What could be nicer, than conjuring a smile on someone’s face? For me, not much – I’m really happy when someone else is. And for this reason, I thought I’d place a small surprise on my friends’ doorsteps. What is it and how did I get the idea? I’ll tell you:

This morning I went for a ride on my bike and stopped for a while by the stream. Lost in thought, I observed the gently flowing water. Then I noticed the round-shaped stones at the edge of the stream. How many years have they been on this earth? Thousands for sure…

The stones remind me, that despite a number of crises, a certain level of constancy is present, enduring everything. I have to say, that I find this thought very comforting. I’d like to pass this thought on to others as an anchor to hold on to in difficult times. I ponder for a while, how I could do this and all of a sudden, I get the idea for a craft project. I pack a few stones in my rucksack and dash back home.

DIY – stone photo holder

What you need:

• a stone
• paint (best of all waterproof – I use acrylic paints)
• paintbrush
• craft wire
• pen
• pliers

Let’s get cracking:

First of all, you need to wash the stone thoroughly and let it dry. Then, using paint and paintbrush you can paint it however you fancy.

When the paint has dried, you can then twist the wire around the pen three times and then around the stone.

Take the pen out of the loop and you’ve finished your very own home-made photo holder! Now you just need a cool photo and you’ve got a great gift for your friends or even for yourself (:

Photo credits: Katja Eggenhofer