Hi Everyone!!  Here’s something FUN to make in honor of the Halloween Season.
This is not the “usual” type of Picture Tutorials I share with you, however it seems that it was necessary……Yesterday, my doggie was going crazy barking.  Not the usual bark letting me know that someone is walking by with a doggie or the mail man coming with our mail.  It was an urgent bark, so I went and checked it out.  In our front driveway there were two people standing there looking at out Giant Spider Web.  So Simba and I went out to talk to them and see what they wanted.  Turns out that they love the web and were trying to figure out how to make one for themselves!!  How great, right!!  They explained that they’ve tried to purchase one or even find directions on how to make one online and struck out with every effort.  So I told her that I would blog about it and share the directions in one of my Picture Tutorials!
 
Ahemm….we’re sort of the resident experts in our neighborhood on how to create a giant spider web (if I do say so myself, Smile, wink).  We’ve been living in our home for years and years.  For most of the years we’ve been here we’ve put this web up in various forms.  We usually use many strings of white lights, but since last year we started to use purple lights and the effect is wonderful at night!!  I would love to try Orange next year. 
Here’s a list of the supplies you will need to create this Super Fabulous Giant Spider Web!!
9-12 boxes of 100 lights strings.
  cable ties
wire cutters
fishing line 
light sensitive timer
4 wooden stakes
GIANT SPIDER

 

And a few other items:  outdoor extension cord, hammer, ladder, Imagination and of course, A BIG Tree.
Step 1:  Plug in all your lights and make sure they work.  I don’t care if they’re new, sometimes they just don’t work from the get go.  Save yourself the headache.  It only takes a second to check and can save you a ton of reworking the lights later. 
 
Step 2:  Pound your 4 wooden stakes into the ground in an arc shape.  We have a semi-circle path to our front door that we use as a model.
Step 3:  Plug in your outdoor extension cord and bring it out to the tree.  
Step 4:  Plug in your first set of lights and bring them through the center of your tree from the back.  We like to do this at dusk so we can see the lights are working and it’s more FUN that way.

Step 5:  Create your first spoke in the web by bringing the string down to the 3rd wooden stake.  Continue to wrap the light strings under the wooden stakes 2 and 1 to the left to create the bottom of the web.

 

Step 6:  This is a tricky step and you will do this twice.  Cut a good length of fishing line and tie it to the lights on the left side to stack 1 as if the spider web is floating in the air.  This is a picture of the right side of the spider web with the fishing line tied to the stake. 

Step 7:  Continue up and around the tree at various points to create the top of your web. When coming down to that wooden stake on the right you will do the same thing as you did with the fishing line on the other side to make the web look like it’s floating.

Step 8:  Once you’ve completed the perimeter, it’s time to do the spokes of your web.  At this point you’ve probably piggy backed a few strings of lights to create your web.  Now go back to the center and plug in a new set into a different plug.  It really can be problematic to plug in too many strings in a series.  Now coming out from the center, bring the lights down to 2 at the wooden stake create another spoke.    Don’t worry if you pass over the same path, you won’t notice it.  Go from 2 to 1 then into the center.  Go out from the center to 5 to 6 then into the center.  Go out from the center to 7 to 8 then into the center.  Go out from the center to 4 to 3 and the spokes are done.

Step 9:  Once you’ve created all the spokes of your web, it’s time to create the inside webbing.  Start in the center again and work your way out each spoke as in the picture illustration.  Do this process 2 more times to create the rest of the webbing.  You can decide how many you want to do, just keep in mind that it takes lots of lights to get really detailed.  We usually only do 4 rounds including the initial perimeter round.  From far away, it looks so much better to have them spaced out.  If they’re too close together, it just looks like a bunch of lights instead of a spider web.  Continue around and around zip strapping the lights at each intersection.  Try to join as many lights from the center back plug as possible instead of piggy backing.

Add cable ties where ever the strings of lights intersect creating the spokes and the webbing.
Step 10:  Attach your GIANT SPIDER right in the center of your GIANT SPIDER WEB.
Step 11:  Attach your light sensitive timer.  God Bless whoever invented these things!!  Makes life so much easier not to have to set an old fashion timer or turn them on and off manually.
Step 12:  Step back and admire your handy work!  You’re  now ready for Halloween!!  Bring on the Spooky! 
 
I will caution you that this will attract lots of Trick or Treaters, so be ready with lot’s of treats.  Many people love to take pictures of their children at our tree so get ready for that too.  You will be the hit of the neighborhood!  One more cautionary note:  Be ready to do this every year.  One year we didn’t put the web up and people wanted to know where it was, so be ready for that too.  Thanks for stopping by and checking out something different from me!!