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handmade paper shade

Tina had two windows in her living room that didn't have curtains or blinds on. I offered to make her a window shade like the one in my foyer. It is a shade that is good if you don't want people outside to see in, yet it let in light. It also has to go on a window you don't need to see out of, becuase it doesn't move.

The supplies consist of rolls of handmade paper, sticks of bamboo and glue. Kmart carries Martha Stewart bamboo sticks that are used as garden stakes.

First measure your window and figure out what size you should cut the paper. I was making a blind with a strip of red so that required some math.. ouch.

When you have the paper cut to size, glue your strips of paper together. I have used a hot glue gun and sometimes even fabric tac.

Cut the bamboo sticks to the size of the paper and glue over the seams where the pieces of paper meet.

Make your top piece of bamboo several inches longer on each side so you can hang the shade from the ends. Cup hooks are good for this.

Here is Tina's finished shade.

It is good to have a puppy around while you re making the shade to encourage you... "Hey that looks good... nice job!"

This is the shade I made for my window sometime ago. Here you can see how the light shines through it. I think the more chunks of things in the paper, the cooler it looks.