GREENFIELD — Faith Reipold is a crafter who is always looking for the next project. She recently found the creative outlet she was looking for by turning an old yellow Fisher Price dollhouse into a spooky Halloween haunted house that is now on display in the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s window.
“I got the original idea from Facebook — people turning old things into new,” the Greenfield resident said. “I love dollhouses and I love Halloween, so when my friend said she saw an old dollhouse on the side of the road, I grabbed it.”
Reipold spray-painted the dollhouse black, built it up with foam blocks and constructed stairs. Then, she found leftover scraps of wood and fabric from other projects she had done, and used the material to decorate and furnish the house. Paying close attention to detail, she added spider webs, skeletons and other spooky features.
“I started the week remote learning started for my son, Kaleb,” she said. “It kept me busy in between the times I was helping him. It took a week and a half to complete.”
Reipold is a friend of former Chamber of Commerce President Ann Hamilton. When she showed the finished product to her, Hamilton called the Chamber and asked if it would be willing to put the dollhouse on display.
The haunted house can be viewed in the Chamber’s window on Main Street until after Halloween on Saturday. Then, Reipold said she will bring it home and put it in the attic. She plans to enter it in a contest in the Roundhouse at the Franklin County Fair next fall.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.