Ceiling lamp covers can be altered in many ways for visual interest.
Standard ceiling lamps and light fixtures can be, well, boring. Many times they're just simple white glass shades that bring no style or flair to a room whatsoever. A personalized ceiling lamp cover will give the room that personal touch, showing off your creativity and artistic sensibility. You could cover the lamp with an interesting umbrella, decoupage a cover with Japanese washi or scrapbooking paper, cover it with a piece of art printed on vellum, or make a mosaic out of it with translucent glass or sea glass pieces. Use only CFL or low-wattage bulbs to ensure safety and to prolong the life of your art piece. Safety is important.
Umbrella
Cover a ceiling lamp or light fixture with a colorful upturned umbrella with the handle removed. Umbrellas are especially striking when grouped to cover multiple ceiling lights -- you could use one color or select umbrellas in various colors. Asian paper or silk parasols, some with elaborate designs, can be used in this same manner to turn your ceiling lamp into a piece of light-up art. Secure the umbrella or parasol with fishing line wrapped around the light fixture post or tucked into ceiling tiles.
Decoupage
Dress up a ceiling lamp or light fixture cover with decoupage. Be sure to use translucent paper, such as torn pieces of tissue paper, if performing decoupage. Apply with decoupage medium. If you don't want to permanently change your existing ceiling lamp glass, you can find an inexpensive spare that fits your light fixture at a thrift or resale shop or bargain outlet and use the new cover for decoupage. Scrapbooking paper or Japanese washi paper -- colorful and thin scrapbooking-like paper -- is another decoupage option. Handmade papers can be used as well, as long as they are translucent. Use only compact fluorescent bulbs or low-wattage bulbs with decoupaged lampshades to avoid burning.
Translucent Vellum Art
Create your own ceiling art piece by printing a visually pleasing image out on vellum. Vellum can be found in craft stores and is usable in computer printers. You can also have the image professionally printed onto the vellum at an office supply store. Historic prints work well on vellum.Vellum is translucent, so think of it as a way to print your art on a lampshade. Secure the vellum with a decoupage medium on a somewhat flat ceiling shade, or use fishing line to secure it around the base of the ceiling fixture.
Translucent Mosaics
Create your own colorful ceiling lamp cover by turning it into a mosaic. Use a shade found in a thrift store or resale shop if you don't wish to permanently alter your own ceiling shade. Attach small pieces of translucent art glass, the type used to create stained glass, with clear heat-resistant silicone sealant. Such are also available as small tiles. If you enjoy the beach or live near one, sea glass pieces can be attached to the shade in the same manner. Allow silicone to dry completely before reattaching the shade to the ceiling fixture.
Tags: light fixture, ceiling lamp, , glass pieces, with decoupage, your ceiling