Adventures In Doll Customizing

Last week I was feeling brave and finally dove into the world of doll customizing. Okay, maybe not fully dove in, but at least tested the waters a bit.

Instagram is full of pictures showing various re-paints and customizations others have done with their “Film Collection Belle” dolls.  While most of these re-paints aren’t necessarily my style, there were a couple that caught my eye.  One, in particular, showed Belle with a fuller set of eyelashes which, I have to say, looked BEAUTIFUL!

So, I decided to give my Village Belle a mini-makeover!

Belle Doll After Having Hair Washed And StyledI think she looks GORGEOUS!

I started by washing and restyling her hair:

Washingg And Restyling Belle's Hair: Before And After Pictures

The style is basically two small braids (one on the right side and one on the left) tied together in the back with a clear hair elastic and blue ribbon.

I left one strand of hair loose just because I thought it looked pretty:

Belle Doll With Washed Hair
I also gave Belle a few more eyelashes:

Belle Doll With Additional Eyelashes

Just look at those lovely lashes!  They are subtle, but really beautiful and give her eyes a little extra dimension.

After seeing how well my Village Belle turned out, Sister asked me to do the same for her doll.  So I took this opportunity and made a video tutorial showing how I washed Belle’s hair and painted on the extra lashes!

Here is a link to the YouTube: Simple Customizations To Disney’s “Village Belle” Doll
And a list of the supplies:

To Wash And Style Your Doll’s Hair:

  1. A bowl of hot water (it does not have to be boiling…just very hot)

  2. A tiny amount of laundry detergent–do not use detergent containing bleach

  3. A towel to dry your doll’s hair

  4. A doll hair brush

  5. Small, elastic, hair bands for styling

Anastasia Doll Asking Belle What Hairstyle She Wants

To Paint Eyelashes On Your Doll:

  1. Black acrylic paint (I used Folk Art brand)

  2. A very tiny paint brush

  3. A plastic safe paint sealer–I used a non-yellowing, matte varnish by Waverly (Walmart brand).  Because not all sealers are safe for dolls, this step is optional.

 Anastasia Doll With Quote: Never Underestimate The Power Of Mascara
I realize the techniques and tools I use are very ‘simple’ and would not be up to par with a professional, however, my goal was not to become a doll artist (although it would be fun!).  No, I am just showing a quick and easy way to enhance your doll’s look without using any specialty products.

Image Of Belle Doll Before And After Her Mini Makeover

What do you think of Belle’s makeover?  Do you prefer her before or after?

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