She has finally arrived! The first doll for my restored American Girl Doll collection is here!
Meet Kailey Hopkins!
Kailey is the 2003 girl of the year - the second girl of the year ever released. Her story focuses on her attempts to save the tide pools at her favorite beach from being destoryed as part of a new shopping mall development. She loves to swim in the ocean, spend time with her best friend Tess, and learn about ocean critters!
I got this Kailey Hopkins doll off of eBay for $15 plus shipping. I have never restored a doll before so I was a little nervous ordering her, but the idea of restoring well-loved dolls to their former glory and creating a one-of-a-kind collection is an idea that I just couldn't let go of once I thought of it! I waited patiently for her to arrive in the mail and now she is here - and her dog Sandy was included with her!
She was in pretty rough shape when she first arrived. Most notably she had some holes in her face and ears where someone tried to give her some piercings, pink stains on her legs, some staining on her cloth body, and some leftover nail polish on her fingers. Sandy also had a small tear in one of her seams. Otherwise Kailey was actually in really good shape. Her limbs were all still stiff enough that she was able to stand on her own and although her hair needed a good brushing it was shiny and soft. Overall I was very happy with how Kailey arrived!
The first thing I decided to work on was the stains. I gave her a good wipe down with a disinfectant wipe just to make sure she was clean and then got my supplies. After some research I decided to use non-acetone nail polish remover and a magic eraser to try to take the marks off her legs and arms. I got my magic eraser out, got it wet, set Kailey up for a good scrubbing, and . . . nothing. I could not get the pink marks to come off of her legs! The non-acetone nail polish remover also had no affect on the stains. I am still at a loss about what might get those marks to come off so if you have any suggestions for me let me know! Thankfully the marks are in spots that are not super noticable (except for the one on her knee) so for now I am not too worried about them.
I had much better luck with the leftover nailpolish on her fingers. a wipe with the non-acetone nail polish remover had her hands clean and looking like new again!
After washing her body it was time to tackle her hair. There are lots of recommended methods for washing American Girl Doll hair. After doing my own research I have decided to keep it pretty simple. I washed her hair with a clear and gentle dish soap and luke warm water. I made sure to rince very well to make sure I got all of the soap out while also making sure I didn't get any water in her eyes.
I was afraid that brushing out and steaming her hair would be a long and painful process, but I actually loved it! I went through starting at the back of her head and seperated out each row of her wig. I sprayed, steamed, and brushed out each individual layer of the wig all the way up to the top of her head. It was a really relaxing activity. I just put on a YouTube video and started brushing. I could probably brush doll hair for hours and not get bored. I was just loving it!
When I was all done brushing every level of her wig I was blown away by the final results - her hair is so beautiful! It is straight and sleek while still being soft and flowy. I am so happy with how well her hair cleaned up!
With her hair looking fresh and pretty again the next step was to work on the holes near her eyebrow and in her ears. Kailey has two small holes around her left eyebrow and multiple holes in each of her ears where someone attempted to give her eyebrow and ear piercings. Between the eyebrown piercings and leftover dark nail polish it is safe to say that this Kailey doll used to be a baddie in the past!
This may be controversial, but I decided not to repair these holes - I decided to keep them. I love having the chance to take a doll that has fallen into disrepair and restoring it to its former glory, but I don't want to completely erase a dolls history either. This Kailey doll is from 2003 and has had 22 years of life before finding her way to me. She has clearly been through it in her time, but she has also clearly been loved. Although a Kailey doll would not have had an eyebrow piercing if bought new (because she is a ten year old girl), this specific doll does have an eyebrow piercing. It is a part of THIS Kailey's unique story. My goal is not to erase the history and love that these dolls have in their past, but continue their story and give them a bright future.
So here is my attempt to give an American Girl Doll an eyebrow piercing - I actually think it turned out pretty good! I used some gems and glued them to her face using a vinyl safe glue to cover the holes in her eyebrows. I chose this color because it is close to the colors that Kaileys original outfit had. I plan to make her new clothes while keeping to the original color scheme of the doll so I wanted to make sure her eyebrow piercing would match all of her new clothes.
I also covered the holes in her ears with gems and some small starfish charms I found. Kailey's story is all about saving the tide pools and the small animals she loves who live in tide pools. I thought the starfish earrings would be perfect for her!
The last step in the process of restoring Kailey was to put her hair back in its original style. A new Kailey Hopkins doll in 2003 was sold with two braids at the front of her hair. I was nervous about the braids because I wasn't sure I would be able to make them both look even. I have to tell you though, I think I might have missed my calling as a doll hair stylist! I was able to get both braids in and even on my first try - and I think they look perfect!
I sewed up the seam in Sandy's side and then Kailey and her dog were all done and ready for their after photo! Here is the before and after:
I am actually so happy with how she turned out! She still has some pink marks on her legs, but I was able to get the nail polish off her hands and the stains out of her body cloth. Her hair is my favorite part. It just turned out so much more beautiful than I thought it would! I wasn't sure if I would have the skills necessary to restore an American Girl Doll and I know I still have a lot to learn, but for my first restoration I think this was an incredible success! Kailey is ready for a new wardrobe to match her new makeover!
Join me next time as I begin working on all new clothes for Kailey - and some bandanas for Sandy too!
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