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Are you currently obsessing over everyone’s Pinterest-worthy Fall porches? Same. I love seeing all the colourful pumpkins and unique doormats. I’ve always been jealous of anyone who has a cute front porch, but hey – I have a front door and I make it work.
Here’s how I made this super cute Fall DIY doormat with just a few simple supplies (and no Cricut!).
In early September I started my hunt for the perfect Fall doormat. I searched high and low for an affordable doormat with a cute Fall phrase. I couldn’t find anything. Nothing. Not even at Home Sense (the Canadian version of Home Goods). I looked online, but only found options for $40+… Que sad music.
As per usual, I decided to make my own doormat. I headed to Dollarama and found the perfect plain mat for $4. It was similar in colour to coir and had a rubber bottom. I figured I would give it a shot.
When I started to look for DIY doormat tutorials, everything I found involved the use of a viny cutting machine (which I don’t have). It may have taken more effort, but I ended up figuring it out.
I started by finding the phrase, font, and sizing I wanted and printing out a template.
Next, I searched my house to see what I already had that might work. Here’s what I found:
I started by using the printed template and some chalk to mark out the letter placement (similar to what I did in this post). Then, I attempted to cut out the letters and trace them, but it was just too difficult. I used what I had to make small guidelines for the letters and did my best to freehand the rest with Sharpie.
There were a few mess-ups, but warm water and soap cleaned them right off the mat.
As you can see above, the Sharpie outline wasn’t pretty. It’s not easy to write on a textured mat, so I knew I would have to paint over it with a small brush.
Painting the mat took time, but it was so worth it.
I used a random old can of outdoor paint I had and did two coats, making sure I got it deep into the texture.
After it was finished, I made a bit of a questiomable decision and used regular old furniture Scotchgard fabric protector to put a protective coat on the mat. See that super cute fringe mat in the background? It was also $4 at Dollarama. I sprayed it and decided to use it for layering.
The completed dollar store DIY doormat looks amazing.
Not bad for a total of $8 + some random items I found around my house.
It’s been outside my front door (uncovered) for 2 weeks now and it’s holding up beautifully. It’s not perfect, but it’s just what I envisioned.
I’m so happy with the way this turned out that I may just do it for every season!
What do you have out for Fall decor?