Before and After Painted Rocks: Christmas Holiday

Now is the time to put Christmas decorations away until next year.

Flip a triangular or heart-shaped stone upside down and it's the perfect shape for Santa's hat and beard.

A kidney-shaped stone worked well for painting Father Christmas.

Rectangular, flat stones were used for each of these Nutcrackers.

A triangular-shaped stone was perfect for a kitty in a Santa hat...

...and a puppy in a Santa hat too.

A round piece of slate and a small, oval stone were glued together to create a melting snowman.

Learn How to Make a Melting Snowman with Painted Rocks

See More Before & After Painted Rocks

• Various
• The Beatles
• Garden Critters
• Furry Pets 
• Machines
• Wild Animals  

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Christmas Holiday Painted Rocks Projects

Are you stumped and don't know what to gift a friend who has everything? How about a rock hand painted by you?

Are you looking for projects to keep the children busy during their break from school? How about an afternoon of painting rocks?

My gift to you is four holiday rock painting projects which are easy and fun for all ages to make, give and receive.

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Sweet, Simple Gifts - No-Fat Rock Candy

Painted rock candies are a sweet gift to have on hand around the holidays and very easy to paint.

Learn How to Paint Rock Candy

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How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks and Stones

Painted Santa hat rocks make cute DIY Christmas gifts which are easy enough for children to paint and fun for all ages to give and receive.

Learn How to Paint a Rock Santa Hat

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How to Make a Melting Snowman with Painted Rocks

"Build" this snowman in the warmth of your home instead of braving the cold, frosty outdoors.

Learn How to Paint a Melting Snowman on Rocks

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How to Make Christmas Trees with Pine Cones and Painted Stones

Collect a few pine cones and use them with small, painted rocks to create a Christmas tree. 

Learn How to Paint a Pine Cone/Stone Christmas Tree

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Merry Christmas, Everyone!

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks 

How to Paint a Santa Hat on Rocks and Stones

Just in time for the holidays I came across a rock that was perfect for painting this Santa hat.

Step 1:  If you look closely, you can see how I drew a line around the bottom third of the stone and added a circle towards the middle right.

Step 1 - Sketch simple hat design on stone

Step 2:  Next, I gave the stone a base coat in 2 different colors - yellow for the portions that will be painted red and a shade of blue for the sections that will be painted white. (To get the blue shade, I mixed medium blue with a touch of white and black acrylic paint).

Step 2 - Add base coat of blue and yellow acrylic paint

Tip:  I discovered that a binder clip was a great tool for holding the stone so I could paint both sides at once.

A binder clip is a great tool for holding a thin stone while painting

Step 3:  Then I painted over the yellow base coat on both sides of the stone with red acrylic paint.

Step 3 - Apply red paint over yellow on both sides of stone

Step 4:  I added a dab of black paint to the red to get a maroon color and outlined the blue circle, added a couple of arcs from the circle to the top of the hat, and added a line between the blue and red along the bottom.

Step 4: Outline and define

Step 5:  I achieved the fleecy texture by using a stiff, flat brush and dabbed on white paint, allowing some of the blue base coat to show through.

Step 5: Dab on white paint for the fleece

Idea 1:  You can stop here or add finishing touches such as sealer and glitter.

Three Variations - unsealed - sealed - glittered

Idea 2:  Here's another idea for your painted stone: Add a ribbon or pipe cleaner and your painted Santa hat rock has now become a Christmas tree ornament.

Painted Rock Santa Hat Ornaments

Idea 3:  You can personalize the Santa hat by adding a name or slogan to the bottom, white portion.

Painted Santa hat rocks make cute DIY Christmas gifts that are easy enough for children to paint and fun for all ages to give and receive.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Holiday Gifts of Painted Rocks

The holidays are quickly approaching and here's a simple idea for unique, one-of-a-kind ornaments and gifts.

By adding a pretty ribbon to those small painted stones and rocks you've been painting, you've now converted your painted stone into a holiday ornament for tree-trimming or a small present for gift giving.

 Santa face painted rocks transformed into ornaments

Nativity set Baby Jesus transformed into a tree ornament

I've used holiday-themed painted rocks for my ornaments, however, any small painted stones would be a great gift ornament for someone.
 
Just glue the ribbon to the back of the stone. To make it look more finished, you can cover the spot where the ribbon is attached with fabric or wrapping paper and Mod Podge it.


Remember to keep the weight of the stone in mind when choosing to convert them into ornaments. You don't want the tree to topple over.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Do You Need Rock Painting Ideas?

Look what's possible with ordinary rocks and acrylic paint.

Sample of Painted Rocks by Cindy Thomas

Is your garden looking a little dreary because all the flowers have bloomed and gone to seed? A painted rock gnome home would add some color to your garden nestled among the greenery.

Do you need a gift for a friend in the hospital? A basket of hungry baby bird painted rocks are sure to lift their spirits?

Do you want something different to display at the holidays? There are painted rocks for all holiday occasions - Christmas Santas & nativity sets, Halloween ghosts & pumpkins, Valentine's love bugs, and Easter chicks.

Do you want to play a joke on unsuspecting friends? Painting rocks to resemble food will certainly catch them off guard. Please note that small painted rocks may look so yummy that young children will actually try to eat them. PLEASE USE CAUTION with this idea.

Do you need a gift for an animal lover? Rocks can be painted as cats, dogs and other pets as well as wild animals, farm animals, and more.

Once you start painting rocks and stones, you'll discover all sorts of ideas. The only problem will be finding enough time to create all of your masterpieces!

To see more ideas for painted rocks, please visit (and like) my Facebook Fan Page.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Rockin' with Santa at Christmas

The theme for the White House Christmas tree this year is U.S. National Parks. While my latest project did not depict a national park, I used rocks from my park-like property in the state of many national parks (Colorado) to create unique Christmas decorations and gifts.

Santa Painted Rock Xmas Tree Ornaments

My hand-painted rocks depicting smiling Santa faces are unique, unconventional ornaments for a tree trimming party as well as a one-of-a-kind addition to a wrapped gift in addition to a festive bow.

Painted Rock Sitting Santa 

Sitting Santa is a whimsical, hand-painted holiday decoration. He is also a great Christmas gift and will brighten the winter garden of a favorite gardener on your Christmas list.

To see more of my unique, one-of-a-kind, hand-painted rock Christmas decorations based on Lin Wellford's designs, visit High Plains Critters and He is my Rock.


© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks

Holiday Cheer

In anticipation of the Christmas season, my rock art painting has included Santa faces, nativity sets, and snow-covered houses.

The nativity rocks have been so well received, that I now have a website to showcase and purchase them - http://www.uniquenativitysets.com

The most difficult part of painting rock nativity sets is finding rocks with the correct shape and proportion. Animals such as sheep and cows are also rock art paintings that will accompany some nativity scenes.

These rock art paintings are a great religious gift for friends and family and can be used with the recipient's existing stable.

Here's a short video of rocks being transformed into a nativity set.

© Cindy Thomas Painted Rocks