DIY Fall Doormat Tutorial using the Cricut Explore Air 3
Learn how to personalize your own doormat with a Cricut machine or stencil.
Recently I just purchased my very first Cricut machine. I've been dreaming of all the fun projects I could make with a Cricut maker and this fun DIY Hello Pumpkin doormat was one of them!
Every year I look forward to decorating my front porch for Fall and thought to myself how fun it would be to make my own personalized doormat. I love seasonal doormats with creative and festive sayings. I think it's an adorable way to greet guests. Especially since the Fall time is when I host the most get togethers including Thanksgiving.
Since this was only my second time using my new Cricut Explore Air 3, I decided to keep it simple with the words Hello Pumpkin written in the Book Antiqua font.
I have to admit that I'm still a little intimidated by the machine and all that it can do. And, working through this doormat DIY, I learned some things that I'd do differently to get a better outcome for next time.
I'm still happy with how it came out though! Just some minor blemishes, but I feel that my step by step tutorial below will prevent you from having the same struggles.
Here is how you can make your very own DIY Fall doormat using the Cricut Explore Air 3:
Supplies
Blank doormat
Cricut Machine or Stencil (if you don't have a Cricut maker)
Permanent Vinyl (any color)
Kraft paper or Scraps
Painter's tape or FROGTAPE
Gorilla Waterproof Seal
Step 1
Using the Cricut Design Space on your computer, start creating your doormat template. I measured the width and height of my doormat first and then drew a rectangle in the design space accordingly to give me a reference for positioning and sizing of my text. This is something you'll want to play around with to determine the look you want to create.
Step 2
After you finalize your text and image sizing, you'll want to go ahead and delete the rectangle lines. Next, you'll want to weld the letters and images together so that the Cricut machine can cut the design template all together as one design.
Step 3
Load your cutting materials into the Cricut machine. I used the Smart Permanent Vinyl as it was recommended from a few sources that this type of vinyl is strong enough to stick to the doormat. The neat thing about using the Smart vinyl products is that you do not need to use a Cricut mat when cutting out the design.
If your Cricut machine is not compatible with Smart vinyl, I've seen others use freezer paper to create this project as well. Just be sure to select the correct materials you are using for the project in the Cricut design space before loading the material into the Criuct machine.
Step 4
Using the Cricut weeder tool, peel out the letters in your text so that it creates a stencil for when you spray paint the words and images onto the doormat.
Step 5
I must admit this step was my most challenging part of the project. Using the weeder tool again, slowly peel the vinyl stencil sheet so that the template is now sticky and ready to be place on the doormat. Be careful not to tear the lettering especially in letters that have small cut out parts wrapped in them such as "e" "o" "p". The weeder tool helped me big time, but I guess I was getting a little impatient and found myself going faster than I should and accidently ripped a few pieces of my text along the peeling stage.
I tried midway to use transfer tape, but then realized my text would be placed on the doormat backwards if I went that route. I highly recommend you having a plan for the transfer part of the project, because you will need to mirror your design in design space prior to cutting out the template if you wish to use transfer tape.
Step 6
Transfer your vinyl stencil onto the doormat. I recommend making a removable center mark on the doormat to help guide your positioning of the text and image. I think my lettering could have been positioned slightly over to the right some on my doormat, and wished I used a mark to help me center the template better. I'll definitely use a sticker or something removable for next time.
Step 7
Once you have your template in place, seal off the rest of the mat with painter's tape, FrogTape, and Kraft paper or any paper scraps you have to protect these parts from getting paint on them.
Step 8
Make sure your stencil is laying flat on the mat and now you can start spraying your doormat. I cannot say enough good things about the Gorilla Waterproof Seal. I was able to get excellent coverage in just one round of spray.
Step 9
Wait a couple of hours for the spray to dry and then use gloves to remove the stencil, tape, and scrap paper.
Step 10
Have fun styling it!
I hoped you enjoyed this DIY Fall Doormat Tutorial! If you do try to make one please tag me on Instagram @thegiftedwreathllc or send me an email. I would love to see it and feature it on my social media pages.
Shop the supplies I used here. I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always thank you for shopping my links and supporting my blog.
What is your favorite Fall doormat saying?
Beautifully yours,
Tammy