lmao xD I did the same for the longest time. Used the backside of a class photo which worked surprisingly well.
For a few years (lol) I had this awful, tiny, smiley face mousepad. Truly, I hated it. I have no idea where we got it but it ended up on my desk one day and didn't leave for some time. Years of wear left it with several holes in it; the upturned plastic was actually pretty sharp and I cut my wrist on it on more than one occasion. Eventually I just got sick of it and threw it away, intending to pick up a new one at Office Max or something. Then I realized that there is virtually no need for a mousepad, with newer mouses (mice? seems weird to refer to them that way...), unless you have a fancy desk, which I do not.