Made in the shade!

Girls' Life, August, 2001

Light up a tired, old lampshade with these cheap and easy techniques. Caution: Use only non-flammable supplies! No roasting marshmallows in your bedroom.

WEIRD. The floral shade is inspired by the bathing caps in those '50s synchronized swimming movies. Use wire cutters to clip stems from fake flowers (girls, don't spend a lot--get 'em at the dollar store). Tacky glue to outside of shade, and let dry.

WILD. We did this one, at left, for all of 99 cents (plus some glue) for a bandanna with funky prints. But any fun fabric will do. Cut figures out, and use ModPodge (follow package directions) to adhere to the shade.

WIRED. For the beaded shade, all you need are a couple spools of 20-gauge wire (we used tinned copper) and a bag of cool 5mm beads. Use wire cutters to clip strips of wire twice the height of your shade. Randomly string beads on to wire strips, one at a time, using a simple knot to secure beads. Take a large sewing needle to puncture evenly spaced holes around the top and bottom of the shade. Pull end of beaded wire strip through top hole and bend around to secure. Pull the loose end through the corresponding hole at the bottom of shade, and bend. Clip excess wire, and continue around the whole shade until complete.