Back in the days of Covid lockdowns, I went out to check the post one morning and found on the ground just beside the letterbox, in a little tuft of grass, an adorable painted rock! It had a sweet little message on it, and to this day I have no idea who left it there, but I’ve kept it and it is usually to be found on a shelf in my kitchen where I see it, and smile, regularly. It was such an unexpected joy to find, and the considerate message of “KEEP OR REHIDE” is something I appreciated, too, because we did want to keep it!
Lockdown was a lot easier for us that for most, I think. Our family are all homebodies, and because my husband and I love to spend all our time together anyway, and missed our little girl when she was at school (she started prep in 2020), when it turned out that we all had to stay home together and spend a bunch of time together… well, it was awesome for us, we get to do hobbies for happiness. It was a scary time out in the world, but our little world at home was peaceful and cosy. It was so much quieter outside that it was like a balm for the soul, and our home felt like a special little island just for us.
But it was still nice to find that rock, to feel that connectedness with other people in my city. To be reminded that while they were all in their homes on their tiny islands, we were all in the same sea.
I had always meant to pass along that special feeling, and my daughter and I even went out and hunted for good rocks to paint! One of our nearby parks seems to have at least a small amount of Victorian building rubble, as we found a few small pieces of beautiful marble tiles! One of the many perks of living in a town with a fairly long history, I suppose.
Sharing Simple Joys
As is often the case with these things, it took a long, long, (oh goodness has it been four years?!), time before we finally got around to painting some rocks! My daughter is still working on hers, but I’ve finished a couple, and can’t wait to find more rocks to paint.
I’m not a great painter (though I’m chuffed with the two that I’ve done, especially the aloe one), but that’s not the point. It was really relaxing sitting down and painting these with my daughter, after spending some time with my husband Googling cute puns to paint onto the rocks, haha! I really recommend this activity; it could be something you do with your whole family! We are all looking forward to hiding these rocks, and hopefully getting more and more people to do likewise! I can see this being something we keep doing going forward.
It’s a simple joy, finding a treasure that’s been left for you. But simple joys can be so lasting and rewarding, so why not keep it, and pass it along?
DIY STONE ART Materials:
- Good sized rocks, preferably smooth.
- Acrylic paints and assortment of brushes. I used the finest one we had to hand for almost everything but the base layer.
- Messy mat, or scrap paper, we use compostable brown baking paper as it can be recycled after and the paint doesn’t stick to it.
- Time, and some cute puns!
- A good place to hide your creations, but where they will be found!
DIY STONE ART Instructions:
Step 1: Clean the stone.
Step 2: Based the stone with your desired acrylic color.
Step 3: Draw whatever that inspires you at the moment. It can be a cat, dog, or even a mountain! You may also Google some stone arts to get an idea and start running your imagination.
Step 4: It doesn’t have to be a perfect drawing or painting, remember, the purpose why you are doing this stone art is to keep the little treasure you found to share and pass along the fun to someone whom you can give happiness! And don’t forget your little message “KEEP OR REHIDE!”
Step 5: Dry the stone art.
Step 6: Here’s the fun part! hide the stone that can be seen by anyone!
Now, it’s your time to share the fun! ☺
