Changing Faces

This past weekend I gave my tiny models a little much needed attention. The dolls in my home work hard! This was my first time doing full faceups (stripping and repainting faces) and I have to say I really enjoyed it! But it was very scary cracking Blythe's head open and pulling apart her eyes! Here are some before and after shots of the girls I worked on.

Bleuette

This is a resin BJD Bleuette from Ruby Red Galleria. I ordered the doll with changeable face plates Bleuette/Charmette, but I didn't really like the Bleuette face plate she came with. 

Before:

After: I sanded down and reshaped her chipmunk cheeks, widened the width between her eyes (carving and adding apoxie sculpt to the resin). I used pastels, sealant and acrylics to add the coloring.

Here is a side view so you can see the cheeks better.

Before:

After:

I still need to bevel her eye holes so the glass eyes fit a little more flush to her face. 

Lati Yellow Lea (Ether)

Ether was my first resin doll and it was really starting to show--her original factory face paint had become so worn and faded, she barely had color left. Plus I had never liked her angry blocky eyebrows. 

Before:

After:

She has lips again :]. And eyelashes... Here you can see her new sad eyebrows :]

Blythe Nicky Lad

I have seen some amazing Blyhte makeovers and I knew I wanted to try it, but I was afraid to jump in as I didn't want to ruin her! I found many helpful articles through google searches ie "removing Blythe's eye mechanism" and they really helped boost my courage when I was prying Blythe's head apart with full body weight. I stood on a chair leaning onto her head to separate the face plate--the cracking sounds were scary, but she made it through!

Before:

After:

She had some carving/sculpting done with a file, matte sanding to remove the shinies, all four sets of eye chips have been replaced, sleep eyes enabled, new eyelashes, lids painted and pigments added :].  I forgot Blyhte doesn't usually have eyebrows when I made them, but then I kind of liked them, so they stayed.

Now she needs new hair :]. 

I am sure I will keep fussing with these guys for awhile, but for now, they seem to be feeling much more colorful :]. 

A special thanks to the beach peep ladies for your support during my projects--hugs to all!

Shabby Paddywhack aka Eliana's Bedroom

Eliana (4" Amelia Thimble from Wilde Imagination) would like to share her new room/carry case with you! The room began life as a Paddywhack Lane Cottage like this:

I stripped it down with sandpaper and paint and then built it back up with new fabrics and papers more to Eli's liking. If you right click on the pictures and open in a new tab, you can see the images in more detail.

The room is filled with cream, beige and aqua. Those little 'jars' along the top are bead tubes I shortened. They contain tiny treasures Eli has stolen from my workroom. Eli has an affinity for tiny shinies. (Don't we all?)

Below: This is how the project began--a sanded blank canvas. I left some of the original print showing through because the cottage was already done in a sort of shabby chic style--the white paint just mellowed the shiny plastic look a little. The pillow inserts are actually a cheap sponge I cut up. This project cost very little as most of the fabric and paper scraps were lying around. 

These are some of the fun bits I used. The filigree bobbypins were painted and added to the drawers--the drawers are wrapped with silk ribbon. The 'knobs' need to be flat so the case can still fold. The little girl painting is a picture from a catalog. I used Matte Acrylic Gel Medium to add brush strokes for a canvas look. The little window is a resin scrapbooking/collage accessory from the local craft store. 

Eli says 'Take your shoes off and come on in!' This project wasn't difficult--just a little time consuming. I highly recommend it :]. 

I still need to finish the outside and add a new handle. Eliana is almost ready to travel in style! The little bed folds up into the box. I am going to use the hollow underside of the bed to create a sealable pouch for Eli to ride in safely. 

Make a Simple Hair Decoration for your Doll

This ship decoration was made with frosted shrink plastic using the pattern below along with colored pencils. You can make most any design or embellishment for your doll using shrink plastic. 

I added a small peg to the bottom of the pattern to make it easier to permanently affix the ship.

Use Crafter’s Pick the Ultimate tacky glue to glue your ship embellishment into place (you could also glue a clip or barette to the backside of your embelishment if you want it to be removable):

Here are addtional miniature doll accessories made with the same frosted shrink plastic:

Learn to make your own original clothes pin doll with my new tutorial: Clothes Pin Art Dolls available on etsy!

New Projects, New Year

I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I haven’t made a doll in 7 or 8 months! So what happened? Well, dolls happened. I have been making tiny shoes and clothes and kits! What started out as a side project for me in my Doll Destash etsy shop has really taken on a life of its own.

That’s not all—you now know a fashion designer! I have been contacted recently by two different doll companies to design and produce lines of clothing for their dolls. The little preview picture here is one of the pieces I am working on for the fast approaching Valentine’s day launch. If you are curious, I will talk more about the companies and projects in the coming months. I can tell you I am designing a new pattern almost every day right now. My work room has spilled into the hall and right now it kind of looks like Valentine’s day threw up in here. ;]

So what are your plans for 2012? Aside from clothes and more clothes, I will be working on some new doll designs, new kits and brand new PDF tutorials including (finally) one to teach you how to make my clothes pin dolls—to be released this January or February!  I have pronounced this year to be a year of experimentation and learning—don’t be afraid to try new things.

In the spirit of learning and sharing, I am having a Buy one, Get one Free sale on all my PDF tutorials in my dollproject shop! So you can save up to 50% and learn twice as much! To take advantage of this special sale visit my shop here and follow the instructions in the listing you select. This sale is only for January.

Happy New Year! I hope you try many new things, or at least get to that project you’ve been itching to do—even if it’s painting the bathroom (that’s on my list!). 

How to put Long Stockings on a Blythe Doll

So, if you have a Blythe doll or have held a Blythe--you know her body is quite rubbery in texture. When you are dressing Blythe, fabrics tend to get caught up due to friction and it can be a challenge to put a tight or slim garment onto her limbs. (Think fat toddler foot vs tiny shoe.) 

Here is a simple, frustration-free method to put long stockings of any material onto your Blythe doll. You will need two tools--

1. Bic pen style barrel with both ends removed

2. Small rod or dowel that fits inside the barrel of the pen

Step 1 Turn both stockings inside out--To do this, feed the stocking all the way onto the pen barrel and then push your dowel into the toe end of the sock while sliding the fabric up and around the dowel. Next pull up the remaining sock up so that it is completely turned.

Step 2 In a similar fashion to step one, reinsert the pen barrel into the stocking and then push the toe area inward with the dowel. This time, only push until the sock is turned about 1 inch, as you see below. 

Step 3 Now slide both tools out of the sock and put Blythe's rubbery little foot into the 1" sock 'starter hole' you made. 

Now you should be able to slide the remaining stocking onto Blythe's leg, turning it right side out as you push it up the leg. Yay! We won the battle.

Oh, Merry Christmas too :]. This is my westie, Emma.