Paper Maché Lampshade

YOU WILL NEED:

• Egg Cartons – lots and lots of them. I used about 30 large trays, but it all depends on the size of your lampshade.
• A packet of wallpaper glue powder
• 1 cup cold glue
• Yoga Ball
• Spray paint: I used matt black for the outside and dayglow yellow for the inside.
• Light cord and bulb

STEP 1:

Tear the egg cartons into smaller pieces and throw them in a bucket. Then cover them with water and let it soak for 24 hours.

STEP 2:

Use an electric mixer to beat the mixture to a pulp, roughly the consistency of sloppy oatmeal.

STEP 3:

This is where it gets awesome! Add the packet of wallpaper glue powder, and use your hands to mix it up. It feels wonderfully gooey! Or you can use a wooden spoon, but hands are much better 

STEP 4:

Let it rest for a while according to the instructions on the wallpaper glue manufacturer’s packaging. In the meantime, blow up the yoga ball and prepare your work surface: it’s going to get messy!

It's important to keep the yoga ball from rolling around, see how here.



STEP 5:

When the mixture is ready, add the cold glue and mix well. Then start applying handfuls of the paper maché to the yoga ball. It sticks remarkably easy and really goes quick. Create your lampshade with one layer only, find out why here.

Make sure that you are happy with the thickness before letting it dry.

Remember to leave a small area open at the top where the electrical cord is going to be installed.

STEP 6:

Allow to dry. This could take anything from 24 hours to 5 days. My shade took 3 days, and when I took it off it was still wet on the inside and therefore very fragile. I placed it upside down inside a large bowl and left it for another 2 days.

STEP 7:

Once the paper maché is thoroughly dry, deflate the ball just a little and use your hand to loosen the edges of the lampshade. Then slowly deflate the ball, ensuring that the lampshade doesn’t stick to it.

STEP 8:

Use the electrical fitting as a template to ensure that the hole left at the top is large enough.

STEP 9:

Spray the inside and outside of the lampshade in the colours of your choice.

STEP 10:

Attach the electrical light cord, get an electrician to install, and switch on!

That's it! Enjoy your designer-esque handiwork!

Happy Lighting!