Hi I dont know much but I bought the martha stewart magazeen this month and her pumpkins were made with Tissue paper instead of news paper and you could see the light shinning through. Really cute.

Hello
I have recycled old lamp shades that look great, and I always seem to be doing these for friends that see them and just love them.
I take an old lampshade, I like the fluted ones and using layers of bathroom tissue I very carefully and very lightly brush them onto the shade with wallpaper paste thinned out a little thinner than usual, be carefull as the tissue tears easily  (not that it matters the textures are just great,)  I then use several colours of dry tempara paint mixed with the paste and daub it on to the wet tissue blending colours and leaving white tissue spaces, you will find when dry that the tissue will show the light denser where the shade was covered with more layers of tissue and the coloured painted areas are semi transulant. I started these a couple of years ago and it seems that I always have a waiting list to make them for friends
Hope you find this usefull, I will be pleased to explain further if needed
Terry

I have used thin, white paper toweling or tissue paper -- sorry, forgot to mention that previously.

It seems to me that decoupage techniques would be more suitable.  Mod Podge is a great prodect and you can buy in Satin, Matte and Glossy finnishes.