Painting Rocks

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Sorry its been awhile since I've done a new post, I've been busy in the yard and garden this spring & summer, I still am, but have been wanting to do a few crafty things too :)

I wanted some bright spots in my flowerbeds, besides the plants and flowers. So I have been painting rocks lately... I think they are cute and they don't take long to paint at all. Besides that, we have a ton! of rocks in our yard, so it was easy to find them all. I had little pile(s) stacked up from working the soil in the garden and also in my flowerbeds. Lots of different sizes and shapes so I collected a bunch so I could pick and choose.

What you need:

Rocks - various shapes 
Primer Paint
Craft Paint
Paint Brush (or three)

Find a few rocks in different shapes that you think would like to paint on...

The first step is probably the most important step, cleaning your rocks...make sure you remove all the dirt. I used  "Awesome" that we purchase at Dollar General... for real, the stuff is awesome! Use it full strength, or diluted, all for $3.00! Good Stuff! we use it on all sorts of stuff.
Anyways clean your rocks and let them dry totally. Mine seemed very porous, so I let them dry in the sun for a day, brought them inside at night and painted them the next day.

Next you'll want to prime them if you are painting on the whole rock, if not you can skip that step. I primed mine.

Primed rocks

After the primer is dry, paint whatever your heart desires :) bugs, frogs,turtles, dogs cats, or ones with just designs.

Beginning of a Lady Bug

Oops! too pink, had to tone it down a lil, I decided on  flesh color instead.

After painting, I let mine dry for a day before I sprayed them with clear coat. Then I let them cure for about a week, inside before putting them outside.
Thats it, easy peasy. Cute little rocks....

I'm still going to paint a few more since they are pretty quick. I washed a lot of rocks so I'd have a choice of shapes. I'm looking for one that has the perfect shape for a frog, and I want to do a turtle too. I'll also do a few with just some designs on them, maybe I'll put those, along with the mushroom rock in my gnome village when we do it...

I'll add some more pictures after I get a few more painted...

Added 8-22-13

M&M rock

M&M Rock and M&M's :)

Still looking for more flat-ish, round-ish "M&M" rocks to paint...


I'm also working on a few projects for future posts ;)

Until then, Happy painting!!

Tips & Tricks

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I added another category,  so I switched the name of the post from Craft Tips to Tips & Tricks

Paint/Stencil

**When using a stencil to paint, begin painting on the edges of the stencil, working toward the center, rather than from the center outwards. This helps prevent paint from getting under the edges.

**Apply the lightest color first when stenciling and blend to create multiple color tones.

**Use as little paint as possible when stenciling. Less is more

**When painting on glass be sure to prep the surface first by cleaning it with rubbing alcohol. This will remove any oils on the surface that might keep the paint from sticking to the glass. And after you clean it be sure not to touch the surface as this will transfer oils from your hands.

**After painting, set your brushes in fabric softener for about 10 minutes and then clean as usual. This works for brushes used for all types of paint, even oil based paints. You can also use  hair conditioner after using acrylic paint.


**Recycle large plastic lids by using them for a painter’s palette or cutting them up for stencils. I use a ice cream bucket lids for a palette when I paint.

**5-24-12 
Punch 3 to 4 holes in lip of paint can using a nail. This allows the paint in the lip to drip back into can while allowing the lid to make a better seal keeping the paint fresh.

General

**Keep glue sticks for glue guns in the freezer. It keeps them from getting stringy while gluing.

**Heat from a blow drier causes strings of hot glue to disintegrate immediately.

**Repurpose clear glass jars as containers. Baby food jars are ideal for small items like beads and jewelry-making supplies, medium sized jars can hold buttons and large jars can hold markers and colored pencils.

**Install simple curtain rods or towel bars on one wall of a closet or utility room to hang rolls of wrapping paper.

**Use clear, plastic containers to group similar items - craft supplies are easier to find and use if you can see the contents of the containers that hold them.

**To clean rubber stamps use baby wipes immediately after stamping. Baby wipes are already acid-free and gentle.

**Lubricate craft punches before using them by punching wax paper.

**If your scissors start to go a little blunt, grab some aluminum foil and cut that to sharpen up the scissors, you can also use sand paper for the same effect.

**Shoelaces make perfect drawstrings for small projects, such as bags or children's clothes, and they come in a variety of colors to match any project.

**Store pipe cleaners for kid’s crafts inside of a paper towel tubes

Knitting

**Paperclips make great stitch counters. Just pop one on the stitch you want to mark. Safety pins work great too, and are a little easier to put on and take off.

**If your knitted item tends to curl at the edges, adding a row of single crochet may flatten it out.


Gardening

**To remove the salt deposits that form on clay pots, combine equal parts white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and water in a spray bottle. Apply the mixture to the pot and scrub with a plastic brush. Let the pot dry before you plant anything in it.

 **To create natural markers, write the names of plants (using a permanent marker) on the flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at or near the base of your plants

I will be adding more tips as I find them...

If you have some favorite craft tips you'd like to share, send me a message,or leave a comment and I'll add them to the list.

Whitfieldshomeinthecountry(at)gmail(dot)com