This post and photos may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through any link I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
So the other day I was in Wally World in desperate need of a new mouse pad. You know how one day your old one is fine and then BAM! It’s suddenly dingy and gross? My need level felt desperate and they only had one style in one color. Crazy, bright, ugly blue. I dug around in the box. I looked all around the shelf. I just knew there had to be a different color than this. Red maybe? What about black? There wasn’t.
Since it wasn’t worth it to drive across town to another store, I paid my $3 and went home. Sitting on my white desk, day after day, the serious blue was really ticking me off. So, rather than having an ugly mouse pad staring at me for one more day, I decided to DIY it.
For this project you will need:
- mouse pad (preferably cheap, disgusting or ugly)
- fabric
- Mod Podge
- cheapie foam paint brush
- scissors
- fray chek
STEP 1: Apply a healthy amount of Mod Podge straight onto the top of your mouse pad with a cheapie foam brush. Be sure to spread it all the way to the edges and corners.
STEP 2: Take your piece of fabric and press it onto the Mod Podge, doing your best to keep your pattern straight, if that matters. If you’re not sure if you’ve got is straight, don’t sweat it – you’ll be able to tell in step 3. Which reminds me…
STEP 3: Flip your pad over and double-check on your pattern. You can kind of finagle it here to be more the way you want it to be. Give the back a good wash to remove any stray Mod Podge.
STEP 4: Flip your little sucker over and give it a good rub or two to make sure there are no bubbles or other weird goings-on with your fabric. Use scissors to cut around the pad and remove any excess fabric.
STEP 5: Go around the edges of your pad with some fray check. This will keep the fabric from, well, fraying and looking like a hot mess. Allow your mouse pad some time to dry out and VOILA! You went from nasty to classy in 5 easy steps and about 10 minutes!
I hope that you enjoyed this DIY. Feel free to post any questions in the comments. Have a wonderful weekend!
I actually like the bright blue mouse pad you started with, and I’m really not a fan of houndstooth. (Don’t judge me.) But I absolutely love this project, and I plan to cover my own not-so-lovely slime-green mouse pad forthwith!
I figured they mass manufacture that pad in that particular blue because people do like it so it’s okay that you do. But how could you not like houndstooth, oh my?!!! :) Best of luck covering up that slime green.
That is always the way, isn't it Barbara! Thanks so much for stopping by :)
Thank you so much for reminding me that my ugly mouse pad MUST GO. It is disturbing the careful quiet of my office and is filthy as well. Such a small detail, yet so important.
As far as I'm concerned Alabama has good taste as well :)
Love this idea! You really have good taste in Alabama houndstooth fabric too!
I'm so excited, Lacey! I hate the idea of buying something new just because what I have isn't as pretty as I'd like it to be. It seems so wasteful. I am very glad that you are able to revamp your mouse pad essentially for free. Awesome! Thanks for reading!!!
I am so doing this tonight!! Our mouse pad isn't ugly…it's actually really cute with pictures of Golden Retriever puppies on it, but it's really dirty and nasty looking and no matter how much I try to wash it…nothing really seems to work. Now I have a fix that won't cost me anything other than some time since I always have scrap fabric and mod podge in the house!!!
What a great idea, Cindy. Thanks for sharing!
A sheet of craft foam is excellent for making a mouse pad. You can buy different colors and cut them into decorative shapes. You can cover it with cloth too.
I want a new mousepad now! Wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing!
Great idea! Love you sense of humor too. :)
I'm so glad that we'll be two less ugly blue mouse pads in the world! Thanks for stopping by! :)
I absolutely love this, thanks so much for sharing!! I had to laugh when you talked about searching Walmart for anything other than that bright blue, because that bright blue is exactly what we have, and it's hideous! LOL. Royal blue is possibly one of my least favorite colors, but it's all that's available (that's under $20). Thanks to this tutorial I can now cover up the blue. =)