Blog | Dannells Blog

5 days ago
4 min

#memadeshade May winner

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

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7 days ago
3 min

Promote your Lampshade Making Workshop with Dannells

With indoor get togethers now possible we're so pleased that Lampshade Making Workshops can start to take place and you can share your passion for lampshade making once again. Whether you’re a kit maker, professional lampshade maker or even a wholesaler of our Needcraft lampshade kit range, behind the scenes we’ve been developing useful ways to support you, particularly if you run or are planning to run workshops in the very near future. Teaching others how to make lampshades

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May 21
3 min

5 reasons to make a DIY lampshade

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

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May 20
4 min

#memadeshade April winner

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

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Apr 15
4 min

#memadeshade March winner

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

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Mar 18
2 min

Interiors inspiration: The natural trend

It’s been top of the shops for a couple of years and the trend for natural materials in interiors is definitely here to stay for 2021. From string to bamboo and hessian to cork, the natural trend allows you to add interesting textures to a room, that aren’t just pleasing on the eye, but also create a great sense of balance too. It’s fit perfectly with our current need to bring the outside in. The upside of this interiors trend? It slips effortlessly into place due to its mute

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Mar 9
3 min

#memadeshade February Winner

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

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Feb 24
3 min

Lampshade Kit Hack #6 - Starry Night Lampshade + FREE Template PDF

Highlighting our professional cutting service in our last blog post got us thinking that it would be fun to explore a DIY version of the same thing and this effective star cut out hack was born! Making shades for a children's room opens up plenty of cool creative ideas and we think kids will love the soft glow of the stars shining through the fabric. The stars are a simple design, the perfect unisex lampshade and with all of our drum lampshade making kits, this can be used as

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Feb 22
2 min

3 creative services for next level lampshades

Pimping your lampshade is easier than you think. There’s the DIY route, that we all know and love, using one of our lampshade making kits with beautiful fabric, sophisticated trims or coloured, metallic or even neon PVC's, to bring your shade to life. Or you could use one of our 3 creative services, to really enhance your shade making and take it to the next level. Pick from designing your own fabric, creating your own bespoke shade dimensions or trying out one of our excitin

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Feb 18
3 min

#memadeshade January Winner

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

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Jan 29
4 min

Lampshade Kit Hack #5 - Happy Holidays Map

Hands up who’s dreaming of a holiday escape? 🙌🏻 We Britons love our holidays - a day by on the beach, playing in the sand and sea rounded off with a fish and chip supper. We thought we’d capture those happy holidays with one of our Rectangle Rounded Lampshade Making Kits and in this DIY tutorial we’re going to show you how to make a lampshade using a paper map. Whilst this project uses regular lampshade making skills, there are a few differences when working with paper, but

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Jan 4
4 min

5 resolutions to kickstart your lampshade making year

Happy New Year! We’re finally in 2021 and we’re hoping it’s a better and brighter year for everyone. To celebrate our craft and your passion, we'd love you to kick off your lampshade making year with a bang and encourage you to try something new and exciting in 2021. Whether you’ve been considering making your first Dannells Lampshade Making Kit for your home or are already an accomplished shade maker, take inspiration from and get creative with, our 5 resolutions to take you

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Dec 22, 2020
2 min

#memadexmasshade winner

We're finally at the end of what can only be described as a challenging year and we'd like to say a huge Thank You for your amazing entries to the Dannells #memadeshade Instagram competition, that have kept lampshade making inspiration and creativity flowing throughout the year. With nearly 2,500 entries, not only have you all had a chance of winning, but have helped create a fabulous library of gorgeous lampshades, to help inspire new and existing makers. There really is not

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Dec 2, 2020
1 min

Join us for a LIVE festive Lantern Making Kit workshop on You Tube!

It’s workshop time! After a string of successful LIVE Lampshade Making Kit workshops in #lockdown1 we’re back with a mini festive themed treat! Sam, our Dannells Demonstrator, will show you how to make up one of our festive Lantern Making Kits on You Tube on Friday 4th December at 1.30 pm (UK time) and we'd love to see you there! Our Lantern Making Kits were practically made for the festive season (but can also be used at any time of the year!) and are compact give a rosy gl

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Lampshade Hack #5 – 4 ways to add lampshade trims

5 brilliant ways to make your retail lampshades look professional

Liberty Patchwork Lampshade DIY Tutorial

#memadeshade May winner

Promote your Lampshade Making Workshop with Dannells

5 reasons to make a DIY lampshade

#memadeshade April winner

#memadeshade March winner

Interiors inspiration: The natural trend

#memadeshade February Winner

Lampshade Kit Hack #6 - Starry Night Lampshade + FREE Template PDF

3 creative services for next level lampshades

#memadeshade January Winner

Lampshade Kit Hack #5 - Happy Holidays Map

5 resolutions to kickstart your lampshade making year

#memadexmasshade winner

Join us for a LIVE festive Lantern Making Kit workshop on You Tube!

Lampshade Hack #5 – 4 ways to add lampshade trims

#memadeshade September winner

5 brilliant ways to make your retail lampshades look professional

Liberty Patchwork Lampshade DIY Tutorial

#memadeshade August winner

5 perfect fabrics for lampshade making