I recently tackled another project from Ashley Voortman’s Creepy Crafts book. Before I get into this creepy creation, I have to mention that Ashley has a new book coming out called Haunted Miniatures, and I am genuinely excited about it. I would love to learn more about how she creates her wonderfully creepy miniatures.
The project I chose this time was the Disturbing Dollhouse.
As usual, I started by digging through my craft supplies to see what I already had on hand. Instead of using a doll head like the one Ashley used in the book, I found an old dollar-store fashion doll head lying around. After trimming off as much of the hair as possible, I decided it would have to do. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have!
Why did I have a random doll head lying around? Honestly, as my daughter likes to say, “Don’t question it!” 😂
The only glass jar I could find was much smaller than the one used in the original project. Once I realized there was no way I was fitting a haunted dollhouse inside that tiny jar, I completely went off the rails and created something entirely different.
The first step was removing the top of the doll’s head, which required some help from my husband. The instructions suggested painting the head black and wiping away the excess paint to create an aged appearance, so that’s how I started. However, as the project evolved, my plans changed.
Since the jar was too small to serve its intended purpose, I dug through my stash of random craft supplies and found some 3D-printed brain pieces that had been sitting around waiting for a project. I added those to the head and mounted it on a piece of hose. From there, things got wonderfully weird.
Using Apoxie Sculpt, I attached the hose to a wooden disk base and began adding steampunk-style gears and mechanical details. As the piece came together, I felt the aged flesh-tone face no longer matched the industrial, mechanical look I was creating. To better fit the steampunk aesthetic, I repainted the doll head in a metallic silver finish.
Sporting my “Escape Reality and Play Game” T-shirt, I figured it was only fitting to practice my best creepy smile while working on the Creepy Crafts Disturbing Dollhouse challenge. In this photo, I’m holding the doll head that was about to become part of the project, along with the tool needed for the next step. Normally I would have tried cutting the top off the doll head myself, but ever since I accidentally sliced off part of my knuckle years ago, I get pretty anxious whenever sharp blades are involved. So I recruited my husband to handle the cutting while I stood back and attempted to look delightfully sinister for the camera. Whether the smile comes across as creepy or just amused is up for debate, but at least I kept all my fingers intact!
To finish off the project, I added some green and brown grass to the wooden base along with a tiny jar of teeth. The jar of teeth didn’t turn out exactly as planned, though. I got distracted by the dogs while working on it and completely forgot to finish mixing in the mica powder. As a result, part of the resin doesn’t have the red “blood” effect blended in. Oops! Fortunately, it still adds to the creepy, experimental look of the piece.
For the final touch, I painted the doll’s eyes red. They didn’t end up quite as bright or intense as I had hoped, but they still give her an unsettling stare that works well with the overall steampunk horror aesthetic.
