DIY Rae Dunn-Inspired Fruits of the Spirit Rocks

I’m always looking for age-appropriate activities to do with my granddaughter, who is almost three-years old. I am on the lookout for crafts that are inexpensive and fun. This particular activity didn’t cost a thing, because we had on hand everything needed. 

As for inspiration, I’ve been seeing alot of painted rocks on Pinterest. And then a few weeks back, I saw this canvas artwork on Wayfair. 

Rocks, fruits of the spirit, an old paint sample and my Silhouette machine all came together for an activity that Annabelle, Kendall and I enjoyed. The result was a basket full of rocks that we can use to teach Annabelle and Callahan about one of the most important Bible verses that teaches us the virtues that we should all strive to achieve.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23

First, I collected a basket of smooth river rocks from a neighbor’s flower bed. The neighbor was replacing the rocks and encouraged me to take as many as I wanted.

The next weekend Annabelle came to visit. I had the activity all set up on the back porch. Annabelle and I painted one side of the rocks the first afternoon and the other side the next day. I used a flat latex paint sample (Glidden) from Home Depot. The color appears to be white, but it’s actually called Indian Muslin. You could use any paint color you want. This was a sample I had mixed several years ago.

After Annabelle went to bed, I cut the words out of black vinyl using my new Silhouette Cameo 4 that my daughters gave me for my birthday.

I used the font Farmhouse Bold, which resembles the font used on the Rae Dunn line of products. I had purchased it for a previous project from the Silhouette Studio store. I weeded the words and transferred the word on one rock. 

The next day I took Annabelle home and brought to Kendall the rocks and the remaining words cut from vinyl. She transferred them to the rocks and then used Modge Podge to seal them.

My thought was to keep the rocks in a basket or bowl and each evening at dinner let Annabelle pick one to discuss each of the fruits of the spirit and to learn this important Bible verse. I’m making a second set for my house because you are never too old to remember these attributes.

Supply List

• Large, Flat Rocks (2-4 inches in length)
• Latex paint (White or off white)
• Black Vinyl
• Transfer Tape
• Silhouette Cameo or Black Sharpie
• Modge Podge
• Sponge brush
• Disposable cup full of water for brushes

Instructions

1. Select the most smooth rocks you can find. Ours were two to four inches in length. Annabelle called one of them “the toe” because it resembled a big toe. Wash the rocks and let them dry.
2. Paint the backside of the rocks using a small sponge brush or regular watercolor paint brush (the fatter ones). After the backside is dry, paint the other side. If you need the rocks to dry quickly, use a fan or blow dryer.
3. Cut the words out, weed and transfer to the rocks.
4. Add a coat of Modge Podge to seal the rocks, covering the blank side first and then the side with the words. Let the rocks dry fully before handling.

I thought this would be a great Vacation Bible School craft. I have some more rock painting projects planned for Annabelle and I.

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