Look out for this fun hide-and-seek craft craze

Have you ever come across a small flat stone with a sweet painting or drawing etched on it? They can be found in most unusual places, such is in a tree or randomly in a park somewhere. 

It’s no coincidence they are there. They are meant to be found. They are ‘doodlestones’.

Doodlestones started in the United States with one man, Bryan Payne, who draws on stones, places them in random locations, and then posts clues on social media where people can find them. On each stone, he writes ‘#doodlestone’, the date, and ‘finders keepers’.

https://www.facebook.com/Doodlestones/photos/a.1471512146503797.1073741827.1469559390032406/1815427218778953/?type=3&theater

The idea took on and is now part of a hide-and-seek community that is taking over the world… one pebble at a time, and people are loving it.

https://www.facebook.com/Doodlestones/photos/a.1471512146503797.1073741827.1469559390032406/1884335095221498/?type=3&theater

So what is the point, you may ask?

For those that draw on stones, it’s a creative outlet that has some excitement behind it. Where will you hide it? Who will find it? Where will it end up?

For those that find it there is also some joy. A joy at finding a treasure, of sorts, and the wonder at who made it and where did it come from.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMZPNlLgsMN/?taken-by=doodlestones&hl=en

Either way, there is a lot of satisfaction to be had by either party, young and old. It’s a bit like the pay-it-forward concept. It doesn’t matter how big the gesture, it is the thought that counts. In fact, it was the aim of the originator to make his town a friendlier, kinder place. 

So how do you join in? There are lots of Instagram and Facebook pages dedicated to doodlestones in various locations across the country. Search for one in your area. Can’t find one? You can always start your own. Then you can either decorate your own stones and then start placing them around, with hints on social media, or go on the search for ones that may already be there. Good luck!

Is this something you would like to do?