I looked and looked, on Ebay, Flickr and Pinterest, loads and loads of listings and photos. I really like one of the American Girl faces, I think they call it the Josefina face sculpt, but unusually for me, I don't like the tan skin very much. But the biggest problem with the American Girl dolls is....I really really do not like the all cloth body and the big 'American Footballer' shoulders. (Sorry to those of you who love her, I guess we can't all like the same things!) So an American Girl wasn't for me.
Whilst looking on Flickr, I saw a photo of a Gotz Happy Kid Clara wearing a very pretty outfit and as these things go, one thing led to another and I found myself on the Bonnie & Pearl doll website....and there was a sale on!!! Now I've always found the Bonnie & Pearl dolls interesting to look at and I like the fact that they are a British doll company, but I never liked the eyes. The dolls come with a'sleep' eyes and they are a bit too 'staring' for my taste. But it went through my mind that maybe I could change them!!! I went to look at the doll which is my favourite, a dark skinned girl with black affro style hair, and lo and behold, she was on sale at 30% off her normal price!!! So I decided to order her. AND three outfits too because they too were on sale. I mean, it would be a sin not to, wouldn't it?! And just think of all the money I save! :D
My order arrived several days ago and I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised! The doll is lovely! She's much prettier in real life than her photos would have me believe. The quality is excellent, she is mostly vinyl with a vinyl chest plate but her lower torso is cloth. Her default outfit is made up of many pieces and the three outfits I ordered with her were so nicely presented, each in it's own individual box. The doll herself is nice and heavy with lovely smooth vinyl which is a gorgeous coffee colour. She has an unusual face which in this 'skin tone' makes her look very exotic.
I decided to change Claudia's eyes straight away to glass ones, completely removing the sleep mechanism and now I'm even more happy with how she looks.
Below are photos of Claudia with her new eyes and wearing one of the outfits I bought for her. The outfit consists of the lovely orange polka dot jacket with matching hairband, white short sleeved tee shirt, frilled denim skirt with faux suede belt, white underwear and brown faux suede boots!! A great outfit for this girl I'm sure you'll agree! (I added the socks)
I will show other outfits in other posts as she wears them!
(OOoops! I realised after uploading these photos that I really should have ironed the skirt!)
I hope you've enjoyed meeting this new little girl, who as yet hasn't told me her name, and I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!
Thanks for visiting :)
Hi Sharon1
ReplyDeleteI do like her skin colour and hair very much, and the polka dot top and hairband is the perfect colour for her skin tone. How did you manage to change the eyes? I would have loved to see a work in progress on that. Also is she the same size/measurements as the American Girl dolls? I mean will you be able to use your patterns with her? Sorry about so many questions.
Hugs,
X
Thanks very much Xanadu!
DeleteI removed her wig which was glued to her head but thankfully not too firmly, stood her upside down in just off the boil water, cut into the top of her head and then cut through the 'pockets' that held her eyes in place, from the back, and then pushed them out from front to back. It was a bit tough to do but as her head and face was softened by the hot water, it became easier. I should have taken photos of the process but I forgot and was halfway through before thinking that I should have done so. If I ever do another doll I will show progress photos on here.
As for her size, I would say that she's just a fraction slimmer, and she doesn't have the big shoulders. I think the patterns should work well for her. I will let you know :)
I will also measure her, I don't have an AG but I do have her general measurements and have seen more on a chart on the internet so will find that and compare.
xxx
I've been looking a lot to the Bonnie & Pearl dolls myself, they are lovely :-). I love what you did with the eyes! She looks gorgeous, and the outfit you chose for her is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Linda. I have to say that before deciding to get her I wasn't so sure, but I thought with her being in the sale, it was worth it just to find out what she's like in real life and I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised. She's a lovely doll, very good quality and a perfect price! ;)
Deletexxx
Lovely doll and a nice expressive face. Her hair is wonderful. She looks very Spanish in a way :) That outfits great, even the orange part :) Love the socks with it, look forward to seeing the other outfits when time allows.Thanks for showing us another doll, not seen before :)xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Dee. Yes, the hair was what really did it for me, I don't have a girl with curls like that and I love curls. It's funny because I thought she looked a bit Spanish too, so many Spanish people have naturally curly hair. LOL you like the orange???? Haha, I was sure you'd hate that! But the style is great, isn't it!
Deletexxx
She's gorgeous. I would never have thought about changing a doll's eyes, because I wouldn't know how to. I have an old pedigree girl with the sleepy eyes and she does stare. You've done a great job.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much! It was really easy to change the eyes, and even easier because I didn't need sleep eyes so these are just normal. Your old girl might appreciate a new look ;)
Deletexxx
Wow, what a difference those eyes make! She is absolutely lovely! (And of course you needed the outfits too - this one looks like it will be very versatile. :) )
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Lynn! I'm very happy with the outfits. I wondered if she's about the same size as your Canadian girl, Mapleleaf Girl is it? Because they do lovely outfits too and shoes/boots which I'd really like! ;)
Deletexxx
I am not sure how her sleep eyes looked but the glass eyes you added are just fantastic and they have to be a major improvement! I like glass eyes better than acrylic eyes nearly every time. Her hair is so very pretty and I love the orange color on her plus that darling ruffled skirt! Thank you for sharing and educating Sharon! Another great new doll to see! :) xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginger and yes, me too, I usually prefer glass eyes, they are more expressive in my humble opinion. I do like Glib Acrylic eyes sometimes though, they have a lot of detail and can look very pretty on some dolls.
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed seeing her :)
xxx
Am at a loss for words after reading this post! I live and learn about yet another different doll! Is there NO end to your eye customising talents? 'What a difference a day (with Sharon)'makes' to these big company produced dolls!
ReplyDeleteLOL I'm here to educate Kendal!!! LOL seriously though, I love to share other dolls and if someone gets enjoyment out of it then it's an added bonus :)
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed seeing the eye change.
xxx
I agree with everyone else about "Wow! What a difference!" She looks so much better and the outfit is adorable. Beautiful job with her...she's a beautiful doll. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Farrah, I'm glad you like her new look and yes, this outfit is so perfect for her with her dark skin. I'm so pleased that she's even nicer in real life than I expected!
Deletexxx
ZAKOCHAŁAM SIĘ NIEODWOŁALNIE!!!
ReplyDeleteHaha ona jest śliczny, nie jest ona! I zakochał się w jej także zmianie jej oczy! xxx
Delete