First of all thank you for your sweet and very kind comments about our new kitchen. Never in a million years (well almost a million) did I think the day would ever come when our kitchen would look this nice… I was hoping for something even half this nice, so for it to turn out the way it did is just beyond wonderful… We love it and thank you for telling me you did too… Sometimes on decorating blogs I see people list all the things they used and the places where they got those things, at the bottom of their blog posts… I thought about doing that, but decided to do a dolly post instead… maybe another time…
I took the day off and just caught up on some things that had gotten neglected since the frig went out last Saturday. So when it came time to write my post for Friday, I didn’t have anything new to show you… I didn’t get Samantha’s purse or thigh highs made yet… so I went a completely different direction.
When the American Girl Company announced on May 4th they were bringing back the first six dolls made by Pleasant Company and would have a 35th Anniversary Celebration doing it, I was thrilled just like everyone else, to see the dolls looking “almost” like they did so long ago. I decided pretty quickly to make a special outfit for each of the girls and maybe even go through the list again… It wasn’t going to be a problem for me because I already had Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Addy and Felicity…and I used to have Josefina… 2 in fact, but I had sold my last Josefina a few years ago… rats!
What could I do? Nora could stand in for Josefina, or maybe Chrissa… but that really wasn’t what I wanted to do…So what’s a girl to do? I started looking on Ebay to see what was out there at a very reasonable price… You know, Josefina has SO many different facial expressions… it seems like every other doll you look at is different looking…and you know what makes her that way? Her eyebrows! The eyebrows on Josefina are all over the board… some high, some very high, and some low… Sometimes she looks scared out of her wits and sometimes she looks puzzled… like she doesn’t know what to do…
I looked at Josefina dolls on ebay and these are some of the looks she had… notice the varied eyebrows…
If you click on any of the pictures, they will enlarge.
Quite a few of them were Pleasant Company dolls, but none of these had the look I wanted… I wanted one just like my first Josefina… here’s a favorite picture of her…
The Josefina face mold is my favorite… ( Josefina, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Chrissa and more share the same sweet look)
This one caught my eye on Ebay too, but I think it was her hairstyle that mostly caught my attention…
Okay, back to looking at dolls with “perfectly positioned” eyebrows… (that’s what I was calling them)
I looked at probably hundreds of dolls from May 4th till May 31st and then I thought I spotted her…I just put her on my watch list and asked the seller a few questions… non smoking home? Shiny marks on her face? and a few more questions… and then the next day the lady offered me a discount price if I was still interested in her..
She came in her “fake” leather vest and her Harvest skirt and bloomers… that’s all…
I got her for… $55.20. I thought she was very pretty… She arrived a week ago, but I haven’t had much time to look at her since our frig went out the next day…
So today I decided to wash her hair…it was the only thing I was slightly disappointed in… it truly felt like a horse’s tail… it was coarse and kind of hung in clumps… It really wasn’t tangled or even matted… but just felt thick and fake-like. It wasn’t smooth like Elizabeth’s or Chrissa’s hair… but kind of on the stiff side and funny feeling. Almost like it has been singed, but it doesn’t look singed… only feels like it.
I don’t know if you can tell anything from these pictures of her hair or not, but here they are…
I washed it in some Tresseme shampoo and used a deep conditioner on it… When it was wet, it felt dry…it was the strangest thing. It was almost like it was repelling the water… and I’ve never experienced this before with any AG dolls hair. So I set her in front of a fan and it dried maybe 5% better… but I was still not completely happy with it… so I tried the method of dunking the dolls hair in boiling water (up and down) for 1-2 minutes, then dunking her hair in ice cold water… then letting it dry… It was an improvement and I am going to wait and see tomorrow how I like it… it’s dry now, but I just want to see it in the daylight and maybe outside…
Anyway this post is about how photogenic she is, so I guess I better show some of those pictures to see if you think so too…
The seller was right when she told me she had no shiny marks on her face…
Here was her hair after it had dried… it does look much better, but I’m wondering if maybe she needs another boiling water dunk… sometimes it takes 2, 3 and 4 times to smooth out the waves in some dolls hair.
Even if her hair stays like this, I think I’ll be okay with her. I’m pretty happy with her and need to figure out what she’ll be wearing for her 35th Anniversary dress set!
When I laid her down and took a closer look at her face, I did notice one tiny little pin dot of a mark just under her lip… I might try a Magic Eraser tomorrow, very lightly to see if it will come off…
So that’s my new girl… perfectly placed eyebrows, very pretty skin coloring, no chew marks, no stains, no odors, beautifully inset brown eyes, “almost” nice hair, but she does need to be restrung… she is quite loose in the legs… I can fix that… :o)
Well, I better get to bed…Don’t forget… Pixie Faire has free patterns on Friday… don’t forget to check them out!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congrats on your new Josefina! She really does have a pretty face–and, yes, I do see what you mean about her hair.
Have you tried fabric softener? Sometimes (in the past–haven’t “rescued” a doll in quite some time now), when I washed a doll’s hair, I would then dissolve a small amount of regular liquid fabric softener in about a cup of warm water, and carefully pour it over and work it thru her hair. After all, AG doll hair is fiber, not really hair, so fabric softener does work on it! It softened it and made it easier to comb, too. It certainly didn’t hurt, and if you don’t like how it turns out, you can always just wash it out again.
I’m hoping I get Maya in the mail tomorrow. I already have some fabrics chosen to try against her, and see which one she wants for a dress! It will be similar to the ones I made for Bella and Hanna–high yoke, short puffed sleeves, rickrack trim. Stay tuned!
Isn’t that great when you are looking for something and you actually FIND it, Jeanne? I went through the same thing with my Josefina and Scarlett. Your Josefina is beautiful, why, she looks just the same as mine! All my dolls are were bought straight from AG new, but not Josefina or Scarlett! By the time I decided to get Josefina, they had changed her eyebrows to look more surprised than I wanted her to look. So I searched and searched on Ebay for an older one that didn’t have the surprised look, and found her! She came with her braid, and when I took it down, I noticed that the ends were longer in the front, so , crazy me, tried to “fix” it and make them more even, before I knew that that was the way it was supposed to be! She never wears her hair down, always in her braid, and that is the easiest way to fix it. So much neater too. I think your Josefina’s hair is just fine after you have worked with it. I think it is supposed to be coarser than, like say, Molly’s hair.
I had her for two weeks before I noticed that she had bubble eye! it is very small, and I am sure the previous owner didn’t see it, but absolutely NO ONE can see it unless you really look for it. It just looks like a reflection of light on her eye, and has never gotten worse. It doesn’t bother me in the least.
I loved that green outfit you made for your older Josefina! I know you will make just as beautiful of an outfit for the new one as that was!
Hi Jeanne I remember looking a long time for my Josefina. After reading your blog I immediately went an looked at my Josefina’s face. Mine is very photogenic too and has that sweet face with “perfectly positioned eyebrows”. I always wondered why so many Josefina dolls didn’t catch my eye. You are right the eyebrows say it all. I too love the face mold for Elizabeth, Rebecca, Josefina—they just have a beautiful, soft expression and their eyes—just beautiful.
I too look forward to seeing what you make for Josefina.
Thanks for the Josephina information. Your doll is adorable and her hair is a gorgeous color. So many different shades and highlights. Congratulation on finding her, I think your new/old doll is perfect! Looking forward to meeting her once more in one of your heavenly creations.😍🥰😍
Interesting about Josefina’s hair. Has me wondering if it could have been sprayed with hairspray? I’m not very versed on doll hair, but since the hot water helped, and if it is human hairspray, maybe a stronger shampoo or Dawn might work better? They do use Dawn to remove oil from shore birds that have come across oil spills. Everything I’ve read says not to do a Downy dunk.
As to the eyebrows, I had no idea. In fact, without looking, I haven’t a clue as to exactly which eyebrows my Josefina carries. I’ve always admired her look though. Might have to snap a pic and send to have the feature identified.
Unfortunately, a large batch of Meadow Gigi dolls sent from the factory were poorly packed resulting in scratches from the plastic faceplates. What a mess for Meadow Dolls. Talks with the factory have resulted in changes, but with shipping as it is and the expense, it really makes for a fiasco.
I’ll bet it is wonderful to wake up to those shinning interior refrigerator lights. 🙂
Do you have the original American Girl doll clothes patterns? If not, you can download pdfs of them from here: http://agplaythings.com/AG%20Patterns/DollDressPatterns.html.
That was so interesting! I have a Josefina that had a severe haircut but I just bought her to use to fit clothes for my Granddaughters dolls. Now must go look and see if she has low or high eyebrows!
My Giggi arrived and she was packed so well I can’t believe some were scratched. That clear cover looked like a great idea but if it moved then I could see some scratches happening. Luckily mine was fine and I like the factory painting. The eyes were tedious to set…must have taken an hour to get them just right. She loves her new slip from Jeanne but the first wig I tried was a boy and it looked really cute. I had some boy clothes and shoes that fit pretty well so for now it is “George”
Congrats on your Giggi. So glad there weren’t scratches. And I’m sure George will look great in his new clothes. 🙂 Think we need a picture.
I’m just stopping in to write a brief message in case someone would miss why I’m gone a while.
My precious little kitty, Treacle (like the English candy) went home to heaven to be with God yesterday morning. I”m heartbroken and so, so sad.
She is one of my number of rescues. I rescued her and her friend, Truffle from the parking lot of one of our small downtown restaurants in October 2017 after seeing them and feeding them through the summer. Sadly, she had IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) when I found her, due mainly from eating something they shouldn’t. It turns into lymphoma. I had her for 3 years and 8 months, but not nearly long enough. She had daily medicines to help her and was loving and playful. She loved Truffle, adored my boys and got along well with the other two girls. I’m glad she was only really ill for a couple of weeks. She was a tiny black kitty with aqua green eyes, just beautiful. I’m grateful I have other kitties to cuddle, unlike when our last dog went to heaven and I had no other pets at the time.
I do know she’s playing with my other pets and is happy and free from pain, but I miss her so. I’ll be back at some point.
Oh Laura, I’m so sorry. Thinking of you and Treacle.
Hi Laura
I am so sorry to read where you lost your dear kitty…I know how soft hearted you are about animals and I’m sure this was a real blow to you…
You can take some comfort in knowing you gave her the very nicest home she could ever have gotten…
May the Lord wrap His comforting arms around you and hold you close…
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi, Laura,
I am so sorry that you have lost your sweet cat; our pets are our kids in so many ways and bring us such joy and enrich our lives. About 6 weeks ago, I had to put my best buddy down. I miss him like mad, but I keep “seeing him” in so many places and times, I feel like he is still with me. That probably sounds weird or sick, but I am so grateful to feel his presence still with me. This Saturday would have been his 11th birthday. Our whole family starts our annual family vacation, and we are going to celebrate dear old Chester. My heart goes out to you, Laura, and I am sending you a hug.
The Josefina face mold is my favorite, too. I had one that I got locally for $10.00!!! She had a very unfortunate hair cut, so l rewigged her. I’ll have to check her eyebrows in my pictures as I sold her.
I am now a chicken rancher! 4 Rhode Island Reds and 4 Black Australorps. 🌝💟
Congrats on the chicks. Would love to see a pic.
Dear Jeanne, what a cutie she is. I think her hair looks fine.
I have a Gotz Happy Kidz doll that has the kind of hair you describe. A previous Mama used some kind of product on her hair and I don’t know how to get it out. The doll’s hair is very dry. I washed it with shampoo and conditioner but it is still dry. I haven’t done anything with it since I got her a few years ago. I should take a look at her hair this Summer.
I will let you and the Sofa Sisters know about our Doll Club Luncheon tomorrow. So excited!
Laura, I’m sorry to hear about Treacle. It took me awhile to realize what a big loss a pet can be (I’ve never had one) but I finally realized that they share more of your life than most people do and that losing one is like losing part of your self
Julia, the chicken rancher. I’m looking forward to your stories.
Jeanne, I’ve thought for a long time that you needed a Josefina. To celebrate, maybe you could give us a Josefina slide show.
Your new Josefina’s hair photographs nicely but I’m sure you’ll work on it until it’s exactly what you want. She’s especially beautiful in the 2nd to last picture.
It is so weird that all the photos that you showed us on Josephina have their eyebrows in different places? How strange. No wonder you wanted one just right? I would be like that as well. I don’t care for dolls with their eyebrows up in the air like that either. I mentioned to one of the other women about my friend Carol Meadows. She loves doing Josephina dolls. She is in the Pleasant Doll forum. I wrote to Carol and asked her what would be the easiest way to access those photos of her Josephina Doll with those amazing outfits that she sews for her doll.
Okay Jeanne, I found where Carol Meadows put most of her photos of Josephina clothes that she made for her. She belongs to the Doll Lounge on Facebook and look for Carol Meadows. She has photos from July-Nov 2020 and March and April 2021. Gorgeous colors. I am not sure which one I love best. Fabric comes from Hobby Lobby she said.