Ages 5 to 8
Here's a fun lampshade-decorating project that's great for letting a Little Mermaid fan try her hand at decoupage. Plus, it sheds light on an interesting fact about the deep sea. Even in the watery depths of the marine world where Flounder and Sebastian live, kids go to school — if they happen to be fish, that is.
Download Fancy Fish Lampshade Template
by Cindy Littlefield
What you'll need
- Lamp with a plain lampshade
- Newspaper
- Waxed paper
- Fancy Fish Lampshade templates
- Mulberry paper or non-bleeding tissue paper
- Scissors
- Mod Podge or similar glue sealer
- Small paintbrush or foam brush
- Toothpick
- Tacky glue
- Sequin or small beads
- Glitter glue (optional)
How to make it
- Print out the fish templates and cut them out. Use them as patterns to cut a bunch of fish out of the mulberry or tissue paper. You can stack a few sheets of paper and cut them at the same time.
- Cover your work surface with newspaper topped with waxed paper. One at a time, paint each of the paper fish with Mod Podge and then press it onto the lampshade wherever you like.
- Add an eye to each fish, using a toothpick to apply a dot of glue to the paper and then pressing a sequin or small bead into the glue. Brush glitter glue on some of the fish to give them a sparkly finish, if you like.
- Once the glitter glue has dried, brush a light coat of Mod Podge on the decorated lampshade to seal it.
