A few weeks ago, I picked up a mini ottoman at a thrift store for $5 dollars.  It was a beige patterned fabric that was ordinary, but nothing special.  I dreamed of a perch in my office for my feet and my morning coffee, so I set my sights on reupholstering it in a pale blue silky fabric. 

Here’s a peek at the end result:

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Plain mousepads are boring!  There are plenty of pretty pads available out there for purchase, but I wanted to recycle my old one with the use of some fabric.  This is such a simple project !  I had a plain gray mousepad that I used to use in my old office, but with all of these new upgrades, the mouse pad could not be ignored.  So I recycled my old mousepad by adding a scrap of fabric I had leftover from a recent project.

Supplies:

1. Any rubber backed mousepad
2. Fusible web for bonding (called Stitch Witchery)
3. Iron, ironing board, and moist washcloth
4. Fabric of choice (avoid fabrics that are too sheer, have embroidery, or that resist fusible web due to their artificial fibers).

First, align your fabric pattern on your upside down mousepad, then trim about an inch of fabric all around.

Next, trim a piece of fusible web to the size of your mouse pad, and fold your fabric over the webbing.  Use your hot iron and a moist washcloth to bond the fabric to the pad.  Be careful not to melt your rubber backside by avoiding any direct contact between the back and your iron.

Once you’ve done all four sides, then trim the fabric on your corners, pinch the fabric down, and use more fusible web to bond the corners to the mouse pad.

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That’s all folks.  Simple, and a project you can accomplish in about 15 minutes.

For another tutorial on how to sew a mouse pad, see this post at Craft A Week.

Or try Ashley’s Modge Podge version at Make It And Love It.

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I’ve been wanting pearlized grasscloth wallpaper since I fell in love from York Wallcoverings. Wanting to remodel my own home office/library space in shades of gray, spa blue, cream, and chocolate, I sought out the perfect luminescent shade of grasscloth from a book of exotic wallcoverings I found at Lowes.  This particular grasscloth wallpaper is by Patton Wallcoverings, from their ‘Decorator Grasscloth’ collection.

This book is filled with so many fabulous colors from celedon to gray to cream and mocha brown.   My gray/blue pattern number is 488-309.

Here’s the step-by-step I followed for installing grasscloth wallpaper all by myself!

Supplies:

1. Grasscloth wallpaper, enough to cover the desired walls.
2. Wallpaper paste
3. Smoothing tool
4. Level
5. Measuring tape
6. Staple gun
7. Sharp scissors
8. Paint roller and tray
9. Medium sized paintbrush
10. Extreme tenacity!

Step One:  I measured the height of my wall and cut my first piece of grasscloth, allowing an extra inch on the top and bottom for later trimming.  With a level, I realized a certain truth – no wall is perfectly straight.  I lined up the first piece of paper in the corner, and used a level to make sure it hung straight.  With a staple gun, I secured the top to the wall, then trimmed my corner where the paper was uneven.  The only way for me to hang this very heavy, very awkward paper by myself was by use of a staple gun.  Otherwise, I would have needed a second pair of hands.  I found that the texture of the grasscloth allowed me to cheat by securing my grasscloth with small staples.  I later removed them without any holes or damage.

Step Two:  After stapling on the top, I climbed under my paper and up my ladder, and added paste with my roller to the wall.  I did NOT put the paste on the back of the paper first.  I applied it directly to the wall.  This way, I avoided the need for a big work surface, and kept my paste exactly where I wanted it.

Tip:  Don’t skimp on paste, especially with grasscloth.  The heavy paper needs a sloppy amount of paste – I was very generous in my application.

Step Three:  I used my smoothing tool to get rid of bubbles, and they creep up everywhere.  I had to be extremely patient in pushing them out, and often I had to pull back the paper entirely, and resmooth it.  This is where #10 on my supply list comes in handy.

Step Four – Aligning seams:  This was by far the trickiest part.  With the second piece of grasscloth, I followed steps 1 and 2, but then had to align my second piece perfectly next to the first piece.  Again, I used the staple gun, this time on the vertical, to secure the pieces together every 8 to 10 inches.  Repeat step three and smooth out all bubbles with smoothing tool.  Be sure to remove all of your staples when the adhesive is dry!

Tip:  Apply extra paste underneath the seam with a paintbrush before you align your neighboring strip.  Be careful not to get any paste on your grasscloth.

Step Five:  Carefully trim around your electrical and light switches.  Be sure to remove your switch plate covers before you wallpaper!

Tip:  Do all of your trimming, both horizontal and vertical, with very sharp scissors.  Do not use a razor blade – it will tear the grasscloth and give you a jagged edge.

Step Six:  Trim the top and bottom of your strip of grasscloth once your paste has set.

I’ve never hung wallpaper with paste before, so this project was very time consuming and very challenging for me.  It took me five hours the first day, and another five hours today.  And it’s going to take me awhile to recover before I consider doing any more grasscloth anytime soon.  Besides, three walls in a small office is plenty grasscloth for me!

But I am truly loving the subtle texture grasscloth wallpaper adds to a space:

One drawback:  the seams are more visible than I anticipated, but that’s just the nature of grasscloth.  But with a furnished room it’s less noticeable. Have you all ever wanted to install grasscloth in your home or office?

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I’ve recently been asked by several readers what tools I consider essential to be a successful DIYer.  

Now some gals are proud of their closets full of designer shoes and clothing.  (Need I say Mariah?  Kimora?  Eva?  Paula?)  Not me.  Don’t get me wrong, I love clothes, handbags and shoes too, but I don’t have the budget to invest as heavily as the aforementioned celebs. 

In truth, if given the choice, I’d take the chair and chandelier in Mariah’s closet over that shoe collection.  But that’s just me.

But speaking of closets, there is one in my world that I like very much.  It’s not gilded.  It’s not glamorous.  It doesn’t have any shoes inside.  But I’m very fond of it. 

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