Hey friend, it’s Candi.
You know I make every piece in my shop by hand. No two alike, ever. With Halloween around the corner, I wanted to make something special for the season ~ something that takes one of the spookiest symbols of Halloween and turns it into something beautiful.
So I made suncatcher spiders.
Yes, spiders. But not the kind that make you jump. My suncatcher spiders hang in your window and catch the light, throwing little rainbows around the room. They’ve got all the Halloween charm with none of the creepy-crawly. And every single one is one of a kind, because I make each one myself, one at a time.
Before I tell you how I make them, let me tell you why spiders and Halloween go together in the first place. The history is actually fascinating.
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The History of Spiders and Halloween
Spiders didn’t become Halloween icons by accident. People have connected spiders with mystery, magic, and the spirit world for a very long time.
Hundreds of years ago in Europe, folks believed spiders were companions to witches ~ little helpers that carried messages between this world and the next. Because spiders come out at night and work in the dark, people tied them to all things mysterious. Halloween grew out of the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the night when the veil between worlds felt thinnest ~ and spiders fit right in.
There’s an old folk belief I love: if you see a spider on Halloween, it means the spirit of a loved one is watching over you. Think about that. The same creature people scream about might be carrying a message of love. That’s the kind of flip I live for.
In the late 1800s, Halloween parties became a big deal in America. Hosts decorated their parlors with spider webs, witches, black cats, and owls ~ all the creatures of the night. The spider web became the perfect decoration: simple to fake, spooky to look at, and instantly recognizable. That’s when the spider truly claimed its place as a Halloween symbol.
Other cultures saw spiders differently. In many African and Native American traditions, the spider is a symbol of creativity and patience ~ the weaver, the storyteller, the one who spins fate itself. The spider doesn’t chase. It builds something beautiful and lets the good things come to it. Friend, there’s a whole business lesson in that, but I’ll save it for another article.
So when I sat down to design my suncatcher spiders, I wasn’t just making a Halloween decoration. I was taking a creature with thousands of years of meaning ~ mystery, creativity, patience, protection ~ and giving it a new job: catching light.
The History Behind Spiders and Candice (My Personal Story)
This is the background on why I actually started to create spiders this year and every year to come. So it was about 6 months ago I decided it was time to remodel my work room into more of a complete craft room.
So I removed everything that’s in the room, which filled up the guest room, hallway, and half of my living room. I have got a lot of stuff, obviously. I put each box back on a shelf around the otter part of the room~3 walls, to be exact. Labelled each box and categorised each section. Bought a brand new dark purple fussy rug that covered the entire room, so it was a 10x12x10 size room. In the center of the room I have my embroidery cabinet/table and sewing machine. After 3 weeks of working on the craftroom, I was finished.
One evening after I finished watching a scary movie with my son, I decided to go make some earrings. Sat in the middle and put my head down. I wasn’t in my creating mode, but 20 minutes later, this yellow spider came crawling down its web. I looked over my shoulder to the left, and it was pretty much sitting on my shoulder, at perfect eye level with me.
Of course I look around and can’t find anything to kill him with. So I start swinging and, of course, lose the damn spider. So my room didn’t last but a couple days. I locked the door and decided I wouldn’t go in there anymore. It was another week or so before I bought 3 different spray products, all natural and good for puppies and humans. Sprayed the heck out of the room, A day passed, and I went in the vacuumed carpet and sprayed more. Sat down at my computer to do some work, and not only one but two black spiders are sitting on my legs. I freak out trying to swat them. And acting like a crazy lady. Run out of my room. And lock the door again.
Next, a few days later, I would sit on my brand-new velvet black couch with a purple area rug in the living room and bring my beads out and start creating. What happened? Look over to my right; just about to land on me, another spider. What the fuck. Let me tell you I have never killed a spider in my house in 8 years. Outside but not inside. Now they were everywhere I went, and I was all the sudden scared of spiders. Never before could I kill a spider like nothing. Not anymore; I had created a phobia of spiders.
The next couple of days, I did my research and looked into how I could get myself hypnotized and trick my brain so that I was not scared of spiders anymore. I came up with all these solutions.
That evening, I was out creating on my couch in the living room. My husband leaves for work at 2:30 in the morning, or he gets up at 2. At midnight, I looked down at my leg, and there was a black spider. I swatted at it, but I don’t think I killed it. I stood on the edge of the couch, staring right where I thought I swatted the spider, until he woke up. That was 2.5 hours because I couldn’t vacuum or do anything until he was up. And sat, starred, and cried.
He came out, called me a weirdo, and said whatever he said. I was bawling my eyes out because I didn’t understand why I was so scared of spiders all of a sudden. Long story short, once he left, I vacuumed the carpet like a crazy person, vacuumed the couch, and the next morning woke up and decided I was going to do everything to get over this fright.
They say, “Put yourself in with spiders. Let them crawl on you. That’s how you get over them. “I’m not going to do that! I decided I would start making these beautiful spiders and start imagining and thinking of spiders in a different way. That is the background for why I started creating Spider.
How I Created My Unique Suncatcher Spiders
Here’s the truth: I didn’t set out to make spiders to this extent. I set out to make something for the holidays that nobody else had. But then my whole spider situation happened, and it was perfect.
I was in my workspace, surrounded by beads and crystal like always, and I kept thinking about Halloween. Everyone sells pumpkins and ghosts. I wanted something with a story. Then I thought about the spider~the most misunderstood creature of the season ~ and I wondered: what if a spider caught light instead of flies?
That question became my suncatcher spiders.
Every spider starts the same way: I hunt through my beads until I find two center body beads that match. Once I find them, I put them on a pin wire and curl it up to hold everything in place.
Then I cut eight 6-inch pieces of 20-gauge wire ~ one for each leg. I place them evenly, one by one, in between the two body beads, grab two pliers, pull tight, and wrap a circle around the wire pin. I do that four times to set all eight legs.
Then comes the fun part. I pick out beads that match the body beads and try to create a pattern of some sort. I use a lot of crystal beads and AB ~ aurora borealis ~crystal beads. Most of my spiders have genuine Swarovski crystals, and you’ll know those because they’re a lot more money.
After all the crystals and beads are on, I cut chains for hanging them, plus a chain for the suncatcher crystal to dangle from the bottom. Then I shape the spider, and she’s done.
Each one takes me about 1 to 2 hours. Each is unique, and all are handmade by Candi’s Creations.
Where to Hang Your Suncatcher Spiders
The best spot is anywhere the sun hits: a kitchen window, a bedroom window, or even your Christmas tree when the holidays roll around. (Yes ~ they work for Christmas too. A crystal spider on a tree with lights? Gorgeous.)
They also make great gifts for the friend who loves Halloween, loves handmade things, or just loves anything sparkly. Each one arrives ready to hang.
Suncatcher Spiders: Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a suncatcher spider?
It’s a handmade spider ornament built around faceted crystal and beads. When sunlight passes through the crystal, it scatters tiny rainbows around the room ~ that’s the “suncatcher” part. Mine are shaped as spiders in honor of Halloween, but they’re beautiful year-round.
Are suncatcher spiders only for Halloween?
Not at all. Halloween is when the spider feels most at home, but a crystal spider catching morning light in your kitchen window is beautiful in any season. I make some in Halloween colors and some in everyday rainbow crystal. I have sold a couple that are going on Christmas trees and a few that are hanging in the kitchen window all year around; they look gorgeous.
Is each suncatcher spider really one of a kind?
Yes. I make every piece by hand, one at a time, with no molds and no fixed pattern. I choose the stones and shape each spider individually, so no two suncatcher spiders are ever alike.
Where can I buy a handmade suncatcher spider?
Right from my shop ~Candi’s Creations at candissparklingtreasures.store. When they’re gone, they’re gone, because I can’t remake an exact one. That’s the beauty of handmade.
Why I Love What I Do
Friend, every piece I make is a reminder of something I believe deep: you don’t have to wait until everything is perfect to start. I started making jewelry with my own hands, learning as I went, and I kept going. Do the thing that gets you paid before you get paid for it. That’s my rule, and it’s how these suncatcher spiders came to exist ~ I did the work before I knew if anyone would want them.
Now they’re here, just in time for the holidays. And I can’t wait for one of them to catch the light in your home.
New to my corner of the internet? Start at my homepage: https://rr117.com/
Shop handmade suncatcher spiders and one-of-a-kind jewelry at Candi’s Creations: https://candissparklingtreasures.store
