#creativeshades

6 days ago
3 min

NEW Fabrics - Design and Print your own Lampshade Fabric

New for 2023 we’ve extended our lampshade fabric printing range, adding two new high-quality fabrics selected specially to make your bespoke lampshade design stand out from the crowd! Pick from our new luxurious satin or hardwearing 100% natural cotton, both of which offer different fabric finishes and can be used with our standard sized lampshade panels. Today we’ll introduce you to all of the benefits of printing onto our satin and natural cotton, as well as share the detai

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Jan 10
4 min

How to Choose the Perfect Sized Lampshade

If you’ve discovered our Lampshade Making Kits but are struggling to work out what size of lampshade you need, this post has ALL the answers! Our guides will help you choose the most suitable diameter, height and shape of lampshade, allowing you to focus on the exciting part – choosing your fabric! Choosing the width or diameter of shade (height of base) Firstly let’s start by explaining the diameter of a lampshade, which is the width across a lampshade, from one side of the

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Jan 5
3 min

2022 Blog Review - A Year of Lampshade Making

Another year of fabulously creative lampshade making is nearly over and it’s time to look back on how the Dannells Lampshade Making blog has inspired, educated and supported your lampshade making skills and small lampshade making businesses. A true exchange of ideas, you, our customer community inspire us every day with the lampshades you make and we hope that the blog has done the same for you, in 2022! Soft Shade Making Series It was the year of the Soft Shade for Dannells,

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Dec 13, 2022
4 min

Christmas Lampshade - Star Shaped Frames

We’ll be wishing on a star this Christmas, a star-shaped lampshade that is! Completely unique, our star-shaped frames, together with our Lampshade Making PVC, make a lampshade like no other and will definitely be a talking point with your guests! Not available to buy on the high street, our six-pointed star-shaped lampshade is the perfect vehicle for either a patterned or plain fabric and would look just as good in a space-themed fabric in a child’s room, as it would in a bea

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Sep 23, 2022
3 min

Lampshade Kit Hack #10 - Natural Table Lamp Kit

With natural materials and tones firmly rooted in today’s interior trends, we thought we’d give a natural make-over to one of our favourite products – the Table Lamp Making Kit. Effortless stylish and perfect for every room in the house, we’ve hacked this easy-to-make kit with the simple additions of raffia and wood, coordinated with a beautiful quality linen fabric from our latest fabric range. We think the result is both modern and impressive for very little time and effort

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Aug 30, 2022
3 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Paper Lampshades

While fabric is an excellent covering for making lampshades, the possibilities of using paper are endless, whether you're starting with a blank piece of paper for your creative ideas or using a map or wallpaper to create your own unique shade. In today's post, we explore the long history of paper lampshades and also the traditional, modern and innovative crafts and techniques that contribute to making paper lampshades real things of interior beauty. Basic history A staple of

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Aug 11, 2022
4 min

New Lampshade Shape - How to make a Y-Frame Lampshade

New, novel and completely unique, our Y-Frame Lampshade ring set will certainly add a point of difference to your room! A shade like no other, the three arms create the Y or propeller shape, which is a fantastic vehicle for a plain fabric which enhances the unusual shape. For double the impact, pair with an eye-catching pattern! Read on for more information on the materials you need and our step-by-step tutorial packed with plenty of hints and tips, to help you make this quir

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Aug 3, 2022
4 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Loose Cover Lampshades

Following the trend for whimsical, country cottage interior design, the loose lampshade cover has made a comeback in the last couple of years. Originally created for its functionality in busy working homes, the loose covered shade has become a way to effortlessly bring delicate patterns and prints into your home, with a side order of fabric embellishments! We explore the creative options the loose shade offers, the sizes and shapes of shade that work best with this style and

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Jul 14, 2022
3 min

Lampshade Kit Hack #9 – Retro Flower Silhouette Lampshade

Using the silhouette lampshade concept as the basis for our latest Lampshade Making Kit #hack, we've transformed a drum lampshade, by adding a hidden pattern to the inside. With a darker or coloured fabric, this will only show when the light is switched on. The striking retro flower design is created using the easy-to-use Olfa Circle Cutter, meaning a perfect circle every time. Have a go at our tutorial and you'll realise that the silhouette concept holds masses of creative

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Jul 6, 2022
3 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Silhouette Lampshades

Unique and striking, Silhouette lampshades have a fabulous element of surprise that springs to life when the light turns on! Increasingly more popular, this clever style can be made by using a plain lampshade outer fabric and a patterned inner covering, which can be seen as a 'silhouette' due to the glow from the bulb. This month's Lampshade Style Guide tells you all you need to know about Silhouette Lampshades, the lampshade supplies you need to make them and an inspiring mo

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Jun 14, 2022
4 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Candle Clip Lampshades

Wall lights can be a beautiful source of subtle lighting in your home, but can also be overlooked as a focal feature or being shown off with a unique shade. In this month’s Lampshade Style Guide, we look at the origins of the wall lights, tips on making Candle Clip Lampshades and ideas and inspiration from our army of makers to ensure these little shades shine! A little bit of history Wall lights and chandeliers have been the mainstays of lighting in homes, since medieval tim

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Jun 2, 2022
4 min

Lampshade Hack #8 - Jubillee Ribbon Pinch Pleat Shade

We couldn't let the Platinum Jubilee slip by without celebrating the occasion, so we've taken inspiration from a vintage lampshade style - the pinch pleat shade - and added our own modern ribbon twist. Using royal blue striped ribbons, matching bias tape and a Conical Lampshade Making Kit this shade hack is packed with new, but easy to grasp skills and we think the result is definitely fit for a queen! What you’ll need to make your Ribbon Pinch Pleat Conical Shade 30cm Conica

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May 10, 2022
6 min

Lampshade Style Guide: Velvet Shades

Velvet, it seems, is never out of fashion. Its opulent qualities lend a touch of luxury to our interiors and for lampshades, it’s no different. With its history steeped in regal influences, in this month's Lampshade Style Guide we explore how velvet has become an accessible and tactile material for lampshade making, the perfect coordinating materials to use to showcase this and plenty of troubleshooting tips from our professional lampshade makers. A little bit of history Firs

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Apr 19, 2022
5 min

Lampshade Inspiration - Going Large with Lampshades

The upshot of making a super-sized lampshade is not only the wow factor but the huge surface area that you need to cover to make up the shade. In today’s blog post we showcase three creatives who scale up their talents to make huge lampshades with a difference, using innovative techniques, community art and unusual materials. Dominic Green - Statement and Style Dominic Green’s story may start in a similar way to many lampshade makers – a desire to buy a lampshade that fitted

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Apr 6, 2022
4 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Pleated shades

A lampshade style that’s hit the limelight in recent years, or should that be the spotlight, is the ‘hard’ pleated lampshade, defined by its knife pleat folds, that create a sharper and crisper looking shade than its soft shade fabric sibling. In this month’s Lampshade Style Guide, we look at the pleated shade’s origins, how versatile it is and tips for making one yourself. A little bit of history With help from David Mitchell from OrigamiHeaven.com, we’ve discovered that the

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Mar 8, 2022
4 min

Lampshade Style Guide - Empire Lampshades

Welcome to our new Lampshade Style Guide! In our new monthly series, we’ll be looking at one particular style of lampshade and each month we'll explore its USP. Focussing on shapes, types of fabrics and coverings and function for both soft and hard shades, we’ll delve into its history, uses and making tips, along with plenty of inspiration for how the shade can be best used in your home. We're kicking off this month with a traditional shaped hard shade – The Empire A little b

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Jan 31, 2022
2 min

Share the Shade Love - Celebrate your Favourite Lampshade Maker

Valentine, Galentines or Palentines is just around the corner and regardless of which one you celebrate, we’ll be helping you share a different love – the love for your fellow lampshade makers! We’re super proud of you, the community of lampshade makers that use Dannells products, and we see time and time again how you step up and support each other, sharing tips, knowledge or simply liking a commenting on other lampshade makers shades across social media. So, to celebrate th

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Jan 5, 2022
4 min

BEAM – 5 ways to grow your lampshade making business

Happy 2022! With a new year ahead and after a couple of weeks of essential rest and relaxation, now is a great time to reassess where you are in relation to your goals for 2022 and your lampshade making business. If you’re ready to take the next step, we’ve got five exciting ways in which you can get to the top of your lampshade making game and add new services, breath new creative life into your products and expand your selling reach. Read on to find out how you can make 20

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Dec 23, 2021
3 min

Blog highlights and Top Posts of 2021

It’s been a busy year on the Dannells blog and with many people trying their hand at lampshade making in the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, we’ve been writing blog posts that inspire, educate and support you, whether you’re new to lampshade making or already an experienced and established lampshade maker. This year alone we’ve posted over 80 blog posts that cover everything from lampshade making tips, tricks and tutorials to small business advice. As 2021 draws to a close we tho

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Dec 14, 2021
3 min

Lampshade Inspiration - Different Shade Shapes

As fond as we are of the super versatile drum lampshades, that are seen everywhere from our homes to hotels to the high street, lampshades making doesn’t have to be all about circles! Once you have the skills in your lampshade making arsenal to make a drum shade, the world is your oyster when it comes to alternative shapes of shade. Today we’re going to showcase the other shades we stock, share maker inspiration to tempt you to try a brand new lampshade shape and give you exp

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