Two-Dollar Tula

I know I posted Layla just a day or two ago, but my house is becoming overrun with little unicorn girls!  I wanted to get the last two dolls posted quickly so that this happy herd can find their new homes.

Today I'm going to share the third doll in my series of giveaways.  These giveaway dolls aren't completely free, but I offer them for $2.20 on Etsy to the winner of a drawing here on the blog.  If you're interested in a chance to buy this particular doll for a super-low price, just follow the instructions at the end of the post--and good luck!

This doll was a fairly generic non-Denver Madison when I first got my hands on her:

2006 My Twinn doll with the Madison face.

I couldn't really tell what her skin tone was from the auction photos, but I was hoping that she'd be one of the hard-to-find medium-toned girls like Rani.

Her skin tone is definitely darker than many My Twinn dolls, but it's closer to the Outstanding Orange Blossom coloring than it is to Rani's complexion.  I'll do a few group shots at the end of this series to help you get a better sense for all of the Unicorn Twinns' coloring.

I decided to name this girl Tula.  I think the name suits her--and it also alliterates with "two dollars."

Tula came in fairly good shape.  She was wearing clothing that protected her torso, but her vinyl parts were absolutely filthy.

The Madison face mold is common, but I really like its proportions and expression.  Tula's face looked cute when I got her, but her eyes were way too big and one of them was looking off to the side:

You can see that the cloth body is in good condition:

(With a few picks here and there)

She had a small gap at the top of her back seam (but that's an easy thing to fix):

Here's a closer look at Tula's filthy arms:

Both arms were so dirty that they looked about two shades darker than they actually are:

Tula's face wasn't quite as dirty as her limbs, and she didn't have any bad scratches in that area, but you can see how wonky (and faded) her eyes were!

I removed Tula's wig and brought her into my workroom for a closer look:

Her eyelashes were in surprisingly good shape, but I knew that those old eyes were going to come out, so the eyelashes had to go, too.

Without her eyelashes, Tula's eyes look even more askew:

Not only is Tula's left eye looking off to the hills, but it's also fading badly around the pupil.

There was a lot of dirt stuck in and around the eye as well:

Tula's neck joint was showing some signs of coming unglued, so I removed the head completely and gave it a preliminary wash:

Next, I pried out the old eyes...and wasn't at all surprised when they melted:

The glue inside of the eyes also looked yellowed and icky:

I washed Tula's head again after her eyes were gone, and took the chance to study some of the markings on her head.

These marking always fascinate me because I know they were used to remind the artists about the finishing touches that this doll needed:

"DB" means dark brown hair, but I'm not sure what the other markings mean.  I wish I knew.  I think Tula's eye color was numbered 203 during the Virginia era, so that isn't one of the markings.  Maybe it had to do with the hairstyle or the face paint?

In any case, these were the markings that really interested me:

Those marks are brush strokes that the original artist used to test their technique before painting an eyebrow.  I know this for certain because it's exactly what I do.  

I usually put my test strokes on the bottom of the neck (below the cable tie and out of sight), and I often erase them before I complete a doll, but maybe I'll start leaving them in place--to add to the history of the dolls I work on.

Here's Tula's head after I had thoroughly cleaned it:

I took this shot of Tula's head next to a Denver 02 Ariel head so that you can see the difference in skin tone:

I think Tula has a Virginia 03 skin tone, which would accommodate a wide variety of eye and hair colors. 

I already knew what wig I wanted to use for her, though, so I decided to go with an eye color that I thought might pair well with that wig.  

The eyes also have an inner ring of color that matches the skin tone, which I think looks cool:

These are Eyeco Platinum Glass (silicone) light green eyes.  I thought they were a bit too intense and unrealistic when I first saw them, but I really like how they look on Tula.

I can't remember if I used Mr. Super Clear sealant on Tula before or after I inserted her new eyes, but I know she got a coat of sealant.  It reduces the shine on her face, which I think makes the vinyl look higher-quality than it is.

After the eyes were in place and the sealant was fully dry, I gave Tula new lip color and blush

I also gave her a lot of freckles!

Because of course I did.

I tried to match the color of Tula's new eyebrows to the color of her wig:

Do you see my testing brush strokes on her neck?

Here's a closer look at one eyebrow:

I've noticed something about Mr Super Clear sealant that I want to mention quickly here for anyone who has one of my dolls that's been sealed.

The sealant gives the vinyl a slightly rough texture. This is what reduces the shine and makes the head easier to paint.  The change in texture is very subtle to the touch, but if you rub the doll's face with a paper towel or a tissue, little bits of paper shed onto the doll, like this:

At first I thought this was the sealant flaking off (ahhhh!) bit it's not. The sealant is tough as nails.  It's just bits of paper towel.  After learning this, I always dust my dolls' faces with a piece of cloth--not paper products.

Anyway, with Tula's face completely painted, she was ready to be reunited with her body...and ready for her eyelashes and wig!

I love this part of a makeover:

The wig is the new "Sarah" design from ZaZou Custom Dolls.  It's a curly blonde wig with lots of highlights and bleach-blond ends.  I wasn't very interested in this wig when I first saw it (not sure why?) but now I love it.  It really gives Tula a whole new look and personality.

Lets' see how Tula looks in her full unicorn outfit!

The wig is super fun.  After battling with the long, curly wigs on dolls like Henna and Ramona, it was great to play with this mess of curls that never needs to be brushed!

Here's the wig from the back:

Because she's a giveaway doll, Tula got a mix-and-match ensemble made from pieces of unicorn outfits that I didn't want to put on dolls that I was going to sell.  Despite the little flaws in this outfit, the overall look is still great!

The horn headband is nice, but the horn is really big and a bit wrinkled at the top:

The iron-on is adorable, and it's a nice small size to accommodate tucking in the shirt. The edges of the decal are not perfect, though, with a bit of tearing on the unicorn's nose and some wrinkles around the edges.

It's nice that this shirt tucks in so well, because the hem in the back is very uneven:

The skirt is gorgeous, and I love the thick pink waistband!  It fits like a dream:

However, there's a small rip in the floral lace fabric:

Very hard to see, but it's there.

Under the skirt, I've added white tights and purple boots to Tula's ensemble:

I love how this fun outfit pairs with Tula's wild wig and brilliant eyes!

I removed the unicorn headband for a few pictures so that I could show off the wig and get a portrait for the comparison GIF:

Here's the GIF:

I didn't have a great vision for this doll beforehand or anything, but she ended up being one of my favorites.  Something about her sun-bleached hair and bright eyes makes me think of the ocean.  She reminds me of all of the wonderful summer memories of beach trips from my childhood.

I played around with Tula's wig a little after her portrait was complete.

I think she looks very cute with the curls clipped back away from her face--but those curls don't really want to be tamed!

The headband can be used with clips...

...or without them:

Although this style makes the curls look a bit too crazy!

This wig really looks beautiful with no styling whatsoever:

I took Tula outside for a few photos in the natural light, and she was probably the most photogenic doll I've ever had outside. 

The green of the woods acted as a perfect backdrop for those eyes!

The beach might be Tula's favorite location, but she seemed happy to simply be outside in the fresh air.

Before I end the post and outline the giveaway rules, here's a quick summary of the work that was done on Tula:

-her old wig was removed and her head was separated from her body

-all of her vinyl parts were thoroughly cleaned

-her old eyes and eyelashes were removed, and all of her factory paint was stripped

-she was sealed with Mr. Super Clear

-she was given new Eyeco Platinum Glass eyes (these are silicone eyes)

-her face was repainted, including lips, blush, freckles and eyebrows

-her head was re-attached to her body with professional strength hot glue

-she was given a new Sarah wig from ZaZou Custom Dolls

-she was given new eyelashes

-she is dressed in a unicorn outfit from Fairy Tale Blessings that includes a shirt, skirt, and unicorn headband.  I have added white tights and purple boots to this ensemble

Tula is a 2006 doll and so her vinyl and construction are not as high-quality as Denver-era My Twinn dolls.

Tula surprised me the most out of all of the Unicorn Twinns.  I didn't have any great plans or expectations for her makeover, but I think she went from generic to unique, thanks to some unusual eyes and a fun new wig.  I hate to admit this, but I had a few moments where I considered not giving her away at all.

I am going to give her away, though, and I hope some of you are as excited about her as I am!

Here are the rules for entry into the giveaway:
1. Comment below to enter.
2. Start your comment with the words "I'm in!" so I can tell who is entering and who is just commenting.
3. If you do not have a Blogger account, please contact me through Etsy and I will enter for you.
4. To protect against duplicate entries, comments from inactivated accounts and anonymous comments will not be considered.
5. If you are unable to comment for any other reason, you can contact me through Etsy and I will enter for you.
6. A mailing address outside of the United States is disqualifying.*
7. If you are under 18, please secure the permission of a parent or guardian and make sure that the $2.20 Etsy transaction is ok.

*if you do not have a US mailing address and still wish to enter, I will accept your entry if you are willing to assume all international shipping costs and risks.  International entries will only be accepted if they've been pre-approved through Etsy messaging before the drawing occurs.

The contest is now closed. I will do the drawing at 2:00pm today. *Update: I moved the drawing up because of an event later in the day!

While Tula's giveaway is going on, I'll be updating the blog with the last Unicorn Twinn and also posting a few group shots and price details for the whole unicorn bunch.  My hope is that they'll all be ready to find new homes by the end of next week.

As always, thank you so much for stopping by!