You know that feeling when you see something cool for home design and you want one for yourself, but you don’t know where to get it from?  And since you can’t find the source, you end up crafting it by yourself? Well, now you know how this project started.

It was a lovely white lampshade I saw during one of my trips.  The funny thing is that I have recently found the source, and it was Ikea. But it’s too late since I already have two similar lampshades. And mine are more beautiful anyway and cost only half the price anyway… Sorry Ikea, you only have them white!

What You Need for This Project

You need paper, and I strongly recommend using crepe paper for this project, because this type of paper is crinkly and it will be easy to stretch and shape as you wish. I have used one roll of paper for a simple flower lampshade, but you will need more for a rose or a peony shaped lampshade.

You can also use some other type of paper as long as it’s thin enough to allow light go through and easy to shape. Tissue paper would be an option, but be aware that you have to handle it with much care when pleating it. Also, you’d have to glue a metal wire on the edge, so you could shape it in petals. This is how those Ikea lampshades were made (see them below), but I bet that DIY-ing them just like this would take a lot more time and patience.

Beside paper, you need a plastic bottle or a plastic water can (they are transparent and thin enough to be cut easily), rubber bands and transparent duct tape (scotch tape). You can also add spray paint or watercolors to your list if you want to give your lampshade a splash of color.

Crafting the Lampshade

Start by cutting the upper part of the bottle / plastic to  get a protective cap for the light bulb, and prevent it from getting in touch with the paper. We don’t want to start a fire, right?

Cut the roll of crepe paper in two inegal parts, as you see below. Pleat the longer piece of paper around the bottle neck and temporarily fix it with a rubber band. Wrap the bottle neck in scotch tape once, to prevent the paper from falling while you pleat the second layer.

Same thing with the second layer: pleat, wrap and fix with scotch tape. You can add more layers of paper, in different lengths. You may add a bit of color using watercolor or the spray paint, if you like. Arrange the two layers of the lampshade for a bit of volume and a vaporous look.

The Poppy Lampshade

This type of lampshade can be easily crafted in different colors and shapes, to imagine a plethora of flowers, from the simplest daisy or tulip to the most intricate rose, peony or carnation, depending on the number of layers and the type of paper you are using.

I chose to make a poppy, which is a perfect variation for a little girl’s bedroom. Add these to your supply list: small beads, black fishing wire and a safety pin. And the crepe paper should be red or pink, for sure!

Follow the same steps as above, but cut the paper in three unequal parts.  The petals will be shorter, but the flower will be more vaporous and look more like a poppy. Pleat and fix with scotch tape, as mentioned.

Use the safety pin or another sharp tool to pierce a few small holes close to the edge of the plastic cap. Cut 7-8 pieces of fishing wire 6-in long to craft the stamens of the poppy. Take one piece of fishing wire, add a bead on one end and tie a knot to fix it, then pull it through the plastic cap and secure it with another knot. Repeat the steps for each piece of fishing wire, and you will get a nice nice bunch of hanging poppy stamens.

And here’s how your poppy lampshade should look in the and.

It takes around 15 minutes to craft it, and it’s really easy to replace it if you want another type of flower or a different kind of lampshade.

Do you wonder how they look during night?

I like both of them, and I am very fond of how this project turned out, but the poppy is definitely my favorite!

Which one do you like more?

And what other flowers would like to craft? Let me know in a comment below, and remember to share this project if you liked it!