Random self-indulgent post. With pictures, even.
I'm a crazy doll lady. I collect many kinds of dolls, I sleep with a hand-knitted doll, I've made rag dolls and tried my hand at reborning and Asian resin bjd faceups, I'm currently researching and beginning to acquire parts for a long-term project of embodying (book) Crowley, Aziraphale and my In Nomine demon Jesse.
I also have a hobby of buying unhappy op shop (charity shop) dolls, cleaning, hair styling, dressing and (mostly) re-donating them in much better condition. Occasionally I attach too much and they live at home. Most dolls I rescue are Barbie and similar size (easy to dress cheaply, and you can buy big bundles of generic Barbie shoes cheap), 18 inch and Disney Toddler dolls (also easy to source clothes for, but often still left shoeless for budget reasons.) It's relaxing, it feels nurturing even though they are obviously mass produced, it saves plastic from landfill, and I think kids who get their toys from op shops deserve for them to be pretty and clean and cared-for. If you're looking for an inexpensive, fun hobby that actually does some small good in the world, I recommend toy rescue.
This blog is pretty inspirational
My kid is also an op shop fiend (his specialties are Nerf guns, Hot Wheels and his beloved family of hand knitted teddies) so after his therapy this morning we visited two nearby op shops as a reward. This is my latest rescue, from today, a Positively Perfect Mira for $2:
She's going to be so pretty when she is cleaned up and that tangled matted mess of hair fixed. Tip: wash doll clothes in tights or bra bags,
Before and after of the last doll to stay with me, an unbranded vintage doll I named Dulcie:
I am tempted to cut her huge fringe shorter and blush her cheeks, but I am incredibly happy with how her filthy matted hair became soft and shiny with a bit (okay, a couple of hours) of care. Didn't take a photo of her back hair, but it is long and curls very nicely at the bottom once set in curlers and heat set, barely needed trimming. Her outfit is from a lovely lady who sells handmade dolls clothes for IMO way less then they are worth at Goolwa Market, if you're ever there. (I actually love the print of the also handmade dress Dulcie came wearing , but it fits her less well and the scratchy cheap lace trim is awful and would need replacing. Maybe a more mod looking doll will get a fixed version eventually. It's washed and kept, anyway)
I figured Dulcie's style of doll, although it was "this is what generic dolls looked like" for a very long time, is out of fashion now. Even cleaned up, Dulcie might be headed for landfill. So she's mine. Predictably, my Mum, who hates my bjds for instance, appreciated her beauty, which is similar to her (still loved) childhood doll. I think Dulcie was also very loved once--an unbranded doll with hand-made clothes was very possibly its owner's only doll and beloved friend. We forget sometimes, with so many cheap imported toys, how expensive they used to be, and if someone could only afford a generic doll with handmade clothes, she probably represented a lot of money to her owners' parents. I kind of hope that on some level her previous owner knows she is cherished again.
A lot of my favourite possessions are from op shops, and I really like ones like pens and bags that have inscribed names and initials on them, things that say "I was a cherished possession." I am sentimental about "This thing you cared about is loved again", just as much as I am indifferent to brand names.
I also picked up a fabulous Ken, who also might stay with me, or at least his head. He deserves a posable body and a hot outfit. His body can be donated to a Ken with a broken body or chewed hands. Actually... I can see Jesse with a pink-tipped mohawk.
I forgot to take a picture, so here is one I stole off Ebay, although my boy is nekkid like most op shop dolls.