Create a Rustic Lamp Shade with Easy Accents

A rustic lamp shade may be the perfect finishing touch to your country cottage or log home. Maybe you just live a simpler life and embrace the design style of days gone by. Whatever the case, adding rustic charm to your home is easy. With a trip to your local arts and crafts store you’ll have all the necessary materials to make your own rustic lamp shade complete with authentic details. Adding a few simple, but beautiful embellishments to an inexpensive lamp shade will turn your lighting from plain to charming in under an hour. 

Tools and Materials Needed

• Pencil
• Parchment lamp shade
• Soft measuring tape
• Grommet hole punch
• Bark covered wire
• Birch branches

Step 1—Prepare the Lamp Shade

Though lamp shades are available in a wide variety of materials and colors, a crème or beige colored parchment shade work best. The light, natural color gives off a soft, warm light and the parchment allows for clean punch holes. Other materials, such as linen, don’t work as well because once punched, the fabric surrounding the hole will fray and unravel. This can cut down on the life of your lampshade. 
With a pencil, mark the lampshade, all the way around, at one inch intervals, one-half inch from the top and bottom edges of the lamp shade. 

Step 2—Punch Holes

Atop the guide, punch holes in the lampshade using the grommet hole punch.

Step 3—Attach Wire

Barked wire is pliable wire covered in tree bark. It is readily available at any well-stocked arts and craft stores. Barked wire is used frequently in floral design and may also be found at floral boutiques. Barked wire is especially useful in rustic projects because it presents an authentic and natural appearance while retaining complete functionality.

Cut a long piece of the barked wire. The measurement is not important because another piece can be added at anytime.  Select your starting hole and loop the wire through the hole. Securely twist it in place. 

Step 4—Add the Branches

Birch branches can be purchased at your local arts and crafts store. These small, plain branches will add a very natural look to your lamp shade.  There are other embellishments available such a peaberry, periwinkle, braided burlap, and vines of dried leaves that could also be used depending on the décor of your room. 

Depending on the thickness you desire, pick up a bunch of the birch branches. Press the branches firmly against the lamp shade while you feed the wire through the punch holes. Your birch branches probably won’t extend all the way around your lamp shade. If this is the case, pick up another bunch of branches and begin again, continuing this way until you have added the branches to the top and bottom of the lamp shade. If you run out of barked wire, attach a new piece to a punched hole and proceed.

That’s it. You’ve got a custom designed rustic lamp shade that didn’t cost you much in the way of time or money. Enjoy!