About a month ago I stumbled upon something on my thrift wish list at Savers. I passed it by at first, not sure of what I was seeing. I continued to shop, but when I circled back, it was still there. It wasn’t in the best condition, but I had to have it.
It was an Effanbee Princess Diana doll. I have always wanted the Franklin Mint Diana doll with all the outfits, accessories and tiaras. But it’s out of my price range. I think I can make this doll work, though. Priced at $9.99, I’m willing to give it my best shot. The doll was missing several accessories, including her veil, headpiece and bouquet. I decided I would try my best to create a Spencer tiara for her.
After a little research, I learned that this doll was a limited edition created for members of the Effanbee doll club. The original headpiece was made of pearls. But anyone who follows the British royal family knows that Princess Diana wore her family’s heirloom Spencer tiara on her wedding day.
I started off by sketching out a rough design of the Spencer tiara. I did my best and tried to size it just right to my doll’s head. Then I taped my design to the inside of a water bottle.
Using the design as a guide, I carefully glued flatback rhinestones to the bottle. I like to use a Diamond Dot drill with some wax on the tip to apply the rhinestones.
Then I cut the design out. I hot glued the tiara to a thin piece of steel wire that I bought at the hardware store. The wire helps keeps the tiara on her head.
For her veil, I ordered a small piece of white veil from Amazon. I used a fold in the veil to guide my cutting, then I hot glued the veil to another piece of steel wire. I didn’t want to attach the veil to the tiara in case I decide to create more outfits for my Diana doll down the road.
Overall I’m really happy with how this project turned out. I love following the British royal family, and I particularly love the tiaras they wear. Maybe if I work on my sewing skills I can make some iconic outfits for my new doll. We’ll see. For now I’m happy with this wedding look. Time to work on her bouquet to finish the look. Happy crafting!
The Quaint Crafter 