How to Customize Your Dollfie

Clean the doll. Do not use harsh chemicals, which may damage the vinyl. Trim away any excess vinyl or seams on the doll with a craft knife, particularly around the eye area. Some Dollfies have painted-on eyes instead of eye sockets, however, in which case no trimming around the eye is necessary.

Pour a small amount of brown or black acrylic paint on a paper plate. You may want to thin the paint with a little water. Carefully outline the rims of the eyes using a very fine paintbrush. Make a few light upward strokes to suggest eyelashes, particularly at the outer corners of the eyes. Make a few thin strokes over each eye for eyebrows. Some dolls have a raised area on the face to serve as a guide for eyebrows. If your doll does not have eye sockets, draw on the eyes and eyebrows with a water-soluble pen and paint the outlines. You can remove mistakes with a damp paper towel, especially if you catch them before the paint is completely dry.

Use a very small amount of the same dark brown or black paint and paint in the seam between the doll's lips to emphasize them.

Rub a red or pink piece of chalk pastel against some sandpaper to create a powder. Pick some up on a small paintbrush or cotton swap, then apply the dust to the cheeks, either side of the nose, lips, in and behind the ears and under the chin. Use more dust on the lips and less dust on other parts. Some people add pink or red powder to the body of the doll as well to make it seem more lifelike. You can use other colored pastels to add eyeshadow using the same method.

Paint on the eyes if your Dollfie does not have eye sockets. Using the guide you drew with a pen, paint in the whites of the eyes. Then paint in the iris color. Wait for the paint to dry, then add the pupil color over the iris and outline the iris with the pupil color for emphasis. Add dots of white paint for highlights.

Spray the doll with a spray sealer. The Volks company makes a sealer that is designed for use with Dollfies. It is best if the doll is in pieces for this step; you can restring it later as stringing instructions are included with the doll.

Remove the cap on the head if you have a doll with eye sockets, then insert the eyes into the head. Make sure that they are facing the same direction, then put a small piece of eye putty onto the back of each to hold them in place. Close the head.

Add a wig. You can style wigs like ordinary hair by braiding, cutting and clipping. You can also add curls by wrapping hair around a straw, covering it in plastic wrap, then soaking it in hot water. The wig may need to be held in place with putty or tape for doll wigs.

Buy or make doll clothes. Some fashion-doll clothes and patterns fit some Dollfies, but most owners buy Dollfie clothes or create their own patterns.