MY GIRLS: AS "FAMOUS" ICONS

AFTER my girls each received their make-overs, I thought it would be fun to have a "CELEBRITY" or "FAMOUS ICON" photo shoot for each one ...

JUST FOR FUN ~

My AshLeigh:  As Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind, SCARLETT O'HARA

My Bertha Belle:  As a
LOS ANGELES DODGERS BASEBALL PLAYER

My Caylee Camryn Cane:  as
SHIRLEY TEMPLE in Stand Up and Cheer

My Dallet Darling as:
MISS GHOST Beauty Pageant Winner

My EmAly EriKa as:
GRACE KELLY

My Jay~Anna July as
BELLE  from Disney's Beauty and The Beast

My Kirstyn Kavaleri as
MADONNA
(in her debut, early 80's style)

My Lena LaRosse as
MARILYN MONROE

My Molly Marine as
AUDREY HEPBURN
 as Holly GoLightly in Breakfast At Tiffany's

My Nenetl Nenetl as
Mattel's Barbie doll in her iconic
(VINTAGE 60'S) SENIOR PROM gown

MY GIRLS: BEFORE and AFTER PICTURES

HERE ARE ALL MY GIRLS ... BEFORE and AFTER their make-overs ...

Ashleigh Aqua:
Little Big Eyes (Black Hair)
(she has extra-long black hair extensions)

Bertha Belle: 
Little Big Eyes (Lemon hair)

CAYLEE CAMERON CANE:
CCE Basaak doll (from Taiwan)

DALLET DARLING:
Blybe doll
(I did commit "dolly-cide" on her,
but then, I transformed her into ....)

Dallet Darling:
Our Little GHOST

EmALY EriKA:
Little Big Eyes doll  (grape hair)
She got ash-blonde wig extensions
(no more visible purple/grape hair)

Jay~Anna July:
Little Big Eyes doll (Raspberry hair)

Kirstyn Kavaleri
Little Big Eyes Doll (black hair)

Lena LaRosse
Little Big Eyes doll
(my second lemon hair LBE)

Lena LaRosse
(pic # 2 of her)

Molly Marine
Little Big Eyes doll
(my second grape hair ... kept hers purple)

Nenetl Nenetl
(means DOLL in Aztec)
My first, and so far, my ONLY "REAL" BLYTHE DOLL
She is the Ashton Drake Galleries (ADG) Aztec Arrival

Notes on customization of Blythe Dolls: CARVING

Notes on Customization:  CARVING

Okay, HERE is my newbie CONFESSION:  When I first noticed this Blythe doll / world on flickr, I kept coming across photos of Blythe dolls "in progress" of many stages of customization. 

The bizarre part was, that under each photo as the caption was as follows:

     "HERE is my FIRST ATTEMPT at customization."

And / or

     "HERE is my FIRST ATTEMPT at nose carving, lip carving ", etc. 

And WHAT did that photo show???  PERFECTION every single time! 

I have NEVER seen anyone post their FIRST TIME AT ATTEMPTING TO CARVE A FACE, and SHOW THEIR FAILURE!!!  WHY IS THIS?????  Hmmm, I do not know.

So, with that being said:  I am going to show you MY EPIC FAIL at MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT FACE CARVING.  (well, truthfully, I think ALL my efforts at carving are pretty horrible, but THIS ONE is just “dolly-cide”, as I have murdered the poor girl.  IF it was a REAL BLYTHE, and IF I had spent hundreds on this doll, perhaps I would attempt a ‘fix’ …. But now that I have experience with clones AND real Blythes, I don’t think this epic FAIL would happen on a REAL BLYTHE, they are made SO MUCH MORE DIFFERENTLY !

This photo shows the OVER-CARVING of her mouth and philtrum area

Close-up of the EPIC FAIL  (this is a Blybe / CCE doll)

The CLONES (Blybe/ CCE/ LBEs) are made of a very, VERY hard plastic.  To “carve” this is nearly impossible.  It just doesn’t ‘give’ the way a REAL BLYTHE face does. 

Secondly,  the plastic is VERY, VERY THIN in places, and THUS THE HOLE in my now-Popeye looking dolly face.

Here is a HINT:  IF you are concerned about the thickness of plastic you have to work with,
Just take the doll into a dark area and shine a flashlight underneath ...

This will ILLUMINATE the weaker areas, so that you don't carve through the thinner areas.

           

NOSE CARVING:

            The first nose I tried to “carve” was an LBE.  And stupid me, I thought they really meant “carving” !  but AGAIN, carving on a REAL BLYTHE is possible, while on this EXTREMELY HARD PLASTIC of a clone, the exacto just has no effect! 

To get any sort of progress/ shape ... I had to SAND THE HELL OUT OF HER NOSE!  Sand as in SANDPAPER, Emery boards, and the like.

Luckily her nose had a LOT of plastic on it, but still … I did take my guinea pig into a dark room and shone a flashlight into one of her eyesockets, just so I could tell how much plastic I had left to carve.  I did feel VERY close to the edge a few times, so perhaps I should be grateful I didn’t commit further dolly-cide!

Even though I now have 7 dolls that are EXACTLY the same (Little Big Eyes all have the SAME face;  they only came out with 4 ... in 2001.  There ARE prototypes out there, VERY rare, but basically, only ONE FACE MOLD ) ...

I still wanted each of my girls to look SOMEHOW “different” ….. I did NOT want them to look like a bunch of CLONES OF CLONES!  

I did carve ALL 7 LBE noses.  Some do look the same, I’m afraid, but none of them have a bulbous nose any longer.  I just wanted them to be as small as possible, because after I got my REAL Blythe, I put them "nose-to-nose" and there IS a noticeable difference in their profiles.  Some of the differences are fixable, but some are not.

LITTLE BIG EYES:  Left:  ORIGINAL PROFILE  ... Right:  AFTER some carving

LBE:  My FIRST carving attempt ... I nearly took her nose and lips OFF ...

LBE:  Another carving job where I nearly carved her lips off ...

Regarding BLYBE/CCE clone:  when it came time to carve this doll, again, HARD PLASTIC !  I kept looking at ALL those awesome BLYTHE pics on flickr of ALL the customizers who apparently do this for a living, and making THOSE LIPS!  THAT NOSE! ..out of THIS?  Well, I couldn’t understand HOW DO THEY DO IT?????  [okay, I STILL don't know HOW they do it ! ]

Regarding my REAL BLYTHE DOLL:  I like the nose that she came with, except for the teeniest bit of "point" to it ...  All I had to do was sand it down just a tad, “pug it” just a TEENY-TINY bit, which was SO EASY compared to the carving on the plastic of the clones.  No comparison. 

LIPS !                              

 AGAIN, hard plastic.  I worked on the first LBE a LOT … but the results are just … well, AMATEUR at best.   THIS is also where I killed the CCE.  The lips.  I could not, for the LIFE of me, “carve” any sort of SHAPE into them.  SURE, I don’t have “diamond files” or whatever it takes that the TRUE PROFESSIONALS use … but even if I had those tools, I still look at those flickr pics of the pros ... with wonder and awe !  

In the end, I decided to JUST LEAVE THE LIPS of the LBE’S.  I just sanded off their lipstick, but not much more ... It was BETTER than carving the lips OFF into oblivion, which I did do on at least 2 of them (sorry girls !!!) 

Lip Carving of my REAL BLYTHE:    When I finally proceeded to attempt a carve the lips on my REAL BLYTH .... the texture was …. SMOOTH AS SOAP !  I was thinking to myself, WELL HECK!  THERE IS NO COMPARISON HERE!!!  It was SO EASY to “carve” a different shape to her lips!  IMAGINE THAT.  THIS was the moment that I thought … WHY does everyone say to get a CLONE to practice on?  It is like trying to PRACTICE doing the high-wire with dental floss.  It is like trying to PRACTICE running a marathon in flip flops.  NO COMPARISON. AND EPIC FAIL GUARANTEED.

FINAL NOTE ON LIP CARVING:  I still do not know how to carve the BEAUTIFULLY SHAPED lips that I have seen on flickr and have seen the PROS do.  Even though the FACE / LIPS are more “carve-able” on a "real" Blythe vs. a Clone … still doesn’t help if you don’t have the SKILL to make the beautiful SHAPE. 

I BARELY changed my REAL BLYTHE’S lips … just TRIED to make her look a BIT more “smiley” … as she looked a bit GRUMPY at first … and don’t get me started on that COLOR they chose to put on her!  I mean, REALLY?  MAUVY-PINKISH-PURPLEISH lips on a GREEN FACE?????  Yikes.  Those I had no hesitation taking OFF !

REAL BLYTHE:  Before (as she arrived out of the box)  ... and After:  She has a matte face; pastel make-up;
New eyelashes;  New hand-made-by-me eyechips;  Carved nose and lips; slight haircut;
Peachy lipcolor painted with acrylic

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.

Notes on customization of Blythe Dolls: EYE BROWS

EYE BROWS                                

Little Big Eyes dolls come WITH eyebrows.  A tiny little line in brown.

I have read those ‘haters’ who don’t like them, but I did not find them offensive.  However, on my particular models, I had to take them off, due to the overall matte appearance that I was going for, and for the life of me, I could not figure out how to KEEP the eyebrows on ... and sand "around" them !

I have also seen some customizers try to “add” eyebrows on their dolls;  The Blythe doll, the Middie, and the Clones ... which is just another personal preference.  The ones I have seen, I just don't like the way they look.   I don’t prefer them.  I also do not prefer the SAD ones, the ones that are actually CRYING ... but again ... "personal preference"  ...

In this picture, you can see the LITTLE BIG EYES dolls' eyebrows, before they were sanded off ...

REAL BLYTHE dolls and Blybe/ CCE Clones do not come with eyebrows.

I also LIKE the shiny face sometimes ... and was sad that I could not / did not keep at least ONE of my girls faces shiny ... But again, with all the CARVING I had to do ...










* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.

Notes on Customization of Blythe Dolls: HAIR

HAIR

The factory hair on some dolls can be very problematic.

Even if it appears to be soft and silky upon arrival, and out of the box ... over time, it can become coarse and knotted ... even if your doll just sits there...

The Blythe dolls have a better head of hair than their Clone sisters.  The Blybe / CCE clones' hair can be choppy, uneven, and sparse.  The hair on the Little Big Eyes dolls are slightly better quality, but not by much.  Their bangs are cut very strangely, too close to the brow, and just look "cheap".

The BEST and most expensive or time-consuming method, would obviously be a re-root.  I have seen tons of the most BEAUTIFUL re-roots on flickr ... I love the alpaca "wild" mohair look ... but I also LOVE the saran-type SILKY ones, too! 

THIS is one area that I think I WOULD spend money on a professional :)

There are other options of course:

Cut your dolls' hair.  If you don't know how, there are a few remote sites that show you.  I already know the basics of hair-cutting, due to a cosmetology background, so I just trimmed the girls hair.  You just have to remember;  synthetic plastic is way different than real human hair (PLUS it is obviously less forgiving, in that ... it will NOT grow back!)

There are also WIGS out there.  I have seen them on the auction sites, but not seen one in person, so can not vouch for their effect.  I added extensions on two of my girls, but I don't think that is a good solution ... only temporary ...

The easiest way to alter a dolls hair would be a BOIL PERM.

I don't know why a big deal is made of this process ... it could not be more simple.  Just put the dolls hair in rollers, or bend it around the bendable sort of curlers.  You can even use a pipecleaner for a different effect.  I used curlers on most, and BRAIDS on one of my lemon haired LBE dolls. 

If you want to straighted just the bangs, just tape them down and submerge ONLY bangs in boiling water

ALL BRAIDED and READY TO PERM ...

Braids in progress:  Start in middle;  Braid the ends ... to keep hair in EVEN amounts

Step One:  Braid or Put hair in curlers ...

After water is boiled, simply pour into a GLASS bowl/ container, large enough to cover the area of hair you are changing.  Slowly put HAIR into the boiling water, and leave it there for 5-7 minutes.  (I propped up my girl so I wouldn't have to stand there holding her over the bowl.)

(This pic is sideways !)  anyway, this is hair IMMERSED in boiling water, in GLASS container

Rinse the hair with COLD water, and then let dry.  I recommend at least 3 days of allowing the hair to dry and set into place.

Rinse with cold water;  then LET DRY ... FOR DAYS

MY ADG Aztec Arrival came with super long hair, which proceeded to get tangled and knotted during the make-over process, even though I was trying to protect it all the while ...

This is after the FIRST boil perm I gave her ... It looks pretty here ... but then it was just TOO much ... TOO BUSHY!

THIS is how she currenly looks with her SHORTER hair :)

I cut off QUITE A BIT of her hair ... and gave her a SECOND BOIL PERM ...

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.

Notes on Customization of Blythe Dolls: EYES: EYE LASHES

THIS SECTION will be all about EYE LASHES:

First of all, I HATE the factory lashes.  I just don’t like them AT ALL.

I knew right off the bat, they were ALL going …. Real Blythe and Clones alike.

            LBE’s lashes came RIGHT OUT, no problem.  LBE lashes are BROWN.  They are attached BEHIND the eyelid, and not inside a “slit” like real Blythe and Blybe. 

LASHES of an LBE Doll:  Attached to lid with tiny piece of masking tape

Obviously the eye mech is also completely different on an LBE doll, as it is not controlled with a string and tiny spring, but a massive, huge spring that is connected to a BUTTON on the back of her head.  This button also has a sticker attached with the words:  PUSH HERE.  Not kidding. 

            So, REPLACE ALL EYELASHES.  Sounds easy enough …. But OH NO !  So sorry Cheap Girl, but You bought yourself an ADG as your first Blythe … the one with the eyelashes SUPER-GLUED IN!!!! 

            After removing the LBE lashes and the Blybe lashes without incident … I tried the real Blythe.  NOPE.  Not coming out.  For anything. 

So, what does Cheap (stupid) girl do?  Yep, I got out my ACETONE and proceeded to try and get them out with a Q-tip soaked in acetone!  Yikes!!!  So of course the acetone proceeded to eat up the plastic.  For some bizarre reason, maybe perhaps due to all the other sh—I have been through, I could not find myself to CARE!  I just thought, oh great, whatever!  And truthfully … THE ACETONE DID NOT EVEN WORK !!!!!  I ended up with a MANGLED EYE MECH, and never got all the pieces of lashes out, or whatever it is they have in there!  THIS all and mainly due to the fact that I could not find ANYWHERE on line, any helpful hints regarding the lashes of The Ashton Drake Galleries BLYTHE dolls!

            Not to worry, I told Nenetl (her name) … I will still make you BEAUTIFUL!!!  WHO CARES if your eyelids are all mangled?  When I get done, no one will even NOTICE !  

ORIGINAL eyechips (spokes) and lashes (plastic)

AFTER:  Removed stock eyelashes;  replaced with 2 pair of lashes for women

SEE!  You can hardly tell she has mangled eyelids ... don't look TOO closely  ;)

            ACTUAL LASHES:  WHY pay $5. or more for a pair of “Blythe eyelashes” …. When you can go to the 99 Cent Store and get them there?  I purchased 15 pair, because I planned to double-up on them, and to me, one of the smartest thing that this Cheap Girl has found for her Girls !

           BLYTHE DOLL;  INSTALLING LASHES:  Just a bit more difficult ... due to the fact that even though there was a "slit" for installing the lashes, I found this to be too limiting a space for the effect I was going for. 

            LBE DOLLS;  INSTALLING LAHSES:  I KNEW that the original stock lashes were installed BEHIND the eyelid, so I applied a TEENY-TINY bit of tacky glue on each lash (eyelash glue DOES NOT STICK to plastic) and of course the lashes are NOT going to stay in a curved position while drying, so I had to use straight pins stuck into her eye ... to anchor each one down with 3 pins at a time for a few minutes, before moving on to the next lash …. X 7 dolls … 2 eyes each …. Deep sigh.

            ON Blybe:  DUE to the fact that the plastic is SO HARD, and NOT PLIABLE IN THE LEAST, even inserting a pin in each side was not working.  And of COURSE I broke one of her eye slits too, because the pin just slipped and chipped the plastic.  Again, here’s me:  WHAT.EVER.

            On ADG BLYTHE:  AFTER totally anhiliating the eye mech … (have you ever seen plastic treated with acetone in addition to a person digging into it with a dull exacto tool? ) … I decided to just GLUE THE LASHES ON TOP of the supposed “slit” that was now more like a big trough, but not an empty trough … a trough filled with ?  whatever the heck they put in ADG eyelash slots!  Could not get that crap out for ANYTHING!  So, on top of the slit AREA, I glued one row of lashes.  THEN, on top of THAT, I glued ANOTHER ROW of lashes.  And if I need to, I will PAINT part of the eye mech BLACK ... sort of like an eyeliner ...to further try and hide any traces of what I have destroyed.  Poor, POOR, Blytheeeee !

* Disclaimer on ALL of my NOTES:  I am not a true customizer.  I have only done the few girls that I own, 7 Little Big Eyes, 2 Blybe, and one real Blythe.  The caliber and skill and profesionalism that is so evident by the lovely flickr pictures ... well there is no comparison to my extreme amateur attempts.  HOWEVER, ALL I really wanted to do was to change them from the hideousness that I saw, into just a teeny bit more beautiful, for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment.  I do not now, or ever, plan to offer my own skills at customization ... the reason for these blog entries is to help the few out there who would like to do just a few little steps, without spending ANOTHER huge amount on their already expensive girls.

Introducing: MOLLY MARINE; Little Big Eyes doll

MOLLY MARINE is one of the "4 sisters" from Patty in New Jersey.  I call her my GRAPE HAIRED GIRL. 

MOLLY MARINE in her STOCK green eye chips

Having a GRAPE / PURPLE hair doll can be, and is, a "challenge".  I don't think it is a very flattering shade for a healthy looking complexion.  Also, it is EXTREMELY difficult to photograph in natural light.  Flash seems to pick up the true color a bit, but in natural light, it looks BLUE!

Also, she is my 2nd grape hair doll ... so we shall SEE what I can come up with to individualize these precious girls :)

MOLLY MONIQUEE MARINE
This is the sellers picture;  her name was JENNA from Jersey

Molly also has a middle name ... MONIQUEE ..

Molly is the name of the USMC Mascot dog … and MY DOG too.

Moniquee is my daughter-in-law (well, that is what I call her ;)

Marine is MY SON.

Introducing: LENA LAROSSE; Little Big Eyes doll

LENA is one of the "4 sisters" from New Jersey, a Little Big Eyes model, with BRIGHT LEMON YELLOW hair.  I already have a Little Big Eyes doll with the same hair, same red stains on her feet from her red shoes ... so again, my mission and challenge is to help make them each individuals, and UNIQUE !

LENA LAROSSE
This is the picture from the seller in New Jersey.
Her name was "Samantha" ... and to me, in this picture, she looks like SAD SAMANTHA ...
I really am quite surprised that TWO dolls, with the exact same hair color, same mold, etc., can look so completely different ... but here you go ... it is TRUE.  I just hope she doesn't STAY sad ... now that she is a
CALIFORNIA GIRL !!!

LENA LAROSSE is the actual first and middle names I picked out for my first, and only child.  Since I was pregnant in the days PRIOR to ultrasound announcements (they had ultrasound;  they just were not ALLOWED to reveal the sex of your child, due to lawsuits, or whatever ... )  ... so in those days, everyone naturally had TWO names ready ... MY CHILD IS A BOY !!!

LENA LAROSSE is also a FAMILY name;  belonged to my Father's Aunt, his mother's sister.

Introducing: KIRSTYN KAVALERI; Little Big Eyes doll

This is KIRSTYN KAVALERI, one of the "4 sisters" from New Jersey, Black Hair model

KIRSTYN KAVALERI
This is the picture from the seller, Patty 
 (she was named Jade, and was a Jersey girl, but NOW she is KIRSTYN KAVALERI, A CALIFORNIA GIRL!)

KIRSTYN is named after an actual girl in my life named KIRSTYN ... sadly, another girl I lost.  She is still on this planet, but just lost "to me".  I love her very much.

The name "KAVALERI" is a version of the REAL girl with that name, who I think embodies strength and inspiration for ALL GIRLS.

Introducing: JAY~ANNA JULY ~ Little Big Eyes doll

(okay, I skipped a few letters of the alphabet ... I will most likely catch up later, but I had a brain-freeze with the letters  F, G, H, and I .... )

Jay-Anna July

She is one of the Little Big Eyes dolls, that also has very special meaning to me.  I was searching the on line auction site, as usual, and I found a lady who was offering THE ENTIRE SET OF 4 Little Big Eyes Dolls!  Not only that, but ... ALL AT ONCE, in ONE auction! 

Well, I know I already have 3 of them ... but I figured, for my DESIGNS, I will NEED a lot of models, so I sent her a little message, thanking her for offering them "all together", and her reply was so sweet and she said she wanted them to "stay together" !  Now, how sweet is THAT???

Further, after I won the auction, she introduced me to the ENTIRE BLYTHE (and clone) WORLD on flickr!  She is a very special person, indeed!

ACTUAL auction site pic from seller (Patty)
L to R:  JAY-ANNA, Lena, Kirstyn, Molly
All 4 are LITTLE BIG EYES dolls, by Streetwise Designs, 2001
Series 1

So, the "4 sisters" arrived from New Jersey, and my mission was to make them all into "CALIFORNIA GIRLS" !   These girls ALSO had special meaning to me, because I AM ONE OF 4 SISTERS as well :)

Jay-Anna is my "favorite" .... there is just SOMETHING about her raspberry color hair, I LOVE !

She is named after my son, and ME!

Jay-Anna … Me and Jason

JULY is my birth month  :)

JAY~ANNA JULY
Little Big Eyes doll ~ raspberry hair
Pictured here with her STOCK pink eye chips; shiny face, original make-up and hair style
She is wearing corduroy overalls and tee from my extensive Barbie collection fashions
(plus a little RUBY bracelet I made just for her ... Birthstone for JULY ;)