Spider Web Placemat Tutorial

 

I’ve been wanting to decorate for Halloween for WEEKS….

But I made myself wait (mostly) until this little girl’s birthday was over.  Our sweet baby girl turned one this week. I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by.  She is tough, and sweet, and SO FUNNY.  We love her to bits. 

She wore a tutu and feather poof on her head all day long to celebrate.  I used this tutorial to make the tutu.  The elastic for her headband came from My Sunshine Supplies on Etsy. And I bought the tulle, feather clip and onesie from Hobby Lobby.

It was so fun to have a special little outfit for her special day. I could tell she knew something was up :).

 

And now that that day is over…. it’s time to decorate for Halloween!  I’ve got a few projects in the works, who knows how many I’ll actually post, but here’s one that’s quick, cheap, and easy (my favorite kind of craft).

 

Spider Web Placemats

 

How fun are these?

I found these plain black placemats at The Christmas Tree Shop for 25 cents each! (they were originally 2.00 at Bed Bath and Beyond).

So I bought 12 :)

I knew I wanted to put some spider webs on them, but it took a few tries to find the best method.

So here it is! I’ve done all the dirty work for you, you lucky duck!

I tried three different methods:

1- I used a white glittery paint pen I found at Michael's for about 3.50.  I really liked the results, but the pen dried up halfway through the 3rd placemat.  It worked great, but I wanted a cheaper alternative.

2- I used Martha Stewart paint with an Elmer's glue nozzle and just drew the webs on straight from the bottle.  …Except the nozzle didn’t fit the Martha Stewart paint bottles, so I had to pour it into an empty pain bottle first.  This method is definitely the cheapest, but I wasn’t a fan of the results.  It was hard to keep the paint even so that it didn't pool in spots, and the paint didn’t sink down into the fabric like I had hoped.  It just kind of sat on top.  Though I did try washing it, and the paint stayed on fine, I just didn’t like the way it looked.

3- Metallic silver sharpies.  About 2.50 for a pack of two at Wal-Mart. I got six placemats out of two pens. Add it all up and those six placemats come out to 66 cents a piece. I’ll take it.

I used the sharpie for this tutorial.  Definitely the way I’d go if you’re super cheap like me.

 

 

Ready? Easy Peasy.

But be warned- there is a small amount of geometrical terminology in this tutorial… Just to make me sound smart :)

1- Gather your supplies. You’ll need a black placemat (I think it would also be really cute on a pillowcase…) a silver sharpie, and a straight edge.

2- Pick a spot for the center of your web.  See that tiny dot? I promise it’s there…. I like the webs sort of in the corner, but don’t go too far, it doesn’t look as good. Just trust me on this one.

3- Using your straight edge, draw 2 perpendicular lines (or almost perpendicular- wonky is fun, but also a little harder when doing the rest of the web) through that point.

4- Draw 2 more lines, bisecting (cutting in half) the four angles you’ve already created.  You should have 8 fairly equal slices of pie when it’s all said and done.

5- Starting near the center, connect the lines with little curvy lines, working your way outward, going around and around and around…. I vaguely remember doing this on my notebooks in grade school at Halloween time…. Ha. I even liked to decorate for Halloween when I was eight years old. ANYWAY- what I meant to say is: just do it, it’s not too complicated.

6- Keep going, spacing your lines further apart as you move out, until you hit the edges. That’s it.

7- Do 3 more and set your table (at 3 in the afternoon in September) just so you can take a picture:

 

 

Fun huh?! Also- that sweet pumpkin… got it at TJ Maxx for ten bucks (thanks to Kate at Chic on a Shoestring for the heads up).  Score.

And just in case you’re curious, here’s a pictures of the placemat I did with the paint pen, and the one I did with the sharpie side by side:

Sharpie on the left, paint pen on the right.  The glitter is fun (wish you could see it) but I do like how the sharpie makes the web more subtle.  You’re choice. The glitter is fun if you’re willing to fork out the dough.

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it out!

Linking up here:

Chic on a Shoestring

Be Different Act Normal

Nifty Thrifty Things

Flaunt Your Fall Party

So I Married a Craft Blogger