Pinterest Project: A-door-able mat...

One of the many projects on my Pinterest list was this front door mat.  I absolutely love the nautical look and how it can withstand the elements (since here in NY we get a little of everything).  So I headed off to the HD to purchase the needed supplies.   

I was able to pick up the wood in the fencing department for just .85 cents a piece and the gentleman helping me was kind enough to cut them in half.  I purchased quarter-inch-thick manila rope, cheap paint brush and 2 quarts of Behr Semi-Transparent Weather Proofing wood stain.  

The first step was lining up my boards and sanding them down...

Using a ruler I measured and marked each piece for drill holes.  I chose to measure three inches in from the end of each piece...

Using a drill and a 3/8" bit I drilled holes into each piece.  This was a really exciting and super fun step for me as I've never actually drilled holes into anything before this project (I may or may not admit to running around the house trying to find others things to drill holes into :))...

In a matter of moments I had drilled all my holes...

After sanding down each of the holes, I was ready to stain the wood.  This step was not on the blog with the original plan, but I wanted to add some color to our boring rental front door.  After researching stains I decided to go with a tinted Semi-Transparent wood stain, this would add color and allow the wood grain to show through...

It's hard to see but this stain protects against sun, snow, frost, rain, wind and other elements...

I chose to go with a blue stain, unfortunately the pictures don't do the color justice...

 After three coats of stain my wood pieces were ready to be tied together...

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture threading the manila rope through the holes.  

Side Note: when threading the rope through the holes it helps to wrap the end with duct tape to keep it from fraying.  Thread a good amount of rope through the first piece to ensure you will have enough to knot in between each piece.  After threading rope through the hole, make a knot.  Continue this process until each side is complete.  

I love how my mat turned out, although I would like if it were a little longer (just an excuse to make another one in the fall :)).  I love how the blue plays off of the siding on our rental home and who doesn't love a pair of Wellies to go along with it!

 And of course I had to make a new colorful door hanger.  I'm not sold on the orange ribbon or the sign in the middle, but since they were FREE (I had them on hand) they will work for now.

 The best part is I just prop this baby up when it rains and it gets a good cleaning.

So there you have it, an easy A-door-able DIY mat!

Blessings!