April's #memadeshade competition has a real buzz about it (pun intended!), as this month's winning shade is made by the talented Liz of @loveyourhome.uk from a pretty Angel Strawbridge honeycomb fabric, featuring bees. And Liz's talents don't stop at lampshade making! Running a small interiors business from home, she can turn her hand to many interior crafts and we're sure her prize of a £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com will come in very handy for her future projects. Co

Making or crafting is a fantastic way to achieve a look on a budget and is guaranteed to be a purse-friendly alternative to shop-bought, not to mention the list of ‘feel good’ advantages that crafting for your home, your garden or as a gift brings. In today's post, we'll show you that making a lampshade is no different and as well as being a much cheaper option than buying shop-bought, it means you get exactly what you want for your shade as well as learning a few new skills

All our entries to our #memadeshade competition are unique, but once in a while, a lampshade wins that celebrates a slice of life. This month's deserved #memadeshade winner, Gemma of @larkdesignmake1 has cleverly used the pages of her old passports, to make a Needcraft Floor Lamp Kit. We think it's a fantastic idea and the perfect way of shining a light on travelling adventures and memories! Congratulations Gemma! Your prize of a £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com is on it

Pops of colour are much needed as we finally start to leave the winter behind and this month's #memadeshade winner does not disappoint! Huge congratulations go to Alison of @maggiemootextiles for her fab, retro-style shade that's made from beautifully bold and bright vintage fabric, with a textured and silky feel. Alison's £100 voucher to spend at Dannells.com is on its way to her. Read more about Alison's unique lampshade making business below. Maggie Moo Textiles is the cre

Making your own lampshades means the sky is your limit in terms of the materials, design and shape you opt for and today's Parchment Fluted Lampshade is no different. Using our Perga Natural Parchment Lampshade Material combined with a French Drum Frame, we've created this modern lampshade with a unique construction from a DIY template, using some simple maths. Follow the step-by-step tutorial in the post to make your own version and reward your efforts with a contemporary pe

Entering her first hard lampshade into our #memadeshade competition, January's winner, Amie of @tea_and _the _radio chose a vibrant Colefax and Fowler fabric, which she simply loves, to make up her Coolie Lampshade Making Kit. We love the pop of vibrant green that's perfect for Spring! Huge congratulations to Amie! She wins a £100 gift voucher to spend at Dannells and it sounds like it will come in handy, as she reveals her plans for making more lampshades in the Q&A below. C

We're thrilled that this month's #memadeshade winner is @bridget9696, who has been a regular in our 'Most Liked shades' throughout our Instagram competition! Her winning lampshade is a cyanotype 'Allium', which is beautifully highlighted against its indigo background. Just the lampshade for this time of year it symbolises not only the end of the summer but also reminds Bridget (and us!) of autumn fireworks! Congratulations, @bridget9696! Your £100 voucher is on its way to you

As the autumn rolls in your #memadeshades keep coming and we've loved browsing through September's entries. As well as a source of pure inspiration for our new lampshade makers, each one shows a little bit of personality and we really enjoy getting to know you thorough your shades, as well as admiring them! September's deserving #memadeshade winner, @thenakedweaver may be a newbie to lampshade making but is definitely no stranger to crafting. Our huge congratulations go to El

With summer in full swing, sunshine has not stopped play, or lampshade making to be more precise! So, it seems very fitting that August's #memadeshade winner is a beautiful coastal scene, made by Ben of @studio.goldfinch, depicting the very pretty town of Port Issac in Cornwall, using his original lino print design. Ben's win scoops him a £100 Dannells voucher and our congratulations go to him on his winning with his lampshade prototype. We're sure that by adding shades to hi

It's great when you make or find a shade that fits all seasons, brightens up a corner and adds a touch of sophistication to your home too. July's #memadeshade winning lampshade ticks all of these boxes! Made by Neringa of @chantier.studio, the contrast circles of green, blue and yellow certainly make this shade pop. Huge congratulations Neringa and your £100 voucher to spend on our Dannells website is on it's way! Based in Lithuania, Neringa's passion for lampshade making has

We often ask our lampshade makers ‘what’s your favourite part of making a lampshade?’ and more often than not it’s when the lampshade comes together and the seam is closed - the magic moment when you start to see a beautiful, bespoke shade. Closing the seam on your lampshade is important for creating a long-lasting and professional product and to help you choose the best finish for securing your seam, we’re highlighting four Dannells products for you to try. A little history

Spanning both fashion and interiors, Cottagecore started to gain traction in early 2019, evolving as an internet and social media trend, due to it’s popularity with the younger generations, particularly in the US. Cottage Core focuses on aspirations of rural lifestyles, romantic home styling, cosy country cottage vibes mixed with crafts and lifestyle hobbies, such as flower arranging, baking and gardening. A homely life is essentially at its core. A well adopted trend during

As we surpass the 4,000 entries mark, our #memadeshade Instagram competition goes from strength to strength and we'd like to say a huge THANK YOU for all the amazing entries, as well as the inspiration you all provide for newbie lampshade makers. Our June #memadeshade winner, @daniel.k.embleton has brought a sense of natural wonder and luxury, with this stunning tiered shade. Using his own intricate botanical catcus design, printed onto a rich velvet, Daniel has cleverly cont

Customers who regularly make our lampshade making kits or create their own bespoke lampshade will be very familiar with our Stick It lampshade making PVC. Today we want to introduce you its sister product, Clear Stick It self-adhesive lampshade making PVC and to show you how to use this, we’ve put together some creative ideas to incorporate into your own lampshade making adventures. The key difference between the standard and clear Stick It PVC is the translucency, and while

The glorious weather has arrived adding a bright, light feeling to our days and as usual, we've been inundated with plenty of glorious shades. May's #memadeshade Instagram competition winner, brings fun, frivolity and a bold pop of colour and who doesn't need a bit of that in their lives? Made by Kura and Mark of @the_warren_crew_at_52 from a gorgeous African wax fabric, the orange fringing was a subliminal 'Strictly' inspired addition. We love the scale and size of this prin

Yey! You've found us and now you know you can make your own lampshades with our Lampshade Making Kits, you might be asking yourself why should you? It’s the number one topic of conversation at here at Dannells (we could honestly wax lyrical about this all day 😁), and to make this easy we’ve put together our 5 reasons why you should get started with making your own DIY lampshade – and once you’ve made one, we’re fairly sure you’ll never buy shop bought lampshade again! 1. Bes

April has already been and gone (where did that month go?) and we hope you've been making the most of the new outdoor rules? It clearly hasn't stopped you all from making plenty of amazing lampshades! As our #memadeshade Instagram competition goes from strength to strength, we never tire of seeing the stream of gorgeous lampshades made from our lampshade making kit, so thanks to all those who entered. This month's worthy winner is Lucy of @the_lightpunk, with her new design o

As another month flies by, it's time to announce March's #memadeshade winner from our Instagram competition entries. This month was packed with an array of lampshades in all shapes and sizes using our lampshade making kits, but as always there is only one winner. Entered by @cottocc (COtoo), using a screenprint design by @sallyelfordillustrator, this month's winning shade encapsulates the stunning British coastline and the murmurations of starlings, which been seen during the

The nights are already lighter and there is a feeling of optimism in the air. We hope you're all feeling a little lighter and brighter too. February's #memadeshade Instagram competition has delivered a whopping amount of entries, over 300, and as always it's great to see such a wide variety if shades using our lampshade making kits. This month's stand out shade is certainly that and @emma_mckie_designs is our deserving winner and her £100 voucher to spend on our website, is a

After what can only be described as a very loooong January, #memadeshade is back for 2021! Yey! And we've got off to a great start with lots of fabulous shades, in all shapes and sizes to brighten up our #memadeshade Instagram competition and hopefully provide our makers with new inspiration and ideas for using one of our lampshade making kits. And this month's winner certainly sticks with the theme of 'bright'! This gorgeous fuchsia shade by Lauren of @juniper_and_spice is