It is very rare for anyone in our family to absolutely decide on a costume before mid October.
Not that the kids don’t discuss it and (ahem) “decide” starting at the end of summer. It’s kind of fun to see them waffle back and forth about it…until I am frantically scrounging and sewing at the last minute that is. 😉
So, when I found out that the theme for this month’s Michaels Makers project was Halloween costumes, I decided to make a flexible accessory that can go with different costumes ideas, or that can be worn just to be festive for the holiday.
A crown, fit for a (spider) queen.
…Which I did not know was a real Marvel character and Minecraft mod until I googled it!
But that’s not why I came up with it. When it comes to Halloween, I am kiiiind of spider obsessed. You can check out these other spider-rific Halloween DIY’s from last year as proof: Spiderweb Fascinator, spider candy bowl, spiderweb doormat, spiderweb umbrella, pin the spider on the web game printable, spider bobby pins and necklace, spider party plates, spiderweb placemats, oh yes and this spider web cape, this spiderweb treat, and these magnetic spiders from several years ago are still a hit.
Kind of nuts! Right? Real spiders totally freak me out, but fake ones/spider inspired crafts are my jam!
And this project is my crowning spider craft. 😉 (I can never resist a pun.)
What you need:
black 12 gauge wire (found in the floral section)
wire cutters
black tape (washi, electrical, duct, floral)
large plastic spiders (found in Halloween aisle at Michaels, see picture for specific details)
black hot glue (I used the Martha Stewart brand high temperature hot glue which comes in black)
hot glue gun
To make:
1. Create a wire crown that rests comfortably on your head. Wrap the wire around your head to get an accurate measurement. Cut the wire a couple inches longer, so that the ends can overlap. Wrap tape around the overlapped ends to secure them in place.
2. Measure how many spiders you’ll need to fit around the crown. I used nine for me and eight for my daughter, so two packs of six spiders should be enough for any size crown.
3. Glue the spiders to the wire first and then connect their legs together with glue to strengthen the crown.
TIP: You can crowd the spiders or spread them out as needed to get the best fit. Just be sure to only spread them out enough so that their legs still touch, even if just barely. If you find you are running out of room on your wire as you get down to the last spider, remove the first few spiders you glued and incrementally overlap the legs a little more to get them to all fit.
Don your crown and claim yourself arachnid royalty….
Or throw it on as a last minute, easy “costume” for work, for a party (great paired with a LBD), or for a quiet evening passing out candy.
Looking for more Halloween costume inspiration? Check out these projects from other Michaels Makers. They are to DIY for. 😉
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored, but all content and opinions are my own. Thank you to Michaels for sponsoring this craft tutorial. And a big thanks to YOU for supporting the brands that help keep this blog running!
LOVE THIS. OMG.
Thank you Shannon! 🙂
I truly love this and as author of spider stories
I hope that this crown and the spiderweb shirt
and other spider designs will make it onto the
rack for Halloween!
Oh my goodness, this is FABULOUS! I love DIY costumes, and I spent 13 years as a professional tiara designer, so this tutorial tickles me in so many ways! Must share/pin/everything this post!
Wow! Thank you! That is so cool that you were a professional tiara designer!! What a fun job!
Not being a fashionista (and I would qualify anybody who wears matching socks as a fashionista, just so know understand how low that bar is as it pertains to me), I could NOT figure out what a LBD was. UNTIL I went back to your spiderweb cape, which I have loved since you posted it two years ago, and realized you were wearing a Little Black Dress. DOH!
Sorry about that! Yes LBD = little black dress. 🙂
I love this crown but also why did I not know about black hot glue?!?!
I know right?! It came with my Martha Stewart glue gun and has opened up all sorts of possibilities!
You did it again!!! Awesome. Seriously brilliant.
I am going to use this for my “costume” when going to my daughter’s school parade!
Aw thanks Michelle!
I love this so, so, so much! And black hot glue?! What? I’m learning so much.
Can I use something instead of a glue gun? Because i love this idea and this will be the perfect accessory for my Halloween costume, but I don’t have a glue gun and I’ve checked my local art and crafts store but they don’t have one. Plus I don’t really want to buy a glue gun.
It would be pretty tricky to make it work, but I suppose you could use e-6000 glue.
This is so cute! I added it to my 7 favorite Halloween craft projects article. You can see it here: http://www.craftcuts.com/community/home-decor/7-craft-projects-for-halloween/ It will be emailed to our 40k readers this afternoon!
Thank you so much Molly!
I made one of these yesterday to go with your spider web cape. My friends thought I bought it! They were so shocked when I told them I made it, and that it took about 5 minutes total! I love how quick and easy this was! My spiders were quite a bit smaller than yours (that’s what you get for waiting until 2 days before Halloween!) but it looked great and I got lots of compliments. 🙂 Thank you!
That makes me so happy to hear! So glad you like the crown. I bet it looks awesome in the smaller spiders!
I love your spider crown! Searching my Halloween stash for spiders so I could make my own only revealed 5 small spiders – so I made a spider tiara 🙂 I will make a bigger, neater one next year lol Thank you for the inspiration, I have linked back to this post on my own blog post xx Fiona
Thanks Fiona! A spider tiara is a cute idea too!
Michaels doesn’t seem to be carrying these spiders this year, could you tell me the approximate size of them so I can find something elsewhere? it so amazing!
Oh man! I’m sorry to hear that. I tried looking on Amazon but couldn’t find good alternatives. I would try Party City, the Dollar Tree, or maybe Jo-Ann to see if they have something better. I’ll try to keep an eye out when I’m at the store as well. If I find something I’ll reach out and update this post.
Hi, I am not seeing anywhere what size the spiders were that you used. It would be incredibly helpful.
They are about 2-3 inches wide. I got them from Michael’s during Halloween.