I’ve been really obsessed with the idea of making light fixtures these days. That desire has grown on me when I started planning on my future home, and those of my friends’ as well. I really take pride in bargains and elegantly inexpensive stuffs. Also, why buy if you can make one?
After buying basic crafting materials, I started working with this project. By the way, this is actually my 3rd crafting project. The first one I made was a jewelry storage, but I will probably post that later.
The original plan was to make a light fixture, but I realized that the bulb socket that I bought was too big. I can however, use that for a bigger lampshade. I just happened to get the smallest ice cream container that’s sitting in my kitchen. YES, the lampshade itself is made from an ice cream container. That one was a Selecta Hershey’s Ice Cream.

used Selecta Hershey's Ice Cream bucket for lampshade - it's the top one that's shape like the conventional lampshade if inverted
Going back, so I decided to just skip the lighting part. I am still planning to work on the lighting some other time. I’m planning of using some of those tiny Christmas lightbulbs, probably 10pcs of those.
Wondering why it’s called a vanity lampshade? The lampshade stand holds the answer. It’s a perfume bottle.
I have a lot of perfume bottles since I’m into perfume business. The Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey is perfect. The clear frosted bottle gives it an elegant look. The shape of the bottle is perfect as its wide base slims upward as it meets the lampshade itself.
So anyway, these are the materials that I used to make this Double Purpose Mini Vanity Lampshade.
Materials:
- Used ice cream bucket including the lid
- craft paper of your choice (I used a pink craft paper with bronze zebra pattern for P15 or 33 US cents)
- white faux pearl beads in 2 sizes (I bought the big pearl beads in a craft store for P15 or 33 US cents)
- lace of your choice (I just used a piece of a lacey fabric that I had cut off from an ongoing blouse alteration project)
- glue stick
- glue gun
- perfume bottle (Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey)
- perfume cap (I used Burberry Brit Sheer cap to secure the lampshade on top of the perfume bottle)
- metallic acrylic paint in platinum (I just used a cheap platinum nail polish)
I don’t want to elaborate much on the procedure. You simply just have to cover the surface of the ice cream bucket with the craft paper. Cut the excess paper and leave enough paper to fold in the inner top and inner bottom of the bucket. Make sure it’s snugly covered.
Line the bottom of the lampshade with your chosen lace, then adorn it with pearls. Do the same with the top of the lampshade. It’s up to you if you want to add lace on it as well. I used seed beads on top from an old chunky bracelet.
The ice cream bucket’s lid will be used as the platform or lampshade base. I painted the surface of the base with platinum nail polish that I already have. It was cheap anyway and it seemed more like a paint to me. I still couldn’t get it off my nails with an acetone. I left the side of the base as it is. The bronze zebra pattern on my craft paper matches the bronze colored lid.
The tip or the lid of the Issey Miyake L’Eau D’Issey perfume bottle is shaped like a ball. The material is metallic. So what I did is that, I secured the square shaped lid of of Burberry Brit Sheer on the center, inside top of the lampshade. The lid has a circular crevice made for the spray control mechanism so that’s where the tip of the Issey Miyake will lock into place.
If you want a taller and slimmer lampshade, you can put an old disc (CD) at the opening of the lampshade, then stick the tip of the Issey Miyake perfume inside the hole of that CD. That itself secures it.
This project gives a new twist to your old perfume bottles. You can re-purpose or reuse those perfume bottles that will also serve as a decor on your vanity table. You can also put this beside your vanity mirror in the bathroom. You can spray this perfume as soon as you get off the shower. It’s just within your reach. I, personally, will put this in my bathroom.
I’ve only spent 60 pesos or around 70 US cents for this project. With that kind of price, I can simply say I didn’t spend anything at all. I have only used 15% of the craft paper and I used just half of the pearl beads. So let’s say, I’ve only spent 20 pesos or around 40 US cents.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this project. I’d also love to see your creation if you decided to give this project a try! Please send me an e-mail at cherrey_westlife@yahoo.com using the title of this blog as an e-mail subject.
By the way, if I finally add light to finish this project off, I’ll soon update you all!



























































