Create a stenciled "Welcome Chums" shark welcome mat with Cricut supplies, outdoor paint, and a simple shark image in Design Space.
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This weekend is the beginning of that epic ocean adventure we call Shark Week. You would think we would get burnt out on watching nothing but shark documentaries and specials for an entire week, but nope! It's all so intriguing and interesting to watch! Especially since every summer it seems like there are more great white shark reports off the coast of New Jersey. Slightly terrifying, but I don't go in the water anyway!
Since Shark Week is kind of a big deal around here, I wanted to welcome it in a special way this year - with a welcome mat! I had some difficulty finding a plain coir doormat at first. At least one that didn't cost as much as one that already had a design on it. But I found one for $5 at Walmart. So if you're going to make a DIY doormat, definitely go to Walmart for a plain one!
After I got my doormat, I designed a simple shark design in Design Space to stencil onto it. I grabbed an image of a shark from the image library and added "Welcome Chums" text to the top. I'm a visual person, so I also added a rectangle shape to mimic the doormat just so I could see what the finished design would look like stenciled onto the mat. Once I had my design planned out, I got to work on my doormat.
I was initially going to use stencil vinyl, but had a little trouble with it. So I used permanent vinyl instead. It had more "stick" to it when it was pressed onto the doormat. I definitely took my time with this project and worked out all the kinks because I really, really, really wanted it to turn out fin-tastic (sorry, couldn't help myself)!
How to Make a Shark Welcome Mat
I opened Design Space. Then, I deleted the rectangle from the background of my design and resized the design to fit the doormat. I attached the welcome text (made with "Comic Shark" font) and the shark image. Then, I resized it to 20.833" x 11.5".
Once my design was ready, I set my machine to Maker and hit Make It. You'll need a 12" x 24" Standard Grip Mat for this project to fit the image and text.
Once my material was set onto the mat, I clicked Okay to continue. Then, I loaded the mat into the machine. Press Go to cut out the design. Once the design is cut, remove the mat from the machine and weed the design.
Now, we're ready to start making our doormat. Give the doormat a quick cleaning with a lint brush to pick up any stray fibers.
Then, carefully position the vinyl directly onto the doormat. I cut each image out separately, peeled the backing away, and placed them in position on the mat. You can eyeball it or use a ruler to make sure the design is centered onto the mat.
Then, I used a foam pouncer to basically tap the paint onto the stencil. You want to use as little paint as possible to avoid any of the paint accidentally bleeding underneath the vinyl. Go slowly and carefully.
Allow the paint to dry for a few minutes. Then, carefully peel the vinyl off of the doormat. Allow the paint to dry completely (give it 24 hours). Then, you can display your new jaw-some doormat!
SUPPLIES
- Shark Welcome Mat File
- Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore Air 2
- Permanent Vinyl
- 12" x 24" Standard Grip Mat
- Weeding Tool
- 18" x 30" Plain Coir Doormat
- Black Outdoor Acrylic Paint
- Foam Pouncer or Foam Brush
- Optional: lint brush, masking tape
STEPS
- Open the Shark Welcome Mat design in Design Space. Then, click Make It.
- Place the permanent vinyl onto the StandardGrip mat, load the mat into the machine, and press Go to cut.
- Once the design is cut, weed the image. If desired, use a lint brush to remove any stray fibers from the doormat.
- Position the vinyl onto the mat. Then, carefully begin to remove the backing from the vinyl. It's easier to cut each individual image out and place them onto the mat.
- Smooth out the vinyl, pressing down to make sure it's good and stuck onto the doormat. If desired, using masking tape to secure the edges of the vinyl. Then, working with a foam pouncer or brush and a little paint at a time, begin to stencil the image onto the mat.
- Once the image is completely stenciled, allow it to dry for a few minutes. Then, carefully remove the vinyl from the mat.
- Allow the paint to dry completely, according to the paint container. After the paint has completely dried, you can set the doormat outside.
A few notes about this project:
- I learned the hard way that simpler designs work better for doormats. I had to rethink my original, more detailed shark image and used a silhouette instead.
- The stencil vinyl would probably work better for less fibrous materials. It lost a lot of its stickiness positioning the stencil in place. I 100 percent recommend using permanent vinyl for doormats.
- Depending on the type of paint you use, you might need to use multiple coats. I let the paint dry for a few minutes in between coats, then dabbed on the paint again until the desired look was achieved.
Did you make this Shark Welcome Mat Cricut project? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
