When it comes to football decorations, I like to go all out. Whether it's hosting a Super Bowl party, setting the mood at a college tailgating party, or just watching my favorite NFL team (the Chicago Bears) on any given Sunday, nothing screams football decor like a giant football field. And with just a piece of outdoor grass carpet and some white tape, I found a way to make a giant football field area rug that's the perfect addition to my football party decor.

I started with a giant piece of indoor/outdoor artificial grass carpeting (a.k.a. "Astroturf"), which I purchased it at the local home improvement store in the flooring section. They sell several kinds of carpet in giant rolls, and you can get them to cut off any length you want. I got a 6-foot long piece cut from a 12-foot wide roll, with plans to make a 6x9 area rug. I also picked up some white duct tape and 3/4" white electrical tape.

The main measurement you need to remember when making a football field is that it essentially has 12 evenly-sized sections. There are two 10-yard endzones, and between them there are ten 10-yard sections. To get 12 sections, you need 11 lines. And here's a super easy way to determine how far apart to put the lines: However many feet long your rug is is how many inches apart your lines are. If you've got a 6' rug, put your lines 6" apart. If you've got a 10' rug, put your lines 10" apart. (This math works out so well because there are 12 sections on the field, and 12 inches in a foot!)

So since my rug was 9 feet long, I put my lines 9 inches (on center) apart. I started by measuring 9" in from one end, then putting a strip of the electrical tape across the width of the carpet, centering it on the 9" mark.

Then I measured out another 9 inches and put a second row of tape. The 3/4" width of the electrical tape is perfect for making thin lines on a large field. Once the tape is in position, press it firmly into the carpeting to stick it down.

I continued down the field until I had added 11 strips of tape. Then I measured another 9 inches and cut off the excess carpeting. Now my rug is 9 feet long with 12 evenly-spaced sections. Perfect!

With the 10-yard markers in place, I now needed to add the 5-yard line markers between them. Easy! I just ran another strip of electrical tape right down the middle of each section (except the endzones).

After adding 10 more strips between the 11 that were already there, I now had 21 total, making 20 small sections and two endzones.

Next, I added the hash marks on the sidelines. I cut some 3" long pieces of electrical tape, then cut them in half lengthwise into two thinner strips. I applied four strips per section of the field, marking that section's five 1-yard measurements. Again, I was sure to press the tape down firmly as I went to adhere it well.

Wow, what a difference those sideline hashmarks make!

A standard football field also has two sets of hashmarks in the middle of the field, about a third of the way in on either side. To apply those, I cut more 3" strips of tape down the middle, then used a yardstick to measure and keep them in a straight line as I applied them down the field.

I added the hashmarks on both sides. Man, this gets more realistic the more I add to it.

Now I wanted to cover up all those tape ends as well as the jagged carpeting edge. I switched to the white duct tape because it's wider. Working in strips about 3' long, I first put the tape halfway under the carpeting, sticky side up...

...then I folded the other half of the tape over the edge, sticking it to the top.

I continued all the way around, creating a border on the whole rug. That really looks so much neater and cleaner, and keeps the little bits of carpeting from fraying off.

Just one thing was missing — the numbers! I put strips of white duct tape onto an old cutting mat (that had very little adhesive left on it), then used my Silhouette electronic cutting machine to cut out numbers (10,20,30,40,50,40,30,20,10) for each 10-yard marker. I peeled the cut numbers off the mat and stuck them in place.

I made some little triangles as well, and added to the 10,20,30, and 40 markers, pointing towards their respective endzones.

I can't. Even. Stand it.

With that, the rug was done. Despite what you might think about something so handmade, it's actually super durable, and I find that foot traffic actually makes it better. Every time someone walks on it, they press the tape down further into the carper, making it stick better. I just love it!

So now that the rug is made, how and where do I use it?

Football area rug for a Man Cave

Well, it works perfectly as an area rug in the living room or in a Man Cave, whenever we're having a big Sunday football fest.

Super Bowl party rug or football tailgating decoration

It also works great in the party space for a Super Bowl party or tailgating.

Football rug for a kid's sports themed bedroom

I even made a football field area rug for my friend's little boy who has a football-themed bedroom!

No matter how you use it, this giant football field rug is a great decoration to have around, and it rolls up easily when you need to store it. Now, hand me a bowl of pretzels and the remote, because the game is coming on!