Doily Webs for Halloween in 5 Easy Steps

Thank you to all who popped on over yesterday after my guest post at First Time Fancy, and for all your welcoming and encouraging comments!  It was great to hear from bloggers that I've been following for a while, as well as to meet some new ones!

Last week I was rifling through some magazines at the check out at Home Depot and I came across a cute and easy Halloween craft. 

I logged it in my mental files and this weekend I set out to get the few materials I needed.  Here is everything I needed (I didn't end up using the sparkles in the end)

- Sand paper/block
- Cross stitch hoops (I got this set of three from Value Village all for $1.99)
- I scored 12 doilies from another local thrift shope all for $3!!   I only used 3 for this project but I have plans for the others
- Dollarama spiders for $2 (I only used 3 of the 8 I got so I'll have to think of some more crafts for the left overs)
- Black spray paint $4.99 and it was 40% off on top of that with a coupon I had for Michaels - I never go to that store without a coupon
- Pompom string marked down to $1 at Michaels
- Glue $1

And here's how...


Step 1: I gave the hoops a light sand just because I have texture issues and don't like the snaggly prickling feeling that wood can sometimes have.

Step 2: Give the hoops a few coats of black spray paint (or any other colour really, I thought about a deep purple for a bit but decided against it in the end).  I covered the pins that tighten the hoops at the top with saran wrap, because I didn't have tape on hand.  I did that because I didn't want the pins to have trouble opening or closing from tacky paint.

Darryl put a few nails for me to hang the hoops on for spraying.  And as this part of our house is clearly not a keeper, we didn't mind getting paint on it.

Step 3 (optional): While my paint was drying I threw the doilies in the wash on the handwash cycle because I don't prefer Eau de Old-Lady-Powder as a fragrance in general.  If this scent floats your boat or brings back some nostalgic memories, just skip this step.  My Nana does not smell like this so I went for the wash.

Step 4: Once your paint is dry, loosen the pin at the top to take the outer ring off completely or just to loosen it, whichever you prefer.  Lay your doily over the inside hoop and centre the pattern.  Place the outer hoop over the doily and push it down so that the 2 hoops are now flush.  Before you tighten the pin, gently pull any loose pieces.  When you're happy with the placement tighten the pin.  Trim the excess material.

Step 5: Use ribbon or string, or even fishing line if you want them to look like they're floating.  I was going to use black ribbon, but once I saw the pompomed string I liked the extra texture and interest it gave.  Whichever you choose, tie it to the pin on the hoop.  You could glue gun it on too but I wanted to be able to take them off and adjust their length from time to time.  Finish it off with a spider on it and you're done!  Again you could glue the spiders on, but I just tucked their legs through the holes in the doilies so that I can move them or change them up if I like.

Sorry for the lack of pics in the last couple of steps, once I got started, I got carried away and before I knew it, I had them hanging on my windows with not a picture in sight.  But here's a few with them all done...

and at night...

And there you go, very little materials, no time at all and you get a cute little window or wall display for Halloween!  And even better was Darryl's reaction when he came home and saw them.  He really likes them.  Once the hoops were painted and dried, it took less than 10 minutes to assemble the hoops and have them hanging in my window.


Total Cost: $10 for three pieces with so many left overs for future projects.  I'm happy with that!

Are you getting your Halloween craft/decor on yet?  I can't help myself as soon as October hits.