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Have you seen those snarky doormats all over Pinterest?! I would always see them and think, I could make that! Turns out it’s not too hard! Follow these steps and you will have a completed doormat in no time!
Here’s what we need to get this craft party started:
- Cutting Machine- I love the Cricut Maker
- 12×24 LightGrip Mat
- Freezer Paper
- Heat Resistant Transfer Tape
- EasyPress
- 1/2″ Sewing Pins
- Permanent Paint
- Squeeze Bottles
- Paint Brushes
- Clear Matte Sealer (optional)
- Crafting Image
If at any point during this tutorial you get lost or confused, click the image and it’ll take you to that exact moment in a full how-to video tutorial. The video will show you everything you need to know about creating your own custom doormat!
Design your project in Cricut Design Space
To create your design in Design Space, I inserted a rectangle that matched the size of my doormat. This way I could resize my design to ensure I liked how it looked even before I cut it. For this project, I used a portion of this design and added “Come Back Later!” underneath it! Hindsight 20/20, I should have chosen “Come On In” because who doesn’t love crafting with a friend! If you don’t know how to download an SVG from Silhouette’s Design Store and upload it to Cricut Design Space, check out this video. Once you are happy with your design, delete your rectangle and ensure your design fits within the size parameters: 11.5″ x 23″
Cut your freezer paper using your cutting machine
Trim your freezer paper down to fit your LightGrip Cutting mat. I use a ruler, TrueControl Knife, and my self-healing mat to get this job done. Before you load your full piece of trimmed down freezer paper, I would use one of your scraps to do a test cut. I usually cut a small 1 inch circle for my test. Load your trimmed down Freezer Paper on to your 12×24 LightGrip Cutting Mat with the waxy side facing down on the cutting mat. Set your material settings to freezer paper and perform your test cut. If the paper rips or snags, I would recommend trying the “Washi” setting, but you do need to double cut it. Once you have your settings nailed down, load your full 12×24 sheet of freezer paper onto your LightGrip Mat with the waxy side facing down on the mat and then cut it.
Weed away the areas you plan to paint
With your freezer paper still on the LightGrip Mat, peel away the areas you plan to paint. I do not use any tools for this part. If you can’t grip a portion of your design, tweezers work well to lift up your pieces. Go slowly and use care not to rip your design. Make sure to leave the insides of your letters on the mat.
Cover Design with Heat Resistant Transfer Tape
Before you grab your regular transfer tape, note that you need HEAT RESISTANT transfer tape. Regular transfer tape will melt and ruin your project. With your freezer paper still on your cutting mat, cover the design using the tape. Since I used 12×12 sheets, I slightly overlapped the two sheets to cover my entire design.
Once your tape is on the design, peel it off of your cutting mat. I like to roll my mat off of my design to ensure my project stays nice and flat.
Peel away the heat resistant transfer tape
Slowly peel away your heat resistant transfer tape. Do NOT worry if your design is not completely adhered. If you click on the photo below, you will see in my YouTube video that mine is still moving around a lot at this point! We will repress it once more before we paint!
Secure design with 1/2″ sewing pins
Now that the tape is removed, use pins to secure any loose areas of your design. I pin the insides of my letters and any areas that I feel like will lift when I apply my paint.
Repress once more now that you have removed your tape and have added your pins. You will notice that the wax will melt a lot quicker and your paper will really grip on to your doormat.
Using a squeeze bottle, paint in your stencil
Fill a squeeze bottle with permanent paint and generously fill in your stencil. Spread and even it out using a paint brush. Don’t worry, it won’t bleed! The wax on the other side of your freezer paper will prevent the paint from seeping through.
Remove stencil with tweezers
I am an impatient crafter, so I do not wait for the paint to dry before removing my stencil! I do prefer removing the stencil while it is still wet to prevent the paint from chipping. Using tweezers, I remove the insides and toss the stencil with the paint covered pins into the trash. Once the insides are removed, I remove the rest of the freezer paper and pins.
Sealing your mat
Some people recommend sealing their doormats with a matte clear sealer. I personally have not sealed my mats and they have held up great in the Utah elements.
Additional Resources
lf you want to see the entire tutorial, check it out below!Artwork on Doormat
Looking for the design used on this project, check out this video! It is a design from Silhouette America’s Design Store that you can purchase here. If you are unfamiliar with how to use images from the Design Store with your Cricut, the video tutorial will walk you through that process. You’ll love all of the designs!
Ready to try it out?
Here are the links to the products used in this tutorial!
- Cutting Machine- I love the Cricut Maker
- 12×24 LightGrip Mat
- Freezer Paper
- Heat Resistant Transfer Tape
- EasyPress
- 1/2″ Sewing Pins
- Permanent Paint
- Squeeze Bottles
- Paint Brushes
- Clear Matte Sealer
- Crafting Image
Looking for a discount code to use on Cricut’s shop? Since my code changes each quarter, make sure you join my Facebook Group to get the most up to date code! The code will save you 10% and give you free shipping on orders over $50! Not on Facebook? No problem, send me an email to Karley@karleyhall.com or leave a comment below!
Have Questions or want to connect!?
