Gothic Girls Paper Doll Dress Up for Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Since we are never too old to play dress up for Halloween I thought I'd have 

some fun with my Victorian paper doll that I've given a Gothic makeover to.

Goth Girl Glam for Halloween

 The doll on the right is from my Vampire Bride set of dolls posted - HERE

 and I've created another slightly different version of her for this post.

Goth Girl dressed in Black

For this version my Goth Girl is dressed in black rather than white.

 And I've created a fun costume sheet so she can play dress up.

Mix and match wardrobe accessories so she can dress up for Halloween - Party!

 This goth girl paper doll is based on a vintage Victorian L&B paper doll from my personal collection. I altered her digitally to get this fun Gothic, vampire look for Halloween so I decided to do something similar with her wardrobe as well.  Many of the items in the dress-up sheet are real Victorian fashions from 1900 others are in keeping with the style.

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll - Slate Blue

 I think it can be such fun to dress up these vintage jointed L&B paper dolls and it's 

more fun to scan the Internet looking for items to dress them up in.

Since the original paper dolls are from Victorian times I went to one of my favorite costume sites

www.metmuseum.org to locate some wickedly fun Victorian garb for my gal.

c1900 Fetish thigh high Victorian Boots from the Metropolitan Museum

Top of the list is this amazing pair of thigh high leather fetish boots c1900.

Yup, that's right ladies - we are not the only naughty society in history. 

There were some pretty interesting fetish garments available in the 1800 and 1900's that 

would have made your grandmother blush and these boots were probably top of the list.

I love this pair of boots and had to include them as part of Goth Girls wardrobe.

You can see them at the museums website - HERE

I think to date I've located 4 different pair of Victorian fetish thigh high boots that are in museums.

 I love posting great vintage clothing to my Museum Fashion board over at Pinterest so if you would like to see some other great fashions including more fetish boots from the past - click HERE

1891 French Silk Corset from the Metropolitan Museum

 I adore corsets and this is one of my favorite vintage finds.

The colors, pattern and shape are so yummy that I had to make this part 

of goth girls collection as well.

You can see this beautiful piece at the museums website - HERE

c1908 Negligee - Dressing Gown from the Metropolitan Museum

 I thought this great Edwardian dressing gown had a Sgt. Peppers, frock coat look to it 

that would work really well with the tall boots and goth theme.  

I made a few alterations and had just what I wanted for my doll's ensemble.

 You can see item at the museums website - HERE

 The remainder of the items in the wardrobe were Internet finds that had that 

Gothic Victorian feel to them, which I altered to fit this particular Gothic paper doll.

The wardrobe sheets come in several color choices so you can go with the color scheme that works best for you.  It's fun to mix and match the items to get a new look.

Two slightly different dolls - Two different looks

The left doll was created from parts in yesterdays post.  She is a multi-jointed doll 

and only wears the corset and mini-skirt from the Peach sheet posted below.  

The right doll has been glued together in a permanent pose and has not joints.

She wears the tall boots, black lace corset and silk jacket.

Add caption

 And here again is a variety of looks you can get from that one sheet 

depending on how you mix and match the items from it.

The web is a treasure trove of items you can use to dress up a jointed paper doll, many of which 

you can adjusted to fit your doll with a pair of scissors or in this case if you have a good 

digital editing program you can custom fit items to a specific doll like I did with this one.

You might be able to get some of the clothing items from these sheets to work with other of the L&B vintage paper dolls I've previously posted; but these items were created specifically to fit this particular jointed paper doll and the torso that comes with her. 

Here is the Goth Girl Dress-Up sheet in several other color choices.

Enjoy!

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Silver Blue

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Peach

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Periwinkle

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Pewter

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Pink

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Plum

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Rose

Vintage Victorian Accessories tailored to fit the Victorian Gothic Paper Doll -Shimmer

 A different look for the boots can be acquired by printing the sheet in reverse, by doing this you can create a new look for the boots by having a mirror effect of each boot so when combined you have a new pose for the legs.

Here is what the pair of boots looks like when you do that.

Trio of Fetish c1900 boots in different configurations

 The left pair is the original look for the boots.

The middle pair is what the far left boot looks like when you use it and create one in reverse.

The last pair is what the other boot looks like when matched with it's mirror image.

c1900 Fetish Boots - Left and Right pointing pairs

You can even get another look by taking the your boots and having two 

of the same pointed in the same direction.

 Well as you can see I had a bit of fun dressing up my L&B jointed paper doll and I hope you enjoyed seeing how I did it as well as some of the fun Victorian Fashions items I used to do so.

I also hope you spend some time browsing the Metropolitan Museums website and other Museum websites for vintage fashions.  It's amazing to see what our forefathers and naughty predecessors wore.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

*****

This post is in loving memory of Sherlock

my mischievous and loving kitty who will be greatly missed.

(Sherlock: April 2000 - October 2012)

Sherlock and me Halloween 2011

Halloween Gothic look for L&B Paper Dolls - Vampire Brides and Black Accessories

With it being Halloween, I thought it would be especially fun to create 

a few altered dolls with a more "Gothic" look to them.  

I fondly call them "Vampire Brides"; since they 

have that pale "tied" to a Vampire look.

I've also included some additional "black" doll part accessories 

that work well with the "Goth Girl" look.

I hope you Enjoy them!

An assembled "Vampire Bride #1" using Multi-Jointed limbs sheet

Above is a doll I put together using an altered Vampire Bride doll sheet

and a multi-jointed parts sheet so she can be posed in a variety of ways.

Here are two multi-jointed parts sheets I created.

The first one on the left has a regular skin tone look that will work with most of the dolls 

I've already posted and the sheet on the right is for the Goth dolls in this Halloween post.

I found 3 of the previously posted L&B Dolls had a look that translated well 

to the Goth-Vampire world and here they are.

EKD - Vampire Bride #1

This first Vampire Bride is based on the original doll seen - HERE

Vampire Bride #2

This Vampire Bride is based on an original L&B paper doll seen - HERE

Vampire Bride #3

The last and final Vampire Bride is based on the doll from yesterday's post - HERE

These brides are all in white but I know how important black accessories are in the Goth world so I've created some altered accessories for you to mix in with all the L&B dolls I've posted about.

An Assortment of Black Doll Torsos

I had a bit of fun creating a fishnet look on some of the stockings shown below 

and created matching torsos to go with them for some added dress-up fun.

The limbs below should work with most of the L&B paper dolls I've already posted.

The flesh part of the upper arms will not work with the "Gothic" dolls shown above.

Black Stockings and Opera Gloves

Gold Fishnet Stockings

Silver Fishnet Stockings

Black Fishnet Stockings

Black Limbs with Straighter legs

Here is a sheet where I straightened out the legs a bit and gave and extra pair of arms for variety.

*******

Printing and Assembly of a Jointed Paper Doll

* Start by downloading the largest available size of the dolls you want to craft with.

Downloading Hint: Click on the image you want before saving the image.

That way you get the larger downloadable size and not the smaller thumbnail size. 

* Print the doll on the best quality paper you have access to, with the correct printer settings 

for type of paper, weight and image quality adjusted to fine or something similar that will 

give you a high quality print or take to a print center to have them run you a few quality prints.

(Setting your printer to the correct settings can make a big difference in how she looks) 

Most of the L&B doll parts should work well together at the current printed size; 

however depending on the parts or portions of parts you want to use 

some minor adjusting on your part may be necessary.

My printed sheet - ready to mount and cut

I printed mine out on heavy glossy brochure paper using an OKI laser printer.

When I select Print I get a Print pop-up box with options:

  I went to "Properties" and clicked the "Setup Tab" then went to "Weight" and choose 

the Ultra Heavy 35-54 lb setting since I use a 44lb brochure paper. 

Next I click the "Job Options" Tab and select Fine and then I can print it.

(depending on the printer you have your setting placement and options may be different).

I get lovely printed images that are ready to back, cut, assemble and decorate.

Add Adhesive to the back of the sheets so they can be bonded to a sheet of heavy cardstock before cutting

Personally I find running my parts through a xyron adhesive machine to be the quickest way to get full coverage adhesive on the back of the sheets so they can then be bonded to a sheet of heavy weight cardstock.  Spray adhesive can also be used or any other method you prefer to use.

Just remember that if you are going to assemble your dolls with brads or eyelets they need the extra support from cardstock or light weight cardboard.  This will give the doll greater stability and longevity after assembling; since the paper alone just can't handle the stress of moving joints and metal fasteners. 

Some of the supplies used to assemble my paper doll

I cut all the parts out using a sharp pair of detail cutting scissors that had a fine tip on them.

I also had ready some products to tough-up my doll parts as well as some tiny brads and a tiny 1/16th inch hole punch to use with them.

View of doll head after she is cut out - showing some white edges that need touching up

Even cutting close to the edge with sharp scissors you can still get raw looking white edges especially around dark areas of your image.  It is also easy to accidentally gouge or scrape part of the printed ink layer away as the edge of your scissors works around corners and sharp turns.

I find the best way to fix this when using glossy paper is by sponging on 

some ink and using sharpie pens for detail touch ups. 

The same doll head after touch up with ink - on glossy paper

I sponged on the ink all around the perimeter of the image, on the thin side of the paper and on the top part of the paper very close to the edge in the dark areas like the hair where lots of white was showing.  To hide additional marks that the sponge could not get, I used Sharpie markers in matching colors. Browns for the hair and a pale skin tone for the body and bodice.

I did the same process for the other limbs so they did not have "raw" looking edges either.

Assembled doll

Once I finished touching up all the raw edges, I punched my holes, 

added my brads and posed my lady.

She is now ready to be styled any way you want.

I've created a fun outfit for her based on some vintage Victorian 

clothing; so check in tomorrow to see her Gothic Costume.

Till Next Time...

This post is in memory of my beloved cat Sherlock who had to be put to sleep today.

I'll miss you my sweet baby boy!

Yellow Prima Donna Paper Doll by L&B - Mary Anderson???

OK here she is, the third and final Prima Donna paper doll of the L&B trio.

To my knowledge there are only 3 original "Prima Donnas" produced by L&B, the remaining articulated dolls in the series seem to have been ballerinas and not bloomer girls.

These three ladies represent stage divas of their day.

 The first one I posted was the "Red" doll - Lillie "Lily" Langtry

The second was the "Blue" doll - Della Fox and 

The third "Yellow" doll may be - Mary Anderson

Original L&B "Prima Donna" Paper Doll - Yellow Bloomer Girl.

This is another vintage lady that I've been able to acquire a few times over the years.  

It seems that the "Prima Donnas" aka Bloomer Girls were the most produced of L&B jointed dolls since they are the image you will most often find for sale today on the collectors market.

She is a sweetie to look at but as with my other vintage  

L&B (Littaure & Boysen) paper dolls I gave her a makeover too.

 Once again I though she could use a more attractive hairstyle and her dingy whites needed to be tidied up a bit so her bloomers did not appear "yellowed" from age.

I was very pleased with the changes and now had a good base so that 

I could create other versions of her in a variety of colors.  

*****

I'm still in the "discovery" stage of whom this doll may represent and for a while I thought 

it might be Maude Branscombe but I decided she was a better candidate on a different doll.

I currently have Mary Anderson as the top candidate for this yellow Prima Donna.

The timing puts it close since these dolls could have been produced as early as 1888 

and Mary Anderson had a successful stage career in England and America up till 1889.

She chose to "retire" in 1889 at the age of 30, much to the public's disappointment.

  Mary Anderson 1859-1940

I have to say this photo of her is what really captured my interest in the actress.

I have found several images of Mary that suggest she could be the beauty L&B based 

this paper doll on; but when I discovered this photo of her, I really could not put any 

of the other actresses of the day into the running.  

Many other photos of Mary Anderson can be seen at the V&A Museum - HERE

I hope to one day know for sure who the yellow Prima Donna doll represents.

I would not be surprised if I guessed correctly and if I'm incorrect I can't wait see 

photos of who she really is.  It's just part of the fun in solving mysteries like these.

*****

Even without knowing for sure what lady of the stage this paper doll is, she's a winner and I had a lot of fun in giving her several new choices in wardrobe color.  After all a lady can only wear so much yellow till she has to have a change or go crazy.

Here is "Mary" with her new hairdo and several 

new color choices for you to play with.

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll - Aqua

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Graphite

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Apple Green

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Lemon Chiffon

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Lilac

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Mint

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Peacock

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Pearl

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Periwinkle

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Petal Pink

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Powder Blue

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Rose

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Soft Violet

EKDuncan Altered Version of a Vintage L&B Prima Donna Paper Doll -Winter White

This wraps up the vintage L&B jointed dolls I currently have in my collection and gives you several options on mixing and matching doll parts as you choose in creating your own dolls to craft with.

Several of the dolls in my collection of are different sized as can be seen from this photo.

I've done my best to digitally size all the "altered" versions so they are now similar in size but you may need to make minor adjustments in printing or trimming should you choose to mix the pieces up.

The vintage L&B jointed dolls were made in such a way that you could mix and match parts from other dolls of the same size.  This way you could get a bit of variety out of your dolls depending on how many you had in your collection.  The three Prima Donna dolls had bloomered legs and opera gloves on their arms and the L&B Ballerinas had bare legs with ballet slippers and beautiful arms with gold bracelets on them.  There was even a special set of black stocking and slippered ballet legs with black opera gloved arms that could be purchased to enhance the look of your dolls.

On my next few posts were are going to celebrate Halloween with some "Gothic" 

interpretations on some of the L&B Victorian dolls I've been posting and several fun 

accessories to give you even more options in the look your new dolls can achieve.

So don't forget to check back in for the Trick or Treat "Specials still to come".

See you soon.