I recently found this black lamp at a thrift store for $3.  I had originally thought of spray painting it a bright and funky color but decided against it.  Instead I thought I would leave the base alone and add the personality to the lamp in the shade itself.

I poked around the internet and found a lot of shades.  Most of the stenciled ones were floral or very feminine.

from Amazon

from Amazon

And there were a few that had geometric patterns, but I have to admit.. I’m over chevron.  I wanted something a little less cliche.

from JCPenny

So I decided I would do a modified chevron or carot shape.

I liked the idea of it not being symmetric, and only partially covering the shade.

The process of creating the pattern was pretty easy.  It didn’t even require a real stencil, just painters' tape!

How to Stencil a Lampshade with Painters' Tape

Supplies:
Plain Fabric Lamp Shade (I got this large fabric one at Walmart)
Painters Tape (Frog Tape is my favorite)
Latex Paint (Flat or Matte finish: Behr Onyx was the color I used)
Stiff Bristled Brush (Purdy Clearcut)
Paper Towels

Step 1:

The lamp shade she be removed from lamp for this process.

Apply painters tape to lamp shade to form geometric shapes. In this case, the tape was applied in four rows of parallel angled lines, followed by 6 rows of vertical lines, creating staggered parallelograms.

Step 2:

Apply matte paint to a stiff bristled brush and blot off excess on paper towels. You want the brush to be relatively dry in order to avoid paint bleed on the fabric shade.

Step 3:

Apply paint to the tape stencil working from the tape towards the center of the shape. Do not apply the paint from the inside towards the tape since this will force the paint under the tape and result in lines that aren’t crisp.

Keep the paint layers thin. If you need more than one coat to get enough coverage allow it to dry completely before applying second coat.  You don't want to saturate the fabric.

Step 4:

After paint has dried, remove the tape in the reverse order that it was applied.

Step 5:

If you want additional shapes on your lamp (or to repeat a pattern), repeat the process in other areas of the lamp shade. (Once the first layer of paint is dried, you can apply the painter’s tape on top of it)

The final result is a custom lamp shade that can be matched to any motif in the room.

 I love how it came out.  And I want to encourage you to consider making your own lampshade if you can't find exactly what you want.  Not only will you save money, but you will end up with a piece that is one of a kind!