Are You Afraid of the Dolls?

Recently I have posted some doll-related images in my Facebook feed (e.g., Barbie doll head gumball dispenser or the jewelry of Margaux Lange), and my friends who commented reacted either with "That is so cool, I want it!" or "That is so creepy, I wish I could unsee it!" So that was the inspiration for this Ten Two Studios Halloween challenge, my altered Altoid tin Little Shrine of Horrors using a lovely selection of dark and creepy images:
 

So when it comes to creepy dolls, do you fall into the category of "Want them!" or "Make them go away!"??? Feel free to leave a comment below!

If you love creepy dolls, check out the blog of my friend Gary Warren Niebuhr and his Flickr gallery of his mixed media sculptures. Or the studio space of my friend Jessica Poor who has amassed quite the collection of dolls & doll heads to use in her art.

And I recommend the documentary "Of Dolls and Murder" about miniature crime scenes made in the 1930s & 1940s that are still being used to train police detectives.

Beware of the Dolls....

Making a (Watchmaker Tin) Scene

Here's the second installment of my Raevn's Nest Art Retreat experience. On Friday night I took the "Make A Scene" workshop with Jill K. Berry, where we spent two crafty hours constructing mini-dioramas in watchmaker tins. Jill provided all the materials including images sized to fit the little metal tins. The garden scene above is about 2-3/4" while the haunted mansion below is 2" in diameter.

We staggered the layers with hidden beads, head pins trimmed to size, and the power of a high-heat glue gun! It was a little tricky getting everything into place before the glue cooled, but the results are so much fun! The tins do have clear glass lids, but they didn't photograph well with the lids on.

You can see some of Jill's samples on her blog. My friend Mel also took this workshop and made a great George of the Jungle tin, which I hope she'll post a photo of! :D