Lampshades with recycled items

Do It Yourself (DIY) projects are always great for keeping kids productively engaged, irrespective of age. We have a doubly good idea today.&nbsp;What if you rolled&nbsp;out&nbsp;the concept of recycling into DIY and got something useful&nbsp;like a lampshade&nbsp;at the end?&nbsp;Making lamp shades is a classic student project. It’s creative, fun and inspiring, because the lamp can be used immediately.&nbsp;We have suggested 3 objects your child&nbsp;can recycle to make lamp shades.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Wicker wastebasket   Wicker baskets are very common in India. In case you have a wicker wastebasket at home, dust it out, wash and dry it. Here are the step-by-step guidelines to make a beautiful lampshade out of it. Help your child follow these: 



<ul><li>Coat it with oil or varnish to make it shine and protect the wood.&nbsp;</li><li>Turn it upside down and cut a hole in the centre of the bottom.&nbsp;</li><li>Make the hole big enough to accommodate a socket and cord.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Remove handles if they look odd.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Now,&nbsp;get a bulb, attach with wire via a holder, plug in, and your lamp is ready.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



Small plastic bucket   Making a lampshade with a plastic bucket: Sounds a little weird, right? But it’s not impossible. Motivate your child to follow these steps to make it.   



<ul><li>Choose a&nbsp;colourful&nbsp;small old plastic&nbsp;bucket.&nbsp;The more&nbsp;colourful&nbsp;your bucket, the better will it look.&nbsp;</li><li>Punch in&nbsp;a hole&nbsp;at&nbsp;the&nbsp;centre&nbsp;of the bottom of&nbsp;the&nbsp;bucket.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Outfit with a cord and socket package and use&nbsp;it&nbsp;upside down as a hanging light.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Likewise,&nbsp;a bucket can be set upright with a light and cord installed&nbsp;on a lamp stand&nbsp;</li><li>The light will shine towards&nbsp;the ceiling, creating an up-lit halo.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Don’t forget to remove the handle of your bucket.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>



Vintage wooden&nbsp;buckets, paint buckets and beach buckets&nbsp;can be used in&nbsp;pretty&nbsp;much the same manner.&nbsp;



Terracotta clay flower pots   They have the advantage of a hole already present in the bottom centre. This existing hole makes installing the cord and socket configuration to create a lamp shade quick and easy. Use it as a hanging or upright lamp according to the size. You can make ‘light garden’ with small flower pots along a boundary wall, window sill, terrace or balcony.

Recycling junk lying around the house can make surprisingly good craft ideas.  

Weekend DIY:  Lampshades with recycled baskets and buckets

Making a lampshade can be creative, fun and inspiring, because it can be used immediately.

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