Doily Lamp

We love this idea of creating a lampshade out of a balloon, doilies and lots of glue! The simple steps with awesome results make this project perfect even for young kid makers.

Doilies are decorative lace shapes that people put under collectibles and plants to make them look prettier. Lots of people have extra doilies stashed away at home or you can find them easily at thrift stores or yard sales. The design of doilies makes this project more interesting because once the glue sets and the balloon is popped, your lampshade is full of lovely holes for the light to shine through. The light casts designs on your ceiling and walls (making it a cool night light, too). This project is a creative reuse of an existing material, making the best of its design for a new function.

Click here or on the photo for the full instructions for Doily Lamp at the Dose Family blog. Interestingly, though, the instructions aren’t the only thing we love about this post …

Keep reading past the instructions and you’ll see another great aspect of maker culture – makers helping one another improve their projects by sharing ideas. Maker Isabelle responds to other makers questions and suggestions for her doily lamp, learning tricks and tips for making it better. She got comments and questions from makers around the world! You can read her thoughts about the type of glue used, how to get the balloon out of the lamp or how to get the light bulb into it. Maker friends help one another get better at what they do. Share YOUR ideas and tips with your maker friends and be a part of the great community of makers!

TIP: To make your lampshade a lamp, you’ll also need a hanging light bulb kit. You can find these cheaply online, like here for $9, or at a local hardware store. Like maker Isabelle, we recommend using a cool, low wattage light bulb for this project.

Keep calm and make on, kid makers!