Monday, August 6, 2012

Repairing Elise (A Work In Progress)

If you follow me on Instagram, Flickr, or are friends with me on Facebook, you've probably already figured out I got a great deal on an old Madame Alexander doll from Goodwill. I was so excited I instantly blew up all my social media with her moldy mug.

Eww!!!

She was an almost perfect doll. She has a beautiful purple brocade (I think) dress, underthings, a rhinestone detail on her dress, and matching rhinestone earrings. Her wig is minty, with the original style, ribbon, and hair barrette intact. Her face, however,was a different story. It was awful. At first, I just thought it was some strange dirt. I washed it off but her entire face was tinged brown. I decided to try the old standby, acne cream, to try to lighten her face. After it dried, I had to use a little force to get it off. When I checked the qtip I had been using, I saw it had a slightly brown tinge, so I knew the stuff would come off. What I didn't know is how hard it would be. I had to use quite a bit of pressure on her face with a Magic Eraser. The brown stuff did indeed come off. There is still a little around her nose and eyes as it is very difficult to get in those little spaces. Of course, with the great amount of force I applied, her face paint did come off. Everyone has to make tough decisions in life. When I noticed I had rubbed a tiny bit of her eyebrow off, I had to decide whether or not to keep going. I decided the brown stuff grossed me out so bad and looked so disgusting I would sacrifice her paint. And so I did.

Getting a facial...

So pale!

After all that work, she looked quite ghastly. And not in the beautiful Evangeline way. I headed off to Walmart and procured a few $0.57 bottles of Apple Barrel paint (I know, big spender) and a set of brushes. Brushes specifically for doll making. I'm not joshing, check our your local Walmart, they have paint brushes for people like me. Anyway, I'm not exactly satisfied or dissatisfied with her. It is the first time I've ever repainted a doll...one that I've publicly shared at least. It was most difficult to paint the cheeks. I used a foam brush (not doll specific, boo), and dabbed a little bit on, then "blended" it into her cheek with my finger, just like you'd do with your own blush. It turned out okay. Now I'm working on getting her outfit clean. Stay tuned this week for the finished product!