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Cost: $ $ $ $ $

Difficulty: • • • • •

Time: 30 mins

Give a quirky recycled look to your living room…
Create a 3D modern light shade out of the simplest things that you can buy online or in your nearest supermarket and homewares store. It’s a trend called up-cycling. We’ve used a simple white paper ball light shade and some waxed catering paper cups. It will only take you minutes using your Dremel Glue Gun. Simply follow our step-by-step guide and use our avante-garde images to inspire you!

You can check out more fantastic projects on the Dremel website.

Posted by Dremel • Published 24th August 2011 • See Dremel's 31 projects »

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Oh B. commented on Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade 16 Jan 19:20
Oh B. commented on Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade 16 Jan 19:14
Oh B. commented on Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade 16 Jan 19:14
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Kerry and Andy B. added Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade to DIY the Room: Orla Kiely 13 Oct 12:48
Anna B. commented on Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade 13 Aug 06:31
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Esteph H. commented on Paper Cup Pendant Light Shade 13 Jul 07:04

Step 1
Buy and assemble a paper light shade into a globe by inserting the metal frame, following the instructions provided in the pack.
Step 2
With your Dremel Glue Gun switched to the cool setting, apply glue around the edge of the base of one of the paper cups. Starting at the base of the light shade, press the glue to the surface of the shade so that the edge of the paper cup sits against the lower edge of the shade. Repeat with a second paper cup, gluing it against the opposite lower edge of the shade.
Step 3
Complete the first circle by using your Dremel Glue Gun to glue more paper cups around the lower edge of the shade, positioning each one adjacent to the previous one and then gluing its opposite number in place. This technique will help you to glue them evenly around the opening at the base of the shade. This paper shade has a 7cm hole in the base, which requires ten paper cups to surround it, but do check your shade and work out the positioning before you start gluing the cups on.
Step 4
Form the second circle by using your Dremel Glue Gun to glue the cups in-between those in row one.
Step 5
Continue to use your Dremel Glue Gun to glue the cups for rows three and four in-between those of the previous rows, building up circles of alternately placed cups.
Step 6
From row four, use your Dremel Glue Gun to glue cups in vertical lines, positioning them directly above the cup in the previous circle, rather than in-between. The diameter of the globe will be increasing as you approach the centre line, which means that larger gaps will appear between the cups, but arranging them in lines around the bulk of the shade results in a clear and ordered arrangement. For best effect, try hard to ensure the rows remain vertical and the cups evenly spaced. Keep on gluing more cups in place, working in circles and towards the top of the shade.
Step 7
As you approach the top edge of the shade the diameter will decrease and the lines of cups will naturally merge, so that you are once more gluing cups in-between those of the row before, as you were at the base of the shade. Finish with a final row of cups glued adjacent to the opening at the top of the shade, then hang your light shade following the instructions provided in the pack.

TIP: If necessary, stabilise the lampshade while you are working on it by resting the globe on a dish or mixing bowl.

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Comments

Oh B. 16th January 2019

Using the larger cups made of plastic no base is necessary as the cups are truncated cones. They will form into a sphere. Leave an opening the size of your fist and drop battery powered fairy lights in. The batteries last a long time and they're remotely controlled and on a timer, so you don't have to climb up and down so much.

Oh B. 16th January 2019

I made one of these for Christmas 2018. Stopped by here to see if there was better way to hang it. Ours is outside, so we wanted it to be battery powered. We made ours out of 9 oz. translucent plastic cups and used four 100 bulb led fairy lights. Threaded nylon twine through openings in the cups. Now I'm experimenting with 5 oz. cups. They're nearly transparent and make a somewhat smaller ball. We're going to try one 100 bulb string. If that isn't bright enough, i'm pretty sure two strings will get the job done. We're going for two green and two red balls to hang by our driveway for the holidays next year.

Oh B. 16th January 2019

Anna B. · Melbourne, Victoria, AU 13th August 2015

looking super cool

James A. · Melbourne, Victoria, AU 12th August 2015

sooooo cool

BarryBelcher · Atlanta, Georgia, US · 54 projects 21st July 2015

Love this

Esteph H. · Melbourne, Victoria, AU 13th July 2015

so cool

Sam S. 24th June 2012

Any advice on how to hang it? With all the paper cups and glue it's gotten too heavy for tape.

Marine 24th January 2012

Hi! That's a beautiful creation and I would like to do that by myself too but I'm french and I have no idea about what are those cups of paper! What does that for? Because I would like to know where I can buy this kind of stuff!
Thanks!