Black Bag Spider Web Project

Image: How About Orange

On Halloween last year we ended up doing what we normally do for most festive holidays.
In short, leave everything to the last minute and then rush around in a wild panic.

We bought a large jar of jelly sweets, 2 handfuls of  lollipops, a couple of bags of marshmallows, tons of monkey nuts, and made a few big bowls of popcorn. Then we sat and waited for the doorbell to ring.

And we waited.

And we peeked out the curtains.

And we waited.

Nothing.
Not a single Ghost, Ghoul or Goblin.  No Witch, no Pirate, no Cowboy. No Vampire or Mermaid. Not even a single Harry Potter.

Under normal circumstance you might think that this is quite depressing. Two grown adults, sitting in a house all night, surrounded by sugary treats, trying to come up with suitable tricks to play on the children should we be caught off guard and actually get asked by one of these tiny 'fancy-dressers' to prove our worth.

These circumstances, however, are not normal because for the last 4 years running, we had not had any 'trick or treaters' calling to our home. Mainly because we never put up any Halloween decorations. A strong point of contention you might add?

We just assumed that small children would be calling to our home, able to sniff out the junk food inside like some bipedal truffle hunting pigs.

(side note: I really shouldn't refer to small children as 'truffle hunting pigs', although - now that we have a 14 month old who is able to sniff out everything from 'tv remotes hidden behind cushions' to 'all temporary DIY jobs around the house that just need that extra little nudge to destroy them' to 'every electrical outlet in the home not yet childproofed', I figured a few sweets and popcorn were easy pickings and no real challenge.)

But I digress.

This year we will be prepared.

Here are the instructions for your very own, no cost, cheap as chips, black bag spider web courtesy of How About Orange

Image: How About Orange

To make these, lay a trash bag out flat. Trim off the sides and bottom so you're left with two big rectangles of plastic. Cut each piece into an approximate square.

Image: How About Orange

Fold one of the squares in half diagonally to form a triangle. Fold that triangle in half two more times. This is slippery stuff, so use a few pieces of tape to fasten the layers together on the loose side. It will help hold the shape together when you're cutting.

Image: How About Orange

If winging it makes you nervous, use a black marker to sketch some guides on the plastic: draw a "stem" from the folded point out to the end of your triangle. Then sketch some scallops that come off the stem. With a scissors, cut out the negative shapes and unfold your web. Tape several webs together and add extra strips of plastic to connect them if you like.

Alternatively, you can use this video as a guide to cutting out smaller spiderwebs.