DIY Creepy Doll Mobile - For, Uh, Halloween. Yeeeeeah.

I've had a few people ask for this, and since it was honestly a lot more fun to make than I expected, I give you:

 THE CREEPY DOLL MOBILE!... tutorial.

Ok, so this is super simple, but I do have a few tips if you want to make one of your own for Halloween. Or for the guest room. Or the in-laws. Really, the applications are ENDLESS.

First, get yourself some old-fashioned dolls:

So sweet. So innocent.

We scored these four at a Goodwill for $15 total. (The bunny was already broken, so we got it for a dollar.) Dolls with porcelain/ceramic heads like these are ideal, but really anything in a nondescript dress will do. (Old stuffed animals are also great.)

 For the hanging part, grab a $3 grape vine wreath and some jute rope at your local craft store:

Use the rope to make a hanger for your wreath, with three or four strands coming up to a central knot.
 
Now the fun part: DESTROYING YOUR DOLLS.

First, remove any too-modern-looking bits, like the wings and metallic beads on this angel doll:

Next, use a utility blade to slice, tear, and snag the doll's clothing. Rubbing the blade the wrong way does a great job of wearing through the fabric. Tear any trim or lace and let it hang down.

To give your dolls that freshly-dug-up look - but without reducing yourself to using actual dirt - all you need is watered down paint & maybe a little powder makeup. Use a spray bottle like this, filled with brown craft paint and water:

Then give your doll a thorough spritzing/dousing, depending on how grungy you want her to look. Follow that up by grinding in some black or brown matte eyeshadow around the face, hands, and anywhere you want extra stains on the clothing. (I added a lot of black on the fingers and toes, like she's been outside digging. :D)

Some people find dolls scary as-is, but if you want to ramp up the horror factor, try milking out one or both eyes with some watered down white paint:
 
  You can also ring the eyes with black paint or powder, letting the paint drip down her face.

 John found the clown doll the most terrifying, so I did the least to her; just gave her a good coating of painty grime:

 I used black makeup powder on the pom-poms and lace hems for extra "dirt."

The rabbit was way too big, so we hacked him in half and let some of his stuffing leak out:

You could do the same thing with old teddy bears - or any kind of stuffed animal, for that matter.

The little doll I found the least creepy, so I made her extra dirty and also bashed in one eye using a screwdriver and hammer:

Now, at some point, perhaps while attempting to fish out a doll's eyeball with a hooked awl, in the garage, in the middle of the night, you may start to feel this is all a little macabre. Don't worry; that's perfectly normal.

And I'm sure she forgives you.

[Note: You can also try to actually break the faces or heads, but I didn't have any luck banging on mine with a hammer. Apparently modern ceramic doll heads are built to last! And I didn't want to smash it so hard that the whole head would shatter.]

When your dolls are appropriately grungified, it's time to hang them. Literally.

There are several tutorials for the noose knot out there, but I recommend this video for it's hilariously upbeat elevator music and cheerful narrator. SO WRONG.

Now string up your dolls as you like, and tie them roughly to your wreath:

Feel free to hang some upside down or even from the waist, just to mix things up. And leave the excess rope hanging down, too, for extra "decoration."

Now, get some flashlights underneath that thing and take some spooky pictures!

For mine we added a few scary-looking knives in the middle, just as a joke, but I do NOT recommend this unless you use plastic prop knives. Using real knives is stupidly dangerous. DON'T DO IT.

It sure does look cool, though:

:D

Maybe it's because I'm such a wuss and never watch any horror movies of any kind, but to be honest, dolls don't really scare me. (Famous last words?) John, on the other hand, who DOES watch scary stuff, has made me keep this in the garage for the last few nights. And since he wants it gone, and I don't decorate for Halloween, you know what that means?

That's right: GIVE-AWAY TIME!!
 

She wants to come home with you.

So, who wants my creepy doll wreath? Comment below if you do, and I'll pick a winner at random in a few days. (And no, you don't get the knives. Yeesh.)

Oh, and I know I usually ship anywhere with my give-aways, but since this is going to be in a fair-sized box I'd like to limit this one to continental US addresses only, if you please. Unless you want to pay for shipping. In that case, comment away!

The give-away has ended, and the winner is Megan-who-mentioned-she-once-tweeted-me-a-photo-of-StayPuft! Congrats, Megan!

I'll leave you with the only one of my photos that actually comes close to creeping me out:

"Who wants a hug??"

*****

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