The Journey of a Custom Doll

Hello my amazing readers! So, I totally haven’t been procrastinating posting this, but we really wanted to share a recent project we’ve been working on. As some of you already know, we bought a used Marie-Grace doll off of FacebookMarketplace for just $75, including shipping! My initial plan was to replace her wig with the one I bought off of Etsy, but when she arrived, I couldn’t bring myself to take off her wig, despite its condition. I guess I just wasn’t ready to customize a doll? I honestly don’t know why I waited so long. After a few weeks though, I finally decided to follow through with my plan and customize her. Today’s post will be showing the customization process! Let’s get started!

*warning: This turned out to be a rather long post; we just thought it would be best to put it all together.*

Here she is in her original form as Marie Grace. During her time pre-customization, we did take her for one photoshoot. Would y’all like to see it even though she doesn’t look that way anymore?

Prior to the wig swap, I cleaned her vinyl up a bit. Although the description of her on Facebook Marketplace mentioned a lack of scuffs and shine marks, when she arrived, there were clearly more than described. However, I was able to use a recipe for vinyl cleaner found online (unfortunately, I can’t tag or link the videos/posts, as I don’t know where I found them). I do know that it involved water and baking soda, which you mix to a “toothpaste”-y thickness. After mixing up the solution, I wrapped a clean wrap around her body and tied up her hair, so as to not get any anywhere it wasn’t supposed to go. As this was my first time doing this, it’s possible I was being slightly too cautious, but then again, you can never be too cautious. 😀

*yes I know she isn’t wearing the rag mentioned before. I took it off to do some of her vinyl*

Using another rag, I dabbed the mixture onto her vinyl, specifically the shine marks. Then, let it sit for a minute or so before gently rubbing it off. Personally, I didn’t get the shine marks off entirely, although they are a lot less noticeable.

Then it was time to rewig her! I bought a super cute short, blond wig from ZazouDollCo off of Etsy!

We used a hairdryer, our hands, and a spoon (briefly) to get off her original wig.

My dad helped me remove the wig because of the super strong glue, so this is his hand. XD First, we used the hairdryer to “melt” the glue a bit, therefore making it *somewhat* easier to pull it off.

This is a mid-process photo, as are the next two. On this doll, there was a ring of glue along the outside, as well as a large dollop in the middle.

Tada! Stunning hairdo! XD

As the glue was EXTREMELY strong, we had to pull really hard, resulting in some of the hair remaining stuck to the remaining glue.

We used the spoon to get some of it off, although it didn’t help much.

Oh, and my dog, Cupcake, was very intrigued! XD

And it was off! We didn’t use a silicone wig cap, although I did buy one. Instead, my dad helped me pull it on to the correct position.

And here she is! The final result!

Although the real Enid has freckles and colored hair tips, I decided to leave those off (technically, I did try to give her freckles using watercolor, but they came off even after drying!). I might give her freckles if I find a different technique, but even without them, I think she looks a lot like Enid, and is super cute and pretty!

---

Sorry that this post was rather short! Her first photoshoot will be posted soon, and we will also add her profile on the Meet the Dolls page. In the meantime, we hoped you enjoyed seeing how we fixed up and customized her! We also hope to introduce her in a photo story at some point, although we’re not entirely sure how to introduce her yet. Until next time! Have a great rest of your day!