With four kids, I go through a lot of milk in my house! Even though I recycle the containers, I thought it would be fun to find a way to repurpose them. When I saw mini vellum lamp shades in the bridal section of a craft store I decided to try to make my own with milk jugs.

The plastic isn’t as delicate as vellum, and you can paint it to match your decor or party theme.

Project Estimate:

• Plastic milk jugs, on hand
• Plastic wine glasses, $1 for six
• Battery-operated tea lights, on hand or $1
• Paint, on hand
• Template, free

Total: $1 and up

Step one: Cut the top and bottom off the milk jug. Trace the template onto the plastic and cut. I modified the template so it only had one tab instead of three.

Step two: Paint a design on the plastic. I used a stencil to make simple lines.

Step three: Assemble the lamp “shade”, place a tea light in the glass, and top it with the milk jug mini lamp shade.

Since they’re flameless tea lights, these lamps are safe to use around children. You could paint them any color, or embellish them with ribbon, rhinestones, or trim. You could even decoupage tissue paper onto them. Wouldn’t they make cute table decor for your next get together?