Paris Died Young.
I did say I wasn’t going to bring home new-to-me dolls.
I mostly haven’t.
I don’t always resist but I’ll be transparent about it so I can’t ignore or downplay it.
I’ll actually lead with the latest purchase and what’s going on with her.
Last month I’d mentioned I might buy one of those horrible “bisque collector dolls” that are at every thrift shop and try and haunt them up like I did for Ennui.
Most of the time the Goodwill thrift dolls look like this and I hate them.
I’ve been on the lookout for this price range of doll but with more interesting face sculpts.
I found two with compelling faces: Victorian Girl and Traumatized 70’s Cult Member with the Effenbee face. I photographed them, and asked folks on FB and Insta to vote.
Everyone voted for the one on the left.
Wow. I lean left, but they both really capture different aspects of Haunted, don't they? Left has that Victorian inevitability, right has more of a Seventies join-me-in-the-void thing going on. -Kate
The one on the right is already cursed.. more gratification in corrupting the one on the left. - Nathan
The one on the left looks like she’s been possessed by a spirit, with her gasping mouth, pale eyes, and extended fingers. The one on the right looks like an evil sorceress, possibly the very one casting the spell of possession on the one on the left, with her onyx eyes and twisted hand. Both look haunted, but neither of them seem like a good candidate for ennui. But you do magic with anything, so whichever you decide!- Mathew
She’s large. She’s 20”/100cm. I resisted the urge to tell everyone “I CUSTOMIZE DOLLS I DON”T LIKE THIS SHIT ANY MORE THAN YOU DO!” as I carried her to the St. Vinnies counter.
She’s home with me now.
Her name is Paris.
I first removed all of her clothing. before purchasing her I made sure it was a doll one COULD remove the clothing on and that she had shoes. I am NOT looking for shoes for a cursed doll.
I then removed all those fake pearl strips, because they are cheapen up the outfit and I want her soul to fetch a good price.
This is a background project that isn’t supposed to pull time or focus from my doll of the week this week.
But there are steps I can take on her while Josephine (this week) and Eartha (next week) have to sit. Waiting for MSC spray to set or Apoxie Sculpt to harden always involves some downtime.
Instead of making her an outfit I’m just gonna dye that whole damned thing she was wearing.
And so I’m waiting for a delivery, because even well stocked stores in my area were out of green. I ordered these:
Why Green? Why Paris?
She’s inspired by everyone’s favorite bold late 18th/early 19th century colors! Sheele’s Green and Paris Green! So delightfully tinted by copper arsenite.
If you’re like me, you can’t take anything labeled Acme seriously..thanks Looney Toons!
I could tell you about these posion hues but instead start your rabbit hole adventure here. It’s a great wordpress blog called The Pragmatic Costumer.
It would be remiss of me not to mention, as she also does, that while pigmentation often could be deadly the mythos and fuss surrounding these tales also contain a certain level of misogynistic “Oh, what won’t ladies do for fashion, let’s see them pay the price”
It’s time to sculpt Josephine’s Eton Crop and await my dyes for Paris.
She’s dyeing to meet you all.
