Giving personalized gifts for Christmas is a passion of mine. The problem is, anytime you order something customized, you’d better be ready to fork out the dough – it can get expensive! The best way to avoid personalization fees is to simply do it yourself!!

I spotted some awesome doormats at Potterybarn.com . They are the perfect gift for anyone of your list – if your budget allows it! There’s no way I’d spend $70-$110 for a doormat. Can you imagine all the muddy footprints? I’d have to tell the kiddos to “Take off your boots BEFORE you wipe your feet on the mat”!!!!

Feeling inspired, I decided to DIY a custom doormat for my parent’s Christmas present this year. It turned out amazing! Luckily I documented the process for all you DIY’ers. Simply gather the supplies and follow the instructions below to make your own personalized custom doormat.

Pottery Barn Custom Mats

How To Make A Custom Door Mat:

Materials And Tools:

A natural, coir doormat. I like the TRAMPA one from Ikea. It comes in 2 sizes and the small one is only $6.99

Painters tape

Craft knife

Word Processor (Word or Google Docs)

Printer and paper to cut out your design

Spray adhesive

Spray paint or House&Canvas Furniture Paint

House&Canvas Paint Brush

1. To get started, open up a word processor (Word or Google Docs is fine) and type the letter that you are using for this project. I’m using a K because my parent’s last name starts with a K – feel free to be creative! Select a font for your letter, and increase the font size until it fills an entire page. Print out the letter, and ensure that the letter looks exactly how you want it to appear on the mat.

2. Make a stencil by carefully cutting out the letter. It’s best to use a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat so you get crisp straight cuts.

3. Using painters tape, tape off your border. You can make the border as thick as you like. Be sure to really press down on your tape so no paint leaks through.

4. Use your knife to cut out the extra tape bit as shown in the next photo. This will create a nice, seamless border.

5. Give the back of your stencil a quick spray with spray adhesive and place it in the center of the mat. Lightly press to be sure it’s stuck on there!!

Now you are ready to start painting!!

6. On this first mat, I used black spray paint. When using spray paint, always remember less is more. Work in thin layers. Spray lightly, let dry and spray again until you get a nice opaque finish

7. After the paint dries, remove the tape. You have now created a personalized custom doormat!

On my next mat, I’m going to use House&Canvas Furniture Paint and a paintbrush. I’m going to use my trusted stippling method you can find here to get the nice crisp lines that I am looking for.

House&Canvas Furniture Paint is great to use outdoors as well. It’s durable and comes in 30 designer colors so you can really customize your gift!! This would look so pretty using Evergreen and Barndoor Red for a seasonal mat! The possibilities are endless!!

Share pictures of your DIY creations with us on social media! Tag your pictures with #houseandcanvas and we will comment and like!