Fun, Funky and FREE DIY Lampshades!

What do you do when you buy some lovely lamps but the shades are BORING?  Well you bust out your paints and get crackin.  That’s what I did when I found these beautiful handcarved lamps at Home Goods.  I’ve been looking for just the right ones for our family room for quite some time now but I didn’t want to settle for just anything.  I stumbled on these beauties that look like antique corbels and knew I had found them.  Only problem, the shades were plain cream and did nothing to complement or contrast with the bases.  Big missed opportunity for some extra flair.

I looked at a couple of other places for some other shades but I didn’t want to spend more money and lampshades can get expensive.  So I thought what do I have to lose?  If they turn out terribly then I can either repaint them or seriously look into buying something new.  So I started by completely covering my countertop and then wrapping the bases in paper and securing with tape.  I made sure there was no exposed surface to drip paint onto the lovely bases.  Why didn’t I just remove the shades?  I thought about it but then I decided it would work better to have them on the bases without being tightened down so I could spin them without touching the shade and wet paint.

After my surfaces were adequately covered I tore off a large piece of cardboard from a box in my recycling bin and busted out all of my acrylic paints.  And began putting the colors I wanted on the cardboard.  I had no real idea what I wanted to do just lots of colors blended and highlighted.  I’m definitely not an artist (as much as I wish I was) so it was trial and error, what do I like what am I not liking and I just kept going.  Eventually a pattern took shape and there we go.  I mixed and added and played with the paint colors on the cardboard too.

And there we have it!  In direct contrast to the bases, which have that antique feel, are the shades I painted in vibrant colors in a more modern design.  I don’t know if I will keep them that way forever, I might paint them again.  (Maybe try spray paint next time!) Or I’ll switch them out on other lamps.  Either way it’s fun to personalize and I did it for no extra money.  I used the shades that came on the lamps and I already had paints and brushes.  That means this DIY project was FREE!  Doesn’t get any better than that!!