You will need

• lampshade (ours is aluminium)
• soft cloth
• copper leaf
• size (glue for copper leaf)
• copper powder (optional)
• soft craft brush
• sponge brush
• masking tape
• sharp scissors

To make
1 Wipe the lampshade clean, to remove any dust, dirt, grime or finger marks. You can use benzine or diluted vinegar to get rid of any oily residue.

2 Use masking tape on the areas that you don’t want to cover with the copper leaf.

3 Start with one section of the lampshade and apply the size with a soft craft brush. Be sure to work in continuous strokes; because the surface is so smooth, any brush strokes or finger marks will easily show through the copper leaf. Wait 20 minutes to give the size time to dry and become tacky. Test it with your knuckles before you continue.

4 Cut the sheets of your booklet of copper leaf into smaller pieces. Lay one piece on the lampshade and smooth it out with a sponge brush.

5 Lay down another piece of copper leaf on the lampshade, so that it overlaps with the first one, and smooth it out. Keep going to cover the whole section.

6 Now move onto another section. Apply size and repeat the steps, as before. Continue until you have covered the whole lampshade.

7 You can fill in any gaps with copper powder, if necessary. Apply the powder with a small, soft brush.

GOOD IDEA Repeat the copper and pink theme on different items in the room. We applied some copper leaf to the legs of a chair.

Text and image: Ideas magazine