For a long time I resisted Sindy dolls. They weren't familiar from my childhood, being mostly sold in Europe, and they were so much like Tammy as to be almost redundant. Plus it is expensive to buy one in really good condition.
But they grew on me after a while--such a sweet face and nice demeanor.
This one was on ebay as a very cheap "Buy it Now." Her hair was sparse and badly rooted; she smelled like stale cigarette smoke; and her face paint had faded.
She came with the wedding dress and veil, both of which had stains, plus her calico & lace dress and two pairs of jodhpurs--all of which also smelled like stale cigarette smoke.
So right away everything got lathered up and washed with sweet-smelling soap.
Getting rid of the smoke smell can be difficult, but I was lucky this time: now she and her clothes smell fresh and nice and all the stains cleaned away very easily.
Next I figured out a hairstyle for her that would cover up the parts of her head that weren't rooted: a simple ponytail or ballet bun will work--maybe that was her original hairstyle. Her hair is still shiny and nice--not dried out and frizzy like some old dolls.
Last, I carefully changed her expression by adding paint to her face: I enlarged her pupils, thickened her eyeliner at the outer corner, and gave her lips some color. I just used washable watercolor paints--the color can come off and she can be restored to her original coloring any time.
Here is her "before" picture--can't really see her hair problems very well. But she did look nervous, so I changed her eyes.
Sindy already has a pretty new sister in the collection, and they will I hope soon be joined by two brunettes. I despair of ever adding a red haired one--they are rare and costly.
