chateau bizarre: hardcore glamour & curious finds, reviewed daily » dolls

Tinker’s Witch Crafts

lilah wild — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:38:40 +0000

Esoteric enchantments from New Jersey! This assemblage artist’s vision blends the earthy and spiritual with a rock’n'roll vibe: shrines take the form of flowery tiki huts, rustic witch dolls are behatted with tattoo print, the art cards are little collages of found Victoriana and ransom-note intensity, the jewelry clusters shiny bric-a-brac around glass and clay Third Eyes, the sock monkeys are voodoo dolls, and if that’s not enough, you can pick up a fez stitched up from shabby chic upholstery. Also check out her music blog, Tink’s Atomic Universe: Vinyl Musings from the Zombie Queen

Thunderegg

lilah wild — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:59:07 +0000

A UK boutique specializing in Japanese playthings and wearables, who have brought a smattering of their bricks-and-mortar stock online. The catalog is a little bit of this and that: tin robots, skull cardigans, graffiti tees from Terratag, kissclasp purses appliqued with cuteness, Russian doll socks, Mr. Messy coffee mugs, tartan tights, greeting cards styled after retro advertisements, Kreepsville 666 coffin mirrors, bear-eared snoods that unfurl into pocketed scarves, and of course Paul Frank and Hello Kitty.

Renegade Handmade

lilah wild — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:48:08 +0000

A Chicago brick-and-mortar that grew out of the Renegade Craft Fair and currently features over 300 artists. Clothes and accessories, jewelry, artwork, stationery, housewares, bath and body goods, stuffed animals, indie style in full swing through cute animals, vintage yearnings, cupcakes, and filthy-minded crossstitchery. Thanks, Miko!

Finders Creepers

lilah wild — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:02:21 +0000

A Des Moines art gallery specializing in the dark and morbid. Shameless pulp, unsettling black and white photography, surrealistic cartooning, the styles are diverse with a welcoming vibe towards outsider artists. Besides signed prints, they also showcase other horrific wares: monster masks, horror movie tees and toys, scream-filled pop art pendants, body jewelry that leans towards the demonic, evil dolls, and if you’re in the area, the in-person items include such delights as a “vintage case full of dead stuff.”

Julie Elizabeth

lilah wild — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:57:00 +0000

Doll makeovers that jack up the fashion and fantasy, fairies and bellydancers and warriors and stylish vamps. While the popularly manufactured brands are the main medium, cloth and porcelain are also ripe for repainting possibilities. Commissions welcome.

Rachel’s Melted Fabrics

lilah wild — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:08:15 +0000

Cute little purses conjured up from strange and highly tactile hodgepodges of embroidery, knitting, felting, applique, and actual melting – imagine the lumps and bumps of alien life forms and undersea creatures shaped into the plump contours of a handbag, then civilized with the crown of a kissclasp. She also does dreamy-faced dolls gowned in similar collaged fabrics, and textiles can be purchased in the raw.

Devout Dolls

lilah wild — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:51:48 +0000

Sweet little ragdolls with pigtails and striped stockings and little hearts on their dresses…and two heads. This doll artist has a fascination with Siamese twins, a theme that runs throughout the Squeakums, the Forest Friends, and the Mini Pins where you can wear them as sweetly demented little brooches. Other delights include the Octobunny, a page of sparkly mermaids, and Blythe clothes.

Jac Doll Art Studios

lilah wild — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:25:00 +0000

Doll repaints where otherworldly glitz peeps through a gallery centered mainly on fashion and glamour. The sculptures are pure unrestrained fantasy, dripping with jewels and mermaid attitude, and clicking through the site reveals biker chicks with dragon companions, vampires, retro faces, cute outfits and tattoos and gallons of flowing hair. Commissions welcome.

Old Fashion Halloween

lilah wild — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Vintage and vintage-style goodies for those who prefer to celebrate Hallows’ Eve with a retro touch – or update year-round goth decor with spiderweb table runners. Tons and tons of party decorations, including some actual antiques, and pages for jack o’lanterns, Day of the Dead, and fortunetelling. The original art section includes Kerrykate dolls, Haunting Memories glass skull ornaments, handpainted dancing skeleton umbrellas, and Queen of Hearts sweetly morbid wedding plates, and the Cards section is a goldmine of old-world imagery chock full of black cats and flying witches. Absolutely loaded with great finds for the haunt-minded home.

Goddess Dreams

lilah wild — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Waify fantasy dolls dipping into steampunk and pinup and circus themes, sculpted freeform from polymer clay and given meticulous detailing, from the hand-dyed outfits to tiny stuffed animals right down to individually applied eyelashes. The overall effect is softly surreal, as if they’ve stepped out from a watercolor landscape, further embellished by the use of musical box bases, tiny theater stages, or vintage windup keys. Commissions welcome: “You can send me your ideas or the picture of your daughter or even yourself and I will gladly do my best.”

The Boudoir Queen

lilah wild — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Flapper fashion cross-pollinated with floppy-hatted L.A. bohemian in soft explosions of lace and tulle, reminiscent of what vintage shopping in the sixties must have been like. Much of it is concocted from found fabrics and elements, and spiced up with period flair: turbans and cloches, harem pantsuits, detachable tattered capelet/bustle combos, bed jackets, “cuff cakes” for the arms and ankles, chandelier necklaces, and a page of 20’s dresses scooped up from various well-dressed eccentrics. Also some bedroom decor and glamorous little dolls.

The Poisoned Apple

lilah wild — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:07:00 +0000

A small cornucopia of gothic ragdolls in cloth and paper mache, covering every dark style from teddy-clutching witchypoo to gauze-draped horror vamp, tattered mermaids and ghostly brides, a section of fabric kitties, and some flat-out creepy imaginings of blood-drenched orphans and eyeless mandrakes. The bags and coffin boxes are handpainted with black-and-white ravens and ghouls, with the photography page full of babydolls in various states of decay. Custom welcome.

The Tudor Shoppe

lilah wild — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:41:00 +0000

Everything for the medieval lifestyle: the garb, the swords, the tankards, the tents, right down to the rings of castle keys. There’s a great selection of imperious jewelry and they also delve into the amusements of the time with festival masks, puppets, and gaming of yore.