DIY Polka Dot Cloud Mat Two Ways

Today's a pretty exciting day.  Not only do I have a super cute and simple DIY for you, but my countertops should be installed this afternoon and even more importantly we have a little birthday celebration too.  Our kitchen should look very close to being finished by the end of tomorrow (minus the shelf, lighting, floor patching, painting…).  Oh, I guess there's still a lot of work to do, but I'm still super excited to see the countertops in!

Today's DIY is a little polka dot cloud mat.  I decided to take pictures of the mat in two different contexts in our home.  I plan to use the mat in the boys' room with their play kitchen, but I also think it would work equally well as a fun door mat (you can see pictures of it at our back door below).  This mat cost me only $2.00 and is a mini Ikea hack.  I found a semicircle door mat at Ikea as part of their "deal of the day"(I think the regular price is not that much more - maybe $5?).  It's also available in a few colours.  When I showed my mom the mat and told her the price she asked me why I didn't buy more to make for my sister (maybe my mom secretly wanted one too!).  I think I may end up having to get another the next time I'm there.  You might remember my cloud "Some Things" post where I shared a very similar cloud mat DIY.  I guess I couldn't get the idea out of my head.  I added a little interest to my mat by painting some of the dots that were already pressed into the mat white.  I think it goes perfectly with the boys' black and white Brio kitchen. 

I also tried it out at our back door and I really like it with our grey door and pink mums.

DIY Cloud Mat

This DIY is pretty straight forward and you might not even need to read these instructions, but I'll try and add a few tips that may help.

1.  You will need a small foam backed door mat (i.e, one that won't unravel if you cut it).  This one is the Ikea Tvis door mat.

2. & 3.  Use a template to trace a cloud shape or draw one freehand onto the back of the mat.  I cheated a little and used a coir cloud mat that I picked up from HomeSense(HomeGoods in the States).  The coir mat is by Danica Studio.  You can find a template for a cloud mat here.  I also used chalk to draw my cloud so that it would easily rub off after.

4.  Cut out your cloud shape.  I used a sharp pair of scissors to do this which worked really well for me.

5.  If you wish, add a little interest by painting every other of the pressed dots in the mat.  I put two coats on each dot.

6.  After the paint is dry you're ready to use your mat.

I hope you like the boys' new mat.  If you are interested in getting a sneak peek of our new countertops as they're being installed, make sure to catch me on instagram.  I'll do my best to post a pic or two there this afternoon as long as everything goes smoothly!