Create A Personalized Distance Learning Desk For Back To School With Cricut

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

The new school year is upon us, and, like many kids, our kids will attend virtually for some period of time. Everything about this feels strange, but we’ve decided to make the most of it. So, this year our back to school prep included setting up a homeschool desk with everything my daughter needs to be successful in distance learning. Then I used my Cricut to personalize her distance learning desk and back to school tools to make it even more special.

My daughter and I had fun working on this project together, shopping online for supplies choosing just the right colors and quotes to help motivate her and make her space special. With just a few days until she begins this new journey, her space is complete and ready for learning.

Personalized Distance Learning Desk Organization

The first order of business was to create an organization system. Prior to this summer, the computer sat on a tiny table that doubled as an art desk. But thanks to a neighbor who was downsizing, we scored a new beautiful desk. With our new blank space, we scoured the internet for kid-friendly desk organization to personalize.

I finally settled on a modular system from Amazon Basics. I decided the plain white plastic was the perfect canvas for a Cricut project, and we can add more pieces down the road if we find she needs them. I used my Cricut Maker to make labels with vinyl to personalize the desk organizer. (I used the summer sampler vinyl pack.)

I love that I can quickly and easily use my Cricut Maker to create decals we can use anywhere. I picked one of the hundreds of fonts available in Design Space, typed out the text we wanted and then print them in various colors of vinyl. Then it was as easy as adding stickers to personalize her desk.

The magazine holders on the side will hold her textbooks, which we will pick up later this week.

On the other side of the computer, I turned one of her sister’s favorite quotes into another vinyl label to put on the pencil holder (which is part of the same modular system).

The Echo Dot serves as both a clock and an alarm. I’ve already programmed it with her bell schedule to verbally announce when it is time to log on and off the computer for class, lunch, specials, etc. No tardiness for this kid – Alexa is going to keep her on schedule.

Infusible Ink Mouse Pad

My favorite personalized item on the desk the mouse pad I made with Cricut Infusible Ink. It turned out so cool! We spent a long time reading inspirational quotes before she settled on, “Always do the right thing, even when no one is watching.”

I love the vibrancy of the colors and it was so easy. I want to make mouse pads for everyone!

This was my second experience with Infusible Ink, and you can find a full tutorial on how to use Infusible Ink in my Tutu Cute shirt tutorial. My Cricut EasyPress made it easy to apply the Infusible Ink directly onto the blank mouse pad. For the mouse pad, I used 385 degrees and a light press for 20 seconds.

The more I learn about it, the more I love Infusible Ink.

One thing to note when making a mouse pad (or anything that you are planning to use the outline of the letters) is to make sure you center you cut with enough room for the whole mouse pad. I am used to applying individual letters instead of the reverse and the first time didn’t move my design before I cut. So there wasn’t enough room to center the outline on my mouse pad.

I used the Rainbow Watercolor Splash Infusible Ink transfer sheets for my mouse pad (a difference sheet in the same set as the tutu cute, so that’s two projects from the same set of materials!).

Her desk is ready, and all that’s left is to pick up her books from school and ring in the new school year next week. Here’s hoping everyone has a successful back to school season whether your kids go back face to face or virtually, we’ve got this parents!!!

Don’t forget those first day of school pictures! Download these First Day Distance Learning signs to complete the virtual back to school look.