Scare your door-to-door visitors with these adorable boozy bug creations

With Halloween nearly upon us, I can't think of anything scarier than the time I tried to kill a spider and nearly pooped myself when a bomb of baby spiderlings dispersed in every direction while I screamed and cried and did the crazy lady stomping dance.
Whatever you do -- do not, I repeat DO NOT Google "wolf spider with babies" while lying in bed before daylight. And definitely don't watch any YouTube videos on that subject either...why do I do this to myself?
Luckily, I've come up with a way to recreate this haunting scene without needing to traumatize any of my neighbors. These little wine cork spiders (aka winey spideys? aka arachvins? aka cork critters?) are cute and super easy to make. It certainly helps if you have a nice stash of wine corks!
And yes I realize all my spiders are all missing a set of legs...what can I say, it's been a long week 🤦♀️



If you like bug decor during other times of the year I'm certain you could apply this process to making bumble bees, butterflies, and more!
Materials
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- wine corks (sparkling wine corks work best!)
- acrylic paint
- paint brushes
- utility knife
- bamboo skewers
- sanding wedge
- pipe cleaners
- poms in a variety of colors
- drill with 1/16 drill bit
- glue gun + sticks
Optional Display Decor
Making your Winey Spidey
Start by shaping your wine cork a bit. I used a little box cutter to round off the ends of my cork so it would look more like a thorax. I forgot to take pictures during but here's what I'm referring to:

At this point you may want to sand the area you just shaped with your box cutter. I used a 60-grit sanding wedge from my workbench. This step is totally optional but I think it adds a nice touch!
Next, you'll want to insert your grilling skewer into your cork. This will make it easier to paint without getting paint all over your hands. This part is great for getting your kids involved!

Stab your skewer in the ground while the sun is shining (or a flowered pot on your back porch) and those babies will be dry in no time.
Once your cork has dried, take your drill with drill bit inserted and carefully drill eight holes -- four on either side -- of your spider's "body." Or six holes, if you don't care whether they're anatomically correct...

Insert your pipe cleaners into your holes.
Lastly, add little embellishes like red and black poms for decorative effect. Secure poms with hot glue. I used acorns for "heads" on my baby spiders.
And there you have it!


Happy decorating!
Cheers,
Erin


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