First you need some rocks! Where to buy rocks? Yes, we buy rocks. Many of us in Northeast Ohio do not have access to rocks. Please do not take rocks from private property landscaping. Local, State and National Parks are private property. Please do not take rocks from these places. Railroads are Federal Property and rocks should not be taken from railroad property. Please do not take rocks from our Lake Erie Beaches. Most of this area is private property or owned by a park which is private property. Rocks can be purchased at your local gravel pit by the 5 gallon bucket. Don't forget your bucket. Check with your local landscaping company. They may have loose rock and bagged rock. The two most common rocks purchased are the Mexican River Rock, Caribbean Beach Pebbles, and Dorado Beach River Rock Mexican River Rock from Home Depot Caribbean Bach Pebbles from Home Depot Dorado Beach River Rock from Home Depot You can also find rocks online at Walmart or Amazon. 1. Clean Your Rocks It is very important that your rocks are clean and free of dust so the paint adhere’s to your rock. You can wash your rocks in a bucket with a very small amount of dish liquid. Some rocks may need a little scrubbing. Be sure to rinse your rocks. You do not want a soap residue on your rock. I lay mine on the sidewalk and rinse them off with the hose. Be sure to flip them over and get any dirt off the other side. If you have purchased rocks that are "polished" you can wash them in hot water. I prefer to lay them outside and pour a boiling pot of water over them. Please do not boil your rocks. Rocks can explode. Please do not wash rocks in your dishwasher. The dirt and particles coming off your rocks is not good for your sink or dishwasher. Be sure they are very dry before painting. Rocks are porous. Water inside your rock will bubble up your artwork and the label. When in a hurry or anytime, place the rocks on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. I turn the oven off after 10 minutes and let the rocks cool in the oven giving them a longer drying time. More is not better. Rocks can explode. Allow the rocks to cool completely before removing from the oven and handling. UPDATE: I created this method because I was impatiently waiting for rocks to dry. Since then, I have seen it copied and changed. More is not better. Longer is not better. Water in Rocks becomes steam. Rocks can explode. You do not have to turn the rocks. They aren't chicken. The rocks are hot. Use caution! 2. Paint your rock with acrylic craft paint. 3. Add Your Label Use Mod Podge (the glue like in the jar) to decoupage a label on the back of your rock so that your finders know what this is all about. You can find Northeast Ohio Rocks! labels in the files folder of the Facebook Group. 1. Apply Mod Podge to the back of your rock where you are placing the label. 2. Apply Mod Podge to the back of your label (edge to edge). 3. Place your label on the rock and apply Mod Podge over the top of your label. 4. Be sure to press all bubbles and creases out of your label and secure all edges. 5. Let dry overnight and apply another coat over the label. Again, let dry overnight just to be safe before sealing your rock. 4. Add Your Hashtag Once you have your label on, you can add your hashtag. Write your hashtag on the back of your rock with a sharpie. Cover the area with a light coat of Mod Podge to prevent bleeding and running. Then, it is time to seal your rock. ****Hashtags are optional. You are not required to use hashtag. At Northeast Ohio Rocks! we use them as an organizational tool. When adding your last coat of Mod Podge on label, apply a layer of Mod Podge to the rock where you can write your hashtag Once dry, use sharpie to write your hashtag on the rock. Apply a thin coat of Mod Podge over your hashtag to prevent running and bleeding when sealing Learn More About Hashtags Here 5. Seal Your Rock Spray your rock with an outdoor sealant. It is very important to seal your entire rock (the front, back and over the label) to protect your artwork and the label from the elements and to prevent water from getting into the rock. You can also use Duraclear. Duraclear is a non aerosol sealer that can be used indoors. Most of us use Rustoleum Clear Coat or Duraclear. 6. Post a Picture Post a picture of your rock to the Northeast Ohio Rocks! Facebook wall. We love seeing pictures of everyone's artwork. It inspires others to be creative too. Northeast Ohio Rocks! on Facebook 7. Hide Your Rock Hide your rock and brighten someone's day. There are tips to hiding in the pinned post. Please respect private property. There is a list in the pinned post on the Northeast Ohio Rocks! Facebook group of places not to hide rocks. Please honor the requests to not hide rocks someplace. Additional Information Be respectful!! No rock should contain any insulting picture or language. Please do not paint rocks regarding political issues, hot topic issues or issues revolving around adult concerns. Do not paint rocks with awareness ribbons or cause logos. We are not that kind of group. If you wish to support something join that group or support a cause, issue or topic on your private page. We are the place to come to get away from that. Our only platform or sharing kindness. The rocks are not bumper stickers. They don’t have an agenda other than sharing kindness and brightening someone’s day. This is meant to be fun for all ages and abilities. Any rock painted with obscenities, racism, or nudity will be deleted. Keep it rated “G” for everyone. Any rock not following group rules will be deleted. This is for all talents levels. You can use paint, chalk, or sharpies. Try stamping designs or stickers. Remember to protect your artwork and your rock from the elements you have to seal your rock. The sky is the limit to your options. Search “painted rock” in Google and Pinterest for ideas. Check out our group for ideas too! Don’t worry if someone has painted a ladybug. Paint another! Gather your inspiration from us. Have fun!! When posting your painted rocks or your found rocks to our group wall, please do not include a child's name in any post or comments. Our children's safety is our number one concern as it is yours but we love seeing their smiling faces with their finds. I want our children protected as best as they can be on our group page. If you are adding objects to your rocks, please use E6000 and follow it’s directions. Use clean rocks and clean objects. Do not add things after sealing. Allow to dry completely. You can not use hot glue or other glues. These glues do not hold up to our sometimes extreme temperatures. When things fall off of rocks, it is considered littering. We do not want our rocks to be banned from parks or other areas because of this. Here are several of my rocks that I have painted and that have been found a YEAR later. An important lesson from these photos is please follow our instructions on how to paint rocks. Look at these rocks. Our methods work. We want all of you to be successful in your rock painting. I know many people offer other suggestions on how they paint or seal their rocks. I promise you our instructions work. If you still have questions on how to paint rocks, you can search "Tip Tuesday" in the Northeast Ohio Rocks! Facebook group. We are new to many people each day. Most have the same questions. I have compiled a couple Frequently Asked Questions. Rock Painting FAQs Update: Rock painting has grown into a movement growing to thousands of groups across the United States and many groups forming in foreign countries. It is important to remember we are about creating smiles and chain reactions of kindness. What we do is not about us. It is about creating smiles in other. Here are some important rules for rock painting. *Children find rocks. All rocks should be Rated G *The rocks are not about us. We paint them to create smiles in others. Do not paint names and dates on rocks. No Hot Topic Issues No Politics No Adult Concerns No Adult Issues No Awareness No Causes *Buying and Selling is not in the spirit of creating and sharing kindness. No buying or selling. *When embellishing your rock use E6000. Tape, hot glue, white glue, super glue are not appropriate for this project. When things fall off rocks it is considered littering. *We are Northeast Ohio Rocks! If painting rocks for our group and posting in our group, use our group label. **Hashtags are optional. Hashtags are not required to be used by a painter or a finder. Many don’t know what they are or how to use them. Rocks should be able to be seen. We want them found. Hide rocks in plain sight. Rocks should catch your eye as your walking by. Hiking/biking trails Park Benches Picnic Tables Outdoor eating areas Playgrounds Gas Stations ATM Machines On top (not in) Mailboxes In Elevators Hand to a Drive Thru Worker Hand to a Passerby Leave with a Tip Respect private property. Do not trespass. Do not place rocks in places that would be dangerous for the finder to retrieve. Do not place rocks in areas that would damage property. Do not hide rocks in areas that would cause personal injury. Do not hide rocks in grass or other places that are going to be mowed. Do not hide rocks in garden or landscaping areas where someone's hard work and loving care would be trampled. Do not hide rocks in or around water features. Remember to be respectful of private property and businesses. Do not hide rocks inside local businesses without permission. Rocks should not be hidden in grocery stores or around any fresh, unsealed food due to health department regulations Rocks may not be hid in the following locations: Akron Zoo Akron Children's Hospital Cleveland Clinic Medina Hospital Stow Library Cafe O'Play Metroparks Cuyahoga County Metroparks..NO ROCKS Summit County Metroparks..ON TRAILS ONLY Lorain County Metroparks..ON TRAILS ONLY Cuyahoga Valley National Park Do not hide on Beaches (in the sand) Disney Theme Parks Please do not hide rocks or take rocks from cemeteries. Rocks on headstones have a deep meaning to those who leave them there. They are an indication that a friend or loved one was there and visited. Please be respectful of this practice and do not hide or take rocks from cemeteries. *Hashtags are optional. Hashtags are not required to be used by a painter or a finder. Many don’t know what they are or how to use them. *Do not add your hashtag to a rock that was not painted by you. The hashtag is like an artist signature. *Do not add a label to a rock missing a label. The painter may not have used one. You don’t know where the rock is from. *Posting a picture of the back of the rock is not necessary. We all know what the label says. Posting a picture of a hashtag does not create a link. *Post rocks to the group identified on the label. Do not post rocks from other groups to our group. The painter won’t see them. If you don’t want to join a group, just rehide the rock.