If you ask me, these little dolls abandoned at thrift stores are creepy already, but here's how to prepare them for a seriously spooky Halloween night.
You may have to go to several stores to find a good selection, and be prepared to haggle because apparently some of these are "collectors items" & they were asking $25/doll. No thank you. I found these three I thought were perfect & a pretty dress to destroy for my child skeleton to fashion.
First step was to spray/wipe down the dolls with Lysol. I have no clue where they've been & had no desire to bring anything but the dolls into my house (no bed bugs, please). So after dosing them in Lysol & letting them dry, next step is to tear them up! I found an X-acto knife or razor blade worked best to get the desired look. You can rub it against the fabric to create wear, cut entire strips, or start a hole and then rip the rest to look more authentic. Don't be timid in your destruction! The more wear & tear, the better. You can even scratch up the face, poke an eye out, cut off chunks of hair, whatever your heart desires.
Once done, mix brown paint & water (start with a small amount of water & adjust as needed) in a spray bottle. Take the dolls outside on a surface you don't mind getting ruined. Spray down the dolls from head to foot with the paint solution, including under the dress. Get the torn areas well to increase the appearance of deterioration. This step may need to be repeated to reach desired effect.
After the dolls have dried, you can use brown or black eyeshadow to go around their eyes, mouth, nose, creases in the hand, and anywhere to add a dirtier look. Add fake blood if you wish, or other props. I hot-glued a mini skull in the hand of one, removed another's leg & kept it in a vase for display, cut out eyes, & even cut hair off to use in a bottle titled "Hairs from those who've wronged me". I even found a teddy bear that had a creepy laugh if you touched it or walked past it, so I placed that near my child skeleton.
Do it yourself!
You'll need:
-old dolls
-spray bottle
-brown paint
-water
-razor blade or X-acto knife
-brown/black eyeshadow
-fake blood (optional)
Cost really depends on what you can find the dolls for. I didn't buy any over $6.
Paint & spray bottle are $1 each.
Comment if you have any questions or further suggestions!
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