Although I think we’d all come to agreement on the fact that Sanford does ROCK, the rock that is being referred to in this post is an actual rock, pebble, stone…you get the idea. I recently joined the Sanford Rocks group at their Rock Painting Party that took place at Rabbitfoot Record Store Cafe and painted my first rock for the group!! So, if you haven’t discovered this simple yet joyful trend and painted your first rock, we’re here to fill you in.

Take a stroll around Downtown Sanford and you’re likely to come across at least one unique rock, one that has been carefully hand painted and hidden for someone just like you to find.

What’s the meaning behind these rocks? It’s simple, spread joy and bring a smile to someone’s face. Kids have really taken to this trend, and what a great way to teach your kids about faith and unselfish giving. Once you hide the rock(s) you’ll have to have faith that someone will find it and that it will bring them joy and what a fun thought to have after finding the perfect spot for your masterpiece. This is a great way to spend time together as a family; picking out the materials needed for your rocks, painting them and then hiding them together. And if you want to have a little bit of extra fun see if you can find a few of those rocks yourself.

For more information on this joyful way to get involved in the community here is the info from the Sanford Rocks group page on Facebook, be sure to join today and share your rocks! Click Here to Join the Sanford Rocks page

SPREAD JOY!

The following is information taken from the Sanford Rocks Facebook Page

Welcome to the Sanford Rocks group! We are painting rocks to “hide” around Sanford with the sole purpose of spreading joy and brightening people’s day. This is a community-based group meant to inspire creativity in all ages and energize people to explore the beautiful area we live in.

Making and finding rocks is surprisingly fun for ALL ages! All you need are rocks, paint, and creativity. On the back of your artwork I would love it if you would reference this Facebook group “Sanford Rocks”. You can also additionally hashtag your city if you live in a surrounding area (#LongwoodRocks, #LakeMaryRocks, etc.).

Feel free to post pictures of your painted rocks before you hide them, or when you find them, but you can participate anonymously if you prefer. If you find a painted rock from the group you can either keep it or re-hide it for someone else to find. If you decide to keep a rock, you are encouraged to hide a new rock somewhere in its place (but this is optional!)

The goal is to get lots of people across our communities painting so that there are lots of rocks to be found out there. You might find yourself rediscovering parts of our community you haven’t appreciated in a while. Get out and ENJOY yourself! Add any of your friends to our group who would be interested in doing this, and share the link to this group on your personal FB page. Looking for something fun to do with friends? Host a rock-painting party! The more people we get involved, the more successful this group will be in spreading joy throughout our beautiful city.

Enjoy life, enjoy each other, and spread joy through rocks! Then come back here to share your POSITIVE stories with the group.

 Please be careful where you hide your rocks so that they don’t cause any damage to property (i.e. Don’t hide in the grass where it can damage a lawn mower or hurt someone). Don’t steal rocks from private property or from someone’s landscaping (duh).

 Use rocks that are large enough to not be a choking hazard for toddlers who may spot them before the parents do.

 Painted rocks reflect the opinions, attitudes, and creative expression of the individual artists, and not those of the page admin. I am not responsible for you being offended. If you find that someone’s artwork is distasteful, you might choose to HIDE that person’s posts from appearing in your newsfeed. Admin will not delete photos of artwork unless they are truly vulgar, derogatory, profane, or obscene. If your choice of artistic expression leans towards adult-centric themes, you are encouraged to hide your rocks in adult-centric locations.

 I don’t allow any buying or selling of rocks on our group page. Please don’t post or comment on someone’s post requesting to buy or commission a painted rock from another group member. Any attempt to commission artwork should happen via Private Message (PM) ONLY. Any comments or posts requesting to commission a painted rock will be deleted.

 Business advertisement rocks are not allowed in this group. You can choose to paint a rock with your business’s promotion or coupon and hide it in Sanford, but please do not post it in this group. The reason is simple – the rocks in here are strictly NO STRINGS ATTACHED. We chose to keep this group simple and ad-free. No sales, just truly random acts of kindness with no expectations.
Update: There is now a Sanford Business Rocks group located here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1362254760504431/ – please join that group for all your coupon rocking fun.

 If you find a rock that is inappropriately decorated, please do not post pictures, share comments about it or otherwise bring attention to it. Let the negativity die with you. Paint over it and move on anonymously.

 You do not need to take photos of rocks you make or find. You can if it brings you joy.

 You do not need to post hints about where you hid your rock. You can if it brings you joy.

 You do not need to re-hide a rock you found. You can if it brings you joy.

 You are not required to trace a rock’s journey, posting found rocks is optional.

 There is no limit on number of rocks you can hide, create, find or keep.

The intention of this site and this community activity is singular and simple:

SPREAD JOY.

That’s it.

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Answers to FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

? Where to find rocks?

You can find rocks to paint in lots of places! Check your back yard or grandma’s property. Look around parking lots and other public places (do NOT take any landscaping rocks!). It may be illegal to remove rocks from rivers and streams on public, state, or federal lands. It is definitely illegal to remove rocks from federally protected lands like national parks. A safe and legal way to get rocks is to purchase them. Dollar stores, craft stores, Walmart, etc sell bags of small smooth rocks. Or, for bigger rocks (palm size), take a small box or 5 gallon bucket to a landscaping supply place. They have all sorts of rocks big and small that you can fill your bucket with.

? What kind of paint to use?

I think most people use acrylic paint because it is easy to use and the colors are vibrant. You can buy small bottles from any craft store, or Walmart sells them for $.50-$2 a bottle. They have almost any solid color you could think of plus all sorts of neons, metallics, glow in the dark, and glittered paints. Another option is to buy a variety pack that includes many different sample sized bottles.

? A great paint option to use for (smaller) kids are tempera paints. They are a non toxic washable paint (acrylic is not washable!). They are not as
vibrant when they dry as acrylics are though. I found that the neon colors look the prettiest because they are the brightest. These rocks will need a good couple coats of sealer when done to protect the paint from washing away in the rain!

?? Other options for decorating rocks include paint markers, which work well for finer details (but a very fine paint brush would work too!). The paint pens come in all different colors and tips including medium, fine, ultra fine, etc. Paint pens are usually oil based paint, but work well along with the acrylics I use on my rocks. Spray paints work great as a quick base coat on your rocks before adding a design. Spray paint also comes in solids, metallics, glittered, glow, etc. Other ideas you could experiment with might be glue and glitter, nail polish, ink markers, googly eyes, sparkle gems, stickers, etc. Be creative! Just remember that the rocks will need to be well sealed when you are finished! (*don’t forget to wash your rocks before painting if they are dusty or dirty at all!)

?? What to use to seal the rocks?

It is important to seal the artwork on your rocks before hiding them! The paint will more easily peel off the rocks when exposed to rain/moisture without the sealant. You want to look for any sealant that is non yellowing and waterproof. Usually something that is for indoor/outdoor use. You can find several options in the spray paint section of your local store. One thing to keep in mind is that most spray sealants will cause regular ink from ink markers to bleed. If you used ink in any part of decorating your rocks, you should Modge Podge them first to seal the ink in place and then use the waterproof sealant to make them waterproof!

? Where to hide and find hidden rocks?

Anywhere and everywhere! Parks, coffee shops, store fronts, restaurants, water fountains, etc. When we create and hide a rock, we are hoping to give someone a moment of joy in their day when they find one of our rocks. Anyone could find a “hidden” rock at any moment and not be a member of our group and THAT IS THE POINT! We are SPREADING joy! Everyone deserves the smile we hide within these rocks, not just our group members. If you choose to go “rock hunting” please do so with NO expectations of actually finding them. This is not geocaching. Let it be a pleasant surprise if you do find a rock. Let it be about the exploration and adventure. Enjoy being a part of something bigger than you. If you absolutely must find rocks, then I suggest privately arranging with another member some sort of rock exchange. Or for small children maybe carry a few of your own rocks for them to “find”.

Hope this helps! ?? Now go spread some JOY!