanks again,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne; you could put two widths of the narrow ribbon side by side and connect them with a decorative stitch… Just an idea.
Blessings, Beth
Know this is late. Went out of town to visit the little grand kiddies today.
My thoughts:
Love everyone’s ribbon suggestions. Whatever color, wider is better.
Love the improvement on Kit’s lips, however, I’m not too sure about the glitter and ravioli stains. Tell that one to use her napkin. Ha. Maybe a less enlarged pic might disguise the problems. Me talking who can’t paint a stick.
And keep that foot up!
HI Joy,
Thanks for chiming in and letting us know your thoughts… The more I look at Kit’s lips the more I think of Ravioli…I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing if over… Guess I’ll be watching a few more tutorials on how to do lips…
I’m trying to be good with my foot… Thanks “Mom!”
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m in the minority, I guess–I prefer the wider sheerer ribbon!! It gives a softer, more feminine look to an otherwise crisp and more tailored outfit.
I do love that look–and remember wearing something similar in the late 1950s or very early 60s–a plaid skirt, black corduroy vest and white blouse! Loved it!! Mom made the vest, as I recall.
As to Kit’s mouth–WOW!! What an improvement! The color is just right, I think. I will add one thing about her teeth: most people do not have stark white teeth–they just don’t look natural. Teeth might be ivory or offwhite or cream or other variations thereof. When you showed a close-up of Molly, it reminded me of that, as her teeth are not white-white. So, even if you decide not to redo Kit’s teeth at this time (and I don’t blame you–you’ve worked so hard on this project), you might keep it in mind if the occasion ever arises again where you need to repaint teeth.