Boot Restoration

This Internet-captured photo illustrates how Top Model Nikki's boots looked before my doll's boots began to flake.

Quite some time ago, I discovered that the top layer of Top Model Nikki's knee-high faux leather aqua boots was flaking off, breaking down, disintegrating! I peeled off all the flakes and the remaining top layer with the intention of sealing the knit material that was underneath.

 

I inserted marking pens in the boots in preparation for sealing with varnish.

 

The boots remained as illustrated above, with a marking pen placed inside each to hold their shape while I applied varnish. I didn't get around to doing this until recently after another pair of flaking boots arrived that needed my immediate attention.

Part of the Barbie Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader uniform, these boots had begun to flake in areas.

The flaking cowboy boots from the opposite side are shown here.

With two boots that needed restoration, I was motivated to begin the quick, but necessary restoration. 

Pens were inserted inside the cowboy boots, too. 

The inserted pens served to maintain the boot shape, to prevent the insides from sticking, and to hold while applying the sealant to the outer surfaces. 

Next, I applied thin layers of matte varnish to both boots and allowed the boots to dry after placing the pen-held boots upside down inside two vintage brass napkin holders that had been my mother's.

After the varnish dried, I didn't like the finished surface, so I used Mod Podge for both boots to complete the necessary sealing.

The Sealed Boots

Top Model Nikki's boots sealed well.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader boots also sealed well.

The dolls model their newly sealed boots next.

Top Model Nikki proudly poses in her new (but stiff) boots.

She's thankful that her feet and legs are no longer bare.

Artsy/Desiree posed next. 

Desiree already loved wearing the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader uniform.

She loves wearing it even more now that the boots are sealed.

While the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader ensemble is not her original clothes, Desiree wears it well. The "hot pants" fit her like a glove. 

The girls pose together in this final picture.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

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Nikki and the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party - What to Wear?

Ugly Christmas Sweater Ornaments from Christopher and Banks

Top Model Nikki (one of my two TM Nikki thrift store finds from a couple of years ago) was selected to model the not-so-ugly, ugly Christmas sweater ornaments purchased from Christopherand Banks.com.

Their sweater ornaments include a removable and pliable silver wire hanger, which I knew would come in handy to create doll accessories later.

For playscale dolls, I would prefer these sweaters to have been a little longer and the neck opening a little larger, but they are workable with much less difficulty involved to dress dolls than I experienced with the stiffened ones I tried previously.

Nikki's Pre-Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Photo Shoot 

Nikki tried on the elf sweater first.  It has mittens attached to the sleeves.  Dressed in this one, Nikki looks like a perfect helper for Santa.

Close up of the mittens on Nikki's hands illustrates the nice fit.

Each of the sweater ornaments has the year, 2015, embroidered on back.  I did not know this prior to purchasing.  I suppose the stitching could either be removed or painted over with matching fabric paint. For this year's Ugly Christmas Sweater party that Nikki is attending, she does not mind the year being on back.  Next year would be a totally different story, however.

Nikki likes the elf sweater, but wanted to try on the other three.  (Christopher and Banks offered a total of five, but the penguin sweater was not appealing to any of the playscale women here.)

Nikki really liked the blue color against her complexion.  The white snowman theme pairs well with her white leggings.  This one also has attached mittens that are a perfect fit.

Close up of mittens

Next to try was the gingerbread man sweater which is without attached mittens, but is hooded.

A silver bead is attached to the top of the hood.

Nikki likes wearing this one without the hood, particularly due to the mishap that occurred while pulling the sweater over her neck.

When found at the thrift store, Nikki had only one of her original gold hoop earrings, which she continued to wear.  The earring, unfortunately broke when the green hooded sweater was pulled over her head.  So word from the now wise is:  Before dressing your dolls in these and other narrow necked tops, remove their earrings, particularly if they are fragile.

After regrouping from the earring malfunction, Nikki tried on the white and gray snowflake sweater, which is both hooded and has attached gray mittens.  She likes the winter white look and didn't mind wearing the hood.

This one also has a silver bead at the top of the hood as illustrated.

 Nikki removed the hood but kept her hair tucked inside.  She took a hot chocolate break while new earrings were made using one of the silver wire hangers. (Who knew I would be creating jewelry with the hangers so soon?)

The wire hanger was straightened out, cut to an estimated appropriate length for two earrings, and wrapped around a small ink pen leaving a straight portion at each end.

After removing the now spiraled wire from around the ink pen, it was cut in half.  The two halves were stretched to create a nice design.   The tip of each curved end was tucked under the spiral above it to prevent fabric snares.  To help the earrings stay in place, the center of each straight end was bent downward to create a hook before placing each into Nikki's ears.

Nikki models her new earrings and will always remember to remove them before taking off or putting on any over-the-head blouse or sweater.

Nikki has decided to wear the winter white snowflake sweater.  She has graciously given her younger sis, Goddess Emerald, permission to tag along with her to the Ugly Christmas Sweater party.

dbg

Another Surprising Thrift Store Find

After a quick trip to the post office on Friday, October 11, 2013, I decided to visit my local thrift store.  The week prior, a potential articulated body donor had been there, bagged with another doll I did not need.  I returned on the 11th to see if the articulated doll was still there in hopes that her color tag was the 50% off color for the week.  It wasn't, but she was still there along with a separately bagged, even better articulated doll.  I decided to purchase the better of the two.

Articulated Barbie (one of the Fashionistas I think) and a Lovely Patsy doll with red hair

I rummaged through the other fashion dolls hanging on the racks and there she was, Top Model Nikki!  What?  I couldn't believe it.  Less than two months ago I rescued another Top Model Nikki from this store, and this one is in better condition and appears to have part of her original fashion.

Top Model Nikki as she was when found at the thrift store

Some may call it luck, but I claim it as favor. 

To the counter I headed with both baggies of dolls, stopping at the scarf section first, hoping to find silk ones in earth tone colors, but none interested me; so I paid for my finds.

At home, I dropped the thrift store bag of dolls on top of the washing machine before putting up a few groceries I had purchased before visiting the thrift store.  Later that evening, I gave Nikki a thorough inspection and took some before and after photos of our doll play that lasted probably an hour, an hour and a half max.  The before photo is shown above.  The after photos with captions follow.

Nikki's hair after finger combing

I spent approximately 10 minutes or less, finger combing Nikki's hair and shaping it into a curly style that closely resembles her original style.  I did not wash it, I just used my fingers to remove the tangles, separate coils, and fluff it into shape.  She still wears one of her original gold tone hoop earrings, which I incorporated into her new look. 

One word describes her:  stunning!

Feeling and looking all model-like, Nikki strikes a top-model pose.

I dressed Nikki in the already-on-hand sequined gold tank top, black satin blazer, and gold booties from Barbie Basics accessory pack Look No. 02 Collection 2.5.  Her winter white leggings were also already here, having arrived almost a year ago to date from atelier ni Shasha. 

Nikki tried on black ankle boots for size.

Before meeting her long lost sisters, Nikki, tried on the black ankle boots with her new fashion after first discovering that her arched feet cannot fit into the full-length black boots of the Barbie accessory pack.  We both prefer the gold booties.

Nikki poses with her two sisters.

One final headshot illustrates their similarities and differences.

We were equally amazed, yes, the dolls and I, at their similarities and differences.  The original, mint Nikki (far right) and the center Nikki, look almost identical.  Nikki #2, on the far left, appears to be the older and  wiser of the triplets.  She is the one the others go to for encouragement, advice, or assistance in making decisions.  Good sisters, whether biological or spiritual, are like that - they encourage, advise, and assist.

~*~*~*~*~*

As a side note, my original Top Model Nikki was purchased the year of release (approximately 2008 since the box year is 2007).  At one point, I contemplated selling her and even listed her on Amazon.com for more than people were willing to pay because subconsciously, I don't think I really wanted to see her go.  I eventually removed the listing.  In September of last year, at the suggestion of another blogger, I deboxed the original doll AND discarded her box.  Nikki and I are shown below in a photo taken after her emancipation.

An orb floats between recently freed Top Model Nikki and me. 

With Top Model Nikki, September 15, 2012 -- I needed a silk scarf/headband to cover my gray, but I decided to embrace it and have been embracing it intermittently ever since.  I can go for extended periods between dyeing my hair until I decide the dreadful gray needs concealing temporarily.  One day, I don't know when, I'll embrace it fully and let go of the need for black hair dye and/or silk scarves except for protecting my hair while I sleep.

dbg

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Thrift Store Doll Rescue

Thrift Store find, Top Model Nikki

During a quick visit to a thrift store last week, waiting to be rescued, I found an extremely preloved Top Model Nikki.  Her ModelMuse body caught my eye first, followed by her distinct head sculpt.

Like the other fashion dolls there, Nikki was enclosed in a plastic bag, stapled closed with a price tag that I initially thought read, 87 (cents).  Of course I snatched her from the rack for a closer inspection.

Through the plastic I could tell that some little one had really enjoyed hours of serious Nikki play.  Her hair was mess, as illustrated in the next pictures.  Can I salvage the hair? I wondered as I walked to the scarf section with Nikki in hand to look for silk scarves to use as headwraps for myself.  None of the scarf offerings interested me so I headed toward the register.

Top Model Nikki with hair all over her head, holds her $1.99 price tag

At the register, the cashier said, $2.15.  I asked, "What?"  She said, "$2.15."  I examined the handwriting on the price tag and discovered it had been stapled to the bag upside down.  Instead of 87 (cents), the price was $1.99 plus tax.  "Do you still want it?" the cashier asked.  "Yes, I do."  I said.

At home with Nikki removed from the bag, I could see additional signs of extreme doll play.  In addition to the unruly hair, Nikki had several scuff marks on the sides of her arm and a few on one leg.  An attempt to mask these with Lemon Pledge furniture polish failed, but this did perk up her vinyl.  The scuffs are not too bad, but I know they are there.

Nikki's hair upon arrival was in rough shape.

Missing hair plugs

She had a few missing hair plugs in the front and on one side.  These were concealed with existing hairs that were pulled over the bald spots and rooted into the scalp with a felting needle. 

Missing hair plugs have been covered with strands of pulled over hair, rooted into her scalp with a felting needle.

After giving her a thorough body wash, I shampooed and conditioned her hair and was surprised by the manageability after the gnarled twists had been removed.

 

I finger combed and fluffed Nikki's hair into an Afro and used a single black ponytail holder to create a headband.

End result

I dressed Nikki in a simple black halter dress and zebra print pumps.  She holds a white clutch bag.  Her sterling silver earrings are a pair I wore many moons ago.  These had to be polished for Nikki using a silver tarnish remover recipe I found on the Internet that consists of 1/2 cup boiled water to which was added 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and baking soda.  A piece of aluminum foil was used to cover the bottom of the bowl that contained this fluid mixture.  After soaking the earrings for a few minutes, the tarnish faded! 

I added a white ponytail holder to extend the width of Nikki's headband and to complement the black and white theme of her fashion.  She's almost as good as new and not a bad find for 87... no wait, $1.99 + tax.

Below is one more photo with different earrings borrowed from Pop Life Christie (temporarily, because PL Christie would not permanently give them up).

dbg

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