I’m so excited to show you this DIY Halloween mantel with spider webs and my beautiful DIY beaded spiders! It’s so gorgeous, I don’t even want to call it “Halloween mantel decor”. I want to call it a “spider art installation”…
I’m not really into Halloween decor, but this year I was inspired – thanks to my failed spider factory, lol. Here’s the story: I used to make beaded Christmas spiders for sale and still field lots of requests to sell them again. So last January I set a goal to make a thousand to sell this Christmas. I was SO focused. I made 60 in the first two days!! Want to know how many I made in total? 60, lol. I could not muster up enough focus to create in large numbers for sale. I had many requests to sell my felt wool ornaments too, but I can’t quiet my brain long enough to make more than a small batch for tutorials. At first I felt really disappointed with myself, but then the box of 60 abandoned, jewel-toned and sparkling spiders gave me an idea for a beautiful Halloween mantel! With my (mostly empty) banker’s box of beaded spiders – plus some fake spider “webs” I scooped from the Good Neighbor Shed at the landfill – I created this spider themed mantel decor at my Mom’s.
I love how it turned out! I’ve always wanted to make Halloween decor with my beaded spiders but I typically sold out of them so quickly that I never had extra spiders. I did once make a wreath with a handful of orange and black beaded spiders. Next year I think I want to rework the webbing and spiders and make a spooky spider wreath. But my Mom loves when I come over and change up her seasonal mantel decor (here’s last year’s cozy fall mantel), so for now these spiders, free from their box of shame, will live above her fireplace…
If you want to make your own spider mantel decoration, here’s what you need for this DIY Halloween mantel idea! Don’t forget, I have a tutorial for how to make those spiders, too! I think this year I will make a video tutorial (another frequent request), so stay tuned…
Supplies:
- Some kind of sheer, white fabric (I used tulle – check local fabric stores for clearance)
- Fake “spider webs” (Dollarama always has it – this is similar)
- Something to hang the fabric (like clear 3M hooks)
- Spiders (here’s the tutorial – you can also buy a sparkly bunch that’s cute or you can use inexpensive black plastic spiders)
- White thread
- Scissors
- Thread
How to Make a Spider Web Halloween Mantel:
The first thing we did was anchor a swath of tulle fabric at a few points where the wall meets the ceiling. Use 3M hooks if you don’t want to put holes in the wall. You can see the tulle behind the webbing in the photos below. It helped give the fake web something to grip and also filled in any gaps with some sheer gauziness.
Then we draped on the webbing, wrapping it around the hooks holding the fabric, as well as the picture frame and mantel. The webbing is so thin – and falls apart so easily – so we couldn’t affix the spiders without something to hold them in place, first. That’s why we didn’t JUST use the webbing. Actually, the webbing itself would not have held up without something to grip to. It sort of falls apart very easily, but gripped to the fabric well. In terms of amount: I found two bags of this giant spider web at the landfill and only used about 1/2 to 3/4 of one bag to create this cob webbed fireplace mantel.
Once we had arranged the webbing – which is, honestly, a little frustrating because I hated the feel of this stuff touching my skin, lol – we started affixing the spiders. Most of the spiders are hung from string affixed under the webbing/tulle with 3M hooks (we also attached a few to the wood painting frame). Then we tangled them up a bit in the webbing so the feet are sort of gripping the webbing through friction (the webbing is VERY grippy). That way they aren’t just hanging like ornaments, they’re nestled into the webbing. A few spiders are sewn right to the tulle.
We decided to use strings so the tulle isn’t holding all of the weight of the spiders – too many spiders sewn right to the fabric pulled it too much. Having them dangle from string and just rest on the tulle/webbing created a much nicer look and is also more secure. Luckily this gauzy fabric and fake web material are very good at hiding any hooks and strings – unless you’re right up close, it disappears behind the visual blurriness of the materials. I wanted them crawling up and so the string is coming from their heads, which is not anatomically correct, lol. You can hang thread from their little bums instead and then the white thread becomes part of the installation.
The heavy metal candle holders and candelabra beside the fireplace (the latter welded by my grandfather) are just for show! We might add flameless candles, but for right now we just liked the contrast of a little black against the gauzy white. If you do this, DO NOT light any flames near this stuff as I imagine it’s all highly flammable. Even the gas fireplace was lit just for photos. Be very careful with this gauzy stuff and live flame.
Looking for More Halloween DIY Ideas?
I hope you like this “spider installation” I created and that it inspires your own DIY Halloween mantel – or spider wreath. Even though my manufacturing attempts failed, for now, I do so love to share projects like this and hear that I’ve inspired you to make or create something – even if your finished project ends up wildly different than mine (that’s actually the best)!
If you’re looking for more Halloween DIY crafts, check out my DIY Concrete Skull Candle Holder, DIY Ghost Rat Halloween Wreath, DIY Rhinestone Pumpkins, DIY Borax Crystal Skull, and MORE HERE. And if you’re more into “fall decor,” check out the beautiful DIY Fall Wreath I shared earlier this week.
P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!
