How to Decorate Lampshades With Ribbon

Decorating an old lampshade with ribbon will not only can change the entire mood of your lighting scheme, but it can alleviate your desire for an entirely new lighting design by making over your old lamps so that they feel new and innovative again. Simply by adding some strategically placed ribbons, you can make a plain, ordinary lampshade into a modern piece, a fun and surprising accent or the perfect finishing touch for any room.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Measuring tape
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Craft glue

Instructions

1. Sketch your ribbon design ideas on a piece of paper. If you are just starting out, you might want to just wrap a length of ribbon around the upper and lower rims of the shade. You can make this simple design more elaborate by adding additional horizontal stripes of ribbon of the same color but using different widths, or the same width but different colors. If you want to make the design even more complex, you can create a checkerboard effect or even attempt an argyle pattern. This sketch will help guide you as you put the ribbon on the lampshade.

2. Use the measuring tape to lightly pencil in your design on the lampshade. The lines will help you know where to glue your ribbons. You need a measuring tape instead of a ruler because a measuring tape is flexible and can wrap around the curves in the lamp.

3. Cut your ribbons to the appropriate lengths. Once the lines are on the lamp shade, measure them and use these measurements to cut your ribbon. Add about 1/2 inch to the length of the line so that you can wrap the end of the ribbon over the rim of the lampshade slightly or overlap the ends for a smooth look.

4. Glue the ribbons on, using the craft glue. Use a thin line of glue for each ribbon. You should not saturate the ribbon or it can cause the colors to bleed and the glue to make the ribbon look stiff and gunky. Hold the length of ribbon lightly in place for about 30 seconds to allow the glue to set before moving on to the next piece of ribbon. If you have excess ribbon, either overlap the ends of the ribbon or trim the excess and then fold the ends over the upper or lower rim of the lamp shade.

5. Allow the lamp shade to dry completely. This will take about 24 hours. Once it is fully dry, you are ready to replace the shade on your lamp and start enjoying your new lighting look.

Tips & Warnings

• Ribbons with dangling bead trim are particularly popular for trimming the lower rims of lampshades.

• It is a popular trend to trim lampshades with maribou, which is the stuff that feather boas are often made of. This is a serious fire hazard.