DIY lap desk

So for this christmas I decided to make all homemade gifts! Yeah it was scary but saved me a ton of money!

This gift is a belated christmas/birthday present for my father-in-law. Since we didn't see my in-laws this christmas we are spending a week with them in Disney world in January so they will get their presents then!

This seemed like it would be a hard project but it wasn't! It literally took me at the most 30 minutes. Also it only cost me $8 to make (most of the stuff I had lying around the house)!!

So here is what you need:

- A piece of wood (type and thickness if up to you)

- Foam

- Fabric and some ribbon

- Hot glue gun

- Stapler

- Adhesive spray 

Let's get started!

First off for the wood, I got a bargain at the thrift store and found this beauty for $6 when I was expecting to get a nightstand to cut up!

I then got some "memory foam" from Walmart (yeah don't be fooled it isn't real memory foam). Any foam will do, it just happens that I had some lying around from another project. You don't need a lot, just enough to cover the wood and leave an inch border. 

I doubled up on my foam but you can decide on the thickness you would like. I then sprayed my wood and pressed the foam in place. Warning: do not spray in the house! I laid down some paper and still had to scrub my floors after (I didn't fancy going outside in the snow).

The next step is stapling the fabric to the wood.
**Since this is for my father-in-law I couldn't use all of the flowery fabric I have so I went hunting around the house and found this wash cloth! It was perfect because our family loves Disney!

To do this lay it on top of the foam making sure that the fabric covers the foam and can attach to the edges of the wood. Start off with one side and then pull (as tightly as desire, I recommend to pull pretty tight for security). Having a buddy for this part can be helpful, pull the opposite side and staple. 

TIP: Leave a couple of inches at the corners, trust me it will make your life easier

Do the same method for the remaining sides. Then for the corners you can make a fold with the fabric or do it like me and have a rounded corner. All I did was pull tightly, a corner at a time and staple (a lot!).

Then cut off the excess...and your almost done!

Lastly grab your ribbon and hot glue gun. I got a ribbon that was wide enough to cover the staples and reach the edge of the wood. I hot glue gunned 2-3 inches at a time and place the ribbon over (careful it's hot). 

For the corners I experimented with folding the ribbon over and I liked the effect so I rolled with it...you can do it however you would like though! Then fold the edges of the ribbon in (so you don't have frayed edges) once you have made a full cycle and it's complete!