Repurposed Materials: Thrift Store Lampshade Into Cheese Platter
Today I'm going to show you how to make a cheese platter out of repurposed materials from a lampshade! This is a fantastic repurposed ideas tutorial that will show you a really cool way to turn an old lampshade, ready for the garbage, into an adorable cheese platter ready to impress any guest in your home!!!
What does repurposed mean?
When I create posts on repurposed materials, for me that usually means taking something old or something I no longer use for its traditional use, and turning it into a different product or tool so that I can use the same material in a different way.
I'm going to do that today when I show you how the bones of a lampshade and turn it into the base of a cheese platter! It's an excellent upcycle idea (I use repurpose and upcycle often interchangeably) and give new life to an object that might otherwise end up in the trash.
Why is repurposing important?
Another reason why I love repurposed items is that they are mostly free! If we can give an old item new purpose, then it's a brilliant money-saving way to use what we already have without having to buy something new. Plus it means less trash in our landfills, less waste overall, and a fun and creative project to make out of something we may already have on hand!!!
What is another word for repurpose?
As I mentioned above, I usually use repurpose and upcycle interchangeably. Upcycle ideas and repurposed ideas to me mean the same thing. The main point is to rescue something from the trash or the thrift store and give it new life as its job is different than what was originally intended to do.
What materials do I need to make a cheese platter using a repurposed lampshade?
- Stop by your local thrift store and find an old desk lampshade like the one pictured above
- Black spray paint
- Olive wood small platter (you can use any flat surface for this, but I just love the grain pattern of olive wood. It tends to be a bit pricier, but I was willing to pay it for both the look and quality.) I have also found much cheaper wood slabs at T.J. Maxx - but that is a total hit or miss. The wood platter I bought can be used by itself as a cheese platter, but I'm just giving it extra height by adding one repurposed material from the lampshade to the wooden platter.
- Aleene's Liquid Fusion Clear Urethane Adhesive
How do I make my cheese platter using repurposed materials?
- Start by ripping or cutting off all of the material that was glued or wrapped around the metal bones of the lampshade. You can discard the material.
- Spray paint the metal lampshade bones black. **A word of advice when using spray paint - it is better to put on two or three thin coats rather than put on one thick coat. Spray paint is thin and drips easily.
3. Let the metal portion of the lampshade dry for a few hours.
4. Use Aleene's Liquid Fusion and glue the metal piece onto the center of the wood board.
5. Let that dry for at least 24 hours.
6. Hand wash your cheese platter before using it and then you can go ahead and add your sliced cheese, crackers, and maybe some fruit like grapes for your display. If you want to cut your cheese with the grooves in it like mine, then grab this handy Vegetable Crinkle Cutter and French Fry Slicer that I have.
Won't this cheese platter look great on any snack table you have for an upcoming event? Who would have thought that using a repurposed lampshade would make your next cheese platter look chic and fantastic!! Plus since this is a fun idea to upcycle - you just saved that metal piece from ending up in a landfill!
After you use your cheese and cracker platter, please note that this is not dishwasher safe and needs to be hand-washed after each use.
If anyone would like a free printable of "Laughter Is Good Medicine" that you see in the image above, scroll down after the project and click on "Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!" and click the "GO" button where you can download your copy for free so you can print and frame your own!
If you make one of these cheese platters yourself, be sure to leave a note in the comments of how it turned out!
Resources for this project:
See all materials
Comments
Join the conversation
-
Looks very nice. Great upcycle.
-
Excellent job.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
You can use any lamp shade frame. Be sure to scrape off any glue before you paint. I love the idea another person suggested putting a plate on the bottom. How about using a dinner plate on the bottom and a salad plate on top? Gold or silver paint. Use 3600 glue.
Excellent idea. I have a few old lamp shades I'm going to try this with
The olive wood is very expensive $54! What would you suggest instead?