Maybe you never thought of making Christmas spider ornaments, but I’m here to tell you people love them. These handmade ornaments are unusual, clever, and fun. Yes, making spider ornaments is indeed a wonderful Christmas arts and crafts idea. Here is how to make a spider ornament.
The legs on Christmas spider ornaments are easier to attach than the legs on their cousin, the Halloween spider ornament because the Christmas spider’s legs are made of “glitter” pipe cleaners, not the bulkier fuzzy chenille stems used for the Halloween spider.
However, Christmas spider ornaments do require tying little bows on all those legs, using very thin ribbons.
Ready to get started? Here is what you will need:
How To Make a Spider Ornament – Materials
55 mm clear glass ball ornament (approximately 2-1/8 inches from top to bottom, not including the cap)
Note: the glass ball needs to have a cap with seven “leaves” or flaps, with spaced grooves in between. Not all ornaments have caps like this, so be sure you get the right kind
4 12-inch Red Sparkly Pipe Cleaners
Red Metallic Shred
Two Green Sparkly (“glitter”) Pompons
Ribbon to Hang Ornament
Very Thin Ribbon for Bows on Spider’s Legs
Note: For the bows, I use a ribbon that is about 1/8 inch wide. I cut each of the eight pieces about 8 inches long.
How To Make a Spider Ornament – Instructions
Remove the cap from the glass ball. Fill the ball with a red metallic shred. (Use the eraser end of a pencil. The rim of the glass ball may have sharp edges.)
Make the Legs
Fold each pipe cleaner in half and pinch it, making a “V” at the fold to mark where the middle is.
This step helps keep the legs symmetrical when you attach them to the cap.
Turn the cap upside down. Work each of the four pipe cleaners into slots of the cap so that eight “legs” extend out symmetrically, four on each side.
- The cap has seven slots. One slot will not have a leg extending from it and will be placed in the very front of the spider when assembled.
- Because a spider has eight legs, two of the remaining six slots must house two legs each. I use the back two slots for this purpose.
- Feel free to arrange the legs some other way if it works better for you. I sometimes arrange them a little differently myself.
After you have placed all four pipe cleaners into the slots, put the cap back onto the glass ball.
Holding the cap on with one hand, insert the wire into the slot. The wire is “spring loaded,” so this step is not easy. You will need to press the two prongs together to fit them through the slot. Once inside the ball, the prongs will spring back open and the cap will be secure.
Eyes and finishing touches
Glue the two pompons to the ball where you want the eyes.
Glue the wiggle eyes onto the pompons.
Tie bows on the legs using a very thin ribbon.
Tie a ribbon through the hanger wire. Tie the knot tight so it will not come undone under the weight of the hung ornament.
You now know how to make Christmas spider ornaments. They are definitely a lot of fun.
Variations: You can make Christmas spider ornaments in other colors too. For the purple spider’s eyes, you can use blue metal beads instead of pompons and wiggle eyes, for example. Let your creative mind come up with other good ideas.
BTW, the best time to buy the clear bulbs needed to make glass ball ornaments is during the months right before Christmas.