Spider Favor Boxes (Halloween craft project below article)

Halloween is one of the biggest decorating holidays of the year, second only to Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 60 percent of people plan to purchase decorations and 47 percent expect to decorate their home or yard this year.

With everyone getting into the Halloween spirit, make your house stand apart from your neighbors’ by keeping in mind this year’s trends.

“Making homes festive with creative Halloween decorations can be easy and fun for everyone from beginners to advanced crafters,” said Susan Atchison, trend expert for Jo-Ann Stores. “This season, cute is in and creepy is out. Gone are the days of menacing mummies or frightening felines. Cute spiders, goofy monsters and playful witches will be especially hot. Also, décor adorned with sunny and unexpected color pairings such as royal purple mixed with hot green, pink and jack-o’-lantern orange will add extra personality to the inside and outside of your home.”

If you’re in the mood to embrace the charming side of Halloween this year, check out these easy ideas from Jo-Ann Stores to add a playful and creative touch to your un-haunted house — inside and out:

• Show your trendy side by dressing your table with vibrantly colored place settings that feature friendly spiders made from basic shapes with large animated eyes. 
• Accent your mantle with spider votive holders on a yarn table runner to add quirky distinction to party décor. 
• For Halloween entertaining, give your guests goofy handmade spider boxes filled with goodies and treats. With wiggle eyes and bright, glittery colors, these little favors are gifts your guests won’t soon forget! (See instructions below.) 
• Greet guests and trick-or-treaters with a festive door wreath made with silly monster and jack-o’-lantern faces in a rainbow of colors. 
• Colorful lights aren’t just for Christmas anymore. Use strings of lights to decorate outdoor trees and bushes for Halloween. For a fun, friendly feel, add lively and unexpected hues of green and magenta with traditional orange and blacks to bring fresh life to your outdoor lighting. 
• Post unique stakes in the yard featuring cute character cutouts, such as the one featured to the right, to welcome guests (instead of scaring them away!) 
• Let kids make their own personalized treat bags this year by easily stitching two pieces of black felt together with a strip at the top for a handle. Glue on ears, eyes and whiskers to make a black cat or use green and orange felt to create a pumpkin.

Spider Favor Boxes

Skill Level: No experience needed
Approximate Crafting Time: 30 minutes plus drying time

Supplies and Tools (for one favor box):

One 2-inch paper mache box
7 inches of 5/8 inch dotted ribbon, optional
4 Chenille stems cut to 6 to 8 inches, black
Glitter, examples use black, green and purple
Tacky glue
Two 10mm wiggle eyes
Two 1/2 inch black pompoms
Black spray paint
Wire cutters
Scissors

Directions:

1. Spray paint box and lid. 
2. For legs: Make one small hole on each opposite side of box near bottom. Poke chenille stems through holes in box, extending out both sides. Shape legs and make small loop at end for foot. 
3. Spread glue on lid top and top of feet, sprinkle with glitter; set aside to dry. 
4. Glue pompoms to lid, then glue eyes to tops of pompoms. 
5. Fill boxes with favorite treats.

Optional: Glue ribbon around side of box lid.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Halloween Craft #1: Bouncy Spiders on a Stick

Kids love bouncy spiders on a stick. Simply use a dow rod for the stick. Create a big, black, eerie spider using pom pom balls of varying sizes for the body and head, eight pipe cleaners for the legs, a pair of beady eyes and a small red or pink pom pom for a nose. Once you finish creating your scary spider, glue a 20 inch piece of stretchy string to the spider and tie the other end to the end of the dow rod. Then, you will have a fun bouncy spider on a stick that children will love using to scare all of their friends.

Halloween Craft #2: Pumpkin Tambourines

All kids love to make noise at Halloween, so a pumpkin tambourine will be fun and exciting to make and play. Color and decorate two paper plates like a pumpkin. Paint a pumpkin face on each side. Let the faces dry, then glue the plates together with some dry beans, dry rice, bells, pebbles or other noise making stuff in the inside. Make sure the plates are closed completely. Add some streamers and other hanging decorations and play.

Halloween Craft #3: Ghostly Feet Prints

This is a very cute craft that parents will want to keep forever. Have children take off their shoes and socks. Paint the bottom of the child’s foot with white, non-toxic paint. Then, have the child press their painted foot on a piece of black construction paper. Allow the paint to dry as you clean the child’s foot. Once the white foot print is dry, drawn some eyes and a mouth on the heel side of the foot and you will have a really cool ghostly footprint.

Halloween Craft #4: Gigantic Stuffed Frankenstein Head

This fun craft will allow children to create their own monster. Cut out the shape of Frankenstein’s head from newspaper. Cut out two very large squares for the head and a couple of neck stakes. Glue or staple all of the pieces together forming a Frankenstein head. Before you close it completely, stuff it with other newspapers. Close completely. Then allow the children to paint it to look like Frankenstein. Paint the entire head green, then add some eyes, nose and a mouth. You can hang the finished product on the wall or front door.

There are millions of Halloween craft ideas. These are just a few quick, easy and fun things that children and adults can make to celebrate the spooky holiday. With a little bit of creativity, anyone can make some really cool Halloween crafts.