I love vintage wallpaper...and even wallpaper that is not so vintage. You can tell the age of wallpaper by how its rolled - if the pattern is to the inside of the roll, its old - if the pattern is on the outside - its newer. Whether new or old, there are a million uses for it. You can use this sturdy paper to wrap up presents, make festive placemats for a dinner party or create unique envelopes to send a special greeting. Single rolls of wallpaper abound at the thrift stores since one usually buys more than needed for a project. It is a safe bet that if you don't buy enough, you will surely run out just when you are trying to match the last corner...and the pattern you want will be discontinued...I swear, its some sort of Murphy's Law of decorating! And so explains all those lone rolls you find at yard sales.
I created these colorful lampshades with vintage wallpaper. In this instance, vintage wall paper was easier to manipulate since it didn't have a vinyl coating (an attribute of more current wallpaper). First I drew a template of the shade to cut out the pattern shape from the wallpaper. Then I moistened the paper with some water to make it more pliable. I lightly sanded the outside of the lampshade to give it some "tooth" to take to the glue. I used a mixture of diluted Elmer's glue to adhere the paper to the shade, making sure to smooth out any air bubbles.
The "before" picture...
the "after" picture...
Here's a close-up shot of the shade in the back - since the shape of this shade was more flared, I had to seam two pattern pieces to encircle the entire shade. After the shades were completely dry and I finished the edges, I sprayed a light coat of clear satin sealer on each shade.
The two matching drum shades on the gray metal lamps are for sale at my space at Faded Elegance. Plus I always have a ample supply of individual wallpaper rolls for sale so you can get a roll and design your own wallpaper wonders!
