How to Paper Punch a Lamp Shade

A plain lamp shade can be dressed up with a paper punch and a bit of ribbon. You can use a regular office paper punch, or dress up your lampshade even more by using craft punches in decorative shapes. This is a simple project that can be completed in a few minutes. Start with a simple design, then work up to more complex creations that will complement your room's decor.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ribbon
• Glue

1. Select a paper lampshade. If you use a plastic shade, make sure the material is not too thick and your punch is sharp enough to cut cleanly through.

2. Punch a hole every 1/2 to 1 inch along the shade's bottom rim. Punch another row of holes with the same spacing along the top rim.

3. Thread a ribbon from the inside of the shade through one of the holes, leaving a 1-inch tail. Wrap the ribbon around the outside of the shade's rim and back through the next hole. Repeat until the ribbon has passed through every hole around the bottom of the shade.

4. Overlap the tails of the ribbon on the inside of the shade and glue them together. Repeat the wrapping and gluing process on the top of the shade.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't want to punch holes in your lamp shade, punch designs on a piece of colored paper that you can wrap around your shade.
• Make sure that the ribbon does not touch the bulb.

References

• Easy lamp shade crafts and other punching methods.