Style

• Look for a lampshade that needs a style boost. Take inventory first at home for possible lampshade ideas. Then stroll through the clearance aisle of the lighting department of your local home improvement store and look for basic, plain lampshades.
  
  Renovate a generic lampshade by taping off vertical lines to desired widths. Apply a semi-gloss water-based finish to the exposed areas. The effect is subtle but classy.
  
  Use a paper hole punch along the bottom of a plain lampshade. Thread colorful pink ribbon through the holes and finish by tying both ends together in a large bow. This look is perfect for any little girl's room.
  
  

Materials

• Keep the cost of a new lampshade within budget. Once you think of a particular look, make a search of materials on hand. Substituting materials will sometimes produce a better end product than the original design.
  
  Use plain white glue and a little hot water to adhere the Sunday funnies or maybe favorite sheet music to a boring lampshade. You don't need to buy special decoupage at the craft store when this old standby method works beautifully and cheaply. Top off the surface with water-based polycrylic to protect the finish.
  
  If the lamp base is plain in both color and design, apply the method above to a square lampshade. Use the same design on two adjoining sides with an alternate design on the remaining two adjoining sides. This frugal tip produces two different lampshades for the price of one shade. Fickle can still mean frugal in this case.
  
  

Type

• Hanging Lampshade Idea
  
  Sometimes determining the type of shade needed makes it easier to come up with unique lampshade ideas. Hanging lamps from the ceiling are simple to put together and the reading height can be adjusted as well.
  
  Buy a simple and affordable hanging lamp cord from any import or home interior store, suchas Pier 1 or Ikea. Dig out from the attic or closet or beg or borrow a vintage drum shade from your grandmother. Attach the two and hang from a ceiling hook.
  
  Lampshade ideas don't have to conform to anyone's standards but your own. Make a lampshade as individual as you are. Sit back and enjoy the compliments.