First of all, I wanted to show Julia the box that Maggie, the puppy in Nora’s auction (HERE), came in. She is called a Scruffies puppy and has a certificate of adoption in the box you can cut out. I guess I’ll have to include that box now. I got her at the Goodwill, but she was in like new condition. I looked on Ebay and found the Scruffies brand of stuffed animals but no Maggie… I think those are bigger ones that bark and meow…
Anyway, here are a few shots of Maggie and the box…
Okay, now onto today’s project. I woke up and decided I wanted to do something fun…something that involved some thinking and skill and of course some creativity! I decided one of my girls hadn’t gotten any love from me in a really, really, REALLY long time…She’s never modeled a new dress for me and I looked at her on the shelf and wondered why?
She was featured in a blog post on December 5th, 2017. I copied and pasted most of that post… Linda and my sister, Cindy, were both a little confused about it, so I’ll put that 2017 post in ITALICS…
Saturday, my mailman drove up and had a couple of packages for me. One was a padded Kraft envelope and also a white box. Rebecca told me she was expecting something, so I figured it was for her. As soon as I collected the mail from him, my son drove up in his truck. I introduced him to my mailman and said, “Toby is the best mailman ever. He takes good care of the dolls that I sometimes get.” We came inside and Kristoffer took the Kraft envelope and said,”hey, this one is for me!” When he took that one off, I noticed the box underneath was addressed to me. I hadn’t ordered anything, so I glanced at the return address and saw it was from one of my dear blog subscribers. Okay, I won’t lie, my heart started racing a little bit… then a LOT, when I saw this…
If you’ve ever gotten a doll and seen their feet sticking out, it’s a thrilling moment…thing is…I hadn’t ordered her…I read the sweet and touching Christmas card, and learned she was a gift to me…”oh, my goodness” is just what I said too!!! :o) Thank you, dearest __________! She will be treasured by me!!
She is a 10″ Boneka doll, sculpted by Dianna Effner and repainted by Stella Tu.
I’m not familiar with her painting the dolls but she’s awfully cute…she looks just a teeny bit scared…(sometimes it looks like she has tears in her eyes), but who wouldn’t be, shipped in a bag to a new house filled with lots of naked girls on a shelf. A few of them have made friends with her already. I have sweet girls!
She is a one of a kind and her Certificate of Authenticity didn’t have a name written in, SO… since she is a Christmas gift, I decided to name her Holly. She is a “Monday’s Child” Boneka doll and is just slightly taller than Noel, my “Tuesday’s Child” Boneka doll. I thought it was cute to have a Noel (already named when I got her) and now a Holly! :o)
She came with a long brown mohair wig and the cutest pair of pink sandals. She was dressed in a sweet cotton print dress but the “gifter” also sent along a second dress and shoes. It’s adorable and that hand embroidery is incredible! Noel said she’d be happy to model them for me… :o)
I guess most doll people start seeing what other wigs they have that will work for the new “girls” and I did just that.. I found a few and thought I’d show you how Holly’s looks change in each one.
I decided Holly wasn’t much of a redhead… her coloring was too off for that…
Okay, so I’m back to today’s post…
I thought Holly was cute, and I’d love to have a sister who models things when I show Noel, but her skin was a bit on the shiny side and her lips were pretty bright in color. I thought I could change her a bit and make her a little cuter. (yikes)
Here is a close up of her before…
It’s pretty scary to strip the paint off a dolls face because there is NO turning back once you start. I liked her blue eyes and had already added some eyelashes to enhance them, but didn’t think I was talented enough to do brand new eyeballs, so I tried to work all around them, VERY CAREFULLY, to get the eyebrows, lip color and blush off. She even had her whole face blushed, so I had to be very careful, holding her upside down when I was working around her eyes, so I wouldn’t mess up her eyes and eyelashes…
I started with her eyebrows… I thought they were too dark and thick… (just my personal preference) and wanted something I could use a blonde wig with if I wanted to.
One eyebrow off…this is what I mean by no turning back… EEK!
Now, no eyebrows and no lips…
My hubby said she looked like a few cancer patients he had seen… Poor little thing…
I took her outside to make sure I had gotten all the previous paint off…
Then I cut out some little sticky “eyeball covers” since I didn’t want my Mister Super Clear Spray sealer to give them a matte finish. They were glossy and I wanted to keep them that way… Mister Super Clear has to be sprayed lightly a couple of times on the dolls face before you do anything so the paint/water color pencils/chalk pastels will have something to grab hold of.
I did her lips first and had to do them a few times… before I was happy… I really needed a slightly different shade of water color pencil, but I made do with what I had… then I blushed her cheeks and lightly on her forehead with chalk pastels.
Now her eyebrows were a different story. I bet I tried 15 times… no joke! I think eyebrows are the thing that gives the doll her personality, her curiosity, her sweetness, her charm, and I was struggling to figure out what I wanted from her. Eyebrows raised too high make the doll look startled, too much to the side, makes them look too curious, too flat makes them look harsh, too curved looks unnatural. I had seen all of them, and then used a kneaded eraser to keep taking them off. Finally I decided these were okay… not perfect, but close enough…
After I finished her face, I had to put those little stickies on her eyes again and seal it once more with Mister Super Clear. Ahhh… done with the face..
Now, about that hair… the wig she came in was a mohair one and a bit on the wavy side… and a bit straggly at the bottom… I decided she needed a haircut if she was going to wear it…
Here’s the back now…
Now, let’s see how it all looks when we take some pictures… The moment of truth… the camera never lies and if something is wrong it will be so obvious when you see your pictures on the computer…
This is that before shot…just to remind you of what she looked like…
Here’s a pretty one of her laying down looking up…
…and a few more of her making her “new” Debut…
I’m pleased… Holly’s pleased… now how about you? Do you like her?
With her new looks and locks, she might have to be my next Top Model! :o)
Thanks everyone,
Blessings, Jeanne
That Maggie the puppy sure is cute! Nice to see her original box, too, and that there were some other styles available from the same company.
As to Holly….I don’t remember if I saw the original post about her or not. It might have been shortly before I found your blog. So it was fun to read how you got her!
I see what you mean, though, about Holly’s eyebrows–just too heavy, I think. The new ones are so much better, and you can put almost any wig on her, as long as the eyebrows aren’t too dark. One tip I learned from making cloth dolls with painted faces: when doing the eyes, I do the LEFT one first (since I am right-handed–for a left-handed person, do the right one first) and I turn the head upside down (that is, the top of the head turned towards me), which, for some reason, helps me to make a more properly-shaped brow or eye. Then I turn the head right side around to do the right eye/brow. Much, much easier to make them “match” that way!!
HI Charlotte,
I decided to answer comments instead of doing my dishes… they’ll be there tomorrow… :o)
I had an artist friend tell me about turning things upside down when you are trying to do two of the same thing… believe me, Holly was upside down, right side up, sideways and I was till having fits with those eyebrows!
Thanks Charlotte,
blessings, Jeanne
I don’t know if I was not all awake, or just reading too fast, but I was thoroughly confused as to why someone sent you a Christmas gift in August!! I know you started the blog by showing us the cute little dog, and the box it came in. She is certainly a cutie! But then…..you suddenly received a Christmas gift? Thought I has better reread that again to straighten it out!
I certainly don’t remember that earlier blog! Holly certainly is a cutie, and you made her even cuter! I can’t get over how a doll completely changes with different wigs on! You did a wonderful, and to me, very brave job of redoing her face! You do have the skill, know how, and for sure the courage to actually follow through. I think she looks amazing now, especially with her lips being more of a natural color. I don’t mind dark eyebrows if they are in proportion, and the hair matches, but if you are going to change up the wigs, it is important to get eyebrows that “play along” with the wig.
I was wondering, how you decide the timeframe of a doll, in order to make a dress for that era? I would think the hair-do would explain a lot of it, with the more modern dolls having shorter hair. Will Holly be wearing a modern or traditional dress? I guess we will have to tune in later to find out!
Thanks Linda,
Cindy was confused too, when she read it, so I went back and edited my post to try and make it more clear that I got her back in 2017 and that was a copied post from then…
Holly actually looks pretty good as a blonde… I just didn’t have any size 6/7’s to use for her… yet! :o)
I’m not sure what she’ll be wearing when I sew for her… maybe I’ll get inspired tomorrow… as I’m doing those dishes I put off so I could answer comments. :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Poor little before Holly. The shininess of her face and chalky lips were frightening to me. I saw her cringing while wearing the red wig. 🙁 Her new skin highlights and lighter touch on the brows makes her much more appealing as a model. Love the restyling job on her wig too. Looks much more natural. Even her cute little dress and sandals show off now. I can’t imagine starting with a blank doll and having it turn into anything noteworthy. You are very brave. 🙂
Thanks Joy,
I’m liking her very much now and I think she and Noel will be great sisters! It’s not so much bravery as it is ”craziness” I think. I just wanted her to look differently than she did and there was only one way that was going to happen…
How’s the tent coming along?
Blessings, Jeanne
Holly definitely should be your next model. I can’t believe how brave you are to totally undo her face and redo it. I do like the remake better, but if she was mine she’d still look like the original. I have a Tuesday’s Child and I wish her face was a little brighter. She always seems so pale to me, but I would never “stick my neck out” to redo her. I know there are others who do that sort of thing for a living but I’m not sure I’m displeased enough to want to pay for a change. Ah the dilemma our dolly children cause us.
You say Holly is a Monday’s Child. Will anything you make for her also fit a Tuesday’s Child? Is the difference only in height? Since I now finally have a Boneka, I’m more interested than ever to see what you make for those dolls.
I mentioned experimenting with the shoe size for the Fashion Friends. Here is what I’ve discovered. The 58mm shoes are too wide at the heel, so if you buy pumps, they will fall off without something on the legs like tights. The 58mm slim fits their heel great and, while they are a little snug at the front because of the toe spacing (I’ve yet to find a pair of thong sandals to make use of the space between the toes) they fit well without anything on the leg. A pair of lightweight hose might be okay, but anything heavier could be a problem. Conclusion: the Fashion Friends need two different sizes of shoes depending on the style unless someone actually makes shoes specifically for them. I’ve also gone up in size to get a pair of sandals I wanted and also sneakers. The sandals don’t look too big if you push the toes forward. After reading this those with Fashion Friends will probably just opt to let the girls go barefoot. I’m a shoe junkie so I’m willing to make the effort.
My FF Stella Rockstar should be on her way soon. She is really cute but she has dark lines at the ends of her lips. I was told this was the case with all of them. I haven’t a clue why, but it doesn’t seem to detract. The FF have several new outfits too and on Happily Ever After there are some shoes made for another doll that fit them also.
HI Barbara,
I know lots of ladies who just take their blush brush and add a little color to their dolls cheeks… you could probably try that… just use a light hand when doing it…
I found a neat blog post on the Boneka dolls… I might have to share it…
I think the Monday’s, Tuesdays and Thursday’s all can wear the same thing…it’s just longer on the Tuesday’s as they are 1/2″ shorter…
Thanks for the information about the FF shoes… I’m sure those who have them will appreciate all your investigating…
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, Barbara, should I say thanks for the heads up about the new outfits and shoes? I”m sure my Bella is going to find out, and want to go shopping!! LOL
The puppy is SO CUTE. I will have to look on eBay now!
Remaking Holly’s face is a big improvement. The shine was really bothersome. You are so brave to remove the paint she came with.
HI Julia,
I’m hoping you find your very own Maggie sometime… She really is cute with her head cocked to the side just a bit.
I’m happy with Holly now.. and she’s even getting a new dress… poor thing…she’s certainly waited a long time for one…
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
Maggie is so cute. I looked on ebay and saw the puppies that bark and pant and the kitties that meow. Just too cute! You find the best things at Goodwill. I know some others on PT and AGDollhouse who also have super luck finding great things (tiny covered wicker picnic basket, spinning wheel). I’ve yet to find something amazing, must sell the day before.
Oh, I remember that post about Holly. I think she did look frightened and sad, but now she looks so happy. The more matte face is a huge improvement. A Christmas gift in August or any month is wonderful. The Victorians did Christmas in July by starting their homemade gifts.
The LD and Boneka dolls are so cute (remind me a little of MA Storybook dolls). I saw Linda’s comment about eras. I think they can wear most anything with a wig change. I’ve seen seamstresses sew period specific clothing for them.
Thank you for being willing to give Nora’s bonnet measurements to me. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you. *smiles* I’m hoping gray straw is available. With all the talented things you do, have you ever tried dyeing the straw? With Rit? I’m thinking a gray pattern fabric would be pretty on both my Caroline and MG. I still have the post bookmarked of Eden’s gray Civil War dress with that gray wool felt bonnet, as I was one of my favorites.
HI Laura,
I think I find things because I’m always looking wherever I am…
I’m like you, I like the matte finish much better than shiny…
I never had tried dying the straw, but on the PNB website I think they recommend one certain color of straw if you plan to dye it…
That bonnet from the felt was SO easy to do… I should look that picture up again and maybe do a tutorial on one…
Blessings, Jeanne
I am also loving the little dog. My grandchildren’s dog looked exactly like that when he was a puppy. Max is a golden doodle. They are adopting another dog in a couple of weeks whose name is Domino but he looks just like a panda. Wish they weren’t sold out of the little stuffed animals.
You are, indeed, brave to repaint the doll’s face, but then that’s your trademark, fearless and creative. Great job.
HI Susette,
Maggie does look like a miniature Max…
A dog that looks like a panda? You’ll have to send pictures of that…I can’t imagine… :o)
Fearless and creative? How about carefree and crazy! I just love a fun project!
Thank you Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Super job on that sweet little face! I have a doll from Heartline, I think, and she has that sweet Dianna Effner face too. She seems like a perfect little sister for the Little Darlings.
That spray is great… it doesn’t seem too shiny on her face either. Is it something you have to send for? Will be super interesting to see the dress you come up with!
Off to the basement…making a baby romper out of a western shirt that belonged to this baby’s Grandpa. Seemed like a fun project until I tried to use the Pearl snap front closures…yeah…that didn’t work so well. Collar is all I have left and those Crotch snaps. Cross your fingers😉
HI Kathie,
The Mister Super Clear had to be ordered for someplace overseas… but I can’t remember where right now… I used it when I did Elin years ago and the can still has lots in it and sprays wonderfully. I think it was $19 and I thought that was crazy high, but I’ve been impressed with how long it’s lasted.
You’ll have to send pictures of your western baby romper…do you use snap tape for the crotch. I still have some of it left from when I was making baby clothes… long time ago…
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
The puppy is adorable!.. but my goodness, what a gift .. Little Miss Monday’s Child!💕You did such a great job on the faceup.. especially the eyebrows, which are SO important and difficult to match up.
I watched Lana Dobbs repainting a Paola Reina for someone at MDCC convention, and she spent so much time checking her progress by turning the doll upside down. She said that a sure way to make sure the eyes and eyebrows match. Great tip for anyone who does Faceups💕
Love the way you trimmed the wig.. every girl needs a new look to feel special. Those pink sandals are darling! Can’t wait to see Holly on the runway!
Well, Shara, I think you are a bit too kind about the eyebrows… I’m my own worst critic so I think I could have done better… I love the ones I did for my Bailey, but I just couldn’t get these to cooperate! However, I do like them better than the black ones that were on her…
I did the turning upside down too… it didn’t seem to help me with Holly’s… :o(
I’m going to have to get busy and find the perfect fabric for her… I just got my Regency dress listed on Ebay so it’s time to move on…
Thanks Shara,
Blessings, Jeanne
I love the little dog. The only toys I ever see in our charity shops look as though they were well played with! Maggie looks a lot like my little dog would have done when he was a puppy (I got him when he was 7 yrs old). He isn’t quite as white as he might have been then.
I can’t believe how brave you were taking all that colouring from the doll! I would have made such a mess if I ever tried it! Great job, look forward to seeing what you make. For me, 18 inches is probably as small as I want to go making clothes. I love the lovely clothes you make for those so tiny dolls
Thanks Anne,
I’m glad you like Holly now… She likes her new face and so do I!
A lot of toys I see are worn out too, so when you find something with the box and in excellent condition, it’s a sure thing I’m going to pick it up for a prop!
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi again, Jeanne, I just read your reply to my post yesterday so thought I would answer that here. Yes I do give my girls names. Since I buy them second hand they rarely have their names on them and anyway they prefer to to tell me the names they like rather than have the name hundreds of other dolls have. My five are called Bella (she was my first), Amy, Sammy and the last two I bought are called Phoenix and Phoebe. My granddaughter, Ashley, has Elizabeth and Abby. Sam bought another from Trademe but it is in the cupboard waiting for Christmas or birthday (29th Dec) so hasn’t been named yet. My friend sells her crafts from home and on line and also sells on behalf of and on Sunday she is hosting an afternoon tea at her house so my girls are all dressed up ready for showing off. I will take a photo then. Not sure how I send photos to you though. Their clothes aren’t as beautiful as the ones you make though
My son in law is doing fine and may come home today (Thursday) though he will be off work for weeks, at least 8. Although he is having chemotherapy it is not cancer it is just that those drugs work on it. Sam is very frustrated, she was planning to leave him next month but now feels she can’t at least for the near future. And he will be home 24/7 and as he is sick she will have to wait on him hand and foot, not that he did that for her when she had the first chemo. She is still trying to sort out all her stuff (she is something of a hoarder). If she moves out before she is finished it will all go in the rubbish in fact that is why she hasn’t told him she is going because he would throw away anything he could get his hands on. He can be very vindictive.
We are going out for dinner tonight for Caitlin, Sam’s older daughter’s 15th birthday which was on Tuesday. I doubt Greg will be there even if he wasn’t sick, going out for dinner means you eat you food quickly and when you have finished eating it is time to go home. My older son and his wife will be there but the youngest is having a cyst removed from his back this afternoon so doesn’t think he will be up to it. my oldest son is in Melbourne so it is a bit of a worry as they have had a huge second wave of cases and he is immuno compromised since he had a stroke 2 and a half years ago then a heart attack last year. They have gone back into lockdown as of yesterday I think. Not that anyone is taking any notice of it or don’t seem to be. We are doing everything we can to avoid having to do that again but we can’t stay isolated forever. Life has returned to normal here with no restrictions on gatherings so we can go watch live sport in the stadiums, can have big weddings even concerts. Just can’t come in to the country without being in quarantine.
Sorry, didn’t mean to write a novel! Take care everyone
Hi Anne,
I was almost sure you gave your dolls names… they are sweet names too! I like the name Phoebe. I bet your granddaughter will have a hard time waiting until Christmas to see her new doll… will you let her have a peek every now and then when she comes over?
It’s wonderful to hear that things are getting better where you are… still locked up pretty tight in some places around here… maybe someday we will all be back to normal…
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a cute doll, and I love those pink sandals. You were very brave to take so much color off her face. I personally don’t like heavy eyebrows or too much color on the little girl dolls, so I was glad to see you were successful in Lightening her up”. She is a beautiful doll.
Thanks Carolyn,
I don’t have any other shoes for Holly other than those pink sandals so I might have to incorporate some pink in her dress that I’ll be making for her…
Thanks for your kind compliments…
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, the little doggie is adorable and I am sure that he will be flying off the shelves at ebay (smile).
I do remember when you received Holly. I like what you did to give her a new Face-Up.
I have four Boneka, one Monday, two Tuesdays, and one Thursday. I will have to see if I can find out why there is no Wednesday.
I look forward to seeing what type of outfit you create for Holly.
HI Dorothy,
If I ever see another one of those little doggies, I’ll have to get it and have a giveaway with it… It seems everyone loved her…
I’m glad I took time out yesterday and fixed Holly’s face a little more to my liking… She’s going to be just fine as Noel’s big sister…
I always wondered why there was no Wednesday’s child too…
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I think it’s because, in the poem, “Monday’s Child”, it says, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.”
i’ve been walking around without eyebrows since chemo because i can’t get them even. now it appears that the problem would be solved if i could just turn myself upside down while i drew them on. somehow i doubt that will happen.
Oh I loved your comments Marilyn… I actually laughed out loud when I read them!
Have a wonderful evening… or night…
Blessings, Jeanne