Handmade Monthly-Heat Gun Embossed Welcome Mat

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

These aren't pictures by my house, but just examples of what can be stuck to shoes and feet of people entering your house!

     There are so many things in the summer that get tracked into the house!  Grass, sand, mud, the list goes on.  This month for Handmade Monthly I decided that I would share something that I needed for my backdoor!  I had a doormat out there, but it seemed like everyone barely used it. I was constantly sweeping up dry grass and whatever else got tracked in. So, somewhat tongue in cheek and somewhat seriously, I took my cue from a shampoo bottle and made this mat that says, "Wipe yer feet!  REPEAT."  
     I think these mats would make great gifts as a housewarming gift for people with kids.  Or, change the words and they would be suitable any time of year for the front or the backdoor! Or, how about for an RV , camper or cabin?
     I found the mat I used at Dollar Tree!  That's right!  A doormat for $!.00! They  have them on their website to order in bulk, and they have a bunch in their store.  I decided to use embossing powder with my heat gun to create my design.  It was pretty much a learning experience as I figured out what to do.  I'll show you what I did and tell you what I learned! 
Supplies: 
plain doormat
paint
​paint brush or foam brush
embossing powder
stencil 
​Heat Gun

Use your computer to find a font and the size that you want and print of your words to make a stencil. Or, make a self stick stencil on your Cricut or Silhouette. (Better idea)

After you stick down your stencil where you want it on the mat, fill it in with glue or paint. Then, sprinkle on the embossing powder carefully.

I found that a chalkboard paint marker worked very well on these mats.

That was the basic overview.  Here are the things I would do to make it easier. 

• Make sure you have white embossing powder and not clear!  (Um, yes, I did that.) The clear won't show well on glue.  I ended up using the chalkboard marker to fill in the words and then you the clear embossing powder to give it sparkle.
• Apply the embossing powder very carefully just where you want it to be or it will leave sparkles all over your mat and everywhere else.  I like to just take a pinch and put it right where I want it to go.
• Don't hold the heat gun in one place for too long or your  mat will melt. 

In the end, I like the look of this mat by my backdoor.  I think that the embossing will hold up better than just paint, but of course, using just paint is a definite possibility.  I hope you will take some of my tips to heart, to make your mat less labor intensive!  

I had fun trying to come up with good messages for my backdoor mat.  If you have anymore cute sayings or ideas, let me know!
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These stencils are available at Dollar Tree.