Total Time Needed: Afternoon Or Evening
Your kids will really dig transforming a plain lampshade into a spring gardening scene like this one. The best part is turning on the light to reveal the colorful veggies growing "underground." Although the following directions are for a medium-size lampshade, you can use this decoupage technique to decorate one that's almost any size or shape.
Materials
- Large sheet of plain paper, 36 by 25 inches, and tape
- Plain white lampshade, 7 inches tall and 10 inches wide at the bottom
- Pencil
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Brown tissue paper
- Lightweight colored paper
- Permanent markers
- All-surface sealer glue and finish (we used Plaid brand Mod Podge, which is sold in most craft or artist supply stores)
- Paintbrush
Instructions
Make templates for the tissue paper dirt hills by first taping the large sheet of plain paper to your work surface. Set the shade, seam up, on top of the paper and roll it one full revolution, tracing along the lower edge as you go. Then draw a straight line connecting the beginning (A) and ending points (B) of the traced line. Cut out the template and mark several points about 3 inches up from the rounded edge. Draw a curvy line connecting the points to create the dips and the peaks of the dirt
Next, your child can cut basic animal and vegetable shapes from the colored paper. Use permanent marker to add details to your paper shapes, such as eyes, whiskers, or bumblebee stripes. Once you have all the shapes ready, brush a layer of clear sealer onto the shade and press on the paper shapes, using the pencil line as a guide for placement. For instance, a carrot root should be below it, whereas a bird would be placed above it. Gently smooth out the shapes with your finger to remove any air
To finish the scene, attach the dirt hills by applying an even coat of sealer along the bottom half of the shade and carefully pressing each tissue paper panel in place over the shapes, lining them up with the pencil line and flattening them with your fingertips as you go. Allow for the dirt panel ends to slightly overlap and trim where needed. Dab sealer along the seams where the tissue papers meet but do not brush a layer of sealer over the brown tissue, as the color may run.
Crafts
