Reloved Christmas
The cost of living is hitting a lot of families hard, and Christmas is coming.
I had an idea to refurbish and upcycle fashion dolls for children, primarily Barbie dolls, Ken dolls, Disney dolls - that sort of thing, and creating a little gift package to distribute to local families who really need them this Christmas. I already have a way to distribute them directly to families who need them - now I just need to work some magic on some dolls!
In an ideal world, I would get as many secondhand dolls as I can, and clean and restyle them as close to new condition as possible. I want to create a special gift box with tissue paper, bows and ribbons (secondhand, reused, upcycled and clean charity shop finds) and then dressed in a beautiful new outfit with plenty of accessories, package each doll with a special label for his or her new child to open on Christmas morning. The idea behind the box is to save the parents from having to think about wrapping it. The box will not have any of my branding on it.
The gift can be as if its from the parents, or Santa Claus, or Father Christmas - whatever will be the most magical for the child and parents.
Would you like to help me?
There are a couple of ways you could help with this project, if you wanted to help make some dreams come true!
Sponsor a Doll
I have been asked a number of times how people can support this project even if they don't have any dolls to donate. Most fashion dolls have some secondhand value, and in order that I can gift as many dolls as possible, you can donate to my GoFundMe HERE.
I would suggest that £3 would cover the cost of one complete doll gift.
I will not be making ANY profit from this project. All leftover funds will be donated to local charities which support families in need. I will be keeping full and detailed records of any financial dealings from this project. Unfortunately refunds of your donations cannot be given and I can't give individual updates on dolls/donations.I will document as much as I can on my social media accounts so you will be able to see where donations are being spent
Donations of dolls and accessories
I am looking for donations of:
- Fashion dolls i.e as in Barbie (but it doesn't have to be branded with Barbie - can be Disney, Action Man, Sindy, or unbranded dolls.) I would like to stick to these kind of dolls so I can do as many as possible as they will be largely the same process to clean and repair which means I will be faster.
- I would also happily accept any donations of:
- Dolls clothing
- Accessories - dolls shoes, bags, or associated toys such as Disney/Barbie horses, other animals, furniture - anything that can be packaged along with the dolls to make them even more special.
I can clean and repair dolls clothes. I can sort out bad hair days and pen marks.
Even if the doll is damaged, I might still be able to use it - please don't throw it away!