DIY Plug-in Wall Sconce With Interchangeable Shades

This wall sconce is an easy project to make - They are made in 2 parts, the base and the shade, which can be made of different materials. And because they are plug-in, they can be installed easily anywhere. I recommend only using LED light bulbs with these lamps.

Supplies

Base (for 1 wall sconce)

12” x 12” aluminum sheet 

Candelabra light kit (clip-on socket & switch)

Shade

white plastic flexible chopping mats

Plastic corner guards

Long prong silver brads (1 bag = 30 brads) 

Permament Vinyl (for pattern)

Transfer tape (for vinyl pattern)

Tools (for base):

Metal snips

chisel

Tools (for shade):

Cricut maker machine or other cutting machine (for pattern)

Scissors

Drill/drill bits

Step 1: Make the Base Using the Template

I share more details, and the template for the base, in this instructable. Essentially, once you have the template drawn or printed, you temporarily stick the template to the 12" x 12" aluminum sheet, then using straight pattern metal snips, cut the aluminum sheet according to the template (wear gloves): cut along the solid lines, remove the small rectangle in the middle of the square, and bend the middle square 90 degrees. 

Step 2: Shade - Cutting the Vinyl Pattern

I purchased the svg file with a pattern I liked from etsy, uploaded it into the Cricut Design space software. I sized it to fit the size of the shade (13.5" x 9.5") and I also made 2 rectangles to be cut - these will be used to secure the shade material to the corner guards. I placed the vinyl onto the cutting mat and then let my cricut maker machine do the cutting. I then weeded out all the parts from the pattern that weren't needed.

Step 3: Applying Vinyl to the Chopping Mats

I placed transfer tape over the vinyl overlay, which I then placed on the flexible chopping mat, making sure to rub it everywhere so it would stick well to the mat. I then removed the transfer sheet and used scissors to trim off the excess.

Step 4: Attaching the Corner Guards to the Shade

I cut the corner guards to match the height of the wall sconce shade (9.5") and for each corner guard, I covered one side with a vinyl rectangle. I lifted the ends of the design from the chopping mat and sandwiched the remaining side of the rectangle between the chopping mat and the vinyl design. It sounds complicated but you'll see from the picture, it's very simple.

Step 5: Attaching the Shade to the Base

I used the base to mark the location of the holes on the corner guards, and used a drill to make the holes in the corner guards, then I used brads to secure the shade to the base.

Step 6: Hang the Wall Lamp on the Wall

I made wall panels to hang the wall sconces so the wires wouldn't show, and I used a wall mounted switch and plug-in receiver to turn them on and off. These wall sconces are very light so they can be secured with double sided tape.

Step 7: Make Other Shades

There's many different styles of shade you can make, these are just a few and you can see how to make them in this instructable. Have fun using your imagination coming up with other ideas for shade materials!