Simply Made Sunday: Custom Cork Mouse Pad
Welcome to Emily’s Simply Made Series! Each post features a craft that looks cute or is practical but is easy enough for even the uncraftiest of people. Cute DIY things are NOT just for the pros! You can do it too!
With the new optical technology out there for computer mouses-mice-meece? (how do you pluralize that?), there is less of a need for a mousepad. The optical technology works on basically everything, really cutting out the need for a mouse pad anymore.
Except I have a cheap desk, and the mouse is slowly wearing away at the paint, so I decided I wanted a mouse pad. But really? There’s no designer mouse pads, and I want something stylish at my desk…not a puppy or a little baby dressed as a flower.
Luckily, I had some cork squares I had bought at Wal-mart to make a cork board wall. The cork wall failed with all of the squares eventually falling, but my cheap ($5 per 4 squares) cork find was stashed away for my future crafty endeavors (always save those kids of things!). Today, one of those squares has found a home as my mouse pad.
Super cute, and SUPER easy!
And I even made it double sided!! (I kind of have a love affair with mustaches…)
Wanna make one?! Each cork square makes one of these.
You’ll need:
A Cork Square (remember-$5 for 4 at Walmart in office supply aisle)
Fabric
Scissors
[wpfilebase tag=fileurl id=20 linktext=’Mousepad Printable’ /] (optional) OR The shape you want your mouse pad to be
Heat n Bond Ultra (found at craft/fabric stores, available at most Walmarts, too)
First, cut the mousepad shape, or shape you want to use out of a piece of paper. Then, trace your shape onto your cork square.
Then, cut the shape out of the cork with scissors. The cork is thin enough for scissors, but you may want to use a box cutter or exacto knife if you have a dull pair of scissors.
Now, iron a pice of the ULTRA Heat n Bond onto the backside of the fabric you want, making sure they are big enough to cover your cork.
Then trace the shape of the mouse pad onto the paper side of the Heat n Bond/Fabric
I went ahead and traced a line a little smaller than the original shape because I wanted to leave a little cork showing around the edge.
Cut out the smaller shape, then peel off the paper and iron the fabric right onto the cork!
It works just like that, but I added some extras, like a mustache and some wording to give it a little personality…I mean, I work at my computer for hours at a time so I want something to keep my desk fun!
For the mustache, I just added the Heat n Bond to the back of a brown fabric, and the wording is something I’ll teach you in a future Simply Made Sunday Craft….
Then I added a cute patterned fabric I had left over from a previous produce on the back so I had a choice of design!
And now my workspace just got a little more fun!
Another GREAT idea for Christmas!!
Make it your own!
Cut it into a circle, a square, or into the shape of an animal! Rather than fabric, use acrilic paint or colored sharpies to design your look!
We think imitation is the BEST form of flattery! If you make this or any of my Simply Made Sunday projects, come by and post a picture of it on our Facebook page! We want to see!
