Boring lampshades – not any more with The lampshade lady’s guide to lighting up your life: 50 custom lampshades & lamps by Judy Lake. Using inexpensive basic frames, a range of fabrics, photos, postcards or anything that inspires, a tired lampshade will be resurrected or a personalised new one produced.

It can be difficult to be enthusiastic about creating that personal touch for a short term home but Decorating to go by Robin Bernard and Adrienne Nappi gives suggestion on how to do just that. Advice, design ideas and how to achieve a lot with little money will create a feeling of home as well as an ability to transfer the result to another home.

How do you hang a big screen television? Why can’t you ever find your tools?  What should you do with that old sun-lounger? Solutions to these questions and others will be given in Weekend projects: a step-by-step guide to more than 50 DIY projects by Reader’s Digest.

Learn new skills from these books or others including self-sufficient living, upholstery and cooking home-grown produce in this month’s Home and Garden Recent Picks.