Nanny&Me

Finished Product 

My first kick at the can. This one went to my hubby's office.

My third and final one for my home office area.

The Idea

As we prepare our home for the arrival of our nanny, we are concurrently preparing for my return to work. This craft project served two purposes: 1) to customize my work-from-home space, and 2) to add a fun and colorful decor piece to the nanny's bedroom. I will be working from home three days per week and it's very important to create a conducive work-from-home space which includes a quiet area away from where my little guy will be spending his indoor time with our nanny. I wanted a space that would inspire focus and drive my work ethic, as such, creating a little office space downstairs was a perfect fit. In addition to the one for my office space, I've been working hard to brighten up the nanny's bedroom, and this seemed like such a fun contribution to the space. When I saw this idea, I fell in love with it! My husband saw me putting together the materials and decided that he'd also like one for his office, so a third one is in the works.

How-To

This one's another simple and fast project that looks awesome! You'll need a clear desk pad from Ikea, strong glue, wrapping paper of your choice, and a few items from around the house (scissors, heavy books, newspaper).

How simple are those materials?!

Start by laying out some newspaper on the surface where you'll be working. Next roll out your wrapping paper. Place the desk pad on top of the wrapping paper and line them up. I used the wall and the edge of the desk I was working on to provide a clear and easy-to-follow grid for lining up the paper to the desk pad. Flip the desk pad over and brush on a coat of glue. I used Elmer's No-Wrinkle Rubber Cement. I have heard of crafters using spray adhesive, and was actually hoping to use PVA paper glue, but couldn't get my hands on any at Michael's so I went with Elmer's and hoped for the best. I'm not sure if the PVA might have provided an even better seal, but the Elmer's worked pretty well.


Press down firmly on the pad and hold. Cut around the edge that allows you to separate the roll of wrapping paper from the piece being used, but leave the other edges to trim later.

Flip the pad over carefully and press down on the paper, smoothing it out from one side to the other to remove air bubbles. Place heavy books down to aide a tight seal and catch up on your favourite TV show (with a yummy snack) while the glue dries.

Bark Thins and Parenthood (my second favourite show)

Once the glue is dry, apply a thick coat of glue around the edges (by separating the paper from the pad and running your brush inside) and the corners, put the heavy books back and let dry. Once that coat is dry, you can cut out around the edges (I used scissors the first time around, but then switched to using an x-acto knife for the second one and had MUCH better results) and voila...your very own custom desk pad with your favourite pattern and colours!

This one was my 2nd go round for our nanny's bedroom.

Cost & Materials 

Clear desk pad: Ikea - $9.99
Wrapping paper: Homesense - $5.99
Elmer's Glue: Michael's - $4.99

Total Cost - $21 (but you can cut this cost down even more by finding wrapping paper on sale and using whatever spray adhesive or clear craft glue you have around the house).

Other Materials



Scissors or x-acto knife
Heavy books
Newspaper
Clips for securing corners