Okay, so today I experimented with the paper dolls and I've come up with some how-to steps for those who want to print them out but haven't yet, or would like to try this idea I came up with.

First of all, if you want just regular paper dolls, I suggest either printing them on cardstock or printing them, cutting them out and then gluing them to cardstock. They'll be sturdier and last longer. So if you're doing regular paperdolls, I'd put everything on cardstock.

The project I've been working on today has been making them a magnet paper doll set that I can stick on my fridge. After different variations I've come up with something that works.

You will need;

cardstock (any thick paper you can find)
clear contact paper (this is optional, but it goes a long way in preserving them)
adhesive craft magnets (I suggest some that are about as thick as two credit cards)

If you're doing the magnet thing, then you can just cut away the tabs when you cut the dolls and outfits out.

The first thing I did was print out the dolls themselves and then I glued them to the cardstock- again, so they are sturdier.

After that I took my roll of contact paper and measured a piece long enough to accomodate the dolls and wide enough so you can double over the contact paper so the front and back of the dolls are covered. I laid the contact paper with the sticky side facing up and carefully laid out the dolls out so the front was facing the sticky side of the contact paper. Don't be too hasty at this point because you'll want to avoid air pockets or wrinkles. Once the doll was laid out I folded the other half of the contact paper over so the doll was completely encased in contact paper. I then cut them out and wa la!

Next I applied magnet strips and I did it so the top third (the head, shoulders, and torso area) had a bit more magnets than I placed at the bottom. This will ensure they stay up better.

Now, with the clothes I experienced some problems. On my first try I did the same exact thing as I did with the dolls and that was a mistake. Putting the outfits on card stock made them too thick and heavy and I had a hard time getting them to stick on top of the dolls. So DON'T PUT THE OUTFITS ON CARDSTOCK.

I printed the outfits on regular paper, skipped the cardstock, and then proceeded the same way. This did the trick because now the outfits were thinner and the magnets had less to hold up.

If you don't want to mess with the contact paper, it isn't necessary. You can just keep them paper and stick the magnets on the back, however, I really would suggest it.

The total cost of my supplies (the card stock, contact paper and magnets) was ten dollars and I found everything at a craft supply store.

Now, I've heard from some people that the outfits to doll sizes match up for the most part, but there are some instances where their boxers peak through a smidge on the sides and Jim's hand size varies. My suggestion? If it bothers you, go ahead and trim up the dolls. I slimmed down the poofiness of their boxers and shaved a bit off of Jim's pinky finger, and that seemed to do the trick. The bases around their feet will vary a bit as their outfits vary a bit.

Okay I feel like I've gone on FOREVER so I'm sorry if I've bored you, but now that I have my magnetized ones working, they're really fun.

Let me know if you experience any problems or come up with different methods. I hope everything works for everyone. My goal was to create a product that would be believable as something you could buy in a store, but is available to you totally free!

I hope you enjoy them.