HOW TO: Custom Handcrafted Rustic Mouse Pad

Finally!!  The perfect project to add some pizzazz to your desk! Plain blue mouse pads get kind of boring some of the time, so I invented my own!
What you need:
  Paint
  8" by 10" by 1/4" piece of wood
  Scroll saw
  Sandpaper 
  Paintbrush
  Paintstick
  Wood Finish 
  Foam Brush
  And a stencil of your design

Step 1: Cutting the Wood

Using your scroll saw, cut a half circle on one end of the piece of wood (do your best to round it). Afterwards, use your sandpaper to round any sharp edges. Sand very thoroughly with the grain in preparation for staining. During the sanding process, scratch the wood by sanding against the grain, this is how you give it the rustic look.  The basic body should look similar to the one in the picture above (excluding the design, and stain).

Step 2: Printing the Custom Design

Tape your stencil to the piece of wood, and paint in the design (I used metallic pearl paint). It should look something like the picture above.

Step 3: Staining the Wood

Open up your wood finish and mix thorougly with a paint stick. Next, wipe all the sawdust off of your piece of wood with a damp cloth and apply the stain evenly with your foam brush as soon as the wood is dry. Avoid staining your design as much as possible. Finally, dab off the extra stain and let dry. 

Step 4: Cleanup

This is the most important step of all! Put away everything after you are done! If you did this before you read the step, CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is a sign of a good woodworker. Pat yourself on the back and go buy yourself some chocolate!!