Guys! You Won't Believe What Happened...

(Ahem, sorry, I didn't know what to put on this picture, so I quoted a song I like XD )
 
Oh my goodness guys! As you may have figured out from the title, something crazy happened..... Something I had dreamed would happen but never thought it would,
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I FOUND AN AMERICAN GIRL DOLL IN A THRIFT STORE!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
 
I seriously can't believe this! Ok, so this thrift store I go to is run by an awesome lady that loves dolls as much as I do. The proceeds go to support a no kill animal shelter that holds a craft show (The one I sell at and was preparing for the last two months) every year. She saves dolls that get donated so I can look through them and see what I can fix up and sell. She's so sweet and always gives me an amazing price on the dolls. I was told by some people at the craft show who work at the thrift store that they were holding a bunch of dolls for me, so I went yesterday and the lady who runs the store brought out a huge laundry basket of dolls! I was so excited! As I looked through the bin I reached deep in and saw long legs. Thinking it was just an 18" doll I pulled her out, and when I did, I thought I was going to die! It was a Truly My #27! I never EVER thought I'd actually find one in a thrift store, so I ended up taking the whole bin and as I went up to pay for them she told me it was a gift from the thrift store! I was blown away, it was a huge amount of dolls! So I got all the dolls, including the American Girl, for free! Thank you so SO much Miss Katherine ! I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the dolls :)
 
(Image via American Girl Wiki)
If you're awful at remembering the Truly Me numbers like I am, then here's a picture of her.... My thrift store dolly doesn't look much like the picture anymore does she? XD
 
 
Ok, so let's get to the condition of the doll! She is definitely a TLC doll, most likely owned my a younger child.
 
 
Her face is in very good condition, her eyes work perfectly and she still has eyebrows (That's always a bonus right?). She has a very small shine mark on her forehead, and a slight dye bleed off on her nose. Her nose will need to be sanded a bit, for her nose is a bit scratched up. Probably dropped or banged up against something rough.
 
 
Someone definitely cut her hair, and did a pretty bad job of it.
 
 
The previous owner tried to give her some bangs, which resulted on a nice patch of wig showing through...
 
 
Right there  ^

(LOL That's not a bad camera angle going on here, she is shorter than Kit XD)
My Mom and I think they were trying to make her look like Kit, if they'd done a better job on the hair cut and added some freckles, then she would have been a dead ringer! Their hair is pretty close in color, they have almost have the exact same color eyes, and they both have feathered eyebrows! But unfortunately the hair cut was done very poorly, and the wig will need to be replaced.
 
 
Her limbs are very loose, as you can see above.
 
 
Excuse the weird scratch on my hand, I honestly don't remember how I even did that XD. Anyway, this is the arm, I can literally pull them out of their sockets!
 
 
And the legs are even worse.
 
 
I can bend the leg down and out of the socket with ease, she'll need to be restrung. She also has dye bleed off the back of one leg.
 
 
Her arms are also a bit shiny.
 
 
There's a light stain on her upper body. This doesn't bother me because she'll have clothing on, but if you find a doll with this problem and want to fix it, then simply untie the neck string, take off the head and unstuff. Then wash with water and soap and let dry, but be careful of water getting in the limbs.
 
 
LOL the proof, THE PROOF!
 
 
The strings are perfect, not stretched out or anything.
 
 
And last but not least, there are a few random marks, like this one, I think might be blood... Believe it or not this isn't the first time I've had to clean blood off a doll, it's not fun.
 
 
And this mark under her cheek.
 
 
Now after all that you're probably like, "HOLY VANILLA BEANS GIRL! That doll looks worse than Avery's hand when it's un-bandaged!" But she has so much potential...
 
 
I mean look how adorable she looks in this outfit!
 
 
Doll: "Will I be pretty again?"
 
Me: "Of course you will! You already are beautiful, all you need is a little work and you'll be stunning."
 
 
My Mom also got a doll! She was also in the basket, and since my Mom loves Madame Alexander dolls, I told her that I could fix it up and then she could have her. She was pretty happy, she named her Janie :)
 
 
Now this girly is in pretty rough shape, someone got a little crazy with the scissors and now she has barely any hair left!
 
 
Her hair is cut here,
 
 
here,
 
 
And quite a bit here, she'll need a new wig.
 
 
She was beaten against a wall several times and is very marked up on her face. She'll also need her limbs tightened.
 
 
I think these little ladies have a lot of potential. Stay tuned to see them as I fix them up and for tutorials on how to remove scratches and shine marks, restring limbs, re-wig, and clean your doll! Have an awesome day everyone!
 
-Katie :)

 






Comments

  1. Oh my gosh, that's so cool! I have dreamed of that happening to me! Could you tell me a bit more about your doll restoration business? I'm curious about how it started or how you got customers or really anything about it. Thanks!
    -Rose

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    1. Thanks Rose! I hope you find an awesome used doll someday, it is possible! My doll restoration business started when my mom asked me if I'd be interested in fixing up dolls if she'd make the clothes. I told her I'd love that and it kinda just took off from there. I buy dolls from thrift stores, fix them up, make clothes, and sell them at an amazing craft show every year that supports a no kill animals shelter. Most dolls I sell are Disney dolls and baby dolls, for some reason 18" dolls don't sell very well : ( it's been so amazing because I've only been doing this for about a year and my business is growing! I have people saying they came to the show just to buy dolls, and last year I made about $60, I made $135 this year! I will now be making the doll clothes because my mom now has a job and no longer has the time. Thank you so much for your interest! If you have any more questions feel free to ask :)
      -Katie :)

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  2. OH MY GOSH!!!! I've always dreamed I'd find a doll at a thrift store! Amazing finds! I think they are beautiful too! You're totally right! With a little work they'll be amazing! I just got a TLC doll too! Are you going to post about how you remove all the ink stains? I think I'll need to know that too. XD How much are you thinking of charging for the #27? I have a little sis with a birthday soon. Oh, one more thing, do you already have a source for a new wig? I know of some different high quality wig stores. :)
    ~ The Human
    (Sorry for the long comment. XD)

    http://lifeofafarmdoll.blogspot.ca/

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    1. Thank you so much!! I think they're really pretty too :) I'm so excited to see how they come out! I re- wigged Janie last night and my mom is so happy with her new look, I'll have an update picture of her in my next tutorial. Oh my gosh really?! That's so awesome! Do you think you could email me pictures? I'd love to see her! I won't be trying to remove the ink stains on this doll, but I'll totally explain it in the next tutorial post! I'm so sorry but I'm not planning on selling this one. Oh my goodness you do?! I haven't been able to find a wig I like so I'd really appreciate any suggestions for a place to buy.
      -Katie :)
      (LOL no worries, my reply was really long XD)

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    2. Cool! What colour is her new wig? I can't wait to see her! Sure, I'll try to send them to you today. Oh, that's fine. I was just thinking if you wanted to sell her I might be buying. :) OK so, the three best wig shops I've seen are http://www.rubyredgalleria.com/ http://monique.com/ and https://www.exquisitedolldesigns.com/ Some of them are kind of pricey but all of them are really high quality! :)
      ~ The Human
      (Well this reply was long too, so...XD)

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    3. Janie's new wig is actually the same color as Katie's wig, I had two of them and didn't really want to go for that look on #27 so I gave it to my mom. After I got her hair cut and the new wig on my mom was playing with it and styling it, it was pretty cute :) Yay! I can't wait to see the pictures! Oh awesome thank you so much, I'll definitely cheek those out!
      -Katie :)
      (LOL XD)

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    4. Aww, that would look so cute!
      ~ The Human

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  3. Hi Katie,
    Oooh, that’s so cool! You are sooo lucky! I’ve always wanted to restore a doll but I haven’t found a doll to restore XD I can’t wait to see her new wig? Is it natural or colorful? I can’t wait to see it! Good luck fixing these beauties up!
    ~Madison
    @simplyag.weebly.com

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    1. Hi Madison! Thanks, I was so shocked and thankful to have found her :) Oh cool! Restoring dolls is so much fun, I hope you find one to restore soon! I've always wanted to restore an AG doll too, but never bought one that was in really bad shape because it would just get too expensive with paying for a doll, a wig, then shipping... So I'm pretty excited about TM #27. I think I'm going to go with a natural colored wig, but I'm not sure what color yet. I was thinking ether a blonde wig because that's what she originally had, or a black one because I think it would look amazing with her eyes, what color do you think? Aww I can't wait for you to see them! Thank you so much!
      -Katie :)

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    2. Cool! If I was restoring the doll, I would probably do a natural wig too.A black wig and a blond wig both sound awesome! I know, the doll will look so pretty when she’s done! I can’t wait!
      ~Madison
      @simplyag.weebly.com

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    3. I think black would look stunning! :)
      ~ The Human

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    4. (It won't let me reply under your comment Madison, so I'll just reply here)
      Yeah, I'm not into the rainbow wigs as much, but I think the natural colored wigs are beautiful! I was looking at wigs last night and ended up going with a blonde wig! It's curly and goes just past the shoulders :) Awww! That is so kind of you to say! Thank you Madison!
      -Katie :)

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    5. (and I'll reply to The Human here :) )
      IKR? I thought it would too, but as I was looking at wigs I compared the black hair of one of my dolls to #27 and realized that her eyebrows were a light caramel color, and looked very strange with the black hair. I was a little disappointed, but I think the blonde wig will look very pretty too! It's one of those wigs that you can use curling irons or a flat irons on, her hair is curly so if I want to have her hair straight I can use a flat iron and if I want to put it back in curls I can do that as well :)
      -Katie :)

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    6. Yah, I prefer natural too. Awesome choice! That doll willl look so pretty with a curly wig! Do you know what you are going to name her? You’re welcome :)
      ~Madison
      @simplyag.weebly.comm

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    7. Natural wigs are the best :) thanks! I'm so excited to see what it will look like on her! Yes! I actually just decided that this morning, her name's going to be Parker, I'm not sure what her middle or last name will be yet though...
      -Katie :)

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    8. Cool, Parker is such a cute name! It will suit your new Dollie well:) I’m looking at the pictures again and you’re right, she does look a lot like Kit(at the moment)!
      ~Madison
      @simplyag.weebly.com

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    9. Thank you! It just randomly came to me, it wasn't even on the list of names I was considering XD IKR? My mom and my sister both thought it was Kit! LOL she won't look like Kit for much longer XD
      -Katie :)

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    10. You’re welcome! Yah, she won’t look like Kit much longer XD

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  4. Oh my goodness!!! A FREE AG DOLL?!?! Congrats, Katie! I'm so happy for you! I've dreamed of that as well... I actually volunteer at a thrift store, so hopefully one day? Seriously, though, I think it is cool that she's a TLC doll, so that you can fix her up just the way you like! <3

    -Jewel
    http://www.dollnotebook.com/

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    1. Thank you Jewel! That's so sweet :) I've always dreamed of it happening as well, but never thought it would. Me and my mom are in a AG collectors group on Facebook and I'd always see people find AG dolls in thrift stores at crazy prices, like one lady found all the GOTYs (LOL Get out the yogurt XD ) from Lanie through Grace for $4.97 each! And they all had their meets and some were still in boxes! It was crazy and I was just like what I'd do to find a deal like that! Volunteering at a thrift store sounds so fun! And it puts you in a prime position to find those AG dollies first LOL XD But seriously, if someone donates an AG doll(s) you'd probably find it before the customers do, so it's very possible! Thank you! I've always wanted a TLC AG doll but like I told Madison it would have just gotten too expensive, so I'm really excited to get her all fixed up! Thank you so much! <3
      -Katie :)
      (LOL me and these long replies! XD)

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    2. You're welcome! WHAT?!?! That is so awesome! (YES! Get out the yogurt! XD) Yeah, that's what I'm hoping for... I'm so excited to see what she'll look like!

      -Jewel
      http://www.dollnotebook.com/

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    3. IKR?! she was a teacher, and wasn't sure who the dolls even were, so we all jumped in and named the dolls and their year's for her :) (LOL I'm always going to think of that now when I see GOTY XD) yeah, I think you have a pretty good chance, especially if you're there a lot. Thanks! I just ordered the wig last night! I can't wait to see it on her!
      -Katie :)

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    4. Ooooh yes! The wig! ;D
      -Katie :)

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  5. WOW WOW WOW GIRL THE UNIVERSE FAVORS YOU! Congratulations, I can't wait to see her all cleaned up!
    ~Natalie

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    1. LOL Thanks so much Natalie! I can't wait to show her to you guys when she's done :)
      -Katie :)

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  6. That's so exciting! I can't wait to see them fixed up!

    -Anna
    http://fromadollsperspective.com/

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