A Magical Vintage Lampshade Flower Crown

Since it is my birthday, I am sharing a really special DIY. Today, I am sharing how to create a magical flower crown on a vintage lampshade.

We created these vintage lampshades with flower crowns for my book, A Home to Share. They are an absolute show-stopper, and I can’t wait to show you how to make your own step-by-step.

Crafting a Fresh Flower Crown on a Vintage Lampshade

I am so excited to share this DIY with you. It may be one of the most stunningly beautiful DIYs I have ever created. When planning my book, A Home to Share, we wanted to create an over-the-top beautiful but achievable table for a gathering.

Over the years, I had accumulated several vintage lampshades which were sitting in a corner in the Carriage House. Whenever I saw one at a flea market or vintage show, something told me to take it home.

You can find vintage lampshades at garage sales, Goodwill, flea markets, vintage shops, and the like for next to nothing. Remove the fabric if you find one with an incredible shape that still has fabric on it! I also provided links below to new lampshade frames I found on Amazon. You can use new ones too!

If you have my book, A Home to Share, you can follow along on pages 208-209.

Materials Needed

You need a few materials to create a breathtaking vintage lampshade flower crown. I have included the materials for hanging the vintage lampshade in this section so you can gather everything together before you start.

1. Vintage (or new) lampshade with a sturdy frame;
2. Netted floral foam bricks like these or these, enough to cover the bottom of the lampshade frame;
3. Green floral wire;
4. Fresh flowers and greenery: choose whatever colors make you happy (use larger flowers and ones with a firm stem);
5. Large tub for water;
6. Pruning shears;
7. Wire for hanging;
8. Turnbuckle Hook and Eye for hanging.

Once you have gathered the materials, you are ready to start the flower crown DIY. Once made, the flowers in the flower crown will last 3-4 days (depending on the heat).

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Soak the Netted Floral Foam Bricks

First, soak the netted floral foam bricks in water until completely saturated. Allow the bricks to absorb water for 10-15 minutes, ensuring they are fully soaked. This will provide a water source for your fresh flowers and help them stay fresh for longer.

Prepare the Vintage Lampshade

While the netted floral foam bricks are soaking, prepare the vintage lampshade. Make sure that it is clean from dust or debris. A little rust, however, is not a bad thing. Remove any existing fabric or covering from the lampshade frame, leaving only the wire structure.

This wireframe of the vintage lampshade will serve as the base for attaching the floral foam bricks and fresh flowers. I also found some lampshade frames on Amazon for you!

Secure the Netted Floral Foam Bricks to the Vintage Lampshade

Once the netted floral foam bricks have soaked sufficiently, you can secure them to the lampshade frame.

Start by turning the vintage lampshade upside down so that the top, the smaller end, is on your work surface and the bottom is readily accessible. Hold a netted floral foam brick against the bottom of the lampshade frame and securely wrap the floral wire around and around until the floral foam brick does not move. Add and wrap netted floral foam bricks around the bottom of the lampshade until completely covered.

You can gently press the bricks onto the wire frame to secure them further. Ensure the bricks are secure on the frame and cover the entire frame, providing a stable base for your flower crown.

Add Fresh Flowers and Greens

Now comes the exciting part: preparing the fresh flowers and greens to decorate your flower crown. You want to use larger flowers with a competent stem. Because you will be pushing the stem into the netted floral foam bricks, the stem needs to be strong enough to push through the floral foam and support the flower head.

Roses, gerbera daisies, and carnations come in many colors and make beautiful flower crowns. Trim the stems of the flowers at an angle, leaving approximately 2-3 inches of stem length. Remove any leaves or thorns from the stems. While flowers like ranunculus are beautiful, their stems are too dainty and their petals too fragile to use unless you reinforce the stems with floral wire.

Start with the largest flowers first. Gerbera daisies are nice and wide, and roses open nicely to cover a lot of the netted floral foam. Carnations are an excellent filler flower; and I love using eucalyptus in all my flower arrangements. Remember to distribute the flowers evenly around the base of the lampshade, covering the entire surface.

Once the bottom of the lampshade is filled with flowers, turn it right side up. To add flowers to the top of the netted floral foam bricks, balance the lampshade on top of a taller vessel so that the flowers you just added to the bottom of the lampshade do not sit on your work surface. Finish filling the top and the inside of the netted floral foam bricks so they are filled.

Incorporate foliage or greenery between the flowers to add depth and texture to your flower crown. Step back periodically to assess the balance and adjust as needed.

Once the netted floral foam bricks are filled, you can hang your gorgeous creation!

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Hanging the Vintage Lampshade with Flower Crown

I used wire rope cable, a zinc-plated hook, and an eye turnbuckle to hang my lampshades with flower crowns. The water-soaked netted floral foam bricks, flowers, and greenery will make the lampshade quite heavy, so keep that in mind when deciding where to hang yours.

Check out my blog post on building wood tabletops and also my book (pages 150-155) to see how I hung my vintage lampshade flower crowns in an outdoor dining room I created with 2×4 posts, wood framing, and stability boxes.

Setting the Table

We set this table for forty people, so I did a LOT of mixing and matching!

Flower Crowns with Faux Flowers

You could also make these vintage lampshade crowns using faux flowers and greenery. You wouldn’t need to soak the floral foam; attach the netted bricks to the lampshade frame, cut the stems, and add your faux flowers and greenery for a forever flower crown!

One last thought: You could add a solar light bulb to these lampshades. We didn’t need the light because we have hanging string lights in our backyard, but it’s a fun option!

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