Monogrammed Leather Mouse Pad DIY

I've been using a laptop for years, but recently when my dominant hand started to cramp into a gnarled claw, I knew it was time to embrace a stand alone mouse. The problem, I soon realized, was that there are very few attractive mouse pads out there. I didn't want one with an inspirational phrase or anything too crazy ergonomic, just something simple and chic. Read on to see how I transformed a plain pad into something that adds a pretty pop of color to my office.

Things you need: Piece of scrap leather, sharp scissors, pen, old (or new) mousepad, glue gun, embossing powder, stamps, clear ink, embossing heat tool.

Step 1: Flip your leather piece face down, trace the mouse pad and then cut out.

Step 2: Use your hot glue gun to secure the piece of leather and the mouse pad together. I put a heavy stack of books on mine after gluing to flatten.

Step 3: Set up stamps against a ruler to ensure a straight line. Sprinkle gold embossing powder onto ink and melt with heat gun. (For more in-depth instructions, you can use these embossing steps). P.S. The monogram would look just as great with initials stenciled on like this.