Showing posts with label re-root. Show all posts
Showing posts with label re-root. Show all posts

1/26/2015

Daily Dose of Vanessa

Today's Vanessa is "High Tide." She arrived in 2007 in the line called "Style du Jour."
This gal is pure pin-up material from the 1940's.


High Tide was on the original tall body with high contrast makeup and period styled hair.





At first, I wasn't in love with her hairstyle so I cut it and ultimately had her re-rooted and repainted. This is prior to the reroot.


I have an original and I've grown to appreciate the donuts. There's a lesson to be learned but it's hard to keep dolls that I don't love. I have repurchased original issues of dolls on occasion.


1/29/2013

Vanessa

Throughout the years of my blogging, I have written about how I love Fashion Royalty Vanessa. When the 'designers' over at IT started messing with her face, they caused problems for those of us who loved her original big-eyed, open mouth look. One doll that appeared at the end of the convention in 2011 was an FR2 Vanessa called Evermore. She was just a little more popular than her very unpopular gown, many of which can hardly be given away.
Her eyes were slitty and her hair was designed in an unbalanced, off center bird's nest swirl. Not terrible but very hard-looking and not how I want my Vanessas to look.
I took the nest out and cut it off in an impulsive moment. Fooling around produced this silly look. It was fun.
Her pointy head hung around in a drawer until a few months ago when I sent her to be rerooted. Then she hung around even longer waiting to be styled.

This was my first attempt at doing a wrapped pony tail. I used a lot of Got-To-Be-Glued hair product to hold the wrap in place. I do not understand how people use pins to hold hair in place. Pins are straight (usually) and the hair just flops around them. Obviously there is a lot about hair styling I have yet to learn.

Here's my gal now.

Much better.But I really should have her eyes repainted. Sigh.

1/06/2013

Reminiscing

In a recent post, I commented that I really like several of the Fashion Royalty outfits from the last two years. I also mentioned that I purchased another Pale Fire Vanessa because my original was altered (by myself) and I wanted the original again.

I was going to sell the altered version but...yesterday, her head was affixed to an FR2 body and I dressed her in (most of) World on a String Eugenia's outfit and she's staying.  I say "most of" because the shoes do not fit on the FR2 body. I hate that.
Pale Fire Vanessa - Altered Version (Not that you can really tell anyway.)
 It's interesting that as I look back on dolls I may have altered, the originals often start to look better and better. Of course, some are still "what were they thinking dolls" but apparently my tastes change from year to year.

When I think about the dolls from the first FR convention I ever attended in Toronto, I think of how I did not like Gliteratti Veronique's hair or Intoxicating Mix Vanessa's hair. Gliteratti was the first re-root I ever did by myself and I had IM's done for me. I wish I had the originals now, especially Vanessa. I have repurchased her fashion (more than once) and at one time I had an extra NRFB.
Sigh. Easy come; easy go. I won (!) her at a convention when Jason chose one of my photographs as the winner in the contest. Those were the days.
Re-rooted Gliteratti Veronique
Original Gliteratti
Re-rooted Intoxicating Mix Vanessa
Intoxicating Mix - Original Hairstyle. Mattel's "My Fair Lady" pink frilly items.


So now that I am reminiscing over past dolls, there are two dolls I regret selling, one is High Gloss Agnes and the other is Spectacular, Spectacular Eugenia. They were both wonderful to photograph. In fact, I used SS Eugenia for a feature article I did in FDQ back then.
High Gloss Agnes

Spectacular, Spectacular Eugenia


I used to get every single Fashion Royalty doll that was produced except for those that were made for special people like the Saks 5th Avenue Agnes. I don't even know anyone who has her. 

I'm very happy with the dolls I have. When I'm not, they get voted off the island.

7/18/2011

Body Double Veronique Re-Bodied






There's nothing wrong with customizing dolls or fixing up older dolls but ordering dolls that need work right out of the box is ridiculous.  Adding the original cost of the doll, the reroot and the new body, this Veronique wound up costing more than the exclusive JamieShowGrace I ordered. I'm not going to do it anymore. I want dolls that arrive wonderful. The have-to-have-every-doll mentality is finished.

The original Body Double Promo Photo
She is gorgeous though.

6/07/2011

How to Set Your Doll's Bangs by Kathy at RestoreDoll.com



Kathy from RestoreDoll.com sent out this newsletter to share with all:

To start off, I don’t cut the bangs or the hair until I set the hair in place. Here is how I do it. I set the bangs before I curl the hair. In getting ready for the hot water set or perm, boil the water on the stove and have a small bowl large enough to stick the dolls head in it. When doing just the bangs, you only have to get that part wet. After dividing the hair, I comb it into straight pieces that I can keep in place with netting and a tie. I use coated wire ties that won’t dye onto the doll or hair. I do not use rubber bands because they crease the hair and are hard to get off. Make sure the netting is a light or better yet white color. You can also use old panty hose. Test the netting in hot water to make sure the color does not Run. I highly suggest white. Pull the bangs down over the face. Secure the netting over the bangs and part and secure it with the wire tie.
You can secure the wire tie around the neck or shoulders. Put the boiling water into the bowl and make it deep enough for the bangs and part to be submerged.  Stick the head into the water and leave for several minutes.
Take the head out and blot it dry with a clean towel.  You can now take off the netting and the bangs should be set.
Everyone is crazy about the new colors. Please send some pictures so I can use them on my website. If you haven’t seen them go to my homepage of the catalog, here is the link
We are still having our 30% off everything in the store.



1/27/2009

The "Evolution" of Foreign Affair Veronique

Impulse control? I don't have it and if you think that re-working a doll is a way to save money in a tight economy, give it up.

It all started out with a lovely Foreign Affair Veronique, the doll from a Fashion Royalty 2005 gift set.


After having this doll for a few years, I decided to change her hairstyle. What was I thinking? Needless to say, it didn't work out well. I sent the doll to Susan Korba to have her hair re-rooted. The results were stunning.



She remained in this gorgeous condition for about a year until I had the bright idea to fix her eyelashes. That wasn't too destructive but then I decided to do a little enhancing around the lashes. That fed the flames. I went on to change her lip color and it was all downhill from there.
Before quitting for the night, I had removed all her face paint and the new lashes in disgust.


Since I had already invested in the reroot, I couldn't just leave her in my studio with no face, could I?
Off she went to Ohio, to be repainted by Jon Copeland. Here are the results.

7/01/2008

11-21-06 Traveler by Nature I


I have been wrapping and shipping all day long. Just one more package for the DD swap to go. I actually painted a trio of pieces for the diorama exchange! They look cool. The shipping for some of the things is pretty high. I will consider that the next time I choose swap items. I am way over the suggested gift amount by about 50%
The attached picture is of my second reroot. She was a Traveler By Nature Veronique. The hair needs styling, for sure.
Busy, busy, busy...with new dolls and clothes. I managed to trade or buy lots of taller bodies. I'm wondering if I can attach more than one picture to this entry. I think not.
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6/29/2008

10-20-06 Re-Rooted Gliteratti

At this moment the Fashion Royalty Convention in Baltimore is 1/2 over with.

We went to IFDC this year instead.

I'm going to do some re-rooting now. It's very tedious. The reward is worth it. This is my second re-root. The pictures posted are my first. I used too much hair. But it came out great. More later, perhaps.