Anti-slip rubber

I first saw a version of this rubber mat on the dashboard of a friend's car. It was an itsy-bitsy piece and she said that it allowed her to place things on the dashboard—like her glasses and mobile phone—without them slipping off every time she braked. So when I chanced upon an entire roll of the material, I immediately bought it. Then I placed it in one of my kitchen drawers where it stayed unused for several months.

Then I had a slight problem with my wooden bedside table. We usually keep a pitcher of water there at night without a dish or tray to put it on (I know, bad thing to do), and though there is a table cloth, the water soaked through and the wooden veneer eventually warped. I didn't have time to have it fixed right away and I remembered the rubber mat. So I cut a piece to fit the table top before putting on the table cloth. My idea was simply to keep the water from soaking through again.

Then I discovered its other advantages: it kept the cloth from slipping and bunching in awkward ways, even when I actually push against it with either my hands or my book. The cloth just doesn't move! And it cushions noise. Now, even when my book bangs a little on the table when I put it aside at night, you can't hear it. Great when my husband sleeps ahead of me.

Now, I've placed more of the mat on my buffet table in the dining room, and the runner doesn't move around and dishes don't make clacking noises when you put them down. I want more. My problem is, I don't remember where I bought the roll. Sigh. Hoping for serendipity to bless me again on my next shopping trip…