As you know, I just made these little furniture pieces.
But where are they going?
You might recall seeing a peek of this secretary from my
recent Doll Room Tour. It was a hodge podge!
Well, I gave you a hint with this photo:
WANT TO SEE IT NOW?!?
HERE IT IS!!
And doors open!
On the bottom shelf are the furniture pieces I made.
I also crocheted the little rug.
This cabinet is just two dollhouse pieces put together.
All my little plates are just paper with clear
plastic glued to the fronts!
To the right of the living room is the tea table.
I need to crochet a round rug here.
The table cloth is an old embroidered hankie.
The china tea set was painted by my grandmother.
It has been in my china cabinet for 30 years
and I never thought til now to use it for my dolls.
Sadly one of the cups is missing!
This is the second floor bedroom.
This bed was made from a candy box.
I used the box lid for the canopy.
You can see the box bottom is the bed base.
All my doll mattresses are made from the
used egg crates off my kids beds.
( I put them through the wash first!)
The right hand side of the room.
Someone who lives here collects dolls too!
The perfume bottles are beads
that have been hot glued.
SO!
Who is this little house for??
Well, a friend LURED me into wanting
a small fashion doll, I KNOW!
It was most irresponsible.
She was sharing her collection of
Little Miss Revlons with me.
So, I decided I would JUST LOOK on eBay.
I found this little girl, who looked
like she really needed a new home.
So, I got her!!!!
She arrived yesterday and she had all these
clothes AND a pair of heels.
She is VERY dirty and her hair!
I use my usual cleaners.
Synthetic hair shampoo and magic eraser.
Much cleaner!
As soon as I won her, I ordered her
some lingerie from Doll Secrets
She looks SO much better already!
But a little faded maybe?
Here she is before her touch up.
I mix these 2 colors for doll cheeks.
Then I use a make-up sponge
dipped and then tapped on a paper towel.
Then I very carefully tap the dolls cheeks.
If you mess up just use a damp cloth to
wipe off and try again.
Here she is! She looks
so much brighter.
Before and After.
But she really needs a friend.
I came across this little American Character
Toni doll. She is in really good shape.
She has her original lingerie and shoes
and her color is very nice!
All I did for her was wash her lingerie to freshen it up.
Here they are!
But, they both need names.
HELP!
38 comments:
Oh this is absolutely adorable. I would just love to have something like this, and fashion up some wonderful mini's. You did a great job.
The girls Laverne & Shirley
Thank you Faith!
I really am pleased you like it! I have so much fun making all this doll stuff. Stay tuned, there are some doll outfits coming up next.
OK, first name submission! Thank you.
Hugs
Brenda
You are definitely the "Doll Whisperer" (laugh). The first doll looks so much better. The second doll is lovely also.
The second doll reminds me of Amanda Blake from Gunsmoke, so Amanda. If you stay with a "western" theme, you could name the first doll Audra after the character Audra Barkley from The Big Valley.
Thank you Dorothy!
I do love a good makeover. :) I like Amanda and Audra! I loved watching The Big Valley! That and Bonanza came on one after the other when I was a girl.
OH, and big hugs!
Oh! Another intriguing post! I get so excited to see what you've done with your dolls. Seeing the things you've used for items in the rooms brings to mind the box of things my girls had saved for playing with their dolls: beads, spools, little bottles, etc. I still have the box and its contents. And you can take a pitiful looking doll and make her very pretty again. I'm so glad to have you as a blogging friend.
The dolls look like new. You did a wonderful job. Jo Ann and Mary Ellen would be my picks for the dolls.
Joan
Brenda congratulations on the clean up on the dolls. They are lovely. I choose Bernadette and Margaret for their names. The rooms look wonderful.
Marion
Thank you Charlotte (Lil Red Hen)!
You know how I like a good makeover! Oooh, I would love to rummage through your box of playthings. I am always looking for miniatures that can be used with my doll projects.
Big Hugs
Brenda
Thank you Joan!
The American Character doll I really did nothing for, but Little Miss Revlon needed a good bath and hair-do.
Oooh, two more great name ideas.
Big Hugs
Brenda
Thank you Linda!
I enjoy making doll rooms. I am so bad at thinking of names too. I am grateful for the help I get here! haha!
I do like the Ingall's girls idea. I watched that show religiously when I was a girl. I had read ALL the books before the show came out.
Hugs
Brenda
Thank you Marion!
I do enjoy making doll rooms. Ohh, Bernadette and Margaret, hhmmm, such great suggestions!
Big hugs
Brenda
What a great job you did on the doll. The rooms and furniture are lovely. Kathleen and Lorraine, two of my favorite names.
Marilyn
Thank you Marilyn!
You know how much I love makeovers. I have had so much fun with these dolls. I am working on their outfits now.
Oooh, Kathleen and Lorraine two more good ideas for names. Boy, this is going to be a hard choice.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
Your dolls have a lovely home - I can tell you enjoyed crafted all those decorative touches they have.
Both the dolls are pretty, such nice complexions. I am going to steal the idea for adding some color to a doll's cheeks, a couple of mine look rather pale.
I name my dolls after relatives or childhood friends. it helps me to remember what i named them - and yes, I have THAT many!
Your LMR reminds me of Marlo Thomaas in "That Girl" - her perfect hair and delicate features - so I would call her Marlo - although her given name was really Julia, she used Marlo professionally.
I haven't thought of a name for her friend, what was your best friend's name when you were a teen?
Mine was Judy, and I do have a doll named Judy, not a LMR, but similar sized friend.
She is one of my favorite try-on models when I sew or knt, as she has short hair that never gets mussed up with all I put her though.
I'll need to send a picture of her later - I am about ready to go out!
Janet
Thank you Janet!
Please send before and after photos from your cheek brightening! I would love to see that.
Oh, I like Julia. Let's see my best teen friend was Kristen, such a nice idea. But she did marry my ex-boyfriend, weird right? Haha!
I have a decision to make about these girl's names. I hope we get a couple more suggestions before I decide.
Big Hugs
Brenda
Unless one name jumps out at you, just put all the names on bits of paper and have someone pull one out of a bag, or a bowl - TAA-Dah!
I have a favorite but then, I mostly name my girls for someone!
Janet
Thanks Janet,
That's a great idea! That would make things much simpler.
hugs
Brenda
Love how your project rooms turned out Brenda, it looks fabulous. Isn't it simply awful how friends tempt you to buy more dolls, it happens like that with me much too often, but I guess when you are on Blogger and sharing hobbies it's bound to happen. Just quietly I wouldn't have it any other way, and both your girls look very sweet, just like sisters. :)
Not much good at choosing names for other people's dolls, actually I usually let my dolls tell me. LOL! However, the hairdo is very 60's so thinking back, what about Laverne and Shirley??
Big hugs,
X
Sorry I didn't read the comments ... and now see that's already been suggested.
Thank you Xanadu!
Haha, that is so funny that you thought of Laverne and Shirley too! What are the odds?
I really love making doll rooms to go with my dolls. When I was a girl, my parents couldn't afford a Barbie dream house, so I made a Barbie mansion on a metal bookcase in my room. My friends all liked my Barbie house best!
Yes, I am frequently tempted to get more dolls through the influence of friends. You are right, I should just go with it. ;)
It's been so nice having a doll makeover and house build while we are all cooped up.
Big Hugs
Brenda
Thank you Sandra!
I love a good makeover. These dolls are a lot more tolerant of a wash-up than people think.
The curtains are just paper cutouts I printed from the internet! Can you believe it?
Big Hugs
Brenda
Do you use a sealant after brightening up the cheek color? I'm debating whether to add a bit of blush to my old Pleasant Company Samantha's cheeks. I don't want to spend a ton of money and also am reluctant to do anything too permanent since she is a signed early model.
Maryn
Thank you Maryn,
NO, I never use sealant. I like acrylics for this reason. They are water based and may fade, but so easy to redo. I have pinked the cheeks of my Molly and other AG dolls I have restored over the years. It's an easy method, almost fool-proof.
Hugs
Brenda
Thank you, Brenda! After leaving my question I could never find this page again--now I will bookmark it!
Maryn
A bit off-topic for this page, but I just love the tiny straw clutch purses you show in one of your scenes. One is lavender and one is lime green. How did you make those?
Maryn
Hi Maryn, glad you found us again!
I think the purses you are talking about are from the 10.5" Shopping Spree post. I did not make these purses, but purchased them from a friend who has a Facebook page called "The Attic Couturier". She is also a member of the Little Miss Revlon and Friends online doll club. Both these links are on that page. Just go to the search line at the top of my blog and enter "Shopping Spree" and it should come up. She is an amazing seamstress! She also makes, hats, shoes and purses.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi again Maryn,
I just wanted to clarify, when you search for "Shopping Spree" you will find the post with the items you are interested in. Towards the bottom of the post are the links for "The Attic Couturier" and the "Little Miss Revlon and friends" online doll club.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
Just an update on my plan for enhancing my Samantha's face and lip color: I did what you suggested and am very pleased with the result! Her cheeks are still pretty subtle and I'm considering repeating the steps, but even a little bit of added color on her lips and cheeks has made a noticeable difference. Thank you so much!
Hi Maryn,
I am so glad that the cheek color worked out. You were smart to go light at first until you figure out the technique. You can always add more color later! I love the amazing difference some cheek color can make.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi, Brenda, I didn't see it in any of the comments here on this post, and don't recall if you ARE aware, but the dress that your LMR arrived in actually originally belonged to the AC Toni doll! It once had a sheer yellow organdy blousy cover-up. I have one cut out to make for my own Toni who came in the dress, and also missing the cover-up.
Love to read about your restoration processes!
Hugs,
Jenny :-)
Thank you Jenny,
I was not aware of that when I first saw this dress. I was sure it must have been a mom-made dress. It was only later while looking up something else regarding my Toni that I saw another Toni doll wearing this dress! Later on I created a cloche hat for my Toni to go along with the dress. Another case of finding vintage dresses where I least ecpect them.
Hugs
Brenda
So sweet and tw of my favorite 101:2” dolls.Sally and Maggie from Sherry
Hi Sherry,
Thank you! I am so glad you like what I created. I enjoy making rooms and accessories for my dolls. I especially enjoy sharing them with all my friends.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I was researching painting a doll's face and your blog popped up, which is why I'm commenting 4 years after your post first went up. LOL I really love what you've done with her, and the other Miss Revlon's hair.
I just bought a Little Miss Revlon-- I got hooked when I cleaned up and made an outfit for a friend of mine's Miss Revlon. She's in nice shape- just needs a good spa day
.
The doll I think needs painting is an 8" Madame Alexander. I didn't really notice when I looked at the pictures of her on Ebay, but her face is faded out to white and the tops of her forearms are too. She looks ill. Do you think your method would work for her as well as they did for your LM Revlon?
Thanks for sharing all your inspiring work'
Jennifer
HI Jennifer,
I went back and read my response and it was so garbled! I don't know what happened! The paint method I use is almost always on vinyl faces. A lot of these dolls have hard plastic arms and the paint will not stick as well. I tried to touch up a baby doll's arms and it kept rubbing off. I think doll's arms get touched a lot and acrylics just doesn't work well.
I hope this helps
Brenda
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