It’s November first, and you know what that means…
WINTER IS COMING.
And so is my new DIY welcome mat!
I love making seasonal welcome mats inspired by my favorite fandoms. And since I’ve never made a Game of Thrones one, this was a no-brainer.
If you want to make your own, just grab a plain rug, some paint, a sponge brush, your favored stencil, and you’re all set!
Make Your Own Game of Thrones Welcome Mat: Winter is Coming
What You Need:
- Plain coir rug
- Outdoor acrylic black paint
- Foam paint brush
- Two pieces of 12×12 cardstock paper
- Straight pins
- Packaging tape
- Cricut Explore Air II and cutting accessories (mat, weeder)
- Winter Is Coming Design and Stencil — DOWNLOAD
First thing first, let’s talk rugs. I buy all of my plain rugs from IKEA. They are WAY more affordable than if you buy them off of Amazon or even from craft stores. IKEA sells their plain coir rugs in two sizes. To fit my porch, I chose the smaller size which is roughly 23.5 inches wide by 15.5 inches tall.
To start, download the file found in the list above and cut them out using your Cricut Explore Air II (or by hand). After loading both the file into Cricut Design Space, ensure the sizing is correct, about 22.5 inches wide.
Weed the letters off of your cutting mat and place the larger piece of remaining paper on your rug to serve as a stencil.
After confirming the spacing you’re after, use tape to secure your template in place. Next, add the smaller cutout pieces from within the letters and secure them in place with straight pins (like the eye of the direwolf or the inside of the letter ‘R’).
Once you’re ready to paint, pour your outdoor acrylic paint into a painting dish and get your sponge paint brush ready. For the next step, you may want to wear gloves, as it is helpful to hold down the pieces of paper while you are painting to keep them in place.
Now it’s time to begin painting. Dip your sponge paint brush in the paint (you’ll want to have a good coating of paint on your sponge) and dab the sponge on the area you are trying to cover. Be careful to only dab up and down so that you do not accidentally move or paint under the pieces of your stencil. Take your time painting and, if needed, add a second coat of paint to get your desired color on your mat.
NOTE — Let me add that for each painted rug I’ve made, I’ve always feared that I might have to scrap the entire project and start over. My smaller pieces would shift while I was painting, the paint wasn’t as thick as I wanted, and I could not imagine it coming out legible at all. However, each time it has worked out! Moral of the story, if you feel like you’re doing a bad job, finish the project and then decide at the end if it turned out or not.
After painting over your entire stencil, let your mat dry. Once the paint is no longer wet (or earlier if you’re impatient like I am), slowly and carefully lift off your stencils.
If needed, feel free to go back and clean up any edges or light spots with extra paint.
Let your rug dry entirely, then display it with pride on your doorstep!
—> Find more Game of Thrones DIY projects and recipes here.
