DIY Fall Doormat

pkins, and fall wreath.  If you prefer more colorful pumpkins, or something a little darker for spooky season you can customize your colors and stylish doormat to suit your look.

Making a Stencil

I wanted to add a white leaf pattern to tie in with my all white fall outdoor planter and wreath this year. To get started I sketched out an oak leaf on to some paper, and cut it out.  The background piece become the simple stencil.

I did an oak leaf, but you could do any leaf that you like, or a combination.  If you’re not great at drawing you could just use clipart for a pattern.

If you’re a Cricut owner you could go into Cricut Design Space and find a simple leaf pattern and cut it out on card stock to make a very simple stencil.  You can also use your Cricut to make iron-on vinyl stencil.  This works great with a coir doormat and a more complicated design.  I’ve experimented with the freezer paper method, and vinyl stencil methods too, and found the iron-on stencil the best for very intricate designs to ensure no bleed.  If you want to learn more about this method -check out this blog post about how to make an iron-on vinyl doormat stencil with your Cricut machine.

The method I used here is v

ery simple.  We cut out our design by hand with scissors, and used white paper.  This is the easy way to make a outdoor mat.  No complicated Cricut cutting machine required.

Painting

Once you have the paper stencil created, use some white acrylic paint and dab it on with a paint brush.  I used a random pattern for my leaves, and I stencilled a few leaves coming off the side as well to create a really cute fall doormat.  The fun part is placing the leaves in creative ways and making your own pattern, my turning the turning the stencil different ways.  I love a random pattern, but you can making it more uniformed if you prefer.  You also might want to use different leaf stencils, or different sizes.  It’s so much fun designing your own, and creating something you love that you could never find at a store.

You want to take your time and be careful to hold down the paper and not get it underneath.  I didn’t use masking tape or spray adhesive or glue dots for this project, I just worked carefully.  This method worked really well, and was so simple and non-complicated.  You could use stencil brushes for this part, but again I found a regular brush was fine, and I just worked carefully.  You don’t need much paint on your brush when you’re stencilling, because you don’t want any excess to bleed under the paper.  As much as possible you want nice crisp edges.

You could different kinds of paints.  Some people use outdoor paint, if they want their stenciled doormat to last longer.  I had great success with craft paint from the local craft store.  I don’t rec

ommend spray paint for this project, because it’s harder to control, and more likely to bleed under the paper stencil and not give crisp lines.

I wanted the paint to not be totally uninformed -kind of rustic looking. So I didn’t worry about the paint being completely even.  If you want a more even look, just do several coats of paint until you

r happy with the look.

I really like how our new welcome mat turned out. It’s so simple and pretty for fall.  I love the neutral, and think it looks great with white faux and fresh pumpkins.   You could, of course, do this in fall colors if you prefer for your own doormat.  This would look great as a layering rug too.  Stack your first mat on top of a larger checked or polka dots outdoor rug for a great layered look to your front porch decor.

Also this easy DIY method of transforming a blank doormat would work for any seasonal decor, or theme at any time of year -think snowflakes for Christmas or winter, flowers for summer, and a pattern pumpkin doormat as a cute halloween doormat.  After you make your first doormat you’ll have so many fall doormat ideas, and for other seasons and occasions too.

This DIY fall doormat was easy and inexpensive to make, and it looks really great with all the other white fall decor. 

See how I made the all white fall planter here, and the pinecone wreath here. 

With a DIY Fall Doormat, life really is a party!

More Inspiration

You might also like our DIY Pampas Grass Wreath here.

Also check out our Fall Home Tour here.

You might also enjoy our Fall Mantel here.