Light-Up Firework Doormat

Months ago I saw a picture of a doormat that I LOVED and would have ordered in a heartbeat had it been bigger. We have a large front door, and I was afraid the mat wouldn’t look right sitting on our porch. I set out to figure out how to make it on my own. I didn’t get it done as early as I’d hoped, but I finished it! At probably 4pm ON the 4th while I was surrounded by my extended family, but it’s done! I’ll tell you all about what I did, what mistakes I made, and what I plan to do differently next time.

Here are the supplies I used.

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• Doormat
• Outdoor paint
• Paintbrush
• Stencil
• Fairy lights
• Scissors/awl/something with a sharp end
• Duct tape

Optional:

• Cutting machine
• Clear Flex Seal spray — make sure you buy the clear!

The mat I used came from IKEA. It’s the TRAMPA mat, and it worked perfectly. This particular mat is the bigger size—2’x2’11”, but they also have a smaller size for half the price. This one was only $9.99, so it was a great deal!

I got my paint at Michael’s. It’s acrylic paint, but it’s meant for outdoor use.

From what I’ve read, not everyone coats their mats with anything. I decided to use Flex Seal spray, and I bought it at Lowe’s.

I’ve somehow accumulated quite a stock of fairy lights, so I chose some battery-powered options to try out. I’m sure the ones I have are not meant for outdoor use, but I was counting on good weather and not leaving the mat outside for a long period of time. I’m still researching options that would be more outdoor friendly.

The first thing I did was make my stencils. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t just download some images from the Silhouette Design Store, but I didn’t. I thought I had looked, but looking just now I see a bunch of options that would have worked well. Instead I downloaded some images online and used my Silhouette software to trace them. I didn’t always get the cleanest trace, but I got three that worked well enough.

I first bought some sticky-backed stencil material, but I wasn’t sure about getting that to stick to the rug. I ended up buying a non-sticky option. It made some nice, reusable stencils, but it was just a bit too thick for my Silhouette to cut. After sending it through the machine a few times, I used a craft knife to finish cutting out anything that needed it. There are thinner options, and I would definitely use one of those next time. I bought the 7 mil version, but the same stuff comes in a 4 mil option, and I bet that would cut a lot easier.

To paint the fireworks, I held the stencil where I wanted it and used a small soft bristle brush. I tried a foam brush first, but more paint ended up on the stencil than the mat. The bristle brush was definitely the way to go. It let the paint get down into the bristles of the mat. I was hoping the stencil was going to be forgiving, since I wasn’t sure about having to hold it while I painted, but I had no idea just how PERFECTLY it would work. Seriously. There is not a drop of paint outside of where it’s supposed to be. Even though I realized at some points that the stencil had slipped and needed to be readjusted. Amazing. 

Once the paint dried, I added the lights! I didn’t have a clear plan for this before I started out, so I was totally winging it. I thought I was going to be able to get away with using one strand of fairy lights, but I was wrong. The strand I first pulled out uses two AA batteries, and I didn’t have another one that matched exactly. There are a lot of options on Amazon, but I didn’t have time to order anything, so I had to work with what I had. I had bought a bunch of short strands (powered by button cell batteries) to use in resin, so I grabbed those next. I ended up using the one longer strand and two shorter ones. I liked that I could tuck the battery pack for the longer one off to the side and out of the way. I was able to tuck the tiny battery packs for the shorter strands under the mat itself. They’re off to the left side and unlikely to be stepped on, so it works. Still, if I could do it with one longer strand, I would prefer that just for the easy of turning the lights on and off.

To add the lights, I used a pair of scissors to make holes that I pushed the lights through. I wanted to have one light in the center of each firework (I missed one, boo), and then I put a few lights scattered around those.

Because I was running so short on time, I put the mat outside as soon as I was done. I brought it inside later to cover the light strands with duct tape. The lights are snug in the holes I poked, so I’m not afraid of them coming loose, but I was concerned about the strands rubbing against the porch. I left the cord packs loose for now, so I can tuck them in wherever.

Because I’d seen in some other tutorials for painting doormats that you should seal them, I bought the Flex Seal. It’s supposed to keep the paint from chipping, but I wasn’t in a huge hurry to use it since we’ve been in the middle of a hot and dry spell. Once some storms started rolling in, even though the mat had held up perfectly, I went ahead and sprayed. Now it ought to last a long time.

Okay, did you follow all of that? The end result is so much fun.

Now that I’ve made one, I keep thinking of the possibilities. My aunt and I were brainstorming ideas for other holiday mats. She suggested a lighted jack-o-lantern for Halloween. How cool is that?!  I was thinking about a Christmas tree, but then she suggested a snowman. What about a snowman in front of a starry sky? I think I need to get back to IKEA to start stocking up!

Having said that, here are my goals for making future mats:

• Finding one strand of lights that is either battery powered or plugs in but still has small enough lights
• Making sure every part is weatherproof

If you decide to make your own light-up doormat, please let me know! I’d love to see it!