#302: Jasmine Spider

I asked Greta to name this spider because I liked the colors but didn't have a theme in mind. Does this mean I have to make a bunch of Disney princess spiders?

Materials: sea foam drop bead, sea foam rectangle spacer bead, speckled glass bead, green and gold bugle beads, sea foam and gold seed beads, gold wire

#301: Bumble Spider

I came up with the idea for this spider after making a beaded honey bee for my Bead Bugs book. I like the stripey yellow bead. There's always a way to create a striped look with spiders, and bumble bees are the ultimate striped insect, in my opinion. If only this spider was as cute and fuzzy as a true bumble bee.

Materials: glass yellow-striped bead, black diamond bead, yellow bicone bead, black and yellow bugle beads, black and yellow seed beads, gold wire

#300: "Step" Into Spring Spider

The Day 300 spider adds a little "spring" in my "step" as I hit the 300 mark with my spiders. Yes, I've made 300 spiders! Right now, they take up 6 pizza boxes, but what I'd really like is to find or rent some el cheapo flat glass jewelry cases to put them all in when I eventually exhibit them.

Materials: Astro Turf, plastic daisy piece, round yellow bead, green floral wire, green and yellow bugle beads, yellow and white seed beads

#299: Brown Recluse Spider

If you'd like to damage your appetite, I suggest looking up "brown recluse spider bite" on Google images. Go ahead. I dare you. Because these spiders are vicious little suckers. They look rather normal as spiders go, but they pack a punch. When I saw the stripey beaded piece that I used for the spider's body, my brain said "brown recluse." I will stick to my region of the U.S. of A. that tends not to be the home of dangerous bugs, thank you very much.

Materials: repurposed seed-beaded earring piece, brown plastic faceted beads, iridescent brown bugle beads, brown and gold bugle bead fragments, butterscotch seed beads, gold wire

#298: Barnabus Spider

Die hard fans of Dark Shadows may not care for Tim Burton's remake, but I am DYING to see it. And who doesn't love Barnabus's pixie cut?? My 6-year-old daughter Josephine loves the 80s mini-series, and I'm glad she takes after her mom for a love of things dark and weird. So here's a dark and sparkly spider to celebrate a new generation of Dark Shadows.

Materials: repurposed earring gem, pearl bead, black shell bead, iridescent black bugle beads, dusty lavender bugle beads, iridescent black seed beads, opalescent bronze seed beads, light pink wire

#297: Mirror Ball Spider

Today's spider is about reflections. Lately, I have been realizing just how much my spiders are a reflection of my overall work and the way that my mind unravels an idea and then puts it into motion. I have been extremely busy with a super double top secret project, so my spiders have gone by the wayside. But I've been itching to get started again, and I think I can manage to spin one out every couple of days if not every day.

Materials: repurposed earring pieces, wire, silver bugle beads, silver seed beads, gunmetal E beads

#296: Cigar Spider

In the great metropolis of Red Lion, PA, the city drops a cigar on New Year's Eve, so this is a fitting spider for New Year's Day. Why a cigar? Red Lion was once the cigar-making capital of the world, producing millions of cigars per month. I know...kinda hard to believe.

Materials: tube bead, brown paper, cigar label wrapping paper, round orange bead, striped E beads, amber seed beads, burgundy and orange bugle beads, silver wire