We, Nick mostly :), have made several of our lighted bottles into Bottle Lamps with Lamp Shades now.
This involves adding a lamp kit and coordinating lamp shade. The lamp kit is pretty easy to find, download our DIY Bottle Lamp eBook to get the link.
Finding a lamp shade that fits your bottle, style and decor is another matter altogether. If you’re anything like us, you want to save a buck or two and make your own.
For under $5 (fabric, glue, etc.) you can have a custom made and unique looking, new lamp shade. Simply follow the six steps outlined below.
I’m sure you can make a better looking lamp shade than the one in this picture. We just used spray paint on it.
Here are the instructions to make a one of a kind lamp shade in six easy steps.
You will need the following to make a lamp shade:
- An old lampshade in the size you want
- Scissors
- Spray glue
- Paper, for tracing the pattern
- Fabric
- White glue
Step One:
Take your old lampshade and lay it down on your craft paper, or the back of wrapping paper. Starting at the seam roll and trace the bottom of your lamp shade until you arrive back at the seam. Then roll the lamp shade back in the opposite direction and trace the top edge. For the most common style of lamp shade, it will be a crescent shape drawing.
Step Two:
Cut out your paper pattern and place it on the underside of your fabric. Add a 1/2″ allowance on each side of the pattern for tucking around the edges of the shade. Also make sure to add at least 1/2″ to the seamed edge of the pattern so that you can have a smooth finished edge.
Step Three:
Cut out your fabric pattern. Spray your lamp shade with the adhesive. Tip: Carry your lamp shade outside and sprayed it in the yard.
Step Four:
Carefully lay your shade down on the fabric, lining up the raw edge of the fabric with the seam on the existing shade.
Step Five:
Glue the raw edges around to the inside of the shade. Use regular white glue, slightly watered down.
Step Six:
Now you can add any sort of embellishments that you would like, ribbon edging, fabric trim, buttons, pom-poms, tassels.
Find more DIY tips like this on DIYlife.
Leave us a comment if you’ve made your own lamp shades before, or know of a place to get inexpensive lamp shades.
By the way, we’ll be starting a ‘brag’ page soon. Send in your DIY pictures and share them with the rest of us.
