Monster High Saved by the Limbs and Get Real Girls as Fashionistas!

In exchange for Frankie Stein, whose outfit she has wanted for quite some time, I received a package in the mail from Paulette of Limbe Dolls.  The contents included two pairs of lower arms and hands and a pair of hands that work well with the armless and handless Monster High Dolls found recently at the thrift store.

Prior to adding the needed extremities, I washed and styled Clawdeen and Draculaura's hair.  To cover Clawdeen's wolf ears, I lifted a small section of hair underneath the ears.  The hair was twisted then wrapped around each ear providing adequate coverage.  Clear rubber bands hold the twists in place reinforced by purple (to match her boots) ponytail holders.  Cleo only needed a little mousse to hold a few lose strands in place.  The same product was added to Draculaura's hair.

I used blackberry fingernail polish to mask Clawdeen's fangs.  Rose Chiffon acrylic craft paint was almost a perfect match to cover Draculaura's fangs.

The Get Real Girls had their hair restyled as well.  Nakia's hair required the most work. The top portion of her hair has multiple microbraids.  The hair underneath the braids hangs loose.  The braids and the loose hair had become entangled.  I separated the braids from the loose hair and held these together on top of Nakia's head with a rubber band.  The loose hair was washed and conditioned.

Gabi's hair required a little detangling.  I added conditioner and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail.

Clawdeen, Nakia, Draculaura, and Gabi sat on the edge of my desk overnight to allow their hair to dry.

Cleo stood on the opposite side of the desk overnight before her makeover was completed.

 

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The next day, two Ken Fashionistas sports fashions and the shoes for each were used to dress Get Real Girls Gabi and Nakia.

Get Real (GR) Girls Gabi has her hair pulled up into a ponytail and wears Ken Fashionistas sports fashion and high-top sneakers.

Nakia also wears a Ken Fashionistas sports fashion and low-top Converse-style sneakers.  Yellow and turquoise ponytail holders serve as her headband.

Nakia is happy with her detangled hair.

The fit of the clothing is perfect for the GR girls (too tight for any male doll here).  The shoes are a little long, but they will not fall off, and they do not interfere with the girls' ability to stand unassisted.

Getting those Monster High arms and hands attached was the final task of this makeover session!

Draculaura was the first candidate after her lip paint dried.

No more fangs!

Draculaura's lower right arm snapped into place without a problem.  The tip of the stem of the left lower arm was too large.  Uh oh... what to do now?  I thought.  First, I dipped the tip into boiled water thinking this would soften it up enough to snap it into place.  No such luck there.  I used the edge of a scissors blade to shave off thin layers of the knob.  That worked!  Voila... she's all done!

The makeover for Draculaura was the easiest of the three Monster High dolls to complete.  She strikes a pose above to show off her new pink arms and hands. 

Clawdeen's new lower caramel colored arms would not remain inside her upper arms; the stems and knobs were too thin.  I wrapped a small piece of Scotch packaging tape around the end of each stem.  I avoided placing the tape near the top of the stem so it would not show at the connection between the upper and lower arms. 

Tape-wrapped stems of Clawdeen's arms

The tape increased the circumference of the stems, allowing them to maintain the correct position and still allow movement. Clawdeen's makeover (hair-wrapped ears, painted fangs, new lower arms and hands) is now done, too.

Clawdeen poses to illustrate her hair-wrapped ears and painted-over fangs.

Full-view of Ms. Wolf without her jacket. 

Cleo, Cleo, Cleo -- what shall I do about your still missing lower right arm.  You now have two hands, but you only have one upper arm!  After pondering what to do for Ms. de Nile, I remembered my initial plan had been to use a flexible straw to create arms for all, which is exactly what I did to replace Cleo's lower right arm.

The straw was cut about a half inch above the flexible area to provide enough room to insert Cleo's upper arm and for the flexible part of the straw to act as her elbow joint.  Approximately two-eighths of an inch was left below the flexible area checking to ensure the arm lengths were symmetrical, right and left.  Initially I was going to paint the straw to match her complexion.  An easier fix, I thought, was to use the sleeve of her dress to cover the straw.

Cleo has two full arms now. The left lower arm is fabricated with a flexible straw.

Cleo's dress has only one sleeve and the sleeve is designed for her left arm.  The end of the sleeve has a loop of fabric that loops around Cleo's middle and ring fingers.  This would be perfect, I thought, to hold her new hand in place. Since the sleeve was needed for the right arm, I removed the sleeve from its original attachment to the neckline, flipped it over and reattached it with fabric glue to provide extension to the right arm.

Cleo's repositioned sleeve now covers her new lower right arm.  Her left hand is attached to the left arm. 

Cleo's new left hand was a perfect fit.  Since her lower right arm is actually "the straw," I had to devise a way for the stem of the hand to remain in place inside the straw.  To do this, I wrapped the stem with a small piece of thin plastic (using a piece of a sandwich bag).  On top of that, I wrapped several layers of transparent tape to stiffen and lengthen the plastic and to widen the stem circumference.   The excess was cut away.  The stem was then inserted inside the end of the straw that serves as Cleo's lower arm.  With the stem inside the arm, a small amount of polyfill was packed around the extended stem to secure it in place. 

The stem of Cleo's right hand has been extended using plastic and tape before inserting this into the end of her new lower right arm (the straw).

Finally, with the sleeve covering the straw/arm, the finger loop of the sleeve was wrapped around Cleo's right middle and ring fingers.  This is a temporary fix (which is the reason I did not cover the hand stem directly with tape).   I "might" purchase one of the Midnight Magic dolls and use one of the arms to provide a more permanent solution.  

Cleo's new lower arm and hand are in place.  The loop of her sleeve is wrapped around her middle and ring fingers.

Cleo strikes a full-length pose with both extremities and hands attached.

The three girls took one final photograph.  They were so overjoyed with being "whole" they almost forgot their friend, Frankie Stein moved away.

Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, and Cleo deNile, post makeover. 

In addition to the limbs and hands, Paulette sent me something extra special that will be shared in a future post.

Thanks again, Paulette, you are a limb saver!


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Is it 2015, Yet?

Color Infusion Janay wearing Monster High shoes

I have been scouting around online for shoes for Color Infusion (CI) Janay to complement her wardrobe.   IT Direct has another shoe pack for $30 plus shipping that I have delayed purchasing.  It includes three pairs of shoes and a felt hat.  The shoe pack with boots, also at IT Direct, is already here.

Shoes made for Monster High, Jakks Pacific, and America's Next Top Model dolls have been suggested by other collectors, but I have not been able to find styles suitable for Janay's "taste."

There are international eBay sellers who carry more fashionable shoes that fit CI Janay.  The warning in the description regarding some dyes possibly bleeding onto the doll's vinyl was enough for me to continue searching elsewhere.

This past Thursday I found an online seller who carries three different shoe styles in a variety of colors for CI Janay for $13 each.  This price is comparable to the eBay seller's without the dye fading potential.  Before making a visit to the thrift store yesterday, I had planned a shoe order of four pairs in different colors from this seller.  I wanted more, but at $13 each, I decided when I placed the order, I would only order four.

On weekdays, the thrift store prep area is open during normal business hours and workers constantly stock the floor with new items.  Items without price tags must be taken to the prep area for pricing.  Questions about merchandise can be answered in that area as well. Saturday shopping is usually less fruitful than on weekdays and the prep area is closed on weekends. 

Monster High dolls found at thrift store

On Friday, the fashion doll area of the thrift store was well stocked.  I found five Monster High dolls and purchased four of the five.  The one left behind was nude and without shoes.   Janay needed shoes.  Give me those shoes! (A line from the 1950s movie, The Bad Seed.)

Additional dolls found at thrift store, LIV Alexis x2 and Hawaiian souvenir doll

In addition to the Monster High (MH) dolls, I purchased two LIV dolls for their articulated bodies.  One is fully dressed; the other is nude.  A cute little Hawaiian souvenir doll pulled at my heartstrings, so she came home with me, too.

The MH dolls were marked $5.99 each, a little more than I wanted to pay, but $5.99 is a better price than $13 for shoes only (I thought).  So I grabbed the ones I wanted before inspecting each bagged doll carefully.  On close inspection, I discovered the MH dolls only have upper arms.  The forearms are missing on all but one, and the hands are missing on all!  It's a good thing I only wanted those shoes!

I believe I have the dolls accurately identified as:  Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, Frankie Stein, and Cleo de Nile, who has one of her lower arms.  All are missing their hands.  With the exception of their missing lower arms/hands, the dolls are in relatively good condition and were probably donated by the same former owner.

LIV dolls and Hawaiian doll, de-bagged

Since the LIV dolls were $3.99 for the fully dressed doll and $2.99 for the nude one, I took the MH dolls to the prep area and asked if the price could be reduced due to the missing forearms and hands.   I was prepared to show them the completely dressed LIV doll for $3.99 to suggest that price.   Instead of $5.99 for each MH, I only paid $2.99 each.  I was a happy camper and would have been even happier had I printed out and taken the coupon I had in my email for $5 off a $10 purchase. 

For a total cost of $23.74, I just knew Janay would have four extra pairs of shoes to wear. This did not prove to be the case.  Only one of the four pairs fits her properly, Draculaura's pink and yellow heels that Janay is modeling in the first picture of this post.  I really hoped Clawdeen Wolf's boots would fit Janay.  Maybe a dip into some boiled water will loosen the vinyl enough for them to fit her. 

I am still pleased with the find.  Never in my life, however, did I think I would buy a Monster High doll to keep or do anything with.  If I cannot get Clawdeen's boots to work for Janay, I will fashion some hands to attach to the long sleeves of Clawdeen's jacket.  Her fangs will be painted and her hair styled to cover her ears.  I am not sure what the fate will be for the other MH dolls just yet, but I'll probably make arms for them as well and make them look less monster-like. 

Alexis and Alexis in Sparkle Girlz clothing

The two LIV Alexis dolls are now dressed in Sparkle Girlz clothing.  (Yes, I said the purchase was for their bodies, but the bodies can be dressed until I need them for different proportionate heads, right?)  Alexis at left wears shoes made by Paulette of Limbe Dolls. 

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Janay took a quick full length photo to end this post.  She knows the shoes do not match her fashion.  She also knows she looks good in anything, even if the colors are not coordinated.

Maybe I should have adhered to my original plan to "not buy another doll before next year," but don't blame me.   The dolls just happened to come with the shoes I purchased for Janay and one can never have enough articulated bodies on hand.  I have no excuse for the purchase of the souvenir doll except for the fact that she was there and she is the most complete of all that followed me home. 


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