These easy-to-make DIY Hot Glue Spiderwebs add the perfect spooky touch for built-in shelves. Halloween decor usually goes in one of two directions: scary versus cute. I lean towards cute, but I also like it to feel sophisticated. If that’s even possible with Halloween decor. Because if I’m being honest, Halloween decorations also tend to be a little cheesy and can look cheap. Therefore, I try to think of ways we can elevate classic Halloween decor elements. Enter my Hot Glue Spiderwebs.
The goal was to dress up my white built-in shelves for Halloween, but stay in my decor style. I figured there must be a way to make a big graphic statement with spiderwebs. However, I didn’t want to use the classic “super stretch” white spiderwebbing. I was wanting something more illustrative instead of the realistic look of the super-stretch webbing. Also, while the super-stretch spiderwebs can be done well, they also can look like a hot mess (you know I speak the truth). And even though it does come in black, the more realistic white doesn’t create a big visual impact when done on a white background. The other option I thought of was the oversized polyester outdoor spiderwebs. While the outdoor spiderwebs would create the bold, graphic look I was wanting, they are simply too big for shelf styling.
Therefore, I thought I could do something like the outdoor spiderwebs but with yarn. Yet, the logistics of using yarn seemed like too much work. So yarn was out. Then one day I dropped a baby boo pumpkin and the stem broke off. As I was hot gluing the stem back on, it dawned on me that glue might work. I first tried Elmer’s glue (thinking it would create a cleaner look than hot glue), but the glue seeped into the paper and took over 3 days to dry. So instead, I heated up the hot glue gun, and to my great satisfaction, it worked perfectly. The process is relatively simple and is foolproof. The spiderwebs turn out perfectly imperfect, in fact, I think they look better the more imperfect you make them. Which seems fitting for a “creepy” craft.
Note, you’ll see I used regular clear/white hot glue sticks. However, it was brought to my attention on Instagram that glue sticks come in black. As much as I craft, I did not realize this. Therefore, if wanting black spiderwebs, you could skip the painting step and just buy black hot glue sticks. But if you’re like me and like to use what you have, the painting took only one coat and didn’t add that much extra time to the craft.
Materials
- Hot glue sticks
- Low-temp hot glue gun
- Parchment paper (this is a must, because the glue does not stick to it)
- Sharpie or other marker
- Black paint (or other color) and paint brush
- Painters Tape
- Scotch Tape
Instructions
1: Create a template on parchmant paper.
Tape a piece of parchment paper to your shelf using your painter’s tape. Draw the grid lines of your spiderweb to know how big your spiderweb should be. Take the template down and finish drawing your web lines on a hard surface. Don’t overthink it. If you mess up (like I did). Simply cross out and create another line. As long as it resembles a web, you’ll be in good shape. Just keep reminding yourself “perfectly imperfect” is good.
2: Trace pattern using a low-temp hot glue gun.
Using your hot glue gun, start by tracing the long lines of your web then fill in with the short lines. Keep layering the glue until the lines are about 1/4″ thick. Don’t worry if the glue clumps in spots or it looks too jagged. These imperfections are part of the charm. It will almost look like you’re making licorice. You’ll also experience a lot of small random glue strands. Again, don’t worry about these. They are easy to remove once the glue is dry. In fact, you’ll most likely have to remove a lot of them.
3: Paint your spiderweb (optional).
You can skip this step for two reasons 1) you used black hot glue or 2) you are using your spiderwebs on a dark background so the clear/white works. Otherwise, simply paint your spiderweb using black paint or any other color you like. Do you!
If painting, make sure your spiderweb doesn’t have any weak spots before painting. Also, remove any random thin glue strands. Then simply paint your spiderweb. Most likely, you’ll only need one coat of paint.
4: Hang your spiderwebs.
The final hot glue spiderwebs are lightweight; therefore, you can hang using basic Scotch tape. Use at the points along the top that touch your shelf. Adding tape to the bottom is not necessary (I did not use any tape on the bottom points), but you could add it for extra security if you want.
So what do you think of the final results? Personally, I think I accomplished creating a Halloween look that is modern and chic, but still fun with a nod to the spooky. Of course, you’ll also want to add other Halloween touches to your shelves. The key is to keep to a strong color palette and only add a few Halloween-specific touches.
For my shelf styling, I set the tone for the color palette through a collection of orange, yellow, white, and black real pumpkins. Adding yellow creates a stylish twist on the classic Halloween colors of only orange and black. Limiting the use of orange and yellow to only the pumpkins and flower arrangement, made sure the colors popped without being too much. It also feels balanced because I kept my natural wood/basket elements that I try to always incorporate in my decor.
I then added a skull, a spider candle holder, and a flower arrangement. The flowers not only tied in the colors of the pumpkins, but the vase added another black-and-white graphical element. I also switched out the artwork for Halloween-inspired prints I created using my Cricut. (I’ll follow up this post with a post that provides the black crow silhouette and witch silhouette for you to use.)
All in all, I managed to stay in my design style, but still honor Halloween. I won’t mind having this up for a few weeks and might even be a little sad to take it down. That’s a win in my book.
To see a video of how I created the Hot Glue Spiderwebs, be sure to visit me on Instagram (@tonalitydesigns). There you’ll find a Reel’s video with detailed instructions. I hope you’ll stop by and say hi!
