• About
    • About Blue i Style
    • Tour Our Home
    • Free Organizing eBook
    • Blogging Resources
  • Work With Me
    • Interior Decor & Organizing Services
    • Partnerships & Collaborations
    • Blogging Resources
  • Features & Press
  • Policies & Disclosures
  • Contact

Blue i Style

Creating an Organized & Pretty, Happy Home

  • Decor
    • Tour Our Home
    • Room Makeovers & Design Plans
    • Decorating Tips & Tutorials
    • Outdoor Decor
    • One Room Challenge
  • Organizing and Cleaning
    • Organizing Tips & Tutorials
    • Organizing By Room
    • Organizing on the Go
    • Cleaning
  • DIY
    • DIY Tips & Tutorials
    • Smart Home & Safety
    • Paint Tips & Projects
    • Crafts
    • Cricut Projects
  • Kids
    • Decor & DIY for Kids
    • Organizing Kids
    • Life With Kids
  • Five Minute Projects
  • Holidays & Entertaining
    • Seasonal & Holiday Decor
    • Entertaining
    • DIY Gifts & Gift Guides
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

DIY Tips & Tutorials· Five Minute Friday

DIY Belted Lampshade

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

After having so much fun drawing inspiration from menswear when decorating Beckett’s new “big boy” bedroom, from the argyle wall and the houndstooth rug, to the neckties on the play tent and the belt wall shelves and drawer pulls, I hit a road block when it came to the lampshade. I thought about covering a shade with a suiting fabric – like pinstripes or herringbone, but I was afraid a pattern would be too busy when with paired with all of the various art above the dresser.  I finally decided to simply leave the lampshade plain and call the room done. That is, until I was gathering up the extra belts that I needed to return to the store and realized that I a belt wrapped around the lampshade could look really great.

I had hoped that I could simply wrap the belt around the lampshade and buckle it in place, but the belt was just too long.

My mind often approaches things from the most complicated angle before coming up with a simple solution, so my first thought was to somehow shorten the belt. Yeah, I know. But the next day it dawned on me that the lampshade had a seam in the back, so there was no reason the belt couldn’t be seamed as well.

I positioned the belt buckle at the front center of the lampshade (immediately opposite from the lampshade seam), and then used some blue painters tape to hold the belt in place. I used blue painters tape because I knew that it wouldn’t damage the satiny fabric of the shade.

I then pulled the belt tight around the shade and gathered the excess belt length together in the back. I used more blue painters tape to tape the excess belt together.

This allowed me to see exactly how much of the belt to cut off, and ensured that the two cuts ends would meet at the back of the shade even with the seam.

Next came the question of how to affix the belt to the lampshade. I thought about using hot glue, but feared that it wouldn’t hold up well over time. Instead, I opted to use a permanent fabric glue that had been recommended to me by mom (who works with fabric much more than I do). I first applied the glue to the back of the belt on either side of the buckle, then placed the belt on the lampshade. I laid the shade down on its side (seam side up), and continued to add glue to the back of the belt, pressing it to the shade little by little until the entire belt was attached.

The glue – Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac (purchased at JoAnn Fabric) – takes a while to dry, so after affixing the belt to the lampshade, I used some hair clips to hold the belt in place until the glue was dry and the bond secure.

And that’s all there was to it. A simple and masculine belted lampshade, perfect for Beckett’s menswear inspired bedroom.

And the brassy belt buckle is a perfect compliment to the Nate Berkus brass rivet lamp base that I scored on clearance at Target a few months back.

Next week I’ll be back to share the details of the two other belt related project in Beckett’s room – the dresser pulls and the shelves. If you’ve ever used belts in your decor, I’d love to see your projects!

Oh, and see that cool Denver art print on the wall above the dresser? Want to win one of your favorite city? Well, today’s your lucky day. I’m doing a giveaway! Click here to enter!

The links below include all of the other projects that went into the creation of the Vintage Preppy Little Gentleman’s Lounge:


  • Facebook
  • Twitter

05.16.14

« {GIVEAWAY!} City Art & More by Albie Designs
{diy with style} Let There be Porch Light »

Meet Angela

Angela, the founder of Blue i Style, strongly believes that decor should be functional, organizing can be beautiful, smart DIYs help stretch your budget, and an organized and stylish home can still be practical for life with kids.

Her work has been featured in print in Better Homes & Gardens and 5280 Home magazine, and online by HGTV, the Today Show, Good Housekeeping, and more. She was also named a 2018 Stylemaker by Better Homes & Gardens.

You can reach Angela at angela@blueistyle.com

COPYRIGHT & PHOTO SHARING POLICY

All text, images, and other content that are part of this blog are the property of Blue i Style, unless otherwise noted. All material is copyright protected.

If you wish to feature one of my projects, feel free to share a single photo (no collaged images, or images with text overlays) as long as the no pin code is used to prevent my image from being pinned from your site.

All features must include credit to Blue i Style with a link back to the original content (not just to the homepage). The project steps, supply list, and/or sources may not be disclosed.

Please read my full content and photo sharing policy to ensure you comply with all guidelines. Failure to do so constitutes copyright violation.

Create At Your Own Risk

Any and all content on this website is for personal use only and created exclusively for inspiration purposes.

Creating with my suggested methods, products used, and tools is at your own risk.

Please ensure you are following proper guidelines with anything used, and you receive professional guidance when necessary.

Read my complete disclosure at: Policies & Disclosures.

Sponsorships & Affiliations

To help fund this blog, I accept some forms of advertising, sponsorships, and affiliate links.

If you buy something that I recommend, you pay the same price, but I may receive a small commission. As always, all opinions are my own.

Blue i Style is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

I use an affiliate marketing service which may automatically put links into some posts, so please assume any/all links may be affiliate links.

Read my full Disclosure Statement.

Copyright © 2023 · Dazzling Theme theme by Restored 316

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest