DIY Doily Light: Simple Suspended-Sphere Lace Lamp Shade

So simple a child could make it – and have fun in the process, too. And the result? A shining example of how light and shadow can work together to brighten up a room.

Swedish craftswoman Isabelle Dos started with a simple party-shop balloon, blown up big and wrapped in white lace place settings painted with wallpaper glue.

The soaked material sticks readily to the sides of the inflated sphere, overlapping to form a contiguous shell, suspended and left to dry overnight like a plaster cast.

Pop the balloon and presto: a little cut in the top lets you drop in a bare bulb and create your own chandelier, potentially using whatever pattern you want (if lace feels a little too old-fashioned) to frame the outside and filter the light.