When your decor starts to look a little blah, don't think the only option is an expensive makeover with new furniture. Sometimes all you need is a little dose of color, or a surprising twist to the expected. One way to give a fresh, new look to your room is by decorating a plain lampshade.

Flirty Ruffles
For a look at home in a shabby chic-style room or anywhere you like fun and flirty, turn to ruffles. You don't even need a sewing machine. Fabric and craft stores carry extensive selections of ruffled trim in just about any color, pattern or fabric you could desire. Start at the bottom edge of your lampshade, and glue the end of the trim in place with a dab of hot glue. Wrap the trim upward, circling the lampshade and slightly overlapping each layer of trim. Periodically apply a spot of glue to keep the ruffles from drooping. When you reach the top of the shade, cut the trim and glue the last edge into place.

Stencils make it Easy
You don't need fantastic drawing skills to create a masterpiece on your lampshade. All you need is paint, stenciling brushes and a few stencils to create your design. You can repeat a simple shape or geometric design around the shade, create a mural-like effect with a stenciled scene or write a word, inspirational phrase or a name across the shade. Hold the stencil in place with spray adhesive while you work, and dab paint gently into the stencil with a stippling brush. Let the paint dry, then move the stencil to the next part of the design.

Paper Perfection
Cover a lampshade with an old map, sheet music, giftwrap, scrapbooking paper or even pages from a magazine or catalog. To cover the entire lampshade with one large piece of paper, create your pattern by wrapping the paper around the lampshade, using poster putty or small balls of tape to hold it in place. Fit the paper to the shade, then cut away the excess. Use hot glue to attach the paper to the shade, smoothing away any wrinkles or air bubbles with your hand. If you are using several smaller pieces of paper, arrange them as you like to cover the shade.

Rustic Romance
For a little bit of country flair, cover your lampshade with burlap, then add raffia bows, calico flowers or other embellishments. Wrap a piece of burlap around the shade to determine the perfect fit. Cut the burlap, and use hot glue to attach it to the shade. Decorate further by gluing raffia bows around the lamp, or cutting flower shapes out of pretty calico material, then gluing them to the shade. For a more primitive look, glue small twigs over the burlap, creating a rustic design or highlighting the edge of the lampshade.