Brighten a room with a lampshade makeover

Ready or not, fall has taken hold, and lamps are back in service. But if you’re like me, you might be noticing that the lampshades in your kids’ rooms are looking outdated or dingy. The good news is that with just a few inexpensive supplies and your kids’ creativity, you can do a lampshade makeover in no time. Using colorful tissue paper and basic glue, you’ll see a successful transformation right before your eyes.

Here’s what you’ll need:

•Inexpensive, standard white lampshade without pleats

•Sheets of tissue paper in several colors

•Household white glue diluted with a few drops of water to create a milkshake-like consistency

•Paintbrush

•Tear tissue paper into 1-inch by 1-inch size pieces. This is a perfect job for preschoolers. Older children might prefer cutting straight-sided squares or rectangles with scissors. Either way, your lampshade will look great.

•Set the lampshade on a newspaper-covered work surface. Paint an outside section with the glue-and-water mixture and attach the tissue paper pieces, overlapping them as you go. Paint a little of the glue mixture over the top of the tissue paper and smooth each piece out with your fingers. When the shade is covered, finish it off with a final coating of glue and water. Let dry.

Here are some creative add-on ideas:

Baby’s Room

Attach a piece of self-sticking Velcro near the base of the lamp. Place the other side to a toy, doll or stuffed animal and attach to the lamp.

Barnyard-Themed Room

Cut out more tissue paper in recognizable barnyard-animal shapes for a young child’s room. Cookie cutters make good patterns. Glue them to the tissue-covered shade parading around the shade near the bottom rim. When dry, an adult may outline the shapes with acrylic paint in squeeze bottles.

Outer-Space-Themed Room

Glue glow-in-the dark stars on a shade that has been covered with navy or other dark-colored tissue squares.