DIY Hanging Doily Lamp

 



 I actually made this lamp as a Christmas gift for my cousin, Alicia. I wasn't sure what to get her so I did some creeping around on her Pinterest and saw that she had pinned a lamp like this. It is a project that I have been wanting to tackle for a long time now and decided that this would be the perfect opportunity.  I did a lot of research before I started, took all of the advice I could find, and it paid off because this lamp turned out exactly how I wanted it to (I love when that happens). I ended up being easier than I expected too.

Here are a few more picture of the final product.

 

 

The materials for this project include:

• fabric doilies (I used 6 large ones)
• wallpaper glue
• large balloon
• light kit (light bulb socket on a cord)
• old or cheap lampshade with a wire frame
• light bulb

I bought my fabric doilies from Lens Mill Store. I cut them up into more manageable pieces and for the final layer I cut them into their patterns (see the picture below).

I used wall paper glue to stick the doilies together, which I bought at the Home Depot (that is also were I got the light kit).

I blew up the balloon and hung it from the ceiling. next I started adding doilies. I dipped the fabric doilies into the glue and made sure that they were totally covered in glue before sticking them to the balloon. I just used my hands for this part so it got a little messy but worked well.
The most important advice that I can give you is to TAKE YOUR TIME with this! I glued a couple pieces of doily and then let it dry overnight. The next day I glued a few more, and so on. If you try to glue them on all at once, the weight of the glue-covered doilies can cause them to slide down the balloon. 
I left an opening at the top so that I would be able to get the balloon out easily and so that I could fit the wire lampshade frame inside.

 

 

To attach the bottom doilies, I took the balloon off of the ceiling and set it on a bowl.

When I had all of the doilies on, I added a final coat of wallpaper glue to add strength. I let that dry for a couple of days before I popped the balloon. Once the balloon was out, I added the wire frame from an old lampshade. I bent the edges of the doilies at the top around the wire and sewed it in place with embroidery floss.
My reason for the lampshade frame was to add strength and to have a place to put the light blub socket that would allow it to hang nicely from the ceiling.

I added the light kit (which included a chain for hanging), a light bulb and hung it from the ceiling. That's all there is to it!