Yall, this has to be the single most awesome thing I have ever done to my house. I’m not going to lie – I’m not much of an ‘interior decorator’. I purchase different pieces that are on sale and try to make them fit around my house. Sometimes I repurpose them, sometimes I just leave them and tell myself they look great. And then this one time I made DIY fridge mats for my refrigerator and totally redeemed myself. Come along, let me show you how you can make this easy homemade craft yourself!
Two things happened to create this magic in my fridge – I found this amazing contact paper on sale [I’m seeing a theme here] and I saw these fridge mats on Pinterest. I saw the image on Pinterest and then later tracked down the post. She uses actual mats, which is super cool. I think I did mine the hard way, but thats the story of my life. [Amiright?]
Another fun fact – while making these DIY fridge mats it was also the first time I hard core cleaned my fridge. Like pulled out the shelves and scrubbed them kind of clean. Which worked out well because they need to be clean before applying the contact paper. They also need to be warm and dry. So I pulled them out, scrubbed like there’s no tomorrow, let them dry and then applied the contact paper. I overlapped it and then used scissors to cut off the excess.
And then I put everything away nicely and attempted to take pictures. Just for the record, taking pictures of your fridge should be an Olympic sport. I had to hold open the door with my foot while pressing the light button to keep it from turning on with my hand. Oh and hold a camera and take a picture. Plus, Avery kept trying to shut me IN the fridge. So Im pretty excited with how the pictures turned out. And my fridge looks pretty awesome too.
And just to show you how truly awesome they look – here is the before and the after. My fridge is so fresh and so clean [clean]. Plus its easier to clean now with the fridge mats. It also makes me happy when I open the fridge now. Its so bright and cheery and its officially my favorite decorating project I have completed to date.
Ok, I lied a little. These are some of my favorite projects too:
- Easy DIY Curtains [My first sewing project!]
- My Cross Wall(s) [In our old place. I need to update on my new cross wall(s)]
- White Chocolate Mousse - February 16, 2024
- Slow Cooker Ground Beef Tacos - October 30, 2023
- Pumpkin Cream Iced Chai Latte - October 23, 2023
Michelle says
These mats look so good what a clever idea and I agree theyre very cheery mats 🙂
Kelley says
Thanks Michelle! 🙂
Anjanette @MommaYoung says
Wow Kelley, I love it!
Kelley says
Thanks Anjanette!
Crystal says
It looks so pretty!! That’s not something you normally would say about a fridge, but it looks so nice to open it up and see the turquoise mats. I had seen the mat idea, but haven’t gotten around to doing it. Thanks for the reminder and great idea!! Love it!!
Kelley says
Thanks Crystal! And I thought the same thing – not something I would ever say about a fridge.. but its so bright and pretty! Let me know if you make your own! 🙂
Laura @ The Rookie Cook says
So pretty! I love the idea of using contact paper. I really need to clean out my fridge now – it’s gross-o!
Kelley says
haha! Mine was too prior to this. lol 🙂
Jazmin @ Frugality Gal says
This is such an awesome idea. I despise cleaning the fridge and this would make it easier to just wipe down and move on. Plus the pretty pattern would make me happy haha.
Kelley says
Haha! Right? My fridge may be messy but its cute 😉
Becca says
Great idea! I wish I could keep my frig looking clean. Stop by my Friday’s Five Features this week and link up this post (and others)! diy-vintage-chic.blogspot.com
Kelley says
Thanks! Ill stop over now!
Heather says
I did this to my fridge too! LOVE it! So easy to clean.. PS-Your mats are super cute:)
Kelley says
Oh.. what color are yours?! I got the contact paper on sale at our grocery store 🙂
Manda WOlf says
Such a good idea. But then I’d have to clean my fridge out… that’s a scary thought.
Kelley says
Hahaha!! Right?! I felt the same way, but it was worth it in the end. 🙂
Chequita Burgess says
Love the color of yours. I did the same thing with some pretty green/white contact paper in our fridge & our pantry, until I ran out! Can’t find the same one. 🙁
Kelley says
Oh thats a bummer! I hope you find some more sometime. I bought two and it didn’t even take a half a roll for my fridge.
Lisa@ Cooking with Curls says
That is pretty awesome! I should do that with mine, if I can find some pretty contact paper. The last time I looked, they just had generic, boring colors. I love the color that you used 🙂
Kelley says
I was lucky to find this really pretty contact paper on sale! I bought two rolls and should have bought more. 🙂
deonna says
First of all we have the same fridge. I want to do this now. Mine is always so messy or empty but this might keep me motivated to keep it nice.
Kelley says
Haha! Mine still gets messy.. I just look around the mess at the pretty contact paper. 😉
Kayla @ Home Coming blog says
Such a good idea! I need to do this. I’m hosting a Wall Decal giveaway that you should enter! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/08/wall-decal-giveaway.html
Kelley says
Thanks so much! I entered!
[email protected] says
I love your print! I went to walmart and got place mats for .97 and used those for my mats in the fridge! USed place mats so I could pull them out easy to wash. I am stopping by today from make bake create blop hop! I would love a visit son at homemaker-mom.com
Kelley says
Thanks! I love the print as well! Place mats are a smart idea!
momstheword says
I love this! I use vinyl place mats in mine but they aren’t as pretty as what YOU did! Did you actually pull the backing off the paper and attach the contact paper to the glass shelves? Or did you just lay it on there?
I’m just curious as to whether or not it’s permanent or not? Thanks!
Kelley says
Its actually stuck to the glass! I don’t think its permanent and it hasn’t started peeling back or anything. Im not sure how easy it will come off either. lol. Thanks so much for your sweet comment!
gail says
you could put pretty contact paper over the ugly vinyl mats…
Kelley says
You could. 🙂
Angela @ CreativeBlossoming.com says
Very clever and cheap way to infuse some pattern and color into your frig! Sometimes the little changes like this are really huge. Thanks for sharing this idea!
Kelley says
Thanks Angela! And I agree! It does make a huge difference! 🙂
Elena Gilbert says
Indeed really really clever, who did you first get the idea from?
Kelley says
I saw them on Pinterest a while ago! They used different material instead of the shelf liner. Hope that helps 🙂
Lisa @ Fresh Eggs Daily says
Okay wow! These look great. I just found your blog and love it! I’ll be back for sure…and hope you’ll come share this post at our From the Farm Blog Hop this week. We’re trying to hit 300 linkups, so stop by and link up!
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2013/08/from-farm-blog-hop_30.html
Lisa
Fresh Eggs Daily
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com
Kelley says
Thanks Lisa! Ill try to stop by this week 🙂
Adelina Priddis says
You are so brilliant! We rent…but I wonder if they would come off fairly easily when we move.
Also, next time you take pics inside your fridge…you could just unscrew the lightbulb a bit 😉
Kelley says
They come off pretty easily. I’ve lifted a corner of one to test. And thats smart! 🙂
sally says
I was just wondering if you put the contact paper on top of a place mat… sally
Kelley says
Nope.. I put the contact paper directly on the glass. Hope that helps! 🙂
Courtney G. says
I was shying away from contact paper when I looked into this project because I was afraid it would make it too dark to find anything. Did you find that to be a problem?
Thanks
Kelley says
Hey Courtney! Actually, the opposite happened – it really brightened up my fridge! I used a light contact paper but its very bright and even cheery. I hope that helps! 🙂
Tia says
cool! That’s a great idea!
Next time you could put a bit of tape over the light switch and hold the door open with a weight like a full bottle or something.
Kelley says
So stinkin smart Tia!! Thanks for the tip!
Savannah Frank says
I love this idea! I’m about two years late on this post, sorry! Does the contact paper come easily in case I wanted to replace it, it ripped, etc???
Kelley says
Yup! It sure does! 🙂
Bonnie Gresham says
If you want to change the contact paper is it easy to do? Do you have a trick for doing it? This project would fit right in.
Kelley says
Hey Bonnie! I have not changed out my contact paper since I did this! They are still in good condition and I love the pattern. They should be fairly easy to remove and change out though! Hope that helps 🙂