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.
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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.
Patti
This may be my fave post yet! Why have I been wasting my time buying cheap plastic skeletons, skull heads and hands when I could have been collecting these! Thanks for the delightfully disturbing inspiration!
Rachel Schindler
Love it. I hate clowns too or dolls in a general setting, but creepy dolls the way you have them displayed, I love the way you have them displayed. Happy Halloween...
Karen
Thanks Rachel! ~ karen
Regina
Karen, you should look up the old Trilogy of Terror movie that ran on tv back in the 70s. The Karen Black segment with the doll traumatized my whole generation.
Susan Claire
Scared the holy living hell out of me!
linda in illinois
love Halloween ! can't wait to see your tour..
Jenny
Karen, that's so grotesque. I love it.
David in Oakville
This is beyond creepy and way past disturbing! Lifelike dolls in any state scare the bejesus out of me ever since I saw the doll scene in Barbarella. At least these are under glass where they cannot bite anyone. Seeing this though makes me wonder exactly what you store in that tardis/bookcase of yours.
Bedlamhollow
Glad I'm not the only one! https://bedlamhollow.com/2017/10/12/arts-crafts-who-said-playing-with-dolls-was-for-kids/
Bonnie Gutierrez
Novel idea! I am especially found of the hand under glass. Maybe this is therapeutic. After all, we need to express our inner creepiness!! Seriously, what a creative way to repurpose, and also, make great party decor.
Kris Wilson
Very American Horror Story Asylum-ish
Love it!!!
Tisha
This is a fantastic idea for Halloween, love it!
Brenda
This might be my absolute favorite decoration that I've seen you do yet!! Love it! When they're under the glass it's like you're protecting something very special, and because they are what they are - it's fantastically creepy!!!
Kathy
the eyes on the dollhead are great...........what an expression. I'm sure she knows something and is not telling.
call Stephen King
Mary W
That creepy little guy whose eyes are squinting and following your every move seems to have given you a thumbs up! My eyes went to the tallest standing doll on your table and finally I noticed the others - I laughed out loud. YES it's creepy. But so Karen! It is definitely worth leaving up well after Boo Day. On another note - my daughter spent 3 weeks in China and during one of her tours of a monastery, she was trying to find a garbage can and it took time to get him to understand. Finally, he got it and took the empty can from her then she smiled and gave him a thumbs up. BIG mistake! The tour guide grabbed her hand and whispered - thumbs up here means he is well hung. Polly was mortified as was the monk. Live and learn.
Karen
HAHAHAHA! I love that!! I don't know how I'm going to incorporate it into a conversation today but I am! ~ karen
Susan Claire
So when you wake up in the middle of the night and hear the slight "tick" of a disintegrating
little hand hitting the side of the cloche, or the shattering of glass on a hardwood floor, you have only YOURSELF to blame. Creepy!
Marilyn Meagher
Habahahahahahahah. You are twisted Sista ! But I love it.
Lush
Perfectly stylishly creepy!
Classy even.
So you.
Love it, Lush xx
Karen
Thx! ~ karen
Kathleen Donaldson
Brilliant idea. The skeleton head cracked me up.
Stephanie
OK now Karen - you even managed to make beautiful Margaret (Karen's large painting to people not in the know) look ghoulish. To me she now looks like she's longing for her long lost "babies under glass". Just look at her staring at them ..... poor Margaret!
Karen
Ha!! I didn't even think of that, lol. ~ karen!
Julie
Love it! I have a bunch of doll parts but put mine into a leafy wreath with spiders scattered about. My own "body farm" Halloween wreath!
Ardith
Crikey, these are awesome and yes, the glass cloches make the doll parts look elegant. However, I don't think I could sleep in the same house with them. I'd lay awake wondering if they were going to escape from their glass prisons in the middle of the night and, and...(come to your own spooky to horrific conclusion from there). But they look amazing on your table, Karen. Cheers, Ardith