For cutting plexi, check out this article. I've searched HGTV up and down and can't find the project. But I do know it was featured on Decorating Cents.

Oh Rockstar--what am I gonna do with you?? Okay, here goes. You take the blades off the original fan and use them as a pattern to trace new blades onto a sheet of plexiglass--which you can get in varying thicknesses at just about any good hardware store like Ace. Okay, then, using a jigsaw, you cut out the new fan blades. You reproduce the mounting holes in the plexiglass blades with a drill and bit. And then you remount your new see-through, modern-looking blades on your fan. If see-through doesn't appeal to you, you can sand them to get them to look frosted. Is that better? ;)