Good Morning from Hong Kong!  I just arrived here about ten minutes ago after an uneventful (in a good way) flight.  It was 15 long hours, but I was really tired, so I slept through most of it. I wanted to share this lovely DIY doormat that I made this past weekend while I was trying to spiffy up our outdoor areas during the gorgeous weather we were having, but sometimes my best laid plans go awry. Did you notice that I spelled ‘Bonjour’ wrong on the rug. Seriously, Erin? Of course I look at the rug all weekend and don’t even notice until I’m on a plane above the pacific ocean.  As they’d say in Hong Kong, “aiya”… which means something like, “oh geez”. Anyway, the photos turned out so pretty and I thought I’d still show you all my step by step, then I’ll whip myself up a new rug once I’m home.  For the full tutorial and material list, Keep on reading!  Materials:

• Plain Coir Doormat (mines from Ikea for $9)
• Contact Paper
• Computer Paper
• Permanent Marker
• Craft Knife
• Acrylic Craft Paint
• Stiff Bristled Paint Brush

ONE print the ‘bonjour’ letters onto computer paper.  Here is a template to use! Then, roughly cut around the type. TWO cut off a piece of contact paper that is a little smaller than your purchased mat. THREE Lay the cut-out letters onto your contact paper and trace around with a marker. FOUR Using your craft knife, cut around the marker outline you just made. FIVE use the outside of the contact paper as your stencil.  I didn’t even remove the backing because it won’t really stick to the coir.  Just hold the contact paper very firmly in the area you’re painting and stipple in a downward motion (not side to side sweeping) with your brush using a fair amount of paint. The project wasn’t super easy, it’s a bit challenging, but the outcome (if you can spell properly) is totally worth it.  The entire time I was making this I thought, “this is going to be a disaster” but when I took off the contact paper stencil, it looked really good!  I was pleasantly surprised! You should totally give it a try!  The template for the ‘Bonjour’ is up in step #1, but you could always do your own design or word as well!