Spiders! Halloween Pumpkin Decorating

Autumn is just around the corner; with its football games, cooler temperatures, and anticipation of Halloween. Though carved and glowing jack-o-lanterns are traditional decorations, there are many other creative projects you can do with pumpkins. Why not add some spooky spiders to your décor this year? This is a quick and easy craft project for kids and adults alike.

You will need the following materials to make your pumpkin spiders:

3 or 4 tiny pumpkins

Old newspapers or paper towels

Poster paint in red and black or purple

Paintbrushes

Black or purple chenille stems, enough for 8 legs on each spider

Black or purple marabou trim

Scissors

A package of small wiggle eyes

Hot glue gun and glue sticks or craft glue

Optional - white paint

Optional - black twine

Cover your workspace with the newspapers or paper towels. Clean any dirt off of the pumpkins. Apply the black or purple poster paint all over the pumpkins and set them aside to dry.

While you are waiting, get the chenille stems ready for the legs. If you want shorter legs, fold four stems in half and cut them to make eight legs. Repeat for each spider. If you want long legs, simply group eight stems together for each spider you are making.

When the pumpkins are dry, take the red poster paint and draw a mouth on each spider. You can also make your spiders even scarier by using white paint to draw tiny upside down triangles on the bottom of the mouth for fangs. Open the package of wiggle eyes and glue a pair to each of the pumpkins. If you like, you can paint red circles on the spiders slightly larger than the eyes and then glue the wiggle eyes in the center of the circles. Glue four legs to each side of the pumpkin. Bend each leg down slightly once they are secure. Cut small sections of the marabou trim and glue them to the tops of the pumpkin spiders, covering the stalk. Arrange your little spiders around your house or yard and enjoy.

If you would like to hang the pumpkin spiders, don't add the marabou trim to the top. For each spider, cut a length of twine slightly longer than you want it to hang and tie one end around the stalk. To prevent the twine from slipping off, you may want to glue it around the pumpkin as well. When the twine is securely around the stalk, then glue the marabou to the top. Hang your tiny pumpkin spiders for an eerie display!