How to Make a No-Sew Bed for Painted Rock Pets

You can easily make a bed for your dogs and cats painted on stones and rocks without sewing a stitch!

Tips & Ideas

• A bag with a round or oval bottom works best
• The canvas bag used for these pet rock beds measures 4-1/2 inches in diameter by 7 inches tall and fits painted rock pets measuring up to 3 inches wide
• Remove the drawstring before folding the bag inward
• A thin, knit sock (men's or women's) can be used instead of the canvas bag

• Felt or fleece are cozy liners for the bed 

Keep your painted rock pets comfy in a cute, cozy bed.

Canvas bag - no-sew pet rock bed

Knit sock - no-sew pet rock beds

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Make Painted Stones and Pine Cones Critters

Create cute, whimsical critters using pine cones and painted stones.

Pine Cones and Stones Painted Critters

For the little owl below, I painted two round, smooth stones with orange, white and black acrylic for eyes and attached them with white glue to the pine cone. I painted the pine cone scale yellow for his beak.

For the little bird below, I painted two round stones with yellow and black for eyes and a triangular stone orange for the beak and attached them with white glue to the pine cone. Adding wispy feathers over the painted stone eyes added that something extra to give the critter a whimsical appearance.

Tips

• ALWAYS keep small stones away from young children. They are a choking hazard!
• How to clean and preserve pine cones
• Test the stone placement on different sides of the pine cone. Some sides work better than others
• Lids from containers can be used as a base to keep the pine cone and stone critters upright

• Cut out felt or craft foam pieces for feathers, wings, feet, etc.
• Instead of painted rocks, use googly eyes from the craft store.
• Use a pipe cleaner for feet.

Start collecting pine cones and small stones to make your own cute critters - anything goes, not just birds. It's a fun project for both children and adults.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

How to Make Christmas Trees with Pine Cones and Painted Stones

I collected a few pine cones the other day with the idea to use them with small, painted rocks to create a Christmas tree.

Pine Cone and Painted Stone Christmas Tree

Step 1: I cleaned the dirt, pine needles, etc. from the pine cone. If you prefer, you can wash and preserve the pine cone before starting this project.

Step 2: I went through my small stones and chose the rounded or oval ones.

Step 3: I narrowed down my selection of stones by fitting them on the scales of the pine cone. Some stones were too big, some too thick, and others fit nicely to maintain the Christmas tree shape.

Step 4: I painted my chosen stones with white acrylic paint as a base to make the paint adhere better and my colors appear brighter.

Step 5: Metallic craft paint in various hues - gold, silver, copper, emerald, topaz, amethyst, rose - was applied to the primed stones.

Note: When you click on certain links in this post, I may receive a commission for the purchase of products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step 6: I thoughtfully placed each painted stone on the pine cone where the color and fit looked best, then attached them with white glue. (At times the stone wanted to slip from the pine cone's scale and it was necessary to hold it in place until set.)

Step 7: (Optional) Once all the painted rocks were in place and set, I sealed the pine cone/stone Christmas tree with a brush-on polyurethane sealer.

Painted Stones Become Ornaments on a Pine Cone Tree

Tips

• ALWAYS keep small stones away from children - they are a choking hazard!
• Use a toothbrush or bottle brush to clean the pine cones.
• Always test the placement of the stones to avoid the pine cone being tipsy.
• If using multiple colors, take care of the placement so you don't have the same colors bunched together.
• You may need to touch up the underside of the painted stones. Do it carefully so you don't get paint on the pine cone.
• E6000 or a similar glue should also work for this project.
• You can purchase small stones (in a bag) in the craft section of a dollar store.

Ideas

• Add glitter to the stones or edges of the pine cone. (I used glitter for the stone at the top to resemble a star.)

• Add a little white paint to the edge of the pine cone to resemble snow.
• Paint the pine cone instead of leaving it natural.
• Place the pine cone/stone Christmas tree in a painted clay pot (see photo above).
• Paint rectangular stones to resemble gifts under the tree.

• Switch up the colors for a Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter, or other holiday/occasion.
• Use a pretty candle holder for a base. (I used a red, star-shaped candlestick.) 

Before/After

Useful Links

• How to clean and preserve pine cones
• Pine cones by the bag
• Small stones by the bag
• Metallic craft paint
• E600 Glue 
• Mini pine cone pot tutorial
• How to paint a pine cone Christmas tree

Note: When you click on certain links in this post, I may receive a commission for the purchase of products. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Rock Painting Ideas: Food-Related Painted Rocks

Rocks painted to resemble food get laughs and look good enough to eat.

How to Paint No-Fat Rock Candies

Maybe these rock candies look too good!  

Always remember to keep food-related painted rocks away from small children.

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I have a new Pinterest board for food-related rock painting inspiration which I'll be adding to regularly - Ideas: Food Painted Rocks.

You can create all types of food with painted rocks and they make great gifts for any occasion!

Sushi Painted Rocks - Click to see more from the menu

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Visit my Pinterest Rock Painting Ideas and Helps board to get inspiration for other painted rocks projects.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Do-Over Painted Rocks OR How To Re-Paint Rocks and Stones

Oops...the painted rocks shaving cream experiment did not turn out like I expected.

Shaving cream experiment gone wrong

The shape and texture of these rocks were too good to toss aside. 

Time for a do over!

I just covered the shaving cream rocks with solid white acrylic and re-painted them.

The Owl and the Pussycats

Send in the Clowns

Painted rocks are very forgiving. If you don't like something you've painted on a rock or stone, just cover with a few coats of white acrylic paint (or any other color) and start over.

Don't be afraid to experiment with rock painting!

Don't you think these are much better?

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks