I love, love, love this!   A really bright idea – a lampshade designed with a Sharpie by  Shelly Norsworthy of Walla Walla, Washington (a mostly rural area with a growing winery community, Shelly says).  Here’s how she did it:

First she printed a template from diyideas.com silhouette art, then she taped the template onto the inside of the shade. She sat in front of a window where the light acted like a backlight and used a Sharpie fine point marker – the same Sharpie she uses to label her kids’ clothes – to first outline the template, then color it in.

Total project time:  15 minutes!

“I already had the lampshade but I wanted to pull in a black and white motif in my master bedroom,” she said.  “It’s an easy way to get a custom look and the ladies in the Design on a Dime group on Cafe Moms thought it was really cool.  I didn’t intend for it to be this big art project; I just didn’t want to watch another episode of Hanna Montana, so while I was sitting there I did this.”

Shelly has two school age children.  “I don’t have a business as of yet, but am seriously considering starting a staging company. Because I live in a very rural area, with not even a Target in sight, I’m forced to come up with inexpensive yet unique decor items that don’t look like they came from a big box store (although they probably did:)).

“Diyideas.com is my favorite on-line resource for home dec projects..BTW, the silhouette art in the background of one photo was also done with the help of a Sharpie and the same templates.”

I think a light just went on…I want a Sharpie lampshade too!  Re-mark-able!

Shelly and her Sharpie