Recovered Mouse Pad

I cleaned my office today. And I really cleaned it. (Ok, by office I mean desk. I haven't hit the shelves or files yet, I have to save something for Christmas, I mean Winter Break.) Not only did I put everything away but I also wiped down all the surfaces and made it pretty clean. In the process I noticed just how disgusting my mouse pad was. I mean there was dirt, coffee stains, and just general nastiness that comes from a mouse pad being about 4 years old. I realized I needed a new one but I really didn't want to buy one and was too lazy to go look through the closet to see if I could fine one. I looked online for tutorials on making one, but they all involved sewing which was just too much work for a mouse pad. I thought, hmmm I wonder if I could Mod Podge scrapbook paper on mine to make it like new. Well, I just happened to have a very important lunch meeting with some very important people at the HyVee which just happens to be next to Hobby Lobby. It didn't take much convincing to make a quick stop on our way back to work.

Here are the supplies.

This was a super easy project. But even so, I'll write a tutorial.

1. Trace your existing mouse pad onto the back of the scrapbook paper and cut it out. When I cut the paper out I cut on the outside of the line. I'm glad I did this as I didn't line the paper up perfectly but the extra paper covered it all up. Note: My mouse pad was fabric covered, I'm not sure how well it would work with a slippery one.

2. Use the Mod Podge to glue the paper to the mouse pad. Use something heavy to hold it down while it dries.I knew The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration would come in handy someday.

3. Use the Mod Podge to seal the paper after it has dried. I think I did about 3 coats waiting 15-20 minutes in between each coat. This was the perfect amount of time as that was about how long it took me to get frustrated with my grading. I mean really, you are in college do you work and use a pen!

That is it. Really super easy and impressive. I was concerned about if it would work or not and as it turns out it probably works better than the original mouse pad. The Mod Podge gave it a nice finish so it is pretty smooth and easy to move over. There were no problems with the Mod Podge making it too reflective so the optical mouse worked just fine.

Before After