31 Home Projects for This Spring That Cost Under $30

1. Fruit Slice Welcome Mat

Add a playful pop of color outside your front door with a DIY fruit slice doormat. To make the doormat, purchase a semicircle doormat that doesn’t have a textured design on it. Home Depot, Target and Walmart have good deals on home goods. It doesn’t matter if the mat has words or printing on it since you’ll paint over it anyway — so go with the cheapest one you can find.

Place the doormat on a tarp outside, spray paint the mat white and let it dry, then spray paint the mat to resemble a slice of watermelon or your favorite citrus fruit. Make paper or tape stencils to block off specific areas of the fruit design, such as the rind, as you add each color, suggested the design blog The House That Lars Built.

The total estimated cost for a fruit slice welcome mat is $28.95, assuming you have paper or tape for stencils. Here’s what you’ll need:

Semicircle doormat: $17.99
Tarp: $2.82
White spray paint: $4.28
Colored spray paint: $3.86