Make A Stand

My fellow doll rerootists (is that even a word?), have I got a DIY doll project for you!

It's a rerooting stand!

I don't know about you, but when I am rerooting, to have to keep picking up the head to put a plug in and then back down to load my needle with another plug and then pick the doll head back up and repeat over and over and over and over again - it gets loathsome.  So, I have often wondered what I could do or make that would allow me to keep the doll head propped up and in place as I plugged away.  I wasn't having any luck finding anything ready made via retail, so I figured I would probably have to make something.  Well, I had a eureka moment yesterday while I was working on my latest custom and FINALLY DISCOVERED IT!  I thought I would do a quick step-by-step tutorial so that you might be able to make one too if you need to.

Supplies you'll need:

- A plastic stand that has a domed base

- Plastic stand post (to place the head on)

- Packing tape (any strong tape would do, I just happened to have a lot of packing tape on hand)

- Scissors

- Some kind of small heavy weights (I happen to have a container of copper BB's on hand from making bears a while back.)

Step one:

Turn the base over to the underside and then place enough of the small heavy weighted material so that it's flush with the base of the stand base.

Step two:

Tape the area off making sure that it is very securely taped so as to avoid having to clean up a mess made from the weighted materials getting loose from the tape.  Again, tape it really well.

Step three:

Cut off any excess of the tape that you put around the base (or just cut enough to keep it clean and tidy).  I left mine looking a little haphazard here, but it does the trick.  And those little BB's aren't going anywhere.

Step four:

Place the stand post into the base, pop a doll head on it and WALLA!  You've got yourself a handy helper!

Best part was that I didn't have to spend any $$$ on supplies as I used what I had on hand.  It works really, really well!  It stays in place while I work on the doll head and, if I wanted to disassemble it to put it away, the stand post comes out so everything can lay flat.  Bonus!

If you make one to use, send me a photo of it and I would love to showcase it on my blog and/or Instagram feed!

Have fun!

- TR

Flock Rocks!

Ever hated the hair that came on your Ken doll and wanted to change it, but didn't know how?  I hope that this next series of how-to's will help-you do just that!  I am planning several tutorials which will showcase helpful tips and tricks for your doll crafting conundrums and diorama dilemmas.  These tutorials will include things like how to flock your Ken doll (as illustrated in this posting), how to cut Barbie/family doll hair, how to use lighting to your benefit when taking photographs of your dolls, how to properly clean doll hair and bodies, and much more!

Now, let's get started:

Tools needed:

Do yourself a HUGE favor and get yourself a pair of needle nose pliers.  I am using a small set here and have made a note to self to be sure and get a larger, longer pair in the very near future.  These worked well for the Ken doll as those doll head openings are larger.  But, when dealing with Skipper neck opening, forgettaboutit.  It was a strain on my hand and wrist.  And strains are a pain, but I digress.

A glue of some kind preferably Elmer's glue or something non-toxic (seriously, be safe here people.  You are breathing these fumes in!).

A small paintbrush of some sort.  I prefer to use a square tipped flat brush as it applies the glue more evently and gets nice and close to the hairline, but whatever brush you choose will work.  Just make sure it's a small one.  Small tools for small jobs is my motto when dealing in dolls.

Another paintbrush of some sort to brush off the excess flocking (and there will most definitely be excess, trust me).

Hair flocking color of your choice.  Sky's the limit here, but since this is a bit of a task to undertake, might I suggest a color that is pleasing to the eye and one that you will not regret in the morning.

A small tray to dust the hair onto and apply to the head.

Patience.  Goes without saying when working on a small scale, but needing to be said nonetheless.  It is your best tool.  Or at least that's what I continue to remind myself of.

Steps:

Step #1: First decide what Ken doll you'd like to redo the 'do on.  The one I am using here was a recent commission.  I didn't have a choice, so that (thankfully) eliminated having to make a decision.  Start by carefully taking the head off.  Neck knobs mechanismas can vary greatly depending on the era and make of your doll, so be careful here.  This is where patience comes in handy.  Once the head is off, inspect the interior to see if there is any glue inside.  I have found that Mattel has begun glueing hair in place on most newer dolls.  This Ken had glue.  Ew.

Step #2: Take your pliers and insert them into the head through the neck opening.  Then, start to tweeze the hairs out, going for sections.  Once you get this process starting, it gets easier, well mostly, as you go along.  My goal is always to try and get clumps of hair out at once as shown below.  You never know quite when it's going to happen, but when it does, there are a series of pleasant sounding bells and whistles that go off inside my head... and I think I might hear Homer Simpson's voice, like when he sees donuts.  I do the same, but when I see clumps of doll hair.  (I may have some issues.)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, hair clumps.

Doesn't that ^ look like a piece of carpet?  Maybe it's just me.

Keep working the hair out.  It can take a while, especially if it refuses to come out in clumps.  If that's the case, you are left to feel around inside with the pliers and the tips of the fingers of your other hand (I should have added "two hands" to the supplies list, but I think that's rather obvs.)

Eventually, the head will look like this.  Hairless.  And in need of hair.  Or not.  Your choice.

Step #3: At this point, if you haven't yet thrown in the towel, go ahead and use that towel to dry the head after washing it with a mild soap (dish soap is fine).  Be sure to dry it really, really well inside and out.  The last thing you'd want is for the glue to being trying to adhere to a wet surface only to come loose later on.  Unless, of course, you like to have to redo work a second time.  Been there before... it wasn't pretty.   Once the head is dry, you're ready to start flocking!  On your mark... get set... flock off, flockers!

Step #4: I failed at taking a photo of this step, but can easily use just words to tell you to start painting the glue on the head. Please use the glue sparingly.  You do not want any areas of big, gushy globs of of glue.  "Why not?" you ask?  Well, because I said so.  That and the glue will undoubtedly consume what flocking you will place on it and leave you with a big mess and darkened, patchy areas of what will look like melted plastic when it dries.  Been there before... it wasn't pretty.  I see a pattern forming here.

Step #5: Once you have the head covered in a thin layer of glue, you will need to work quickly to get the flocking on.  I put some on a small tray and then pinch and push it onto the head all around making sure to cover the entire head.  It's okay to put more on than you need.  What the glue needs, the glue will take.  It's bossy that way.  The excess can be brushed off later when it dries a bit.  Just be sure to use a different brush than the one you used to apply the glue.  I need to add that to the supplies list above, too.  Done.

Step #6: You may need to repeat steps #4 and #5 depending on how "flocky" you want your new 'do.  Just be sure and allow the layers to dry completely before applying more glue on top as you will ruin the work you've just worked to complete.  This guy I worked on took two layers and I was pleased.

Step #7: Wait... we're done?  Oh.  Yep, we're done.

Okay!  So, there you have it, folks.  A freshly flocked fellow.  The fellow with the faux hawk below on the left took about 4 layers to build it up in the middle just so.  And for what it's worth, that particular Ken doll did not, I repeat, did not have any glue inside his head so it went a little smoother than the glued guy did.

Go on now, have some fun taking a dude doll from, "um, no" to "whoa, bro!"

- TR

How-to Doll Room

Ever wanted to make your own doll diorama, but lacked the "room" to?  Here's a nifty how-to on how to do just that!

Supplies needed:

cereal box

cutting mat (or craft work surface)

scissors

pencil

Sharpie marker

ruler

Xacto knife

glue stick or tape

hot glue gun

paper (decorative and plain white printer papers)

Optional: 

cutting wheel

clear acetate for the "glass" window

acrylic paint

wood dollhouse flooring

First, start with an empty cereal box.  Pay attention that the box is tall enough for the dolls you plan to use it for.  Make a cut along one side of the box and along the bottom so that the box will open up.  Also, cut off the top closing tabs.

Next, cut out the window(s).  Measure how large you want it to be.  Cut carefully with scissors or an Xacto knife (I happen to have a small cutting wheel handy, so used it instead).

For the "glass" window, I used an empty Barbie doll box that had a lot of clear plastic.  You can also use this plastic to make dishes and things out of.  I have a tutorial on how to make a cake stand of it which I will be posting later. 

In order to get a good fit on the plastic, I layed it down over the window opening and then marked about 1/4 inch outside of the window area with a Sharpie marker to ensure it was wide enough.  Then, I used a hot glue gun to fasten it securely to the wall.

Once you have these steps done, it's time to add the wallpaper and flooring.  I used tissue paper for my walls, but you could use construction paper, scrapbook paper, and even acrylic paints if you wanted.  I used a glue stick to glue down the tissue paper here and then carefully cut out the area for the window using scissors.

Next, cut out strips of paper to wrap around pieces of scrap cardboard left over from the cereal box to create the window frame/sills.   Glue the paper to the cardboard using a glue stick.  Basically, I glued the paper, then placed the cardboard piece on top of it, then folded the paper around it.  You could also use this method to create some baseboard trim for the edge where the floor meets the wall. 

Here's the final look: 

I bought some scrapbook paper to use for the flooring, but actually had a nice dollhouse wood floor to use, so I chose that instead.  I also added the white framing inside the window with plain computer printing paper cut into thin strips and taped those down BEFORE I added the window trim.  All in all, this took me about 2 hours to complete.  But, it's super inexpensive and would be a great project to do with friends and, when you need to put the playset away, just take the items out, fold the wall in and it collapses back to the regular cereal box size!