Firecracker with a curled fuse on a long stoneRed, white, gray, yellow. Red tube with a white band at each end, a gray fuse curling off the top, one spark.
Lamb leaping a low fence on a wide pebbleGreen, white, brown, black. A fence along the bottom third; the lamb in mid-jump above it, legs stretched.
Treat bucket stone brimming with candy dotsOrange, black, mixed brights. Bucket on the lower two thirds with a pen handle; candy dots heaped along its rim.
BEST and FRIENDS split across two stonesTwo matching pebbles, one bright color, white. One word on each, half a zigzag down the edge where they meet.
Candy-swirl heart on a white stick reaching the rimWhite, red, pink. A swirled heart in the top two thirds of the stone, a white stick down to the bottom rim.
Classroom valentine mailbox with its side signal raisedPink, red, white, gray. A slot near the top, a small red flag raised at the side, a name band across the middle.
Cupcake stone with one candy heart on topPink, white, red, tan. A pleated tan case on the bottom third, white swirl above, one red heart at the peak.
Five heart balloons knotted at the pebble's bottom rimWhite, pink, red, black. Five heart balloons in the top half, pen strings gathered to a knot at the bottom rim.
Friendship bracelet band wrapped around a long stoneThree bright colors, white. A braided band of slanting stripes circles the middle, loose ends painted to one side.
Pocket stone lettered PAL in candy colorsWhite, pink, mint, yellow. Three capitals, one color each, across a small flat pebble; a dotted ring at the rim.
Rosebud on a long stone, stem to the far endBare stone, red, green. A closed bud at the wide end, a green stem and two leaves running to the narrow end.
Round stone as one chocolate seen from above, pink drizzleDark brown, tan, pink. A round stone seen from above: a pleated rim, a brown middle, one pink drizzle line.
Spotted bug whose spots are tiny heartsRed, black, white. An oval stone as the bug: black head, a line down the back, six small black hearts for spots.
Teddy bear pebble hugging a paper heartBrown, tan, red. Bear face on the top half of an upright oval, two paws wrapped over a red heart below it.
XOXO in pink and red capitals on a long pebbleWhite, pink, red. Four letters across the stone, the Xs red and the Os pink, a dot border along both edges.
St. Patrick's Day 12
Bearded face stone: orange beard on the lower halfPeach, orange, green, black. Beard strokes cover everything below the nose; a green hat brim along the top.
Blocky stone hat in green with a buckled black bandGreen, black, gold. A black band a third of the way up, a square gold buckle on it, a brim at the base.
Clover chain following the stone's rimCream, green. Small sprigs joined stalk to leaf all the way around the edge; the middle left plain.
Curl-toed buckle shoe with its toe at the narrow endGreen, black, gold. Toe at the narrow end curling up, a gold buckle over the middle, a black sole line.
Four-leaf clover on a flat pocket pebbleBare stone, two greens. Four leaflets in a cross, a lighter vein down each, small enough to carry.
Gold coin pebbles marked with a cloverEight flat round pebbles, gold, green. Gold on both sides, a three-leaf clover drawn in pen on one face.
Horseshoe stone with seven nail dotsGreen, silver, black. A silver U open toward the top rim, black pen dots spaced along the metal.
LUCKY lettered with a horseshoe for the UWhite, green, gold. Four green capitals on a long stone and one gold horseshoe standing in the second place.
One four-leaf clover hidden among tiny shamrocksLight green, dark green. Cover the stone in small three-leaf sprigs; make just one of them four-leaved.
Pot of gold: a black pebble heaped with coin dotsBlack, gold, yellow. Black all over a round stone, gold swab dots piled across the top, two pen handles.
Rainbow arcing down into a black potWhite, six rainbow colors, black, gold. The arc starts at one rim and ends inside a small pot low on the stone.
Three-leaflet shamrock meeting mid-stone, stalk to the rimWhite or gold, green. Three leaflets meet in the middle of a round stone, a short curved stalk to the rim.
Easter 6
Bunny shape showing through an egg windowPale blue, white, pink. An oval window in the middle of the stone; inside it, a white side-view bunny on pink.
BUNNY STOP HERE signpost stoneWhite, brown, orange. A wooden sign on a pen post, three words in capitals, one carrot painted under the sign.
Checkerboard egg, squares narrowing toward both tipsTwo pastels, white. Squares that follow the egg's curve, narrowing toward both ends, a white pen line between rows.
Lamb leaping a low fence on a wide pebbleGreen, white, brown, black. A fence along the bottom third; the lamb in mid-jump above it, legs stretched.
Lengthwise rainbow stripes on an egg-shaped stoneSix pastels. Stripes run from the tip to the wide end and meet at both points, like the segments of an orange.
Twig-stroke nest circling a round stone, three eggs insideBrown, tan, three pastels. Twig strokes circle a round stone; three small eggs sit together in the middle.
Fourth of July 6
Bell-shaped stone painted as a cracked bellBronze brown, gold, black. Wide end down; a gold rim band, a thin black crack rising from the lip.
Firecracker with a curled fuse on a long stoneRed, white, gray, yellow. Red tube with a white band at each end, a gray fuse curling off the top, one spark.
Picnic-cloth checks in red with a solid navy starWhite, red, navy. Crossing red bands for the picnic-cloth check; one solid star where the middle square would be.
Smiling yellow stone wearing two navy star lensesYellow, navy, white, red. Two navy stars joined by a bridge across the middle, a wide red smile below.
Tall-stone lemonade with a lemon slice on its rimPale yellow, white, red, navy. A tall stone as the glass: a lemon slice on the rim, a red and white straw to the top.
U, S and A on three pebblesThree matching pebbles in red, white and navy. One capital on each in a contrasting color, a star under each letter.
Halloween 12
Broomstick along a long stone, bristles at the wide endBrown, straw yellow, black. Handle from the narrow end; a tied bundle of bristle strokes fans over the wide end.
Cauldron pebble: green brew, swab-dot bubbles, flames belowBlack, green, lime, orange. Green brew across the top with swab-dot bubbles; orange flames lick the base.
Cobweb spun from one corner of the stoneBare dark stone, white pen. Six spokes fan from one edge; sagging threads join them, wider apart as they spread.
Cone-shaped witch hat on a triangular stoneBlack, purple, gold. The point of the stone is the tip; a purple band with a gold buckle, a brim along the base.
Crooked house with a leaning tower and four lit windowsPurple, black, yellow. Crooked black walls and a leaning tower against purple; four yellow windows, one lit door.
EEK in wobbly capitals with a spider on a threadOrange, black, white. Three shaky letters across the stone; a pen thread drops from the top rim to a small spider.
Friendly fanged grin across a wide stonePale gray, black, white, red. A wide smile line, two small white fangs hanging from it, red bow tie below.
Potion bottle on a teardrop stoneGreen, purple, cream, black. Neck at the narrow end with a cork, a cream label on the belly, bubbles inside.
Six pairs of glowing eyes, one pair shut, on a dark pebbleBlack, white, yellow, green. Six pairs of eyes of different shapes and sizes, one pair shut.
Treat bucket stone brimming with candy dotsOrange, black, mixed brights. Bucket on the lower two thirds with a pen handle; candy dots heaped along its rim.
Twisted black trunk reaching the rim of an orange stoneOrange, black. Black trunk from the base, twisted branches to the rim, one small crow; the sky stays orange.
Wrapped candy on a stone with two pointed endsOrange, purple, white. A striped middle; the twisted wrapper ends fan out on the two points.
Thanksgiving 6
Football stone with white lacesBrown, white. Brown all over a pointed oval, a white stripe near each tip, one lace line with cross stitches.
Gravy boat on a stone with a spout-shaped endWhite, brown, blue. The narrow end is the spout; a handle loop at the wide end, brown gravy showing at the rim.
Place setting from above on a flat stoneRust, white, gray. A white plate ring in the middle of a rust cloth, a gray fork at the left, a knife at the right.
Roast drumstick on a teardrop stoneGolden brown, cream, white. Meat on the wide end, the bone to the narrow end with a white paper frill.
Rolling pin along a long stone, a handle at each endTan, brown, white. A pale roller along the middle of a long stone, a darker handle at each narrow end, flour dots.
Wishbone on a small dark pebbleBlack or navy, cream. One forked bone shape filling the stone, a pale shine line down each arm.
Christmas and the winter holidays 12
Four-sided spinning top, tip at the stone's pointBlue, white, silver. Point down for the tip, a short handle at the top, a white border around the body. For Hanukkah.
Gingerbread figure on a flat tan stoneTan, brown, white, red. Arms and legs out to the rim, a white zigzag at each wrist and ankle, three buttons.
Menorah with nine flames on a wide stoneNavy, gold, yellow. Nine branches on one stem, the middle one taller; a yellow flame dot on each. For Hanukkah.
New year's numerals in gold over confetti dotsNavy, gold, mixed brights. The four digits across the middle; cotton swab confetti above and below them.
Pair of mittens on two matching stonesRed, white. A left and a right, thumbs toward each other, the same snowflake band across both cuffs.
Party horn unrolling across a long stoneNavy, gold, pink, white. The mouthpiece at one end, a striped paper coil unrolling to the other. For New Year's Eve.
Red stone belted in black with a gold buckleRed, black, gold, white. A black band around the stone's middle, a square buckle at the front, white trim below.
Six-armed snowflake on an icy blue pebbleIce blue, white. Three pen lines cross at the middle; two short ticks near the end of each of the six arms.
Snow globe on a round stone with a painted basePale blue, white, green, brown. Base along the bottom rim; one small tree inside, swab-dot snow, a shine arc.
Tree bauble with a gold cap at the top rimOne bright color, gold, white. A gold cap and loop at the top of a round stone, two bands and a white shine curve.
Triangular stone as a tree with dot lightsGreen, brown, gold, bright colors. Point up; zigzag garland lines, a swab-dot light on each bend, a star at the tip.
Two spiky holly leaves meeting at a trio of red dotsCream, dark green, red. Two spiky leaves meet at the middle; three red swab dots where they join, a shine on each.
How it works
These holiday rock painting ideas run in year order: 12 designs each for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween and the winter holidays, and six each for Easter, July 4, and Thanksgiving, which have longer lists of their own.
Read the full guide
The year in stones
February: Classroom valentine mailbox with its side signal raised. March: Pot of gold: a black pebble heaped with coin dots. October: Cauldron pebble: green brew, swab-dot bubbles, flames below. December: Red stone belted in black with a gold buckle.
Where the other holidays are
Easter, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving each have six designs here that their own lists do not repeat. The Christmas and Halloween designs are new ones too; the general rock list has more of both.
Questions and answers
What holiday designs fit a rock?
Ones that use its shape. Cone-shaped witch hat on a triangular stone, Triangular stone as a tree with dot lights and Checkerboard egg, squares narrowing toward both tips each start from the outline of the stone.
Are there Hanukkah and New Year designs?
Yes, two each in the winter group: Menorah with nine flames on a wide stone and Four-sided spinning top, tip at the stone's point for Hanukkah, Party horn unrolling across a long stone and New year's numerals in gold over confetti dots.
Which St. Patrick's Day rocks are quick?
Four-leaf clover on a flat pocket pebble is two greens, and Gold coin pebbles marked with a clover is gold paint and a pen on eight flat pebbles. One four-leaf clover hidden among tiny shamrocks takes longer.