Shrunken Dollhead Necklace

Need a statement necklace for a Bedrock themed tiki party or a zombie rave? Here's a thirty minute project to create just the weird jewelry your outfit needs to be the talk of the party.

Supplies:

• 3-5 doll heads
• blue painters tape (small amount)
• saran wrap (small amount)
• white spray paint (*specially marked for plastic - recommended)
• necklace or string of beads

Step 1: Step 1: Gather the Specimens

While brand name dolls, yard sale treasures, and cast-offs from kids could work just as well, I took to the dollar store to find fashion dolls with removable heads. A variety of sizes and facial features are desirable to bring some diversity and interest to the necklace.

After gathering the dolls, simply pop off their heads.

Remnant body parts can be used for additional craft projects or re-purposed into complimentary accessories.

Step 2: Step 2: Prep & Mask Off the Hair

Gather the hair for each doll and create a tight pony tail on the top of each head. The ponytail will keep the hair out of the way for painting and serve as a means to attach the head to the necklace in the final step.

With saran wrap & blue painters tape you can create a simple hair mask to preserve the original color of the doll's hair. On a flat surface, lay out a strip of saran wrap approx two times as long as the hair. On one end of the saran wrap, attach a 3 inch strip of blue tape. Half the tape should be attached to the saran wrap & half the tape is exposed. Wrap the exposed portion of the tape along the doll's hair line wrap the saran wrap around the doll's hair to full cover.

Step 3: Step 3: Clip Up & Spray

Using clothespins, attach the doll heads to a clothesline by their hair. The heads themselves should be free-floating and far enough apart from one another that you can spray paint each head individually.

If you don't have a clothesline, consider running a length of string between two chairs (outdoors) to create the same effect.

Apply white spray paint in thin, even coats. You should plan to make at least two light passes over the heads for full coverage. A thinner coat of spray paint will mute the features and colors of the dolls faces but allow some color to still appear. Spray paint marked for use on plastic is recommended.

Step 4: Step 4: Unmask and Attach

After the paint has dried fully, remove the heads from the line. Unmask the doll hair by removing the painters blue painters tape and saran wrap.

To attach the heads to the necklace by the hair. Take the end of their ponytail and carefully wrap it back under the base of ponytail. The hair will then form a loop. A necklace, ribbon, or chain can be threaded through the loop to attach the heads.

For a necklace without an open end, like the mardi gras used in the necklace pictured, the head is attached directly to the necklace by creating the hair loop over the beads. Hold the doll head with close to the necklace and loop the end of the ponytail over the beads and then tuck the end of the hair back into the base of the ponytail.

Arrange the heads into a pleasing pattern and adjust the hair loop to attach the head closer or further away from the necklace.

Once your necklace is complete, use it to top off your tiki/zombie themed ensemble. You'll be sure to turn heads!