I did indeed make my own mouse pad...

and it was the freakin most simple thing I've ever done. really. you must make one.

what you need

• thermal bond paper - or any other brand of fusing paper.
• a fabric mouse pad - new or used, but nothing else can be on it. like no rubber stamping or anything..
• an iron
• enough fabric to cover your mouse pad
• scissors 
• exacto knife & cutting board (optional) 

 note: I do indeed have concrete floors. they're magical, and are heated all winter, but in the summer, we open all the windows and they suck in the cool air like a t-rex and a squirrel, then the floor is cool all day. it's stupendous. and yes, that yellow is really painted all over in my house. it's glorious, as well. but another blog post...

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instructions:

Cut out a square of fabric the size of your mouse pad, don't round the corners yet. just cut a general square, leaving about 1/2 extra on each edge. (note: if your fabric is wrinkled, by all means, please iron it first *wink*)

place your fabric on top of your fusing paper, and cut it out to be the same size

follow the instructions that came with the fusing paper and fuse the fabric to the proper side of the thermal bond. peel the paper off of the back of the fabric..... 

and place fabric on top of mouse pad. follow the instructions, again, for your specific bonding-stuff (I can't remember the correct term right now and it's easier just to say "bonding-stuff" than figure go look for the right term...)

 fuse the fabric to the mouse pad using an iron. my thermal bond said to use a damp rag when fusing - I didn't, since my iron has a steam setting that pretty much does the job the rag was supposed to do.

now check all your edges, make sure it's all securely fused....

now trim the edges! I used an exacto knife to do this, it was so easy, but scissors work fine too.

and ta da! cutest mouse pads ever. I made one more, but didn't get it in the picture...so cute. the one I just showed you how to make is my mom's, and the cute little girls are mine...ah. the beauty of crafting.

Okay. So, a few notes on this project. Make sure not to get the thermal bonding stuff on your iron. it's a pain to get off and messes everything up. Really. Also, if you're concerned about your mouse pad being too dirty, just take a damp cloth to it and spot clean it. it's okay if it's damp - the ironing will get rid of that problem.

also. ignore my terrible nails. they're horrid, I know. I'm going to fix them now...