DIY Message Doormat

Can we talk about moving?  When was the last time you moved? Do you hire movers or rally friends?  I have a good handful of skills, but moving is not one of them. If all of my abilities were ranked from best to worst moving would be at the very, very bottom of that list. So low in fact, that if you didn't properly format your printer, it might just be inadvertently cropped off which would actually make just as much sense.  We moved just last week into a rental that we'll call home until our house is completed in September.   The good news is that it's done and we are in and the vast majority (although not all) of the boxes have been unpacked. All of our things have been sitting in a garage for the last six months, so everything that comes out either has to go through the dishwasher, the washing machine or the dry cleaner which makes the unpacking process quite a bit slower. Our photographer, Katie, just moved into a new place last month and, like all front porches, we decided a doormat for Katie was a must!  (And then naturally we decided to give hers a little DIY update with a Texas flair.)  Keep reading for this super simple DIY...

DIY Doormat

What You'll Need:

• doormat
• poster board
• exacto knife
• printer and paper or really good handwriting!
• (you could also skip the poster board, exacto knife, and printer and paper items and just use a pre-made stencil.)
• pencil
• tape
• spray paint in color of your choice
• spray paint sealer

Instructions:

1. Begin by printing your letters in the shape and size that you would like for your doormat.
2. Once printed, trace the letters on the poster board with your pencil. Then, using the exacto knife, carefully cut the letters out of the poster board to create a giant stencil. (An alternative to these two steps would be just to purchase a stencil, but sometimes they're hard to find large or if you do they can be really expensive.)
3. Tape the stencil to the doormat so that it doesn't move while you're painting. Then, in an open, outdoor space, apply the paint to the stencil. Depending on the material that your mat is made out of and the color of the paint, it could take many coats. Be sure to allow them 10-15 minutes to dry in between coats.
4. Once completely dry seal the painted letters and allow to dry completely. Then you're done!

Photography by Katie Jameson