After revamping my workspace last year, (post on that coming real soon), I found myself absolutely loving the little bits that made it feel mostly unique and personal to me. A space that was styled to the point where it felt like it had my name written all over it…(literally!) When you work from home, I find one of the most difficult challenges is to remember that it has to be an environment that enables you to get s*** done and not a place that constantly reminds you of all the endless amounts of chores you are yet to find the energy to complete. (Defeatedly staring at the enormous pile of ironing as I write.)  Having a few little details personalised to you is a great way to keep you focused and feeling pretty awesome about the goals your trying to achieve. As some of you know Branding has always been a pretty big deal to me so I thought why not use it as an excuse to replace the teeny tiny coaster I’ve been using for god knows how long as a make shift mouse mat for a more practical DIY one, incorporating my logo at the same time of course. Happy Days.

I’ve seen a few of these tutorials floating around just using any chosen material to cover the front but if your going to go to the effort of DIY’ing then you may as well go the full hog and personalise it by adding this simple additional step. I think it’s well worth it and def a way to show off your own personal style with whatever particular brand your into.

Simply follow these simple steps paying particular to some of the details as they make a difference in the final results!

Materials required are –

IKEA AVSKILD cork mat (4x come in a pack) | Scissors | Mod Podge Glue | Iron on transfer paper (1x sheet) | Circular Template | Material

Step 1. Start by taking your template (whatever your shape) and mark it with your marker onto the mat. I used a 9″ cake tin which worked out to be a pretty good surface size.
Step 2. Take your scissors and cut out the marked shape.
Step 3. Next, print out your chosen image onto the iron transfer sheet *REMEMBER YOU MUST REVERSE YOUR IMAGE BEFORE PRINTING, THIS PURPOSE IS HUGELY IMPORTANT SO THAT ONCE IRONED ON IT WILL APPEAR CORRECTLY AND NOT BACK TO FONT. Set your printer to it’s best print settings and print onto the blank side of the iron on transfer paper. Once completed, cut your image, leaving approx 1cm edge around the outside.
Step 4. Have your iron at the ready and set  it to the hottest setting possible. Iron out any creases that you may have in the material and let it cool. Now place your image face down correctly on top with the lines facing up. Each transfer paper differs in times but generally I’ve found applying pressure in a continuous moving circular motion for around 2-3minutes does the job. (Concentrating on the edges and keeping it as flat as possible.) Let this cool before pulling the top layer off in one swift steady motion.
Step 5. Cut out your image (which is now transferred onto the material) leaving approx 1cm around the edge of your image. Then start to apply a thin, even layer of Mod Podge onto your cork mat, ready to smoothly place the material on top.
Step 6. Smooth out any creases that may come from placement and make sure you are happy with the mounted position on the mat.
Step 7. Cut away any access material that is hanging over the edge of your mat.
Step 8. Now let set and dry completely… Then place your no longer lonely, unloved, computer mouse on top of it’s new rightful home.

So what do you guys think? Are there any other little work space touches that make you smile when working from home? If feeling inspired give this a go and be sure to let me know how it turns out!

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