Complete Reborning instructionsBy Tammy YarbroughSTEP 1: GATHER UP SUPPLIES 1. Berenguer La Baby Doll 2. 20” jointed cloth body 3. Bag of poly-fil stuffing 4. exacto knife, utility knife or cuticle cutters 5. 2 bags plastic poly pellets 6. 1 bottles violet, lilac color paint 7. Fan brush 8. E-6000 or other strong glue 9. Wig (size 14/15 is best) 10. Eyelashes 11. Tacky Glue 12. brown sharpie 13. Q-tips 14. Rubbing Alcohol 15. Colorbox pigment brush pad (magenta) or stencil cream 16. Cosmetic wedge 17. white gel pen 18. Clear gloss paint 19. small fingernail paint brush 20. small 1/16” drill bit 21. medium 3/16” drill bit  Step 2 Removing original cloth body You will need to remove the original cloth body from your Berenguer doll. The limbs and head are attached to the body using little plastic cable ties. These ties need to be cut & removed. If you do not intend to reuse this body you can just rip the fabric away. Otherwise you can use to use a pair of cuticle trimmers, or a utility knife. (be careful not to cut yourself or your vinyl pieces). Inside the head you will find a neck piece. If you do not intend to use this, toss now. If you do, set aside until further instructions. Remove stuffing and poly pellet bag from inside the cloth body. This will come in handy later when weighting the head. 
Step 3 Changing Eyes- (optional) If you plan to change the eyes for more realistic eyes, you will want to do this step before painting. It is fairly simple to replace the doll eyes. You will need to purchase a pair of The 20mm or 22mm eyes. Then, basically, you just put the doll head into a pot of boiling water until soft, (you can also put them into the 150/175 degree oven - Place a thick pile of poly-fil on a cookie sheet. Place head on top of the poly-fil and gently place in a 250 degree oven for approximate 5-10 minutes) Then, just reach your hand into the inside of the head and poke the eyes out through the front. Note: Vinyl will be hot, but not hot enough to burn your skin. Then, while the vinyl is still hot, from the outside on the head, insert the new eyes at an angle starting from the top or bottom and working the rest in. Then, press behind the eye until you get it into the position you like. The head will stay plyable for a few minutes and If you are not happy with the position, you can always re-heat it and try again. Once the socket cools, the eye will not longer be able to be moved. Step 4 Purple washing Each person has their own method of purple washing that they find works best. The method we use is a purple/lilac color acrylic paint that can be purchased at any craft store. Some people find it easier to cut the neck and limb openings for easier access. If you wish to do this, Use your utility knife to cut a larger opening. Be sure you do not cut too far as you will need the outside edge to remain intact so that you can connect it later to the cloth body. Then, using your fan brush, apply purple paint inside the head & limbs being sure to cover the whole surface. Once entire surface is covered entirely, allow 24hours for pieces to dry completely. 
Step 5 Removing Factory Applied Hair There are many tried and true methods of removing the factory applied hair.. the one I found most successful is to use either PLAIN fingernail polish remover or Oops brand (can be found at walmart in their paint & cleaning isle) remover. Please be sure to use these in an WELL ventilated area. Make sure to always wrap baby's face using an old towel so that none of the cleaner runs down the face while cleaning. Use a toothbrush and cotton swab to get inside the creases. After coloring has been removed, scrub the head well in a sink with nice warm, soapy water. Baby soap or dishsoap is recommended for this step. After this step is completed, Dip the head into a pot of boiling water with a tbsp of baking soda for just a moment. This will remove any shiny areas caused by the scrubbing Step 6 Removing Factory Molded Hair To remove the factory molded hair you will need to have a Dremel tool. Make sure the tool is set at the lowest speed. Slow is better so that you do not mess up (careful not to sand her ears!!). After you have smoothed down the factory molded hair, the head will NOT look completely smooth. Take some acetone on a cotton ball or soft cloth and rub for a few minutes. Wash well with dish or baby soap. If necessary, dip into the boiling water once again to remove any further shiny spots. Step 7 Blushing Take a makeup sponge and your stencil crème. Dab the sponge into the stencil cream and dab it onto the areas that you want blushed. Then take your soft rag and Rub Rub Rub into the vinyl. In order to achieve the realistic baby tone, you will want to blush the cheeks, nose, forehead and neck. Dab some more on the ears. Take this time to also blush the limbs around the top of the foot and the backs of the hands. Arms & legs also need some slight blushing. Remember.. Less is more, when it comes to blushing. Af first the blushing will look a little too dark. Do not worry about this.. After curing for a few days it will soak into the vinyl and become a light permanent blushing. 
Step 8 Sealing (optional) If you are concerned about "sealing" your baby after blushing, then look for Armor-all or Son-of-a-Gun from the automotive department. Make sure that your blushing has been allowed to set for a few days before applying wax finish. Apply Small amounts over all vinyl pieces using a cosmetic wedge. Then, using a soft terry cloth, wipe away excess. Allow this to air dry for several days. Step 9 Manicure After completing the blushing, we want to add the fingernails. Taking your white gel pen, gently draw a line where the baby’s fingernails should be. If you mess up, you can remove it with your finger and try again. The gel pens take a long time to dry so you have plenty of time to get the look you want. Once you have a “fingernail” you are happy with, continue on with the rest of the hand making sure not to touch the completed nails because they will rub right off! Allow 20-30 minutes to dry a bit, (*note* Gel ink never dries completely) 
Step 10 Sealing Manicure Take your bottle of gloss and your fingernail brush. Dip your brush into the gloss just deep enough to get a small bead of gloss on the tip of your brush. Any more and you will have a huge glob of gloss on your finger/toenail. When you have it right, lightly apply to the fingernail and it will spread out by itself and cover the entire nail. Repeat process for hands and feet. Remember not to rub the white line too hard with your brush as the gel is NOT dry and it will smear the fingernail and you will have to start all over again. 
Step 11 Drilling nostrils Take your smaller drill bit. To ensure a good grip, take a couple of rubber bands and wrap around the base until tight. Place it in the center of the nostril and turn clockwise as you push. After a few turns, the drill bit will break through the surface. Pull drill bit out and push back in, repeating this process until drill bit is inserted easily and the hole is clean. Do the same for the other nostril. Now take the larger drill bit and repeat the process. note* Try not to rest your drill bit on the baby's lip as you work. This will leave marks that cannot be removed. 
Step 12 Adding Eyelashes Take your eyelashes and peel one off of the plastic card they come on. Dip the sticky edge of the eyelash in a dab of Tacky Glue. Lay the eyelashes on the eyeball as close as you can to the top eyelid. When you have it as close as possible, use your knife or a toothpick to push the eyelashes up under the top eyelid 
Step 13 Eyebrows For this part you will need a sharpie brown marker. Begin directly above the inside corner of the eye. Draw several small lines similar to your own eyebrow. Don’t panic, we’re not done! After you draw the eyebrows, take your Q-tip and dip it in the rubbing alcohol, rubbing outward toward the ear. The marker line will smear a bit. Continue to smear with your finger until you get the desired look. Keep in mind that babies have tiny eyebrows that are barely, if at all noticeable. If this process ends up a mess, remove completely with an aggressive rub of a clean Q-tip dabbed in alcohol and repeat process. 
Step 14 Adding the wig (omit this step if rooting hair) At this point, we will want to add our wig. Take your size 14/15 wig in whatever style you prefer. Put the wig on the head to get an idea how you would like your wig to be placed. Remove the wig and apply some strong Glue (such as E-6000 or Tacky Glue) to the crown inside the wig, and then place wig onto the head. Adjust carefully as to not smear the glue into the hair. 
Step 15 Rooting Hair(omit this step if using a wig) The first, most important step to rooting hair is to find a tool that is comfortable to you. There are several different tools available for rooting, so your choice of tools is your personal decision. Take enough rice to fit inside the head and put into a long tube sock. Heat rice up until hot. Insert rice sock into the dolls head and let sit for several minutes. This rice sack will need to be re-heated every 45-50 minutes Take several strands of hair and hold it over the hair-line and hold down gently with pointer finger and thumb just above where you want to begin rooting the hair. Use the tip of the needle and drag one or two strands of hair and pierce through the skin. It is easiest to start in the front and work your way around to the ears. After the front is completed, begin the back by starting at the bottom and working your way up until there is a small bald circle in the crown of the head. If, once you are finished, you feel your baby's hair needs a trim, I suggest using Hair thinners. Hold the hair straight up and trim only small amounts at a time. Step 16 Fill limbs with poly pellets Insert your funnel into the hole of the limbs. Pour a tiny bit of poly pellets into the funnel. Add enough to fill the limb ¾ of the way full. Make sure not to overfill because you will need to add some poly-fil to keep the pellets from falling out. If you prefer sand, make sure you use CLEAN CRAFT sand from the craft store. Do not use beach or play sand as this may have tons of bacteria that will eventually grow and ruin the doll from the inside. When you have the limbs ¾ full with pellets, add a small amount of poly-fil to keep the pellets inside. Set aside. 
Step 17 Applying new body Now you are ready to put your new cloth body on. Take your 20" jointed cloth body, your cable ties, your poly pellets and poly-fil stuffing, and your cable tie cutters. Most jointed bodies do not come with the cable ties inserted, so you will need to insert them now. Making sure the cable tie is facing outward, slide the tie in through the opening of the seam. When you have both ends meeting outside the seam openings, close tie and pull it closed just a bit, making sure to keep enough room for the limb to be inserted. If you pull too tight you will close the hole and you will have to remove tie and redo. 
Step 18 Stuffing the body Take a small bit of poly-fil and place in the top of the arms & legs. Then, pour 2/3 full with poly pellets. Then take more poly-fil and insert into the arm until full. Make sure poly-fil is not sticking out of the limb and make sure arm/leg is not too OVER stuffed because you don’t want the doll to appear STIFF. 
Step 19 Add the vinyl limbs Hold the limb up to the body where you would like it to be placed. Take a hold of the cable tie. When you have it lined up, pull the cable tie tight around the groove of the limb. Cut off the excel cable tie with your cuticle cutters. If necessary, take a few minutes to file the tie down so it is not sharp or does not scratch. 
Step 20 Stuffing/weighting the body When you have connected all four limbs to the body, you can stuff and weight the body. Pour the remaining poly pellets into the body. You should have enough room to add a couple of handfuls of poly-fil inside the torso, so do that now, making sure body is firm enough to sit on his/her own. Step 21 Weighting the head Now that the body is nearly finished, you can weigh the head. Take the bag of poly pellets that you found inside the factory body and insert into the head. If you did not keep this, you can always make a bag using a nylon knee high. Just fill with more poly pellets to make a perfect weight sack for the head. Place the bag inside the head and finish stuffing with poly-fil 
Step 22 Adding head Place the doll’s neck into the neck opening of the cloth body. If you saved your neck piece, be sure to insert it back into the dolls head now, before assembling. Once you have the head in place, pull the cable tie, making sure it is tight enough to secure the head, but loose enough so that the dolls head is able to turn. Step 23 Finishing up! Cut the ends off of all your cable ties and file if necessary. 
Step 24 Dressing Your doll will wear size Preemie or 0/3 month baby clothes. Try not to spend too much money on dressing your doll, but most people can not resist!! Buy what you must, dress your doll and show it off! 
Step 25 Umbilical Cord(optional) You start by getting some Cernit in the pale beige or translucent color, a blue and a dark red at any larger craft store, or can also be found on ebay.  1) To begin your umbilical cords you simply knead the clay until it is warm & soft. 2) Shape the clay in a smaller worm like form, (If desired, add a few strings of blue and red inside to resemble veins & streaks of dried blood) approximately two or so inches in length. The size of your clamp will help determine the size you want your cord. If you are planning to attach the cord with a magnet (see below).. now is the time to put it in. Make sure to use a super strong magnet and put it in the end of it where it will attach to the belly. These magnets attach the umbilical cord to the tummy plate. Also, make sure you glue a second magnet to the back side of the plate. 3) Once you have formed your cord, use the tip of a dull butter knife to make a small indention in the end of the cord, to resemble the cord having been cut and tucked inward and begun to heal. 4) To achieve proper coloring, use a deep red paint (experiment with color blends of pink and dark red) gently using a fine point paint brush, give the end which you've just indented a redish color so it looks a bit like blood-scabbing. 5) Once you've done this your ready to set the clamp and bake! You gently handle the clamp so as not to misform it and gently place the clamp on it enough to make a light indention on the cord so you'll know where to put it when you're done. Then, remove the clamp. 6) Put cord(s) on a baking sheet lined with foil and place in a PREHEATED 200F oven. 6) Let it bake for about 12mins and pull out (baking time may vary depending on your oven) 7) Let the cord cool for about 1hr and then clamp it shut, and let it cool for another 4-5hrs to harden. 8) If desired, now is the time to paint or gloss your cord for the desired look. 9) If you plan on gluing your cord to your baby, use E6000 brand glue and attach cord to tummy plate now. Allow to dry completely.  Step 26 Umbilical cord STUMP You start by getting some BLACK Cernit, Premo or sculpey Modeling Clay at any local craft store, or can also be found on ebay.   1) To begin your umbilical cords you simply knead the clay until it is warm & soft. 2) Take a tiny bit of clay and shape the stump into a ball approximately 1/2 in round. If you are planning to attach the cord with a magnet, now is the time to put it in. Make sure to use a super strong magnet (can be found on ebay under DOLL SUPPLIES) and put it in the end of it where it will attach to the belly. These magnets attach the umbilical cord to the tummy plate. Also, make sure you glue a second magnet to the back side of the plate. Distort the ball slightly to resemble cut & dried umbilical cord. 3) Once you've done this your ready to bake… Put cord(s) on a baking sheet lined with foil and place in a PREHEATED 200F oven. 4) Let it bake for about 12mins and remove from oven (baking time may vary depending on your oven) 5) Let the cord(s) cool for about 1hr 6) If desired, now is the time to paint your cord with a semi-gloss paint for a subtle glossy appearance 7) If you did not use a magnet and plan on gluing your cord to your baby, use E6000 brand glue and attach cord to tummy plate now. Allow to dry completely.
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