Opening Your Doll:

 Hold the doll horizontally (not vertically) and up against your stomach with both hands. Have each hand on one end of the doll, One on the top and one on the bottom half.  Gently pull apart the top and bottom. This should be like you were "breaking" it open sideways as if you were breaking a stick.  Do not twist the doll open as this can cause the paint to chip around the edges.

Closing your dolls

When you put your dolls away into the largest doll take the time to try and line up the picture the correct way or as close as you can. Look at the doll first and see where the two pieces should line up and set the top piece in place so that it is really close to its final place. Please take caution not to twist the dolls when they are fully closed as this will cause the doll to sometimes have a very high pitch squealing sound.  Also you can damage the doll by twisting when the dolls pieces are closed all the way. What I will do is lift the top piece just a little bit so that it is not touching the bottom and not far enough away that it comes off the bottom piece either, then I will twist it ever so slightly so that the picture lines up again.  

Difficult-to-Open Dolls:

Occasionally, fluctuations in humidity and temperature can affect your doll's fit.  Heat can cause the lacquer to seal, making the doll difficult to open.  The best way to open a tight doll is to squeeze it: hold it between your thumb and four fingers (with thumb positioned on the bottom part of the doll right below where it would connect to the top of the doll) and apply pressure with the thumb, carefully working your way around the doll.  Often you'll even hear a small "pop" as the lacquer seal releases. This can happen to dolls that sit around for long periods of time that haven't been opened in a while. NEVER take sandpaper and try and make it a loose fit. You will alter up the alignment of the top and bottom pieces.

Loose Dolls:

 Excessive humidity can loosen your doll's fit. Time and a warm, dry location usually corrects this problem. Sometimes they just get loose also and will stay that way. Be careful when you pick them up to look at, so that the bottom doesn't fall off. This is why you really shouldn't pick them up from the top. Always pick it up from the bottom piece so that the doll won't fall apart and further damaging the dolls paint and character. Some dolls are made loose like this also and generally speaking there is nothing that can be done to fix it.

 General Care for Your Dolls:

 We suggest that you display your dolls out of direct sunlight since excessive heat can affect appearance over time. The lacquer will turn to a brownish color over time. Periodically wipe the doll with a soft, clean cloth to keep dust from marring its surface.  Polishes and cleaners may dull your doll's lacquered finish.  With just a little bit of care, your doll will last for years, allowing you to enjoy being part of the Nesting Doll Collecting tradition. Please remember that the smallest dolls in most nesting dolls can be swallowed by children so please take precautions for this.

 If you have more questions or just need to get more dolls go to:   www.nestingdollcollections.com