How to Make a Tissue Paper Chandelier

Tissue paper might seem like an unlikely material to make a chandelier out of, but consider its benefits: it's inexpensive, easy to work with and lightweight. If you buy the fancy tissue paper with a pearlescent finish, the chandelier will look like it is made out of mother-of-pearl from a distance, but at a fraction of the cost. If you reuse an old lampshade to provide the framework for the chandelier, the whole project costs almost nothing but your time.

Things You'll Need

• Lampshade
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Tissue paper
• 1-inch circle hole punch or larger
• 1/8-inch-wide ribbon
• Polyvinyl acetate glue
• 4 cup hooks

Instructions

1. Cut the fabric off a lampshade so you are left with the bare wires. Alternatively, you can buy lampshade forms without the fabric online.

2. Hold the chandelier up to the ceiling where you want to hang it and measure how far down you want the strings of tissue paper circles to hang and how many circles you want on each string. Then determine how many strings of circles you want around the perimeter of the chandelier.

3. Cut the number of ribbon strips determined in Step 2 to the length you measured plus 1/2 inch.

4. Cut the number of circles you need out of tissue paper using the 1-inch hole punch.

5. Glue the circles to the ribbon, evenly spaced along the length except for the top 1/2 inch. Let the glue dry.

6. Tie the ribbons to the wire framework, evenly spaced so none of the wire is showing. Make additional strings of circles if you need to.

7. Screw cup hooks into the ceiling to hold the chandelier up so it is covering a light fixture.

Tips & Warnings

• Use any size or shape of hole punch to vary the look.

• Spray-paint or cover the wire framework with ribbon if you want.