1. Join Pinterest.
2. See many projects! So many! Good projects! A buffet of craft ideas! Convince self that you can do any of them, any of them at all, just pick! A smorgasbord of projects!
3. Decide to paint rocks. Small, round, easy! Plus the idea is to leave them out in the world to be found by strangers. If we paint messy, no one will ever know it was us.
4. Realize you own no craft paint.
5. Realize you have no rocks.
6. Take break to collect supplies.
7. Set up painting station at kitchen table. Distribute brushes amongst the children.
8. Begin painting yourself.
9. Remember that painting is one of those things, like talking on the telephone or cooking dinner or trying to pee on your own, that causes perfectly happy toddlers to decide that they urgently require your undivided attention.
(HIM: Pick me up! Pick me up! LET ME CLIMB IN THAT PAINT WHY NOT WHY WHY WHY—what? What did you say? Oh yes, let’s sing! No don’t put me down while we sing! Sing and keep holding me! No don’t put me down with toys! Toys and hold me! Sing and toys and hold me! [Approximate translation. Actual dictation sounds like: “mama-ahh-ahh-ahh-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-ma,” at increasing volume.]
ME: OH HEY LOOK THERE’S DADDY.)
8. Try to paint tiny hearts. When they don’t look heart-ish, paint bigger hearts over them. Bigger. Again. Then just decide to paint the whole rock that color! That’s what you meant to do all along. Isn’t it? Thought so.
9. Discover that everything looks better with a second coat. Except for the orange, which doesn’t start looking orange until about the eighth coat, at which point you can no longer tell there was a rock underneath.
10. A million coats of paint later, sit back and admire handiwork.
11. Realize that it is dinnertime, and the table is covered in wetly painted rocks.
12. Wonder if you ought to check out what’s new at Pinterest. You have to wait for the rocks to dry, anyway…
{ 12 comments }
What a lovely idea…random act of kindness type. Hearts are nice any time the the year. Shamrocks would be a real challenge for me.
An idea for the future…watch for discontinued spray paint to go on sale to spray the rocks…then a new set of problems, of course ! I do like how you write instructions…clear and step by step. Did check out Pinterest…have been there before…very interesting projects.
Peace,
Siggi in Downeast Maine
Thanks, Siggi! I don’t think I could manage shamrocks, either. Hearts were tricky enough!
That is one of the best ideas I’ve heard, especially the leaving them around for strangers to find part. Crafts and I, however, we don’t get along. And that’s why I don’t get on Pinterest very much anymore.
We’ve set a few out to be found, and they’ve disappeared! Pretty fun.
I had to smile as I read this. Your writing style is entertaining, and with an empty nest, I can paint ALL BY MYSELF! And you are probably asking, ‘Where’s the fun in that?”
Enjoy!
Painting on my own! Ah, the luxury!
So pretty! Look at all those wonderful colors! Got to stop pinning and start crafting!!!
Not a bad way to spend a rainy Saturday! Even if it didn’t go quite as smoothly as one might hope.
Pintrest has recently sucked me in. Just what I needed, another reason to spend time on my computer!
Love the rocks, and what a great idea to leave them for people to find. I would be more selfish with something that took so much time! (I try to only paint when my kids are gone or asleep.)
So many pretty things on Pinterest! Painting with kids, though, is something I only attempt… rarely. And then enough time has to pass for me to kind of forget before I take it on again.
*Love* this. Love Pinterest, love doing a project from Pinterest a week. Don’t love finding that I have to do those projects at midnight to ensure several hours of 1)kid-free craft time, 2)kid-free drying time, 3)clean up time, and 4)oh my god I’m tired and just want to buy crafts.
Sweet idea, though, paint bombing your neighborhood with love rocks.
And then there’s the “oh look I saved $10 making this myself, but it took me 64 hours, which is like losing money overall. sweet.” aspect of the thing. I mostly only think that when sewing clothes. But still.