Dollcraft

Inspired by  Limbe Dolls , I've been giving dollar store dolls a try. In Washington, we seem to only have Dollar Tree, but on vacation I spent some time at Family Dollar and Dollar General. They sell two knock-off dolls, Alice of "Fairy Tale High" and Pippa of "Midnight Magic," imitating Ever After High and Monster High respectively. Their prices are shown boldly on their boxes, $10 and $5. (Update: I have since learned that Fairy Tale high did not originally sell for this price, and is still available for inflated prices on Amazon. Don't do it!) Midnight Magic  Midnight Magic doesn't seem to have much in common, storyline wise, with Monster High. The back of the box tells a confusing tale. Pippa and her three friends are dimension-hopping, zombie-hunting superhero princesses attending high school. Pippa has telepathic powers to control animals. I'm not sure why they didn't pick one storyline instead of five. Pippa has gray skin, ...

I've found a number of guides on re-painting doll faces, but most of them seem far beyond the average level of skill. (But gorgeous!) I tried to take the tips and simplify them. Here's what was helpful for me. Materials paint thinner (everyone recommends acetone nail polish remover, but this is faster) q-tips, cotton balls a tiny paintbrush (10/0 spotter is nice to start) acrylic paints (liquid is better, I used the solid kind I already owned) sealer (Liquitex Matte Varnish is recommended, I already owned a glossy and used that) exacto blade a little bowl of water (clean brushes) clean-up cloth a lamp Tips Don't mix your paints with water. This will make them easier to be rubbed off. Mix with the clear varnish instead. Symmetry may be impossible- aim for balance. (Human faces aren't perfect either!) For practice, try painting on top of existing features first rather than wiping the face clean. Holding the brush: don't jam the brush ...

Nneka Queens of Africa dolls are a Nigerian alternative to Barbie. They were developed by Taofick Okoya "to show African children that black is beautiful by enabling them to play with dolls that reflect their culture and heritage." They are available for purchase in the US at the  Slice by Cake  website. I chose Nneka, because of her beautiful red outfit and her braided hair. She represents the Igbo tribe. (There are two other queens, Azeezah of the Hausa tribe and Wuraola of the Yoruba tribe.) Nigeria is on the west coast of Africa (Atlantic Ocean side), and is about twice the size of California. in the box Nneka is packaged in a pink box with some of her accessories on display. Here is everything in the box. I was surprised that she has a stand and a formal gown! She wears her traditional Nigerian outfit, red high heels, and has a pink hairbrush, gold crown, red purse and pink swimsuit.  more than shown on the box! Africa is the most diverse continent...