DIY Painted Cross Stitch Lamp Shade

Although I am very comfortable with crafting supplies like paint, adhesives, wire and glitter (!), I have never been a big fan of needle and thread. I know it’s just about as classic as it comes in terms of DIY-ability, but I think I inherited my mom’s distaste for all things within the sewing genre. That’s not to say that I don’t fully appreciate all of the beautifully intricate things that other people sew together though! I love delicate embroidery and colorful cross stitched home accents, but know that they are just too far outside of my comfort zone to tackle in my own studio.

All this to say that I recently found out that my favorite craft medium of choice—paint—is a prime stand-in for thread, as in the case of my DIY Painted Cross Stitch Lamp Shade. I achieved the look of a pretty floral cross stitched motif without so much as glancing in the direction of that intimidating needle-and-thread duo. Instead, I created a modern blown-out printable pattern, transferred it to my linen lamp shade and then painted my way to needlepoint perfection with just a paintbrush—and the good news is that you can get the step-by-step process (and printable!) right now over on eHow.