DIY: Turn a Plain Lamp Shade into One with a Texan Theme

Whether you have lived in Texas all your life or have just recently moved here, you can add some Texan flair in your home with some Texan themed lampshades.

The tools required for this project are a tape measure, scissors, pencil and a low heat glue gun (if you feel the need). The materials are plain blue, red or white lampshade(s) with contrasting colors of ribbon and wooden or fabric stars, and some Krazy glue. You may choose to buy some material to cut into strips for this project as well.

Using a blue lampshade, measure half way between the top and the bottom, and mark a location in equal widths from each other around the lampshade for four or five stars. This all depends on the size of the stars and the lampshade.

Position the stars where you have indicated, and draw a light outline around them so that you will know exactly where to place them. Draw a ¼" outline around the outlined stars you just drew. This is where the horizontal ribbons will stop at on the lamp.

Paste on the white stars where you have located places for them onto the lamp. Allow time for them to dry. Before you start pasting the ribbon on the Texan lampshade.

Pasting a fourth of an inch from the top of the lampshade, start pasting white ribbon around the lamp horizontally. This will have a dramatic effect if the ribbon is about an inch wide or more. Next, paste a red ribbon just under the white one.

When the red ribbon is pasted on, space down a quarter of an inch so show some blue and start the white and red pattern again. As you come upon the stars, cut the ribbons to shape to border around the stars leaving a ¼" border of blue between the stars and the ribbons.

You are right if you guessed stopping the ribbon pattern a ¼" from the bottom of the Texan lampshade. If you are like me you may want a pair of these lampshades. This will require going through this process all over again for another one.

Understand that the last ribbon may need to be narrower or wider to get the full effect of this Texan lampshade so it may be a little off once you have finished. Perfectionists will more than likely add to those blue spaces or reduce them to keep all the ribbon the same width.