DIY Gingerbread Decor Ideas To Make With Your Cricut

How to make a doormat with Cricut Iron-On Vinyl to form a stencil that is more leak proof than any other methods. This is the easiest and most effective method for creating a doormat with Cricut. The results have nice crisp edges, even with intricate paterns.

There's several popular methods for using your Cricut to create a doormat.  We're going to use iron-on vinyl to create a stencil, and look at why it's the easiest and most effective way to use your Cricut to make a doormat.  

You might also like How To Sharpen Your Cricut Blade, How To Make Earrings With Your Cricut, and the Beginner's Guide to Cricut Mats.

Create a Custom Look

Making a custom doormat is a fun way to create exactly what you're looking for.  Take a boring, plain doormat and choose your own saying, name, house number, fonts, and colors to create your custom look.  These are great for decorating your front porch, or for giving as gifts for friends to use at their front door, or even for selling.  Start with a blank doormat and turn it into a funny doormat that welcomes guests, or a pretty doormat that matches your personal style.  

Materials:

Why Iron-On Vinyl?

There's many popular different ways to create a doormat using your Cricut machine.  Using iron-on vinyl to create a stencil is the easiest way to create a doormat with your Cricut.  I've tested out several other popular methods, but they all have more draw backs than advantages. 

Regular Vinyl

One popular method is to cut out regular adhesive vinyl and then adhere it to your doormat to create a stencil.  The problem with trying to create a doormat this way is that you can not use transfer tape with a doormat.  The doormat itself is too rough and textured for the transfer tape to adhere to it, making it impossible to peel off of the vinyl.  

Some people try to use vinyl as a sticker stencil.  The problem is that the sticker stencil is quite large -large enough to fit a doormat, and also usually full of a detailed design, including intricate fonts.  It's extremely difficult to remove the vinyl from the backing and then stick it down on to large doormats without it getting all stuck to itself and turning into a sticker ball, rather than a nice flat stencil.  

If you do manage to get it down onto your mat, the regular vinyl doesn't stick well to the outdoor mat, so it won't create nice crisp lines for you stencil. The paint often seeps under the stencil and results in a messy paint job.

Stencil Vinyl

You might think Cricut stencil vinyl would be easier to use.  It is almost as difficult to work with vinyl stencil as it is to work with regular vinyl for this project.  It has the same problem, since it's also sticky on the back, and hard to move from the carrier sheet to the doormat.

Freezer Paper Stencil

Some people like to use freezer paper and then iron it onto the mat.  The small bit of wax melts into the coir material of the doormat and sticks, helping create crisp edges to the stencil.  The problem with using freezer paper is that it's so delicate that it's very difficult to get it off of the sticky cutting mat all in one piece.  

Some people work in small pieces rather than the entire design, and then piece it together on the doormat as a work around, but it's still flimsy, and very difficult to work with, without tearing it when removing it from the Cricut mat.  It's also difficult to position the cut out part of the design, like the inside of letters.  

And with all of these methods you will still need something like painter's tape, or straight pins to help hold certain places down, as well as a hair dryer or iron to try and help make either one stick to the doormat.  Both of these methods often result in frustration and wasted materials.  I found the best way to create a doormat is to use iron-on vinyl to create a stencil with your Cricut machine.  This is such a good option for saving frustration.

What Kind Of Paint Should You Use For A Doormat?

We used regular acrylic craft paint for our doormat.  It offered the best range of colors for our rainbow color scheme.  It is not the most durable paint.  We gave it two coats of paint in most places and applied it until it was opaque.  It may wear off after a season or two, depending on how much foot traffic your welcome mat gets.  You could spray it with a clear outdoor acrylic spray to help protect it.  You could also use a detail brush to touch up any areas that need it in the future.

Some people like to use different kinds of paint for doormats that are more durable.  Many people recommend using flex seal, because it gives really great coverage and is long lasting.  It's available in limited colors, but it's a great option if you're just using black or white.  Just make sure you spray it in a well-ventilated area.

Another option is using an outdoor acrylic paint, or an exterior paint that will be more long lasting and hard wearing then regular acrylic paint.

Free "Hello Sunshine" Cricut Cut File

If you want to create a mat exactly the way I did, search for "Life is a Party" using the search bar on the home page of Cricut Design Space.  Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to the Community Members section, and click on the follow button for "Life is a Party -Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist".  On my profile page, click on the "Hello Sunshine Doormat" project, and choose to customize or make it.  Or use this link directly to the Cricut Design Space cut file.

Video Tutorial

Check out our step by step tutorial video, to see exactly how to create your own custom doormat.

Instructions:

1. Design Your Mat In Cricut Design Space

Create a mat template by adding a square shape to the canvas, unlock the measurements and adjust to the size of your doormat. Change the colour to brown.

Add a text box and type the word "hello". Change the font to Babette.

Add another text box with the word "summer" all in capital letters, in the Cricut Sans font.

Drag the text boxes down to the lower right of the brown rectangle mat template and adjust the font sizes. Use the letter space box along the top menu to adjust letter spacing in the word "summer".

When you're happy with the word sizes, select both and use the align center along the top menu to align them.While they're still both selected use the attach button at the bottom of the layers panel to attach them.

Use hide button beside the brown square mat template to hide it from the canvas so that it will not cut out. Use the save button to save your project.

Or use our "Hello Sunshine" Cricut design in Cricut Design Space.

2. Cutting Out Your Iron-On Vinyl Stencil

Click make it. Be sure to turn mirror on. Select your iron-on vinyl from the materials list. We used a Cricut Maker 3, so we took advantage of the ability to create oversize pieces and used smart vinyl. If you are using a regular Cricut you could make the design a smaller size, cut it out in multiple pieces, or use a 12 x 24 inch cutting mat.

If you're using smart iron-on vinyl, feed the smart vinyl into your Cricut with the shiny side down. If you're cutting your iron-on vinyl out on a mat, be sure to to apply it shiny side down.

3. Weed Your Vinyl

After the material is cut on the Cricut, use your weeding tool to remove the letters. Remember you're reverse weeding this project and removing the letters, and keeping the background to create a stencil.

4. Apply The Stencil To The Mat

Position your iron-on stencil on your blank coir doormat and use the Easy Press or an iron to apply it. We pressed at 310 degrees for about 30 sec. at a time. Slowly work the heat press over the entire piece, moving your Easy Press section by section. While the vinyl is still hot, use a small scraper tool to burnish it. Take special care around the inside of the letters, and any very small pieces,

Once the iron-on is cool to the touch, you can try to slowly remove the backer piece. If the vinyl is not fully adhered, repress again. This part may take several attempts, and touch ups in some areas. Save the backer piece, and set aside for later.

5. Paint Your Doormat

Use a dapping down motion to stencil the letters with your paint, using a regular paint brush or stencil brushes. Use just a little bit of paint for each coat, so that excess paint doesn't seep underneath, and so you create nice crisp edges to your letters. You may want to give it a second coat of paint for full coverage. We used black paint for "hello" and rainbow colors for "Sunshine".

6. Remove The Stencil

Once the paint is dry remove the iron-on vinyl, by peeling it off of the doormat. If it's difficult to remove, use the Easy Press at 310 degrees and press for 20 seconds. Be sure to replace the backer piece before pressing so that the vinyl doesn't stick to your Easy Press. Use the weeder tool to remove little pieces, like the insides of the letters

More Cricut Inspiration

Frequently Asked Questions

If you try this Doormat Made With A Cricut Iron-On Stencil or any other idea on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Recipe

How To Make A Doormat With Cricut and Iron-On Vinyl

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 1 Doormat

Author: Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist

Cost: $20

Equipment

• Cricut Easy Press or iron
• Cricut cutting machine

Materials

• blank coir door mat
• iron-on smart vinyl or regular vinyl with a standard grip cutting mat
• craft paints
• paint brush
• "Hello Sunshine" Cricut Design Space Cut File

Instructions

• Create Design

  If you want to create a mat exactly the way I did, search for "Life is a Party" using the search bar on the home page of Cricut Design Space. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to the Community Members section, and click on the follow button for "Life is a Party -Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist". On my profile page, click on the "Hello Sunshine Doormat" project, and choose to customize or make it.

  If you want to create a different version, follow this tutorial and change the words, fonts, and locations to create your own design. Begin with a blank canvas in Cricut Design Space.

  Create a mat template by adding a square shape to the canvas, unlock the measurements and adjust to the size of your doormat. Change the colour to brown.

  The next step is to add a text box and type the word "hello". Change the font to Babette.

  Add another text box with the word "summer" all in capital letters, in the Cricut Sans font.

  Drag the text boxes down to the lower right of the brown rectangle mat template and adjust the font sizes. Use the letter space box along the top menu to adjust letter spacing in the word "summer".

  When you're happy with the word sizes, select both and use the align center along the top menu to align them.While they're still both selected use the attach button at the bottom of the layers panel to attach them.

  Use hide button beside the brown square mat template to hide it from the canvas so that it will not cut out. Use the save button to save your project.
• Cut Out The Iron-On Vinyl

  Click make it. Be sure to turn mirror on. Select your iron-on vinyl from the materials list. We used a Cricut Maker 3, so we took advantage of the ability to create oversize pieces and used smart vinyl. If you are using a regular Cricut you could make the design a smaller size, cut it out in multiple pieces, or use a 12 x 24 inch cutting mat.

  If you're using smart iron-on vinyl, feed the smart vinyl into your Cricut with the shiny side down. If you're cutting your iron-on vinyl out on a mat, be sure to to apply it shiny side down.
• Weed Stencil

  After the material is cut on the Cricut, use your weeding tool to remove the letters. Remember you're reverse weeding this project and removing the letters, and keeping the background to create a stencil.
• Apply Stencil To The Mat

  Position your iron-on stencil on your blank coir doormat and use the Easy Press or an iron to apply it. We pressed at 310 degrees for about 30 sec. at a time. Slowly work the heat press over the entire piece, moving your Easy Press section by section. While the vinyl is still hot, use a small scraper tool to burnish it. Take special care around the inside of the letters, and any very small pieces.

  Once the iron-on is cool to the touch, you can try to slowly remove the backer piece. If the vinyl is not fully adhered, repress again. This part may take several attempts, and touch ups in some areas. Save the backer piece, and set aside for later.
• Paint The Doormat

  Use a dapping down motion to stencil the letters with your paint, using a regular paint brush or stencil brushes. Use just a little bit of paint for each coat, so that excess paint doesn't seep underneath, and so you create nice crisp edges to your letters. You may want to give it a second coat of paint for full coverage. We used black paint for "hello" and rainbow colors for "Sunshine".
• Remove The Stencil

  Once the paint is dry remove the iron-on vinyl. If it's difficult to remove, use the Easy Press at 310 degrees and press for 20 seconds. Be sure to replace the backer piece before pressing so that the vinyl doesn't stick to your Easy Press. Use the weeder tool to remove little pieces, like the insides of the letters

Notes

Because the heat transfer vinyl is removed after it's used as a stencil don't worry if there's a few wrinkles in it after you've applied it to the doormat.  The main important thing is that it's well sealed around the edges of the words or images.  

Also, because the vinyl will be removed after it's used as a stencil, feel free to use up any colors you're not too fond of, or look for iron-on vinyl that's on sale, because the color or pattern won't matter at all.

The Beginner's Guide To Cricut Mat Sizes and Types: learn exactly which cutting mat to use for which project, with free printable guide.

When you first get a Cricut machine it feels like there is a lot to learn, and it can be very confusing. Today we're going to take a deep dive into Cricut mats. We talk about what they are and how to you use them, and then get into how you know what Cricut mat sizes to choose, and what colour mat you need which depends on the material your cutting. It can feel a little complicated at first, but I promise that by the end you'll know exactly what mats to buy and when to use them for all your Cricut projects.

What Is A Cutting Mat?

First things first, what are Cricut cutting mats, and why do I need one? A cutting mat is what you use to hold your material while the cutting machine is cutting it. They are sticky to hold your material as the blade passes through it. If your mat isn't sticky enough (they lose their stick with use) then your material may slide out of place and be ruined during the cutting process. Check out this post on The Best Way To Clean A Cricut Cutting Mat.

The different mats come in different colours. Each colour is a different level of tack or stickiness designed to hold different materials.

Cricut mats are covered in a 1 inch grid to make lining things up and measuring easier. If you're having trouble picturing a finished project size, use the grip mat like a ruler to figure your finished project size. There is also centimetre metric measurements along 2 sides.

Mats have a top and bottom, the top is the edge with the hole for hanging at the top. You can feed either the top or bottom into your Cricut machine. Varying which end you feed into your machine will help your cutting mat wear more evenly. You can not feed the sides of the mat into the Cricut machine first.

Do I Always Need A Mat?

No you don't always need a cutting mat. If you have a Cricut Maker 3, a Cricut Explorer 3, or a Cricut Joy machine then you can use smart materials without a mat. Keep in mind though that this only works for what Cricut labels smart material, and even with these newer machines many materials still require a mat to cut them. Chances are that even with a new machine you will still need to use a mat sometimes.

Cricut Cutting Mat Colours and Types

In the Cricut world, cutting mats come in different colours and the colours correspond to different types of cricut mats. The different types of mats have different grip strengths. One of the most common questions is which mat do I use?

The Cricut can cut such a wide variety of materials. For each new project, you will have to choose which cutting mat is best for the material you using.

Blue -Lightgrip Mat

The blue mat is the light grip mat and is designed to be used for lighter materials. You would choose this blue lightgrip mat to cut more delicate materials, and lightweight materials.

You would use this mat to cut out:

• scrapbook paper
• light cardstock
• regular office copy paper or printer paper
• vellum
• construction paper
• wrapping paper

Green -The Standardgrip Mat

The green mat is the standard grip mat and is the mat you will probably use 90% of the time to cut the most common materials. This mat is the most of the multi-purpose mats, and standard mats can be used with a wide range of medium-weight materials.

You would use the Standard Grip mat for cutting:

• cardstock
• permanent or removable vinyl
• Iron-on (HTV -heat transfer vinyl) vinyl
• sticker paper
• infusible ink

Purple -StrongGrip Mat

This purple mat is the strong grip mat, and used for heavier material that requires a stronger, sticky-er mat to hold them. At times this mat is used with the addition of painters tape around the outside of the thicker material, for even greater hold. The purple stronggrip mat is necessary for heavyweight materials.

• heavy cardstock
• glitter cardstock
• balsa wood, or basswood
• chipboard
• poster board
• leather
• cork
• magnet sheets

Pink -The Fabricgrip Mat

The pink mat is the fabric mat, and designed to hold fabric. This fabric grip mat is used with bonded fabric for the Explore machine , or with the rotary blade for the Cricut Maker machines.

• fabric
• felt
• crepe paper

Free Cricut Mat Cheat Sheet Here

We have a free cheat sheet that you can print and refer to anytime you need to see what materials you can cut with which Cricut cutting mat. Never get confused about the different grips again. It's available for free to any of our subscribers. Subscribe below for instant access.

What If I Don't Choose The Correct Mat?

Since Cricut cutting mats come in different grip strengthsIf you use a mat that is not sticky enough to hold your material, it may slide during the process and ruin the cut.

If you choose a type of mat that is too sticky, it may be difficult to remove your material resulting it rolling and curling or ripping.

Cricut Cutting Mat Sizes

Cricut cutting mats come in a variety of sizes and are available at the craft store. The different sizes are useful for cutting out different size projects. The material size will help you choose the cutting mat size.

Explore and Maker Series Cutting Mats

12 x 12 Mat with 11.5 x 11.5 Cutting Space

The standard cutting mat size for all of the Explore and Maker series Cricut machines is 12 x 12. You will definitely need this size of mat in your collection. You can buy the lightgrip, standardgrip, stronggrip, and fabricgrip mats in this size. A lot of the materials, like scrapbook paper, cardstock, and vinyl are sold in 12 x 12 sheets.

The mat size is slightly larger than the cutting area. Cricut Design Space requires a ½ inch margin to ensure that the edge of a projects isn't cut off.

12 x 24 Mat with 11.5 x 23.5 Cutting Space

If you are making larger projects, you can also get a 12 x 24 size mat. This is excellent for big projects like larger signs. It allows you to make larger projects, without having to split a design up into smaller pieces.

There is also something called Larger Than Mat projects, these are often things like a large character cutout that you might use as party decor. These projects are larger than even the largest mats and are typically carefully divided into pieces that are then glued together. The over size 12 x 24 mat is very helpful for these projects.

Cricut Card Mat 2 x 2

This new Cricut mat is based on the popularity of the Joy card mat. It allows all Explore and Maker machine users to cut out up to 4 folded greeting cards at a time, and is compatible with all of Cricuts insert and cutaway cards.

Cricut Joy Cutting Mats

4.5 x 6.5 Mat with 4 x 6 Cutting Area

This is the regular sized mat for the Cricut Joy, that you will use most often.

4.5 x 12 Mat with 4.5 x 11 Cutting Area

This is the longer mat for the Cricut Joy, that will allow you to cut longer projects on your Joy.

Cricut Joy Card Mat

This mat is specially design to be used for card making. It is compatible with all of Cricuts insert and cutaway cards.

How Many Cutting Mats Do I Need?

This depends on what materials you are cutting on your Cricut machine. You will definitely need green standardbrip mats. I recommend having at least two of them, so that if you are cutting out a large project you can be loading one into the machine, and unloading the first one during the second cut time. This will help cut down the cutting time of larger projects.

You may want to buy the rest of the mats as you need them. It of course handy to have at least one of each colour, and perhaps the oversized version of the green mat. You may also want to have a new spare one on hand for each colour also. There's nothing more frustrating than getting already to cut out a new project and discovering you can't make it because your old mat is worn out and not sticky enough.

Mat Care

How do you care for your Cricut cutting mat?

The first step to maintain a sticky mat is to be sure to clean off any leftover paper, or debris after cutting. Use the scraper tool with a little bit of pressure or use tweezers to remove anything from the machine mat. Some people like to use a lint roller to remove debris from their cutting mat, especially after cutting fabric.

The second step, and one of the easiest ways to keep your mat sticky is to always replace the transparent cover to any cutting mat after you're finished using it, and to store it with this protective cover in place. This will greatly increase the life of your mat.

Another tip is to rotate the mat and use the bottom as the top sometimes. Often the top of the mat, in the left corner is the first area on a mat to lose its stick, because it's the most used. When cutting smaller materials you can place your material in another less used area, and move the object on the cut preview screen.

What If My Cutting Mat Isn't Sticky?

If you're cutting mat has lost its stickiness you can clean your Cricut mat. Read all about how to use baby wipes, or mild dish soap to to clean a cutting mat that isn't sticky anymore here.

Cricut mats don't last forever. You can expect to get around 40-50 cuts out of your mat before having to replace it. Watch for sales, or multi packs to help save on the cost of replacing them.

TroubleShooting

If you're material is sliding around during the cut and moving on the cutting mat then it may be time for a new mat. If you don't get a clean cut, your mat may have lost its stickiness. You can try cleaning it to restore some of the stick -see how to clean your Cricut mat here or you may have chosen the wrong tack level for your material. Use our free cheat sheet to help you decide on the right mat.

Storing Cricut Mats

The main thing to remember is to always store your Cricut cutting mats with the transparent cover on them. This will protect your mat from dust and debris and extend it's life. You will also want to ensure that the mat is somewhere where it can lay, stand, or hang flat and that it doesn't become bent.

All the Cricut cutting mats come with a small hole in the top, that's handy for storing them. If you're lucky enough to have a craft room, lots of crafters like to store their mats hanging on the wall with a simple hooks. You can also use this method inside a craft closet or on the back of a door with a removable command hook.

I store my regular size mats on my bookcase, standing vertically. This means I can find them easily, and they're always close at hand for using. It's easy to find any different colour I need.

For the extra long 12 x 24 inch mats, I saved the original shipping box that they came in to help protect them from bending and have it tucked in the side of my craft closet. Since these ones are so large, under a bed or couch might be a good spot too.

You now know everything you need to all about Cricut mat sizes and types.  Happy Cricut crafting!

More Helpful Cricut Information

You might also like our post on How to Make Earrings with a Cricut here.

Also check out How To Sharpen A Cricut Blade here.

You might also enjoy How To Cut Vinyl on a Cricut here.