Natalie at Vegetablog made a paper lampshade for a lamp using her Silhouette SD craft cutter machine. She used 10 pieces of vellum paper cut with a bubble pattern she designed, then overlapped the papers and attached them to a pendant light. There’s no doubt a craft cutter will make this project simpler, but if you have a few hours to spare, you can do it with a craft knife, too. [how to make a paper bubble lampshade] [via]

A note about flammability: Natalie added a small cage at the top of the pendant light to keep the paper away from the bulb. If you make a project like this, please take precautions to keep the bulb away from the paper. One of the commenters on Natalie’s site suggested using a product called Flame Free, which is a spray you can use to help make things you use in crafts flame retardant.

Project Estimate:

• 10 pieces of vellum, about $10
• Craft cutting machine or craft knife, on hand
• Pendant lamp kit, $4 at IKEA

Total: $14