My friend Sina sent me these five dolls recently.
They were turned in to the thrift store she volunteers at.
Doggone Good Treasures in Pine Mt. GA.
This charity shop helps to fund their local Animal Shelter.
Sina knows I love to restore dolls,
so she sent them to me to see
if I could make anything of them.
Today I will concentrate on just three.
This 1950s American Character Toodles baby doll.
She is 20" long.
This 1950s Madame Alexander 19" Bonnie Doll,
AND...
This 1987 Thumbelina 18" Baby Doll.
First TOODLES!
First thing she got was a bath!
The first swipe of the wash cloth!
I was pleased to see the dirt WOULD come off!
ALL CLEAN!!
Her face needs a little freshening up. Lips,
cheeks and eyebrows all need paint.
I chose these 3 colors. A light peach tone, a light melon
and a rust color. I mixed the melon and rust to make lip color.
Next I trimmed a triangle make-up sponge
so there would be no corners.
I mixed my three colors and coated my sponge.
I tap off almost all the paint on a paper towel.
Then I dab the paint onto cheeks.
I also dab a tiny bit of color on the nose and
sometimes at the temples.
AND HERE'S
TOODLES!
You will recognize this dress from my last post!
These babies all need dressing, so I
will dip into my own supply.
You can see I repainted her lips and eyebrows.
I also re-pinked her cheeks. These
molded hair dolls always look sweet
with a ribbon tied around their head.
NEXT
Next is this 1950s Madame Alexander
19" Bonnie doll.
She got a bath and a hair wash.
She is looking better, but her hair is pretty matted.
She will also need her lips and cheeks repainted.
Sadly she is missing hair in front and has
a crack in her skull. I debated about
getting her a new wig, but decided to leave
that to whoever is her next mommy.
I was able to restore her original slip. I have her
dress on my sewing table, but not sure I can
save it. However...
I have had this vintage 50s era blouse and
skirt for quite awhile and it fits her perfectly!
I added this sweater that is newer, but I think
it really completes her outfit.
I combed her hair forward to cover
her bald spot and set her bangs with
a bobby pin.
Here she is all dressed and refreshed!
She is very sweet!
Here is the back of her hair. Not bad
considering the matted mess it was!
NEXT
The third doll I wanted to get ready to sell
is this 1987 Ideal Thumbelina.
She is 18" long.
Her sides were torn open.
I removed a little
stuffing from both sides to
relieve pressure on the seams.
After stitching I reinforced the repair with
Fray Check.
I washed her face and limbs, but, sadly, a lot of the
marks would not come off.
I found this vintage baby dress that fit her.
I replaced the elastic in the sleeves and...
Added a sweet ribbon around her head.
Not too bad.
SO, all three of these babies are
available for adoption!
Look for them on eBay.
I will send the sale price to
Doggone Good Treasures and
hopefully save some animals too!
BEFORE AND AFTER
American Character Toodles
Madame Alexander Bonnie
1987 Thumbelina
I will finish cleaning and restoring the last 2
babies in the near future!
Click here for the next doll restoration:
18 comments:
Thank you Sandra,
I truly enjoy making old dolls new again. I am so pleased you like what I have done. The Bonnie doll did turn out much cuter than I even imagined!
I am hoping that the little work I did will help the animal shelter save lives.
Hugs
Brenda
Beautiful work
Thank you from a volunteer at the Humane Society Harris County 💓
You renovated the dolls beautifully. May they find new homes quickly. Hugs.
Thank you Volunteer!
I am so pleased I can do this small thing to help the animal shelter. I already have a bid for one of these dolls!
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Zacisze,
I am so pleased you like the work I have done on these dolls. I too hope we find new homes for them all.
Hugs
Brenda
Wow! They came out beautifully.
Hi Maryn!
Thank you, I must say I am pleased with how nice these dolls look now. Honestly, when I first saw them I was thinking, "What can I do with these babies!?!" I did my usual and just forged ahead with cleaning and refreshing. I'm glad you like what I did.
HUgs
Brenda
Brenda you did an amazing job. The dolls are lovely and look wonderful.
Marilyn
What a fantastic job Brenda. The Madame Alexander doll looks good and I love the Thumbelina one.
Marion
Brenda, beautiful as always! Karen
Hi Marilyn,
Thank you! You know how much I enjoy a good makeover!
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Marion,
I must admit, I am pleased with how the MA Bonnie looks now. What a change!
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Karen,
Thank you! These dolls were lovely below the layers of dirt. I could see their potential. I will be sad to see the Toodles go. She is SO sweet in person, I had no idea!
Hugs
Brenda
Quite an improvement! I love to see previously loved dolls given a second chance. Betty
HI Betty,
I too love seeing old dolls given another life! It makes me so happy seeing them go to a collector who appreciates their history.
Hugs
Brenda
What a great transformation for these three, I love the Toodles, sweet and happy, the Alexander baby will be so huggable now, I love that you are able t revive these darling babies, some one is going to love them.
janet
Hi Janet,
Thank you. You know how much I enjoy doing these makeovers. I was as amazed as anyone at how well these babies came out. I've had a lot of interest in all 3 dolls online, so I look forward to giving back something to the pet rescue.
Hugs
Brenda
Hi Volunteer!!
Somehow I missed you! Thank you so much, it was my pleasure to help your cause in any way I can!
Big hugs
Brenda
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