Decorative Mouse Mat

Many people now have a separate room or area set up as a home office so it's nice to have accessories and stationery to suit your decor or put your personal stamp in the area to show your individuality.

If you already have a desk, why not start with an easy do-over on a mouse mat to brighten the area.



Supplies needed:
- Old mouse mat - many companies give out promotional ones that can be easily redecorated as per the one I had below. It's best to use one with a smooth top rather than the softer rubbery surfaces some mouse pads have.



- Decorative paper
- Decoupage medium with brush or sponge
- Cutting mat with paper cutter and metal ruler (or you can use scissors if you have a steady hand)



Instructions:

1. Trace around the mouse mat on to your paper with a pencil then cut out either with scissors or your paper cutting knife. After cutting, make sure the paper fits your mouse mat. If there are any edges that overlap a little, these can easily be trimmed later.



2. At this stage, I usually coat the paper in decoupage medium and leave to dry. It makes the paper a little stronger and easier to work with but isn't compulsory.



3. Once the paper is dry, coat your mouse mat with the decoupage medium so the paper has something to stick to.



4. Stick the paper carefully on top and coat in decoupage medium. As you're doing this, you'll need to carefully smooth out any bubbles or wrinkles in your paper. The back of your nail or even the rounded end of your brush should help you do this.



5. Once dry (the instructions on the decoupage medium bottle will give you an idea of the time however it doesn't normally take too long), you can give it another coat and leave to dry again. I would recommend using at least two coats to make it more durable.

Now you're ready to use your mouse mat - a simple and effective way to put your own decorative touch to your office area.


Categories
#Home_Accessory
#Upcycling_Projects
#Decoupage
#Accessory
#Decor
#Easy
#Paper
#Mod_Podge
#Papercraft
#Desk
#Office
#Mouse_mat
#Stationery





%decornotes