Dress Up Your Desk With This Adorable Mouse Pad
Feeling like you need some new desk accessories to start out the year? So did we! For our #31DaysofDIY project today, we created some awesome leather mouse pads inspired by Grovemade.
No idea what #31DaysofDIY is? It’s a brand new tradition here at Brit + Co that’s all about kicking off 2015 right. We’ve challenged ourselves to make or learn something new every single day for the month of January, and we’re inviting all of you along for the ride. From DIY basics like Sewing 101 to learning to design and laser cut our own stencils, we hope this month of making inspires you to make all year long.
Materials:
– ¼ inch cork sheets
– leather
– paper plate
Tools:
– ruler
– spray adhesive
– scissors
– hot glue gun
– pen
Instructions:
Spray your cork board with spray adhesive following the instructions on the can. Let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
Apply your leather, smoothing it out and pressing it firmly to the cork. Test to make sure it adheres.
Cut excess leather away from the edges of the cork.
Flip the cork over and draw an outline of your mouse pad using a paper plate to create a circular pad, a ruler for a rectangle, or your eyeballs if you’re free-handing ;)
Cut out your shape. Make sure your scissors are sharp!
Accessorize your mouse pad by adding pockets, appliques and pencil holders.
Let’s get making!
First you need to prepare your mouse pad. Spray your cork with spray adhesive and then adhere your leather, smoothing it out and pressing it firmly to the cork. Cut off any extra leather. Now you’re ready to get creative!
PENCIL HOLDER
First cut out your mouse pad. We went with a circle for our first shape. Trace a paper plate (or anything that is the correct size and shape). Cut out your mouse pad using a pair of sharp scissors.
To create a pencil slot, cut a second piece of leather, using the mouse pad to get the correct measurements. Place your pen on top to see where you would like it to sit.
Staying away from the edges, cut two even slits approximately one inch long. Make them parallel and about ¾ inch apart. Slide a pen through the slot and glue the leather to the top of the mouse pad. By keeping the pen in the slot while you glue, you’ll ensure a good fit.
CLAW-TOOTH HEART
There are so many ways you can go with a free-handed shape, but we chose a heart.
Draw your shape on the back of your cork and cut it out.
We added individual triangles to the edge rounding the backs to fit the curve of the heart. You can cut out any shapes or extra pieces that you want to add to the pad. Just glue them on. Keep in mind that you want a smooth surface for your mouse, so it’s best to stay away from small cutouts in the center of the mouse pad.
For our final mouse pad we added a corner pocket to hold small supplies. It’s the perfect size for a flash drive, paper clips or a mini clothes pins.
Once again, we cut out our shape. This time we made a rectangular mouse pad. Use a ruler to keep your lines straight.
Determine the size, shape and location of your pocket and then cut it out of your extra leather.
Glue the sides leaving one edge open. You’re all ready to add your desktop goodies!
