How to Upcycle Bratz Dolls - Step 2. Take off old face

You will need 100% pure acetone. 

Buy it at a beauty supply like Sally's.

Do NOT try to use nail polish remover. It has additives that will make the plastic sticky and ruin it.
Also use 100% pure cotton balls. 

Before you take off their faces, you may want to take photos.

This way, you will have "Before" and "After" photos

if you are selling your dolls.

TAKE CARE NOT TO GET THE ACETONE ON THE DOLL'S BODY.

You might find it helpful to wrap the doll body in a handkerchief or scrap fabric while you clean the face with the acetone.

If you do get acetone on the body of a Bratz doll, it will melt the plastic and will "grab" the cotton, making it almost impossible to get off neatly.

You CAN use the acetone to clean the arms and legs.

But you CANNOT use it to clean the body, which is made from a different plastic.

Sometimes, when you get the paint off,

you find the faces are stained.

The doll below has dark green stains above both eyes.

They're difficult to see in the photo

but are quite dark in person.

I may have to discard this doll,

or use it to do a Calaveras (Dia de los Muertos) doll,

but I'll know after attempting to paint it.

Also, you can see I've tried to preserve the teeth.

If possible, I will often leave the white paint of the teeth,

and try to keep them.

Glitter on the eyes or mouth can be difficult to remove.

You just have to hold the wet acetone cotton on the glitter 

and gently rub.

It will eventually loosen and come clean.

Scratches, if light, can be repaired with a tiny wipe of olive oil.

I love the way the dolls immediately look sweet 

after removing all that heavy gunky makeup!

 

Panties are an extra if you can find dolls with them.

If they are in good condition, 

I keep them and use them on my more modest dolls.

If not, I carefully remove the paint,

keeping in mind the cotton is going to want to stick,

or if I'm feeling industrious, 

I may paint new panties on the doll.

Once the faces are clean, it's time for the bath.

I'll cover that tomorrow.

Until then, I'll let my girls rest.

How to Upcycle Bratz Dolls - Step 1: Choosing the Dolls

Well it's that time again. Time to get read for the holiday season doll sales.

I now have two grandchildren upcycling dolls, so I thought this would be a good place to write down the process I use so they can learn to do it on their own.

Here is the latest batch of dolls I picked up at our local flea market.  A motley looking crew.  I guess maybe I should back up and start from the very beginning:

WHERE TO FIND DOLLS

People ask me where I find my dolls.
I find them at yard sales, at flea markets, and sometimes on Ebay.
When I buy on Ebay I usually buy HUGE lots because that way I'm only paying $1 to $2 per doll, by the time I cull the ones that I can't use.  Other times, if I'm looking for a particular hair color I may buy individual dolls and pay up to $8 per doll.  But I like to stick to between $1 and $3 - that way I can sell for a price that makes it worth my time and the cost of my materials.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

HAIR:
First I look at the hair.  Tangled or even matted hair is no problem. It can be untangled, repaired and/or restyled. But if it has been CUT, then I usually won't buy it unless there is a good 4+ inches left to work with.  Later I'll tell you how I untangle and style the hair but for now, we're just looking.

Matted hair? No problem!

Dirty matted hair? No problem.

If the hair has thread in it like the doll below, consider if you really want to deal with that? Sometimes I'll use those dolls for "hippy" dolls, so the colored thread is useful, but you'll have to work carefully around it when combing and styling.

If you're in an area where dolls are at a premium and this is all you can find, you CAN take out the colored thread and re-root the hair.  I have a blog post on this process.

BITE MARKS?
Next I undress the doll and look for bite marks. These cannot be repaired easily, so I usually pass on a doll that's been chewed on.  Look closely at the fingers and peg areas - those are the areas usually bitten.


INK MARKS?
Are there any ink marks?  Ink is difficult to remove and really not worth the effort unless you REALLY want to use that particular doll.  An acne cream with a strong solution of benzoyne peroxide will remove ink. You put the cream on the spot, cover it with saran wrap and leave it in the sun for days, replacing the cream as it dries out.

Alternatively, if the ink is on a limb (NOT the head), you can soak it in a solution of 1/1 Dawn dishwashing liquid and Hydrogen Peroxide for a few days and it will generally fade it out. Never soak the heads. They are hollow and you'll end up with a head full of mold!


PAINT?
Paint marks on the other hand are ok. They can generally be removed easily using pure acetone. Never use fingernail polish on your dolls. It leaves a gummy residue that will turn yellow after time.  Use pure acetone.  You can purchase it at a beauty supply house, such as Sally's or you can buy larger quantities cheap at most hardware stores.

This paint will easily come off with acetone

I didn't notice this red ink until I got her home.
Hopefully, I can fade it out.

5. Look at the pegs. Are they broken or are they in one piece? What will you use for shoes? If you're using boots, the pegs may not be important, but if you are using Bratz shoes, you will need the pegs to be operational.

Nice looking pegs

CLOTHING.

I always look out for clothing and shoes I might be able to use.  

Jeans, shorts, modest tops and jackets might be useful.

Miniskirts can be lengthened with fabric sometimes.

These are clothes I may be able to use.

I want my dolls in flat shoes and/or boots with no high heels.

I'll either find them, buy them, or make them.

I'll cover that later.

And that's about it.
Here is the group of dolls I picked up today at the flea market.
Let's turn them back into cute little girls!