Lampshade Revamp

By Mermaid Shelley

What fun thing can you do with a boring lampshade, some Mod Podge, and a beat-up classic children's story book? Revamp the lampshade, of course!

 

One evening I was working at my computer. I looked over at my boring lamp and said to myself, "Self, you've gotta do something with that horrid lamp!" I thought for a few minutes and took inventory of my supplies. Hmmmmm. I have Modge Podge and I have tons of old books. Hmmmmm....

I looked through some of my books and saw that my poor, sweet copy of Bambi was falling apart. It had several pages missing, and the cover was warped and stained. I really did need to find a creative way to keep this loved book. 

I dove in. And, as much as it pained me, I tore out random pages from the book. I wasn't too careful and some pages ripped. That was ok. I knew it would make my project more interesting.

I started by slathering the Mod Podge on the backs of a few pages. I pasted them randomly on the shade. At first I wondered who they should be placed. But, just kept layering and rotating.

 

I didn't want my project to be too perfect. I wanted texture and interest. I created it by applying loads of Mod Podge with a large foam applicator.

 

Continuing with layers and snippets, and rotating the text and pictures, I completely covered the lampshade. Some things were sideways, others were upside down. It helped to put the shade back on the lamp to see what was needed at the end.

 

Sometime in the middle of a project you wonder if you'd screwed up. Not with this one. Every layer was fun and I knew it was going to be great. It turned out so cute! And, I love seeing the pictures and words. But, wait....

 

Turn on the light and see how the pages glow! The old paper is a lovely golden brown. Cracks and rips let slivers of light shine through. And, the layers add interest.

 

I'm so happy with my revamp project. This lampshade is all the more special because it so beautifully displays one of my favorite old books!

 

Now, on to the next Mod Podge project....

 

Here's another great project: Do you have an old lamp that needs rescuing? Check out Vintage Lamp Rescue. I will take you step-by-step through rewiring that darling old lamp of grandma's!

For lots of creative fun, check out the Mermaids of the Lake on-line magazine. There's so much there you're gonna love!