Popping good time!

Have you ever ripped the head off a 14" doll?  Me neither... until last evening.

I have my SIL's Chatty Cathy (yes that darn doll again)!  Her eyes are all weird  - one goes one way and the other - another, and both eyes are missing lashes.  She looks funny and I have always wanted to fix her.  My doll friends have been telling me to rip the head off and pop the eyes out for a very long time, and I - being the complete chicken I am, have resisted.

Last night after a frustrating conversation with one sibling about other siblings, I was in the perfect mood to try this task, so up I climbed to get Cathy off the shelf - I took her clothes off (not sure why I needed to do that) and off came her head... very easily, I might add.

Next to pop out the eyes.

The eyes of these dolls are encased in a heavy vinyl pockets inside the doll's head.  I pushed and pried but nothing "popped".  I read somewhere that if you submurge the head in boiling hot water for awhile, it softens the vinyl and the eyes pop easily.  I was always told never to get water into a dolls eyes - so what to do, what to do?

I plugged in the kettle, boiled some water, poured it in a nice big bowl and had the head in my hand to submerg it in the water - and couldn't do it.

What if the water is too hot?  What if it discolours her pretty face - after all the only thing that is wrong with her face is her eyes - the rest is beautiful.  Her eyes are a pretty deep blue - unlike most of the Cathy's I've seen who's eyes are duller - what if the hot water does cloud her eyes?  I would never forgive myself!

Oh my dilema's are many... such stress I cause myself.  I need to get some advice from my doll friends before I go any further with this project.  I really wish I had more confidence when it came to these things.  While I'm at it I think I'll ask how to re-root hair - she needs new hair (hers was cut years ago by the little girls that played with her).

So wish poor Cathy luck.  Forget that - wish ME luck -