Avoiding Your Doll's Worst Nightmare: Tricks On How to Treat Your Dolls

Avoiding Your Doll's Worst Nightmare: Tricks On How to Treat Your Dolls

by Diana E. Vining

Dolly Dingle got a bit creative for Halloween this year. She wanted to come up with a scary costume. But not just scary to the average person, scary to dolls! Besides being a fun and quirky Halloween costume, her outfit also gives us doll collectors something to think about, i.e., the things that bring gloom and doom to our beloved treasures. Let's take a look at each of these:

1. Direct Sunlight- Displaying your dolls in direct sunlight can fade the colors on both the doll and her clothing over time. The ideal spot for a doll is an area that is dry, clean, and that doesn't have direct sunlight.

2. Permanent Markers- Needless to say, you don't want permanent markers anywhere near your dolls! This is especially important to note in households with children. Not only are marks from pens and markers practically impossible to remove, but even if you do remove it, it may leave a permanent stain behind.

3. Playful Pets - They are adorable as can be and so much fun to play with, but while they are known as man's best friend, pets can be a doll's worst enemy. When displaying your dolls, make sure that they are placed in a safe spot, preferably free of pet hair, and where pets will not disturb them.

4. Dirt - The handprints on Dolly's costume are a reminder for collectors, and anyone who handles our dolls, to make sure their hands are clean. By doing this, we can help our dolls to last a very long time. Of course, with age, they and their clothing become more fragile and, therefore more difficult to clean.

5. Smoke - Playfully represented by a toy pipe hanging from Dolly's wrist, this is a reminder to keep our dolls' environment free of cigarette smoke, etc. Doll hair and clothing absorb these odors and make them unpleasant and more difficult to sell in the future if you choose to do so. Many doll listings on eBay specifically note that their item "comes from a smoke-free home." This is a big plus when selling an item, as it gives the buyer confidence that their item will be clean and odor-free.

6. Paint Remover - Of course, this is an essential tool for repainting or customizing a doll. However, if you are working on a different project, or doing your nails, make sure there are no dolls around your work area. It just takes one accidental bump to make a spill that could potentially damage your doll.

7. Yard Sale! - This one, of course, is just in good fun. Of course, collectors' interests, tastes, and philosophies change over time, and many times we do need to re-home some of our dolls. (And of course, everyone loves to find a great bargain now and then!) What you can do to ensure a good future for your dolls is to research and know what you have, and it's also a good idea to document that information for others who might not know the value or significance of your collection. This way, your dolls have a better chance of finding a home where they will be better appreciated and cared for.

A lot of these "tips" are common sense, but it's always a good idea to review them as we change our doll displays around and evolve in our doll collecting. The trick is to avoid these "dolly dangers," and the treat is a doll that you will get to enjoy for years to come.

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How to Make...Fabulous Freckled Friends! | Grace Marie Fitzpatrick Dolls

Hi Sweet Friends! Resident VDC Artist Diana Vining posted a photo of her blonde Grace doll with FRECKLES in the Summer Fling group. We all loved this so much that I asked her to make us a little blog on how to do this for your dolls if you want to change the look. I love this idea, and hope you like the possibilities, too. Enjoy the blog, and thank you so much, Diana Vining!

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How to Make...Fabulous Freckled Friends!
by Diana Vining

There's just something so fun about dolls with freckles! They add a certain playful and sweet look to a doll's personality. When I'm painting (or enhancing) a doll, I often find myself adding a light sprinkle of freckles to add a little bit of that sweet and cheerful presence. I have two different methods that I like to use to do this. One is a temporary method, which is perfect if you're a beginner, or if you're not quite sure that you want to keep the freckles on your doll for a long period of time. The other is a more permanent one if you are already confident in your painting skills, and you're sure that you want to keep them on your doll. Keep in mind that there are many different ways to do this. I'm just sharing my own personal favorite methods. I hope these simple tips will inspire you to give it a try!

Applying Temporary Freckles:
(Materials: Brown Colored Pencil)

Use a light brown colored pencil to draw on the freckles. For a more realistic approach, space them unevenly, and draw some smaller than others. I just like to sprinkle them across the top of the cheeks and across the nose, but you can place them anywhere you like. Once you've drawn on the freckles, take your thumb and kind of wipe it across the freckles. This will lighten them up and smooth them out so that they will look more natural. To remove these, you can lightly wipe them off with a soft eraser. (Note: My favorite pencils for this project are Prismacolor "Burnt Ochre" or "Chocolate.")

Painting Permanent Freckles
(Materials: Ultrafine brush or toothpick, brown acrylic paint, cosmetic wedge, a drop of water, (optional) matte sealer spray)

You can use either a very fine paintbrush, or a toothpick to paint the freckles on. (I prefer a paintbrush, but many people find a toothpick easier)

Use light brown acrylic paint (available at any craft store or even Walmart). All you need is a drop of paint and a drop of water mixed together. Paint the freckles onto the doll (unevenly spaced, and in different sizes), but paint only about three or four at a time, because acrylic paint dries quickly. After you draw four freckles, pounce them with a *slightly* damp cosmetic wedge to lighten them up and soften them. Then do the next four freckles the same way, and so on. Once you're happy with the freckles, let them dry completely. If you like, you can lightly spray them with a matte sealer spray (also available at craft stores) after they are completely dry. (If you spray matte sealer on the freckles, make sure you have your doll completely covered in a towel or plastic wrap, exposing only the areas that are being sprayed.)

Good luck, and have fun! I would love to see photos of your dolls with freckles when they're done!

Thank you so much, Diana Vining, for this fun tutorial. Be sure to visit Diana’s website, The Paper Doll Shoppe.

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Why We'll Always Need Shirley Temple

When times are tough, everyone needs a little break from their troubles. When things are difficult for everyone, everyone needs something to bring a ray of sunshine into a world becoming increasingly grey.

When life was hard in the 1930s, a little girl named Shirley Temple brought joy and happiness into the lives of millions worldwide, just by being her talented, sunny self.

You might have thought of her like a living doll for her dimpled sweetness and wholesomeness. Though she was talented, she was sweet, unspoiled yet clever. The world grew up with her, and she, in turn, sang and danced her way into careers in acting, international diplomacy, and family.

During the years she grew up in The Great Depression, she reminded people that there is always a silver lining. In The Little Princess, adapted from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s work, Shirley plays a little girl who goes from riches to rags, get still makes friends, has hope, finds meaning in life, and then gets her reward when her officer father is found alive.

In Heidi, she plays an orphan who goes to live with her grandfather and brings hope to her crippled relative, until the child miraculously learns to walk. Like Heidi, she is kind and encouraging to everyone, even when everyone isn’t so kind to her.

The same is true of all of Shirleys’ characters. Even in Poor Little Rich Girl, she tries to find happiness.

Watching Shirley dance and sing gave people something else besides their misery. It only costs pennies to go to the movies during the 30s, and many were able to scrape up enough to get out once in a while and watch the magical little girl perform till their spirits were lifted. Shirley writes in her autobiography that while studio life was not perfect, she did love to dance and to sing. Her enthusiasm is infectious; after watching her dance, we can get through anything.

In her only life, Shirley Temple dealt with her share of unhappiness and illness. She had a failed, first marriage and was left a single mother at a young age. Her career was not as successful during her teen and adult years. Her parents had trouble handling her money, and she lost a fortune, prompting the creation of The Shirley Temple Act to help protect the assets of child actors. She later had breast cancer, recovered, and became a diplomat serving Czechoslovakia nad Ghana. In these adult accomplishments, and through a sunny outlook and that winning dimpled smile, she continued to encourage others throughout her life.

Her legacy to all of us is priceless. Doll collectors and Shirley’s fans find comfort in her life and in the dolls and artifacts she inspired. Movie buffs still thrill to her movies. The spirit of a super talented, yet kind and humble little girl lives on. She is here to comfort us even today when times are tough.

So, fix yourself a Shirley Temple kiddie cocktail at home, and toast the little Curly Top herself. Long may her spirit sail on The Good Ship Lollipop, and long may she reign in our hearts.

Watch out on the Virtual Doll Convention Mailing List for details about our Virtual Shirley Temple Birthday Party. Shirley Temple’s birthday is April 23rd.

Click below to see the Shirley Temple videos on the Virtual Convention YouTube

About the Author:

This blog was written by VDC Contributor Ellen Tsagaris. Ellen Tsagaris is the owner of The American Doll & Toy Museum, a life long passion that is now a reality. She is the author of several books and hundreds of articles on dolls and toys, including the first book on metal dolls, With Love from Tin Lizzie, A History of Metal Dolls, and A Bibliography of Dolls and Toys, and the forthcoming Thinking Outside the Doll House, A Memoir. She was born in Europe, and she and her family have traveled to every continent but Antarctica. She has collected dolls since age three and has been researching them since age seven. She also dabbles in making dolls and paper dolls. 

Ellen lives in the Midwest and has studied in Madrid, Spain, with degrees in Spanish and English from Augustana College, a law degree and Masters from The University of Iowa, and a PhD in Modern British Literature from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 

Besides dolls, she writes about law, criminal justice, home security, literature, senior care, and history. She is also an avid blogger and active in social media. Her other interests include miniatures, antique china, women’s’ history, stamps, coins, jewelry, needlework, sports, piano music, fossils, and thimbles.