So it is Monday again, and as promised I have another makeover for you, but it's not a piece of furniture. As you have probably noticed, decorative lampshades are all the rage right now. They are a great way to add a custom touch to any room. The possibilities for a custom shade are unlimited and can be inexpensive depending on what fabric or wallpaper you choose to use.
I bought a pair of these lamps on Marketplace for $15. These are for resale in my antique booth, so I was not in favor of spending much on the makeover. While I had considered going to JoAnn's and buying a cute fabric, I decided to use some leftover wallpaper from my powder room. I must admit, I have recovered shades with fabric at least a dozen times, but never with wallpaper. While this was a first, the concept remains the same.
Items Needed:
Drum like lamp shade
Fabric or Wallpaper
Craft or tracing paper
Scissors
Clothespins
Spray adhesive
Step 1: Make a pattern with craft paper by rolling out and tracing the top and bottom of your lampshade. Mine was slightly smaller at the top than at the bottom, but if you use a true drum shade, it will be the same circumference on top and bottom. Cut out your traced pattern.
It will look like this.
Step 2: Layout your fabric or wallpaper to find where you want the pattern to be on your shade. I wanted the two birds to be centered on the front of each shade, so I placed my pattern accordingly.
Because the wall paper was not as wide as my pattern, I had to use painter's tape to join two pieces together. Notice, I cut a couple of inches wider than my pattern just to give myself some "wiggle" room.
Step 3: Line up the end of your cut piece of wallpaper or fabric with the seam on your lampshade. Roll the shade out , folding in the upper and lower edges of the paper, spray the adhesive on the shade, a few inches at a time, securing with clothespins. This part is much easier with fabric as it has much more give to it. Wallpaper is stiff, so it requires more maneuvering, which means more time and patience. Again, this was a first for me.
For this step, I took the project outside simply because I didn't want the Loctite spray adhesive to end up in the air or on the carpet of my work room. I ruined a pair of leggings once as I accidentally sat on a piece of fabric that had some residue on it. Best to wear work clothes when using this product. Once you have the paper secured on the shade, trim the end at the seam, and then trim the inside top and bottom edges. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes so the adhesive can dry.
Voila!!! You now have a custom lampshade. I hope you have enjoyed this cheap and cheerful way to give an inexpensive lamp a high end look. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will check in later this week as I share some Valentine decorations, some of my marketplace finds, and an easy tortilla soup recipe.