This creepy project will leave your Trick-or-Treaters trembling in excitement for more (and from afar, practicing COVID-19 safety)! Create scary spiders for your place—and super-size them to send chills up everyone’s spine!
Corny spider joke #1: Why do spiders spin webs? Because they can’t knit. (Collective groan.)
Supplies Needed:
1. 8-foot foam pipe insultation; 8 pieces
2. Black duct or craft tape
3. 2 plastic gallon milk containers
4. Scissors
5. 6 small thrifted holiday ornaments (from Goodwill!)
6. White cardboard
7. Red craft paint
8. Glue gun
Step 1: Cover your cartons
- To create a body for your spider, cover an empty plastic container used for milk or water with black duct tape.
- Start with the bottom and cut several strips to place along that side.
- Wrap the container’s sides with tape to ensure solid coverage. The container’s top will become the face/nose area of this creepy crawler.
Step 2: Secure its legs
The carton’s handle, now covered, will be the face of your spooky spider.
- Therefore, place the handle side down; the part facing up is where you will tape your pipe covers—the legs—to its body.
- Determine the center of the pipe cover then secure it there with your tape.
- Repeat until all four foam pipe covers are in place.
Step 3: Cut knees and claws
- Measure the half-way point from where your spider’s legs come out of the body until the end.
- Cut out a diamond/shape to create the knee.
- Bend it in half then tape it in place. Repeat for each leg.
- On the two front legs, cut the open end at about three inches.
- Spread open and wrap each cut piece with your tape. This will create your spider’s creepy claws!
Here’s corny spider joke #2: How do spiders diagnose health issues? They use WebMD.
Step 4: Glue on eyeballs and fangs
- Secure three thrifted holiday ornaments on the “face” (formerly the container’s handle section) of your creature. These will become its evil eyes. I got lucky as I had small mirrored/disco ball ornaments that were perfect for this project!
- Cut slivers of the black tape for pupils and put in place.
- Below the handle, glue four triangle shapes cut from white cardboard to become its fangs.
- Drip on your red craft paint on its fangs to give the appearance of blood.
Step 5: Spin a web
Every self-respecting spider needs a place to call home—or at least to haunt for the holiday!
- With white string, create a web. It really is a pretty simple task, and just takes a little time.
- Tie a piece of string in place, diagonally in one direction, then diagonally in another.
- Tie string from top to bottom, then some more from side to side.
- With a long piece, wrap string from diagonal, to side to top/bottom piece to the next diagonal,
- As you go, you may want to knot it to hold it in place. This will give it the web-look that your new spooky friend will love!
Place your spider in its new home and secure it with more string so it stays in place in wind and weather. As you are able to see from the photos, I placed the front claws on parts of the web so it looks like it is holding itself in place as it waits for pray—or Halloween visitors—to come by.
Okay, here’s corny spider joke #3 to end this blog: What do spiders eat in Paris? French flies.
Tim Kime
Artist, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach