Upcycle Progress: Film Slide Lampshade

My upcycle project has been going well. I found an old lampshade at the thrift store, which I stripped for the frame, although it left some sticky residue that I plan to remove so it’s nice and clean, ready for jump rings and film slides. I made sure to pick a lampshade that I found objectively ugly so I wasn’t taking one that someone else would likely buy.

I’ve also spent some time drilling holes around the edges of the plastic slides I got since I can’t easily punch holes in them like I can with the paper slides. I debated where to place the holes since there are some dots already on the slide, but I decided the jump rings would have to be too big to use those spots as holes. The jump rings are not the focus of the piece, so I opted for a hole very close to the edge (about 1mm from the edge) so the slides can sit close to each other.

I had to buy a tiny hole puncher for this project, which has not arrived yet, but I’m worried it won’t be strong enough to punch through the thick paper of the film slides. If it isn’t, I’ll probably drill them too, which will be messier than I’d like, but I’ll do it if I have to.

I don’t really have a schedule for this project. So far, I’ve been working on it occasionally, like coincidentally finding the lampshade when I was just shopping for clothes or drilling holes while watching a movie. I don’t expect the rest of the project to require an excessive amount of work, so I’m not worried about setting a strict schedule. The next steps are to punch holes in the rest of the slides and attach them with jump rings.

I have some optional additions to this project, like small stained glass pieces, fabric in place of some film slides, or a beaded scallop at the bottom of the lampshade. I’ll decide whether I want to add these things once I’m about to put it all together. I’ll spend some time organizing the slides so they appear thoughtfully arranged yet still random, rather than forming a clump of green or white ones. During this time, I’ll also decide if I want to add more elements besides just slides.

Everything in this project is upcycled except for the jump rings. This includes the film slides, the lamp base, and the lampshade frame. I strive to do this with all my projects, but there are some things that have to be bought new. I’m looking forward to seeing how the lampshade looks with a color-changing LED light bulb. If I don’t like the combined aesthetic of “nostalgic ephemera” and the almost futuristic aspect of an unusual color, I may opt not to use the color-changing bulb.