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    Home » How To Stuff

    Creepy Halloween Decorating With Dolls

    October 17, 2017 by Karen 92 Comments

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    Scary Halloween table decor using antique dolls and glass cloches. For those of us who like some creep in our Halloween.

    DOLLING UP HALLOWEEN

     

    So a month ago when I was planning this year's Halloween DIY I knew I had to use dolls. They are the perfect combination of grotesque and terrifying.  Am I right?  In fact you've already seen one of my prize dolls heads in this Christie Antique Show post I did last month.  It's the one on the right, below.

    I didn't buy the head at that show, but saw it again at a show the next weekend and picked it up then.  As luck would have it, after digging around a bit, the vendor was able to find the arms and legs and also donated the torso.  It was at that exact moment this year's Halloween DIY was born.

    The following simple DIY may be disturbing to some readers.   And I'm O.K. with that.

     

    Halloween and dolls

    DIY Halloween Decorations

    Dolling up Halloween

    Doll parts under glass.  I know.  It's disturbing.  That's what makes it great.

    Creepy Halloween DIY

     

    The dolls and doll parts were all bought at local flea markets or antique shows; the most expensive one being $20.

    If you don't have access to flea markets the best place to find vintage dolls or doll parts is Etsy.  If you click here you can see what they have right now.

    The glass cloches (other than the huge one in the centre) were all bought over the years at Homesense.  That's Homegoods to you American folks.

    Halloween decorating

    Rule number one in any kind of decorating, grotesque or not, put something under glass and it'll look special. No. Matter. What.

    Creepy Halloween decorating

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    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Even a dirty old hand looks remarkable under glass.

    Halloween decorating with doll parts

    The dolls legs are particularly gross.  In other words, fantastic.

    Halloween decorating with vintage dolls

    EVERYTHING LOOKS BETTER UNDER A GLASS CLOCHE.

     

    This full, straw stuffed doll cost me $20 at a flea market. The vendor had $45 on it but as I was looking at it he must have been so thrilled someone was interested that he dropped the price immediately to $20.  SOLD.  I'll be keeping this out in various places of the house throughout the year. I mean, you don't keep something as stunning as this hiding in a Tupperware bin in the basement.  You just don't.

     

    dolls head under glass halloween

    This is the head that started it all. The head without a body, until the vendor found the body in pieces for me.

     

    Halloween decorating

    I don't like dolls. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate dolls.  They're gross and scary; like clowns. As a young girl, formulating my likes and dislikes, dolls very clearly fell into the dislikes group. Because of that, instead of playing with dolls, I would dismember them and throw them under my bed.  Feeling empowered, I'd then run outside, find the nearest worm and claim him as my plaything.

    There's a certain irony therefore in me  displaying all of these doll parts under glass like specimens.  They're almost elegant.  It's the kind of elegance a worm would be hard pressed to ever achieve.  I mean unless you put a top hat on him.

     Antique, creepy, dirty looking dolls however, bring me the kind of joy I normally only get from finding leftover pizza in the fridge I'd forgotten about.

    If you like this sort of thing you should take my full Halloween house tour.  It's creepy but with something weirdly pretty about it too.

    HALLOWEEN CREEPIES

    It other words, it's Pretty Grimm.

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    1. Vanessa

      October 27, 2023 at 2:31 pm

      I got a box of antique dolls from the end of an estate sale. They were headed for the dumpster and I brought them home. Put them up on the mantle and my kids HATE them. One even texted to say he was up all night having nightmares of being chased by the dolls that climbed down from the mantle. I'm so happy. Bwahahahahaha

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 28, 2023 at 9:17 am

        I had one guy who came into my house when they were out and he had the same reaction. Terrified and horrified. Weirdo. ~ karen!

        Reply
    2. Patti

      September 28, 2020 at 11:01 am

      These are my FAVE posts! I’m with you about the haunting and the creepy! Those dolls and bones are genius! Thanks for inspiring us to use some ingenuity! Let’s have some fun this Halloween cause we’re sure due for some!

      Reply
      • Karen

        September 29, 2020 at 10:19 am

        I know! I wish I knew whether kids would be coming around. I guess the way things are moving we won't know until the actual day. :/ ~ karen!

        Reply
    3. leslie

      October 24, 2017 at 9:20 pm

      ugh I cant take the eyes !!! this is soooo creepy worse than clowns, waaaaaay worse
      did you keep the glow in the dark painted walls up all year - glow in the dark I love

      Reply
    4. Oriah

      October 21, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      Have you heard about the island in Mexico which is populated by creepy dolls? Enjoy:

      http://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-island-of-dolls-2016-3/#after-having-moved-to-the-island-santana-found-the-drowned-body-of-a-girl-and-her-doll-floating-in-the-canals-3

      Reply
      • Karen

        October 21, 2017 at 9:30 pm

        I can't even imagine. I'm not going to click on it. I'm too afraid to click on it, lol. ~ karen!

        Reply
    5. Kaysi Rose-Hunsaker

      October 21, 2017 at 2:26 pm

      Oh my, my dear, you ARE brave. I too, NEVER liked dolls and I think it's because at a young age I caught that creepy Twilight Zone episode where the girl's doll comes to life and starts to curse the household from the top of the stairs. YIKES!! It stuck with me and I never could abide eyes following me around the room anyway unless it's my child, dog or cat. In my mind those beast come alive and so...they are alive to me:))) (Not really, but kinda) Since childhood I haven't even been able to watch any horror shows where the dolls come alive, except Chucky, something about him was not scary, maybe because he is a boy doll, who knows. The pretty dress, big eyes, hair done up in pigtails or some old fashioned dew, the prettier and more old fashioned ~ the more wierded out I get. I simply can't keep them in the house, they must die, and die a death very far away from where I am living. Too many times people have, in innocence, given me one of those creepy monsters and they might have been quite valuable even. No matter out they go with sage burning purification ritual...just in case. K

      Reply
    6. Nancy Blue Moon

      October 20, 2017 at 9:45 pm

      Again with the creepy dolls....I love it you sick little puppy you!

      Reply
    7. Janie

      October 19, 2017 at 5:50 pm

      Best Halloween decor I've ever seen. You rock Karen.

      Reply
    8. Kim from Milwaukee

      October 19, 2017 at 4:52 pm

      This is brilliant Karen!! Makes me think of the creepy possessed doll kept in a glass case so she doesn't wreak havoc on the world...your 'babies' are trapped under glass. That doll head with the eyes kinda looking up at you looks like she's giving you the evil eye!

      My favorite is the straw doll with the sideways look, definitely should be kept out year round.

      Reply
    9. Connie

      October 19, 2017 at 12:30 pm

      Just WOW. Just Wow.

      Reply
    10. Rosiland Ball

      October 19, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      AWESOME!!

      Reply
    11. Mia Pratt

      October 19, 2017 at 11:59 am

      The ultra-creepiness of your house-sized doll-body-part diorama is so delightful! We love your beautifully creative and slightly twisted mind<:}

      Reply
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