Buying a first reborn doll (guide)

A badly written guide to buying a first (and hopefully not too expensive) reborn

I spend months and months researching reborns for hours every day before I eventually got my two, a Berenguer sucky lip and a Molly Marie by d’nines. I actually reborned the sucky lip myself with acrylic paints, so it is definitely not professional, but still good if you think it cost around £20 in total ^_^

This is my sucky lip reborn- if you’d like to try reborning rather than buying a ready made one, these dolls cost about £15 on ebay unpainted ^_^ It’s hard to see in this picture, but she does have lots of little veins and blue tints.

This is the Molly Marie kit doll I bought off ebay- she did look VERY different from her photos, and this isn’t a great photo but I wanted to try and get one of what she really looks like. As you can see, the two dolls are completely different from each other- no two reborns are the same, so you need to decide exactly what sort you’d like before you buy one.

Paint-
Heat set paints are the most reliable (as in they are less likely to rub off or fade), primarily Genesis heat set paints. These are very popular with reborn dolls and are sometimes referred to as GHSP. You also need to make sure that the photos are in a good light so you can see the correct colour of the doll, and check that it isn’t shiny. A shiny doll could mean that the kit was scrubbed with acetone (a very strong chemical used to remove paint)  and so the paint has been stopped from sticking to the kit, or that the vinyl is ‘sweating’ (this is usually caused by the stuffing used), or that the paint has been over-baked. Air dry paints can also create amazing effects, but if buying one make sure the paint has been sealed and always check the seller’s feedback before buying. Check for features such as mottling, veining, blue tints, and general realism and decide what you want for your reborn.

Kit-
Some of the cheapest kits include  the d’nines kits, such as Sofia or Molly-Marie- I personally prefer these to any other cheap kits, as they have almost full limbs (as in most of the limbs are vinyl not cloth) and I think they have sweet faces. If you want to be able to dress your doll in summer clothes, it’s going to need at least 3/4 limbs so the cloth body doesn’t show. The Berenguer Sucky-Lip kit is also popular and cheap. These dolls are made from a specific type of play doll with closed eyes and sucking it’s lip, but if you’re planning on buying one be aware that they usually only have 1/4 limbs, so the arms end at the wrists and the feet end at the ankles. That being said, there are plenty of other kits out there that I haven’t mentioned, these are just a few inexpensive ones that I know about- have a look around too see what sort of kit you’d like before you buy.

This is a before and after reborning picture (not mine, I found it on google images), so you can see the difference it makes. The first image is what a kit looks like before being reborned.

Stuffing/Weighting-
Avoid rice, beans, pasta and all the other strange organic things that end up in reborn dolls- they are not good. Sand is okay but bear in mind that it won’t pass through most airport security. Plastic pellets are probably the most reliable, as there are very few problems associated with them, but metal pellets, for example, need to be kept away from the actual plastic of the doll to reduce the risk of it being effected by rust (however unlikely). I’ve also heard that some baby fat pellets are bad for the plastic and can cause it to sweat, but I haven’t had first hand experience with this. Fiberfill is also very reliable- it’s basically the stuff you find in soft toys and some cushions, and I haven’t heard of any reborn doll problems associated with it. Glass granuals seem to be quite reliable, too, although again I haven’t had first hand experience with them, I just know that it doesn’t matter if they’re close to the plastic or not.

Hair-

There are three choices when it comes to hair: rooted, painted or bald. I chose the easy option, bald, when buying my reborn, but rooted or painted can look more realistic. Painted hair should look realistic and dimensional, and should start at the crown of the head. Rooted hair needs more care- it’s usually mohair and isn’t suitable for those who suffer from allergies to fur or animals, and it will need conditioning with mohair conditioner from time to time. Also, always ask what it’s sealed with- a strong, waterproof glue is preferable so the hair can be gently combed without it molting, and I would personally avoid mod-podge, as it doesn’t stick well to the vinyl (I’ve heard, but you may want to check that). Also check that there aren’t visible plugs of hair when it’s rooted, a well rooted doll will have 1-3 strands of hair in each plug like the doll below.

(this is not my image, it was found on google images)

Notes-

-If you’re looking for a cheap first reborn type doll, think about an Ashton Drake instead. These can sometimes be found new in box from £25-£70 on ebay. Try looking at the ‘Hush Little Baby’ doll that has a breathing mechanism, I believe it is the most realistic of the ashton drake dolls, but the popular sleeping baby ‘Emily’ is probably the cheapest full sized ashton drake when not bought straight from the company, but she does only have 1/4 arms. It really depends on what you’re looking for. Also remember that most ashton drake hair is glued not rooted and will rub off with wear and tear.

-For a first reborn, I wouldn’t recommend paying any higher than about £125. I payed just over £100 for mine, personally I don’t think it’s a good idea to spend any more if you’re not certain you’re going to stay motivated with the hobby or not.

-Decide before you start buying what is essential for your reborn to have- full limbs? at least a certain weight? a particular kit? and stick to what you decided, or else you may end up wasting money on a doll you don’t want!

-Remember that when buying of Ebay the doll may look very different in the photos to how if does in real life (I found that with my Molly Marie doll), so be prepared to be surprised, pleasantly or unpleasantly!

-This post dwells more on closed eye kits, as I don’t know much about open eyed kits and find the closed eye ones more realistic (and personally, I think the open eyed ones can be a tinsy bit scary!).

-If you do get a reborn doll and tell people about it, be prepared for the occasional person who thinks you’re an absolute freak. Trust me, I know.

-Size: newborn size reborn dolls range from about 18″ to about 21″, any smaller and it’s usually considered preemie.

-Ebay is a great place to shop for these dolls, as you can check the buyer’s feedback to see if they’re reliable first.

Please feel free to ask in the comments if you have any other questions on the topic I might be able to help you with ^_^ I did my best to make sure that all the information here was accurate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were one or two mistakes so please let me know if you find any so I can correct them.

Sketches and Severed Arms

Hi everyone ^_^ I haven’t been making much recently, although I sketch every day (they’re usually to rubbish to post D:), make mutants out of fimo and paint and repaint dolls.

This is what I mean by them usually being too rubbish- she was meant to have a lip ring, but now it just looks like she has strange lips for some reason haha

This is some fan art (ugh!) I did of Haibane Renmei, an anime I like, in acrylic paints and pen :3

And this is some disturbing un-baked stuff that’s hanging about in my room. Yes, that is an arm.

I’ve also spent A LOT of this weekend working on a junk journal that I started recently, but I’m not sure I want to post that stuff yet, so maybe next post? Thanks for reading anyway ^_^ -Julia

Evil Llamas and dolls…

Hi everyone, I am aware that I completely failed at posting every day, sorry about that! I just couldn’t think of anything to post about. Today I remembered that sasha dolls existed, and I thought I’d update you on all of them, even if dolls aren’t really your thing (I find most a bit strange too, but who cares? I like sasha dolls ^_^)

That’s all of them- the first three baby ones along are mine that we’ve got more recently, and the rest have been in my family for years (since they were still being made, even!). I have a kind of half idea that I’d like to make an emo sort of outfit for one of the boys, but their skin is a bit dark to be the stereotypical bright white emo type (sorry, I didn’t mean for that to sound offensive or something, I just can’t think of any other way to put it). So it won’t be very emo, but the general skinny jeans thing. And maybe a panda hat too, I love panda hats :3 I don’t know if I’ll actually make this, it’s just an idea, but it’d be cute if I did! I’d like to make some sort of cute emo doll anyway. See the third doll along, wearing a bonnet, blue socks and a dress? I made the dress, but that was my one and only previous attempt at sasha-doll-scale clothes. Trust me, it isn’t easy to make tiny clothes that fit.

On a very different note, click here to watch Llamas with Hats. I’ve been quoting it all week, confusing quite a few people with my random explosions of ‘Caaaarl! That kills people!’ and ‘Well, I kill people and I eat hands, that’s two things.’ 

Happy Wednesday ^_^ Wednesdays are generally quite good. Unlike Tuesdays, but that’s over for another week now. Oh, and happy May! -Julia x

Day 2

Hai guys! This is my second day of trying to post every day, if that makes sense. I don’t have much to post about so this is really just an update on stuff I forgot to post earlier.

This is a sketch I did of Noel Fielding. I’m way too fangirlish about him, but I admire him for his art, his personality and his looks so that’s everything really- and he’s fun to sketch (and I want his hat)! Even if this sketch did turn out a bit too sketchy. I carry a sketchbook everywhere with me to jot down ideas ^_^

I also thought I’d share this snippet from my art journal on the day I discovered tumblr (that’s not the link any more by the way, I changed the url). I now have 3 followers, which although compared to many people is hardly any, I’m really happy about it.

And I’m still a bit hyper from chatting to Felice Fawn on webcam, that was amazing!

Thank boosh it’s Friday though, it’s been a loooong week. -Julia

Day 1

Hey everyone ^_^ I just wanted to say thank you so much, this blog got 191 views on Tuesday which is the highest yet. Thanks so much everyone who reads this for visiting! I know I’ve been neglecting this blog a bit recently, so I think I’m going to give it a push again and start posting daily like I used to. I can’t guarantee I won’t spam up the blog with random unrelated stuff, but it’s better than never posting like I seem to at the moment. This post is called day 1 because it’s the first day of me posting every day, so tomorrow will be day 2 etc. Plus I’m terrible at thinking up titles.

Today I video chatted with the amazing Felice Fawn (she is beautiful!) so  I’m very very happy. Click here to go to her tumblr :3 I need to stop talking before I get too fangirlish though… *fangirl squeal*

Here’s some vent art I did the other day, if you follow my tumblr you will already have come across it but I didn’t post it on here. It’s acrylic paint (just black and white) on a newspaper background on card.

Now I have to get back to ‘watching’ Pride and Prejudice with my mum (although I’ve kind of lost the storyline) but I promise they’ll be another post tomorrow.

Bye for now and thanks for reading! x

Tumblr and HMQ

Hey everyone! I hope you all had a good easter holiday and stuff :3 Soooo…

-The facebook page has reached 70 likes! Thanks so much EVERYONE who’s liked that page, it really means a lot to me.

-I’ve set up a tumblr (click here!). This is in no way replacing my blog, and it’s more about me than my crafts (and it’s mainly in note form) so it’s very different to this. Have a look at it anyway if you feel like it ^_^ Oh, and click the ‘ask me anything’ button please!

-Okay, so I finally finished my bit for the Heavy Metal Qee project. Done with the varnishing, painting, gluing, headaches etc etc.

I packaged it so carefully in it’s original box with bubble wrap, but apparently the horns broke off in the post so I’m pretty annoyed about that but at least it’s done now.

Happy monday :3 -Julia

Bunnies ^_^

My sewing machine has failed me once again ;_; But that’s okay, because my grandma let me use hers (thanks Grandma!). So I could get some sewing done today-yay! I used a bit of curtain lining, rice for weighting and some stuffing, and made this. It weighs just over 200g and can stand up on it’s own:

That last one is from the side, you can probably tell haha. I wanted it to be really simple, and I did the face in black acrylic paint.

I also can’t find my sketchbook anywhere, which for me is a bit of a disaster. Seriously, that thing keeps me alive on school days. I could start another, I have piles of them (my little obsession) but I was getting along quite well with that one so it seems a shame to start again.

So instead of sketching in my spare time today, I took random photos How many people find this one creepy/find something odd about it? Let me know if you can (ahaha, I wonder how many people will spot it?):

Oh yush, and please check out my boyfriend’s youtube channel by clicking here :3 and remind me to never ever try the cinnamon challenge.

I asked my friends for their websites and tumblrs, too, but when I get enough I’ll make them a post of their own I think. If anyone has a website or tumblr or something (that belongs to them, and it must be at least partly about craft if I don’t know you personally) then please let me know in the comments and I’d love to put it in a post if I get enough of them

Thanks for reading, and I think it’s chocolate egg day tomorrow… have a good one, everyone! x