More Shoe Repairs

A pair of red loafers and beige Mary Jane shoes in need of repair

I noticed their deteriorating shoes before photographing two dolls released in 2001 and 2002. Both dolls were new when I purchased or received them. 

I repaired the shoes or forestalled further deterioration before taking updated photos of the dolls and installing each in my Virtual Black Doll Museum (VBDM).

Red Loafers Before (photographed from different angles)

They were in such an awful state of disrepair.

The color had faded with cracks and lifted and faded paint.

First, I applied two layers of red acrylic paint, allowing the first layer to dry before applying the second layer. 

Photos of the red loafers (from different angles after the first layer of paint):

Painting improved the appearance.

Next, I applied several layers of satin varnish and allowed that to dry before taking additional photos of the repaired shoes. 

Photos from different angles of the painted and sealed red loafers:

The red loafers look so much better... almost like new.

The first doll wears the repaired red loafers.

Beige Mary Janes (photographed from different angles):

As they were--cracked in some areas with missing or lifted surfaces in others.

The deterioration of these shoes was more advanced than that of the loafers. Initially, I skipped painting and chose to Mod Podge the shoes to stabilize the multiple flaked areas. 

The Mod Podge only stabilized the shoes as illustrated in this photo and the next two.

The cracks and lifted surfaces remained visible after two Mod Podge applications.

The Mod Podge stabilized the surface, but some visible cracks remained. Painting over the Mod Podged surface would conceal the cracks, but I plan to replace and discard these shoes eventually*. The Mod Podge serves as a quick fix for now.

Plan B: *As a moderate perfectionist (even though I plan to replace the beige Mary Janes), after viewing the last three photos above and seeing the unsightly cracks that remained, I painted the shoes and applied a final coat of Mod Podge as illustrated next.

The shoes (a slightly deeper color than before) look much better now.

The second doll wears the repaired Mary Janes.

I'm glad I exercised Plan B.

See both dolls in their separate VBDM installations at the links that follow.

Doll 1 in red Loafers

Doll 2 in beige Mary Janes

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

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Check out my eBay listings here.
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*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
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Perfect in Pink

Perfectly Pink Barbie Fashions

Over several months, I purchased pink fashion-doll clothes to redress a few Barbies. I finally gathered four Barbies to begin the process. I'll add others later.

The chosen four

The chosen four are seen in their original or previously redressed clothes. All the clothes have pink or a hint of pink, but I wanted mostly pink for the redresses.

The ladies are seen redressed individually in the following photos.

A ca. 1980s-1990s Christie found at a thrift store several years ago wears a pink and white houndstooth dress, a wide-brimmed pink hat, pink high-heels, and pearl jewelry.

An articulated Barbie Fashionista Nikki from 2011 now wears a two-piece pink tweed suit, a shimmery dark-pink bandeau tank top, light-pink high heels, and gold stud earrings.

So-in-Style Trichelle wears a pink and white gingham sundress with pink high-heel sandals, silver stud earrings, and a silver cuff bracelet.

Barbie Fashionista #6 Party Glam from 2015 wears only the pink tunic from a four-piece ensemble.

I chose these four because the fashions fit regular-fashion doll bodies, and I needed dolls with high-heeled feet. So many of my newer Barbies have Curvy, Petite, or Tall Barbie bodies and flat feet. 

I am amazed at how much I love the look of pink on these ladies.

As a group, the chosen four display well in their perfectly pink ensembles. They had been stored in pockets of an over-the-door shoe organizer behind a bedroom door (as illustrated in a past Instagram post), but I will move them back to the doll room where I can see and enjoy them.

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Related Links

Thrift Store Christie's introduction

Fashionista Nikki's introduction

Fashionista #6's introduction

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

American Girl Princess Tiana

American Girl Princess Tiana

I took advantage of American Girl's recent discount on all princess dolls and added Princess Tiana to my collection. 

Princess Tiana uses the same head sculpt as American Girl Makena Williams.

Princess Tiana and Makena Williams share the same head sculpt but their complexions differ.

The costume replicates the Disney character's lily pad green and yellow dress.

I used part of American Girl's description to enter the doll's description in my Excel spreadsheet as follows:

Princess Tiana has brown eyes that open and close, an open/closed mouth with two upper teeth; curly black hair styled in a high bun with face-framing tendrils, and a glittery green headband with yellow organza and satin petals. Princess Tiana wears a yellow and green full-length princess gown,  golden-metal chain necklace with green gemstones, a pair of yellow elbow-length gloves, a pair of green open-toe kitten heels with golden binding (still attached to the box); and a pair of green cotton underwear.

This is a side view of the kitten heels that remain attached to the box liner.

American Girl's Princess Tiana is a welcome addition to my Princess Tiana doll collection, many of which are in this installation in Dee Bee Gee's Virtual Black Doll Museum. 

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!