Scary Halloween table decor using antique dolls and glass cloches. For those of us who like some creep in our 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.
DIY Halloween Decorations
Dolling up Halloween
Doll parts under glass. I know. It's disturbing. That's what makes it great.
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.
Rule number one in any kind of decorating, grotesque or not, put something under glass and it'll look special. No. Matter. What.
Even a dirty old hand looks remarkable under glass.
The dolls legs are particularly gross. In other words, fantastic.
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.
This is the head that started it all. The head without a body, until the vendor found the body in pieces for me.
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.
It other words, it's Pretty Grimm.
Linda J Howes
Fabulous, darling, fab-u-lous! I LOVE it!
Wendy
Love love love it.
Remember the year you had holiday gift ideas? I still sort of regret not buying myself and you a baby doll head mug in white or black.
That mug still haunts me.
In a good way.
Linda J Howes
oh, I saw a mug like that once, very creepy, in a fun, weird way.
Karen
I forgot about those! Maybe they're still available? ~ karen!
Sabina
Brilliant !
Ev Wilcox
My beloved sister is 6 yrs older than me (we are both sooo old!). I used to chase her with earthworms. She would always be calling out to our Mom- "Mommy-make her stop!" Now that I think of it-I do not remember my mom ever stopping me. Guess she also knew Carole was a sissy! Since so many of your adoring readers are grossed out by the dolls "under glass", It means you did indeed score big here. Well done! BTW- I NEVER played with dolls.
Nancy
Great stuff! Love it! I bet you will enjoy these.
https://www.strangedolls.net/
Amy
Omg! I love worms too! Still my go to play thing! Ha!! Yup never did dolls either. Except to chop their hair off and paint it with nail polish! Lol. But if I can rustle up some glass domes...
and yup! Me too! Every year when it’s time to put away the Halloween decos, I keep just a few more out. Making my home decor style something like... traditional rustic haunted house. Lol.
gina rantanen
Karen you did it AGAIN!!!!!!!
Luv it all AND I love horror movies and creepy TV shows since I was a child.
To Peter Woodman: what fun that must be, I live in Lisbon and Feira da Ladra is full of old stuff the creepier the better hahahahaha!
Chris White
The added bonus being that you only need to buy enough treats for NEW trick or treaters... Because you would never have repeat customers!
Ina
No! No! No! No! Horrible! You can safely say I don't like it.
Amy
Boo!
Jenny W
Love it! - in YOUR house Lol
I'v seen way too many horror movies, and I would have to avoid my dining room if I had a display like this. Just waiting for the eyes to BLINK!
Can't wait to see the rest of your Halloween Tour :)
peter woodman
sorry, forgot the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgkpPcel9N0
peter woodman
Hi Karen, I am from Hyderabad, India, and your Halloween post was brilliant. Which gave me inspiration. We have a weekly city flea market called the Jumerath bazar (Thursday, in Urdu) and it's been going strong for a hundred years at least. (see this video) You can buy anything from keyboards without 20% of its keys, cracked picture frames, alarm clocks without hands, old tooth brushes (seriously). So next Thursday I will be there at 6 am (it opens early!) to look for things I can use creatively.
Thank you for inspiring me.
Regards
Peter
Karen
Just keep away from the tooth brushes! Yikes, lol! ~ karen
TusconPatty
I LOVE this! I LOVE Halloween. I love the doll-head-that-started-it-all and her angelic expression in the first photo. Then at the end, under glass, she looks slightly like a teenage girl rolling her eyes at you! "Are you serious, Mom?" I have several old hair-cutting mannequin heads out in the front yard in my cemetary, and now I want a giant cloche for one of them for work! A friend took one, sawed the top off, to perfectly fit a bowl for guacamole and put it on a platter with chips around it! It was a thing of beauty! I love all of this.
Karen
The guacamole head sounds fantastic, lol! ~ karen
Tracy
Love it! Incredibly creative and one of a kind creepiness!
MrsChrisSA
Hell no never ever ever - don't do Halloween (but then it is not big in sunny SA).
I hate all things that give me the heebie jeebies!!
Though, if I may, the doll with the hole in the head - some fairy lights in that head would make it even more creep at night.................................
Noreen McKechnie
Fairy lights YES YES YES
Fonda
Love the dolls under glass.
attygreen13
LOVE! I have the same creepy doll parts, under glass domes - but I keep all
mine out year-round, cause I’m 365 creepy ;)
Karen
Excellent! I may do the same. ;) ~ karen!
Paula
They are awesome! What a great idea. Reminds me of the creepy boy in Toy Story.
Holly
Dang, Iove you, Karen. Have followed you for years, and love everything you do and admire you, but I can't get into this. Maybe cuz I'm getting older (?) But I honestly think even when younger it wouldn't have been my decorating style. To each their own!
Karen
Ha ha! This is definitely for a certain sector of society, lol. NOT for everyone. ;) ~ karen!
Holly
lol..happy halloween! I love it, just not this.
christine Hilton
Some of us love these creepy dolls all year round.I have doll parts all around the house.Sometimes the legs stick out of houseplants.Arms on a light pull string.It's all good.Welcome to the club,Karen.
Mary C
I love your creepy dolls! I have some I need my Halloween bins, but as of yet didn't know what to do with them. Now to dig out the cloches! I LOVE Halloween, even more than Christmas.