Decorate Your Own Lampshade

What You Need:

• A lamp
• An inexpensive, plain white lampshade, no pleats
• Fabric paint
• Fabric glue
• Craft supplies such as plastic jewels, buttons, seashells, coins, etc. (anything non-flammable and lightweight) that correlate with your child's theme.
• Permanent markers

What You Do:

1. Remove the shade that came with your lamp and check to make sure that the inexpensive replacement you bought fits properly. Then, remove your new shape and place on a surface prepped with newspaper to avoid mess.
2. Ask you child to decide on a theme for her new lampshade, whether it's jungle animals, day at the beach, or anything else she can imagine! Have her decorate the outside of the shade only (do not decorate the inside of the shade, which will be closer to the hot bulb) with fabric paint and markers. Help your child glue on any treasures that work with the theme – coins and seashells for a pirate, plastic jewels and glitter for a princess…
3. Let dry, then install on lamp. Just in case, don’t leave the lamp burning when no one is in the room.
4. When your child tires of this decoration, you can buy another inexpensive shade or dismantle the one you have, and repeat!