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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The making of Anne Shirley

My Mum really likes the Anne of Green Gables series - particularly the one with Megan Fellowes in it. I think she finally had to go the DVD as the Video tapes had warn out.
My Mum is mostly housebound, she has her good days, she has her bad.
My Mum has only ever had one doll that I can think of, she is a Pedigree mumma doll as far as I've been able to work out (it had a voice box that said mumma, but no longer works). Mum has had that doll since the 1950's she called her Sussan, my sister adopted it for a while and called her Mary, and it made it back into Mums care and she is now called Sussan Mary. SM is showing signs of much love. The wig has been changed, the teeth have been removed, the mumma doesnt work, the outfit is gone, the seams in the dolls body are coming apart, but Mum loves her all the same, and sits pride of place in her bedroom.
I admit I can't guarantee Mum will like this gesture, for which I will offer an escape clause, but I have bought her a doll, that she can interact with without fear of the head falling off, or breaking her if accidentally knocked. In hope that on those bad days, and dolls as therapy - or as my blog is called A little doll will do it - to make things a little brighter.
I would like to introduce to you the willing subject for which is intended Anne Shirley...

boxes - I love boxes

A Monique wig, size 12-13" (upon advice that if you measure the hair line all the way round that is the wig size best fit)

without the flash

with the flash
 
the wig colour is Auburn - Rachel Lind gave Anne Shirley a glimpse of hope after the red hair and carrots comment that her hair may some day darken a little to auburn - I thought I too would go this option,

 A mummy for my mummy
 
ta da, hello, this is a very well looked after Ebayd Rebecca, she is fair-ish skinned and with green eyes.  I had for a long while thought of buying my Mum a Nellie (because she's cute), to keep as is, but after coming across a few custom dolls a thought dawned on me to Anne-ify.  The Josefina mold is my favourite, and Becca has the Anne green eyes, so thanks to Barbie sales we have our girl...
I was so lucky with this doll, she is wearing the genuine Rebecca dressing gown and slippers, and the buyer as an after thought had found and included Rebecca's red meet dress (I keep thinking of a certain pop star every time I see meet dress, this one is raw, but as it is genuine AG it is well done)

and beneath the dressing gown, she was wearing this, I'm not sure if it comes with the Original Rebecca - say like a petticoat or something, it has the American Girl label, bonus in my opinion as Anne needed a petticoat.
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I almost backed off, she is so lovely just as is, but, I knew I had already come to terms with the intent of Anne-ifying the first Rebecca that came my way - yes first, meaning others may follow. I had read a few AG makeovers in blogs and watched some you-tubers. The blogger had indicated heat (from a hair dryer) and a spoon, the you-tubers non-acetone nail polish, I have neither, and thought well maybe if I just give it a little pull - the hair that is and see what happens....

I did not photograph her hairless. I pulled at the wig just behind her ears, and it came away just enough for me to wedge the end of a teaspoon in there and then it was just a bit of prying and wig came off, bit like peeling, almost in tact. There were a few stray hairs stuck to the head near the forehead - I reckon they were glued on under the wig, but I just snipped these off, it did leave a little glue residue and hair, but that has helped determine the hair line. I am glad really that I was able to do it without the heat treatment - could it warp the head? and the non-acetone nail polish remover, could it have affected the vinyl or the wig - no ones ever really said, but I'm glad all the same.
 
So far I have glued the crown down, and once this is dry I plan to go all round the edge.

The wig is a bit poofy, but I have a few things waiting to play with this and see if I can soften it a bit, beside Anne's hair is a bit poofy in some of her older age pics anyway (eg when she realises Gilbert Blythe is the love of her life). I have seen an auburn and a Carrot (it is literally called that) coloured wig with pigtails if ever the need arises, but so far so good.

And well, yes why stop at scalping? I had also read up/viewed some freckling, with Acrylic paint in Burnt Sienna (I had some in the craft room), and she is now lightly freckled, with help from a tooth pick, and what the heck.
 
I've got some outfits in mind for her, some of the early historical American girls clothes are almost perfect (not Kaya - a bit too early), and maybe I could occasionally just send my Mum something in the post to vary the outfits or activities.  Oh alright I confess, and whilst it is not very Anne at all, I sent her a pair of Our Generation blue gumboots the other day, no other hint though as to what I was up to, there might have been some excuse about Lowly Worm and Sussan Mary.  You know if Anne had warn gumboots the day she and Diana had to push the cow out of the neighbours garden it might have ended less muddy.
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future Rebeccas?
 
my sister has mentioned interest in having a doll at her place, this was just after She Maddie and I went to Sydney last school holidays. My sister hasn't forgotten the day, and well we had fun. She kind of hinted at wanting a doll that looked a bit like her, and whilst at the time the options in my mind were my BFC Ink dolls - maybe a Gianna (green eyes), maybe a Noelle or Aliesha (brown hair), and they may still be the escape clause options (the ones I have of these 3 are all the 100+ poses (ie articulated - more so than Maddie), I hinted last time I had dinner with my sister that I did have a doll in mind that had the wavy brown hair and green eyes, and that she was Jewish (my sisters husband spent time living in Israel and can speak and read Hebrew, and at some point in our lives we were in a religion that found that Nationality interesting) so I think it sparked some interest. Why the escape clause then?  My sister is not a big doll fan, so if she feels that she can't love her then I would offer to have her at my place; American Girl dolls in my opinion are youngish dolls (ie their age group), I don't know, like Maddie in my opinion is a bit older - say 14+ AGs I feel are maybe 10; American Girl dolls hair is a wig, childhood scars (actually late 20's), my sister laughed at one of my favourite dolls, although the hair was rooted, it maybe kind of looked wigged; and lastly the dolls name is Rebecca, and sometimes one associates the names with persons one has met in the past and well a girl of the same name is a bit of a b word. Anyway - I really want to offer her a Rebecca, and if she takes it up, then well I can buy her things, and stuff. Though the historical character is from 1914, I would like to get the recent Science kit (sis is science teacher).. and planning and plotting, and it would just be cool to have other people outside of the blog world with a similar interest.
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and well sneaky secret, if those two Rebeccas are living somewhere else there would be no harm in one coming to stay at  my place (ie number 3)
 
 

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