Day 15 of my 50 DIY Days: Grapefruit Mouse Pad DIY
Your mouse pad doesn’t have to be boring, it can be fun! This DIY gift idea is perfect for the techie person in your life (and fruit lover). Maybe this gift is the absolute perfect gift for the fruit farming-computer savvy person in your life? Ha! Anyway, I actually made this DIY for the HP Create blog and gave it to myself. It makes my desktop so much happier.
Grapefruit Mouse Pad DIY:
- Heavy cardstock paper
- One 5 inch diameter round cork trivet
- Free Grapefruit Printable
- Scissors
- Mod Podge
- Creamy orange paint (I used Satin Wild Salmon from Martha Stewart)
- Gold paint (I used Metallic Gold from Martha Stewart)
- Clear acrylic sealer spray
Directions:
STEP 1: Print out the grapefruit printable (set to the highest print quality) onto the heavy cardstock paper. Cut out the grapefruit just along the fruit’s edge. Then, in a well ventilated space, (preferably outdoors and wearing a mask) apply a layer of clear acrylic spray to the printed paper grapefruit. Let dry completely.
Note: spraying a layer of clear acrylic spray onto a printed paper will keep the Mod Podge from making the ink smear.
STEP 2: Paint a coat of gesso in along the top edge about 2 inches (be sure to also paint the cork trivet side). Let dry completely.
STEP 3: Apply a layer of the creamy orange paint over the gesso. Let dry completely.
STEP 4: Paint a layer of the gold paint on the side of the cork trivet. Let dry completely.
STEP 5: Use the Mod Podge to glue the grapefruit into the center of the cork trivet. Apply a couple layers of Mod Podge over the whole trivet (allowing 30 – 60 minutes of dry time between coats). Let the last coat of Mod Podge dry overnight.
STEP 6: Optional: In a well ventilated space, preferably outdoors and wearing a mask, apply a couple layers of clear acrylic spray to the whole cork trivet. Let dry overnight (preferably a couple days before use). You don’t have to seal the mousepad, but it will extend the life of your creation.
Total cost for this gift: Under $5 (I only had to buy the cork trivet for this project and had everything else).
– Chelsey
P.S. I am a paid contributor for the HP Create blog. If you create this project, I’d love to see it! You can share a link in the comments below, or tag me in Instagram with a photo, @thepapermama, and use the #papermamafriends hashtag.
You can check out this link to explore past DIY Days.
