Don't Throw Those Old Dolls Away!

Barbie. We all know her. Regardless of age or location, Barbie is impossible to ignore. Ever since she first debuted, that blue eyed blond with the impossible proportions has been a favorite of collectors and that other kind of doll fanatic. The customizer.

What do these doll customizers do? Exactly what it sounds like. A regular Barbie doll - most often the so called 'pink box specials' or old dolls picked up at yard sales - is cleaned up, repainted and given a new hairstyle and outfit. But doll customizing isn't as simple or mundane as it sounds.

The OOAK - One Of A Kind - Doll Association has some examples of the amazing works of art that doll customization can bring. Some of the projects are incredibly elaborate. A simple Barbie doll can be transformed into a dazzling creation that looks like a new doll. Faces are completely repainted. Hair is dyed or sometimes replaced entirely and teased into elaborate styles. Clothing is made by hand, depicting fashions no doll company has ever released.

Doll customization has been a hobby for years. A few old dolls, a bit of latex paint and a hairbrush are the only tools you need to get started. Even those with little artistic ability can enjoy this hobby.

The easiest way to begin is to get your hands on an old Barbie. Don't worry if her hair's knotted, we can fix that! Once you have your doll, figure out how much work she needs. If her hair's tangled and frizzy, you'll want to take care of that first. Children's detangler or a solution of liquid fabric softener. Doll hair is made of a form of plastic, so don't be concerned with damaging it. Wet the hair and work your chosen solution through it. I prefer a children's hair detangler, personally. Using a wide toothed comb or wig brush, brush out the hair until it's sleek and smooth.

Now that the hair's cleaned up, let's talk about styling! The secret is heat. Boiling water works wonders for setting styles. If you have a curly haired doll and you want straight hair, just stand the doll up so she's well supported and pour boiling water over her head. But don't use too much or for too long! More than 10 seconds and you risk melting the hair. Let it dry, and the hair will be straight.

Want to give her curls? That's a little bit more difficult, but not by too much. I use bobby pins to roll the hair and secure it. Just clip the bobby pin around the end of a section of hair and roll upwards. Secure it with a second bobby pin. Once the hair's pinned up, it's time for the boiling water again! Let dry, and then remove then pins. Brush if need be. The curls won't be brushed out.

Now that the hair's taken care of, let's move on to the face. Lips are the easiest. Just follow the line of the lips with a fine bristled paint brush. Latex paint is the best. You can pick it up at any craft store, or even somewhere like Target or K-Mart. It doesn't take long to dry and it blends in well with Barbie's original paint job.

Eyes, due to their size and the varying colors, are a bit tricky. I start with the irises, using small dabs of color along the original iris and then gently blending together. If you mess up, it's easy enough to repaint the pupil and the small white dot so characteristic of doll eyes. Now you've got a doll with new hair, new eyes and new lipstick!

Now let's talk about dying Barbie's hair. There are a couple of different methods for this. The most common is a blend of latex paint and water. Mix one part latex paint with three parts water. Using a toothbrush, brush the solution through the doll's hair. Wrap her in cellophane to make sure no paint gets on her skin. It takes a few days to dry, and you want to make sure you brush it regularly so the hair doesn't get stiff. This method works best with bright, unnatural colors.

Another tried and true method is Kool-Aid dye. Holding the doll upside down, dip her hair in a cup of Kool-Aid. The hair sucks up the dye! The color is often weaker than the latex dye, but it's smoother and doesn't require the attention the latex does. Some people even use markers to color in the hair - remember, it's plastic, so markers won't damage it.

If you're handy with a needle and thread, there are hundreds of patterns for doll clothes out there. If you're creative, you can even come up with your own patterns! Doll clothes don't require much fabric, so if you have any bags of fabric scraps lying around, you're all set!

These are just the first steps. With a little practice and creativity, there's no end to the beautiful dolls you can create! They make wonderful gifts and collection pieces, all for very little money.

So break out those old Barbies and get started!