Modern Model April 2014 | Page 29

  hen

W
  CreepyNCuteShop,

LLC,
 Owners
 Doreen
 Defauw,
 Piper

Smith,
  and
  Rebecca
  (Bekka)

Snider,
  planned
  their
  zombie

invasion,
  it
  did
  not
  involve
  a
  brain-­‐
eaPng
 horde
 –
 instead,
 it
 resulted

in
  an
  endless
  flood
  of
  creaPve

dolls
  that
  are
  100-­‐percent

huggable.

  The
  Detroit,
  MI
  based

retail
  adventure
  for
  the
  three

long-­‐Pme
  friends,
  who
  have

known
  each
  other
  for
  more
  than

30
  years,
  began
  with
  a
  quest
  to

decorate
  a
  master
  bedroom,

Doreen
 explained.

  “This
  all
  started
  because

Piper,
  who
  loves
  The
  Walking

Dead,

  wanted
  to
  put
  something

Zombi-­‐esque
  in
  her
  master

bedroom,
  she
  said.
  “She
  knows

I’m
  a
  master
  quilter
  and
  craMer,

and
  called
  me.
  So
  we
  went
  to

JoAnn’s
 fabric
 and
 hung
 out
 at
 the

fabric
  store
  and
  looked
  at
  books,

and
  I
  said,
  how
  about
  we
  make
  a

doll?”

 MeePng
 back
 at
 Doreen’s

home,
  they
  began
  working
  on

their
 first
 magical
 creepy
 creaPon.

 “We
 came
 back
 here
 and

I
  designed
  the
  doll
  and
  gave
  it
  to

her,
  and
  she
  sewed
  on
  the
  eyes

and
  mouth,
  and
  together
  we

made
 the
 first
 doll!”

  With
  changes
  in
  the

pakerns
  and
  fabrics
  that
  make

each
  doll
  unique,
  Doreen
  said
  the

posiPve
  reacPon
  from
  the
  public

conPnues
  to
  be
  the
  greatest

reward.

  “We
  made
  the
  first
  one,

and
  everybody
  said
  it
  was
  so

cool,”
 she
 said.

 “Piper
 and
 I
 were

sewing,
 and
 Bekka
 came
 over
 and

asked
  if
  she
  could
  make
  one.
  She

is
  really
  arPsPc,
  and
  started

making
  them
  with
  us,
  and
  now
  we

all
 sew
 and
 make
 the
 dolls.”

 AMer
 building
 an
 army
 of

cute
  zombies,
  the
  partners

opened
  their
  retail
  campaign

Modern Model Page 29

DOLLLED
  UP:
  Top
  photo,
  from
  leM,
  CreepynCuteShop
  doll
  designer
  Doreen
  Defauw

holds
  the
  picture
  that
  she
  used
  to
  craM
  a
  lifelike
  zombie
  doll
  for
  Saginaw,
  MI
  Model

Rachel
  Prenzler.
  Bokom
  photo,
  Doreen
  displays
  a
  set
  of
  zombie

  dollls
  inspired
  by
  50

Shades
 of
 Gray.
 Photos
 ©
 Brian
 Thornton