Tag: lampshade

If there was one thing that ever defined my Pap’s schedule the most, it was the cows.

Cattle farmer’s lives run on when cows have to be fed.

I vividly remember leaving my great uncle’s funeral in a hurry to go feed the cows with my Pap.

We both rode on the tractor, him in his suit, me in a dress, and hurriedly fed the cows before going back to gather with the rest of the family after the funeral.

I also vividly remember a calf I grew up with, named Blackjack.

I also remember when I asked my dad where Blackjack was one day and he responded with, “On our plates.”

And I didn’t bat an eye.

The cows fed us and paid our bills.

I still miss feeding the cattle and I miss my Pap.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Online Fabric Store. Y’all know how I roll though, all opinions are 100% mine. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

A few weeks back I saw this cowhide lamp shade and fell in love with it. The only problem was, of course, its price tag of $109.

I knew I wanted a cowhide lamp shade though. Not only would it fit perfectly with my decor, but it would be a nod to my Pap.

Even though he is somewhere shaking his head and laughing because he probably doesn’t understand why in the world someone would want a DIY cowhide lampshade.

DIY Cowhide Lamp Shade

Here is how I made my own DIY cowhide lamp shade and you can make one too for less than $15.

Get excited!

Here’s what ya need:

– 1 1/2 yards of Tan Cow Velboa Faux Fur Fabric

– Brown Satin Ribbon

-Lampshade (I used one I already had. You can find a basic one here* for $10.)

– Hot Glue

*Depending on the size of your lampshade, you may need more or less fabric. I got three yards to begin with because I thought my lampshade was pretty big and still overestimated.

I started by taking the lampshade from my DIY bottle lamp and ripping off the old covering. If your lampshade wasn’t re-covered to begin with, you don’t have to do this. I’m just a frugal gal and re-use things as often as possible.

Then, I spread my fabric on the floor and laid the lampshade on top of it.

I rolled the lampshade over the fabric to get a good idea of how much fabric I would need, then did a rough cut of the excess fabric.

Once I had the excess cut, I took my hot glue gun and glued one end of the fabric down along my lampshade.

Next, I rolled the fabric back onto the lampshade and applied hot glue along the inside bottom edge, then pushed the fabric into the glue.

Keep going! You’re almost about to have your very own DIY cowhide lamp shade!

When my two ends met, I hot glued the edge that would be on top into a neat fold and then glued it down on top of the other end.

I sat the lampshade upright and snipped the fabric where the metal frame was, then hot glued those edges down and trimmed the fabric.

I added the brown ribbon along both the top and bottom edges of the lampshade. I just put a dot of hot glue every little bit and pushed it onto the shade.

And that’s it.

$100 lampshade or $15 DIY cowhide lamp shade?

Ding! Ding! Ding!

I’ll take the $15 one!

You can get the info on the DIY bottle lamp here – it’s easy to make! And see how I used this same fabric to make a faux cowhide rug here!

You might also want to see…

How to Make a Lampshade from Scratch and Your Own Lamp Finials – turn any fabric into a lampshade!

16+ DIY Lamp Makeovers and Ideas – SO many great ideas here!

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