...Customize your own!


 
It's fairly simple to customize your own doormat. I needed a new one and just could not find what I wanted (ridiculous, I know, as it launched me into an entirely new project). If you just can't find what you like then purchase a plain doormat that you can usually find at your local hardware store and design away!


 
First you'll need a piece of paper the same size as your mat to make a stencil of your design. I used cut up grocery bags that I taped together.


 
Draw your design onto the paper (a simple one works best) and cut it out.


 
Place your paper on to your doormat and use straight or push pins to anchor it down. You don't have to worry about it being perfectly snug because you'll just hold the paper down in the area that you are painting.


 
Get a nice glob of paint (I used a water based acrylic that works on fabric and seals to it) on a dry brush and start blotting the portion of the mat that is showing through your stencil. Just press down gently on the edges of your stencil as you are painting the edges of your design. This will insure a nice crisp edge.


 
When you are finished, pull the pins out, the stencil off, and you've got your design! 


 
When I was finished with this step I just turned my stencil over onto the opposite side of the mat and repeated the same process.


 
I went a little further and cut out letters for the center of the mat.
 
I stenciled the letters and then outlined them in gold.


 
Once you are done painting your stencils, let your paint cure on the mat for 24 hours and then place some paper over your paint and iron your artwork with an iron set on "cotton" in order to seal the paint and be sure it will not come off or bleed.


 
You now have your very own customized door mat! The painted letters are really all the same color...there just happens to be some strange reflection in the photograph...

Have fun...Lori