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Readers, listen up — I recently have been obsessed with camping. Something about sleeping under the stars, cooking over a fire (foil recipes are key) and being away from the computer is so addictively refreshing. Spoiler alert: This obsession is very recent. As a child I was terrified and couldn’t even sleep through the night in my own backyard in the suburbs of New Jersey. Now as an adult I am slowly learning tips and tricks to making camping fun and a breeze to plan. One thing I have recently learned is the importance of a mat outside of your tent. Even though you are outside in nature you do not want to track those shoes into your tent. With this easy DIY you can create a space outside your tent to take your shoes off and enter with cleaner feet. Side note: This project is also perfect for your camper, RV, airstream or she shed.
Materials + Tools:
1. Draw out your design on the floor mat with a marker or pen.
2. Cut out your design and cover with bright colors of paint.
3. Once dry, bring it camping and place outside of your tent.
Cacti will always be a favorite of ours, so we drew three plump cacti next to each other to create a tent mat. Just remember that you want to keep the mat somewhat in tact, so don’t create a design that involves cutting away most of the mat.
Use a box cutter to remove the unwanted mat. Cutting this floor mat with a sharp box cutter was like cutting butter — so smooth.
Mix up shades of green and start painting your cacti. You may need two coats if you really want to cover the gray mat, however we chose just one coat of paint and treated it more like a stain.
Paint your pots. This is a great place to add more color and designs.
Finish off your cactus mat with prickly black lines. A fabric marker, Sharpie or paint will work :)
Place your mat right outside of your tent to make sure you step into your home away from home with minimal dirt ;)
Roll up your mat once the weekend is over and store in your tent bag or in a designated camping bin.
DIY Production and Styling: Kelly Bryden
Photography: Brittany Griffin
