Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Haven't figured out how that neckline is supposed to go yet, either.

Current Notes: I think there's a chihuahua in there somewhere...




Guess who’s here ! I’m amazed, as the town she was shipped from was socked in by snow the day after I bought her. Figured it’d be another week, at least, before I saw her.  But she was here at 9:30 this morning, cold but happy ! It was just her inside the box, no cushions or anything, but she’s here, so I’m not gonna complain !


I wonder... is her last name is Havisham ? Hair all a mess, wearing an elaborate gown, no shoes. Hm. Belle Havisham. Works. Of course, I couldn’t leave her as a perpetual Dickens reference, so I set to work on her hair. But first, I had to fetch my pliers, she still had six barbs in the back of her head, just like the thinner ones that anchor MH dolls to their boxes – but hers were thicker and sharper, and hadn’t even been pushed in or trimmed down. Once those were removed, I got the dolls’ brush and comb and the spray bottle of water, and got to work.


It took an hour and a half, but I got it all smoothed out. Instead of silky, her hair seemed more wooly than anything else, but it responded well to my rudimentary care. According to the TRU page for her, it’s Kanekalon. I can tell you it’s two or more shades of brown, and it had bits of paper and lint caught in it, along with snarls that had been pulled out some time ago that tangled again in the strands. I pulled out a pudding cup full of hair, mostly snarls and mats like you’d clip from a puppy’s pelt. Actually, it was a fruit cup, but ‘pudding cup’ is a better visual, with her brown hair. I tell ya, some dolls shouldn’t be given to kids. My wrists are still a bit sore.


Luckily, her top bun-thing was still intact, and while her side-pieces were a mess, they were easy to detect, separate, and style. It’d be easy to braid the sides sometime, for variety. I had the bulk of her hair up in a simple ponytail while I brushed the sides, and it looked really cute that way, too. All of it save the bun down was pretty as well. Her hair is well-rooted, even with all I pulled out, and now that it’s soft and straight, it’s fun to play with. It’s frizzy at the ends, but has so far remained untangled. The Toy Box Philosopher went into far greater detail with her brand-new DP&M Rapunzel last year, and I agree with every word, doubly so since mine arrived used and even more desperately in need of hair care !


I put it in an approximation of her original style and let her rest from her ordeal. I didn’t want to put her back in the same dress she’s probably worn nonstop since 2010, or put her into another gown at least as old, so I opened up the Cinderella nightgown set. You’ll get to see how sweet she looks in a brand-new nightie tomorrow. It’s nice, though, to buy doll clothes that fit so well without any alterations or changes !


I am thoroughly enjoying playing with my new Belle, and may well invest in one – just one ! – of the fancier dresses made for her line. I’m in love with Tiana’s skating dress, Belle’s winter outfit, Cinderella’s tea dress… but at $25. (plus shipping) minimum on eBay, it’ll just be the one, unless I find another super, rare deal.


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