Turn Glass Lampshades into Elegant Fruit Bowls

Next time a light fixture burns out in your home, don't throw away the glass lampshade. Instead, turn the curving, beautiful shade into a fruit bowl.

Which Lampshade Will Work

Most glass lampshades have holes in them, either on the bottom or sides. A hole on the bottom is ideal for turning a glass lampshade into an elegant fruit bowl, simply because you'll never see the hole. But even if your lampshade has holes on the sides, and even if it won't stand on its own, you can still use it for this lovely home decorating craft.

Getting Rid of the Holes in Your Lampshade Bowl

If the holes in your lampshade are visible, seal them with silicon in a color that matches your glass lampshade as closely as possible. You can also use wood filler, which comes in a wider range of colors. Or Fimo (found in craft stores), which is you can shape inside the hole, then remove, bake to harden, and glue in the hole again.

Stabilizing Your Lampshade Bowl

Some glass lampshades are so rounded that they can't stand up as a fruit bowl. Create a simple base for them using Fimo. This polymer clay is easy to shape. Just press the bottom of the bowl into the square of Fimo to indent a firm impression of the bowl's shape. Be sure that the lampshade bowl stands up by itself. Then bake the Fimo according to the directions on the package. Once hard (from baking), the Fimo base will keep your lampshade bowl upright.

Hanging Your Lampshade Bowl

If you prefer to hang your lampshade bowl to keep onions or potatoes out of the way, don't seal the holes in the lampshade but instead make use of them. If there are holes on the sides (typically three), thread hemp rope through them to hang the glass bowl. If there's only one hole at the base of the bowl, tie 4 ropes together, thread one through the center and wrap the other 3 around the bowl, tying everything together beneath the upturned lampshade with a single knot.

For more inspiration, here are 15 Unique Home Decorating Crafts and 40 Enchanting Homemade Gift-Ideas .