How it works

From paintbrush to world tour

Making a happy stone takes an afternoon. Following it can take years. Here’s how it works, for makers and finders.

1. Paint your stone

Take a smooth stone and turn it into something cheerful. Acrylic paint and a coat of clear varnish work best. That way your artwork survives rain and sun.

Tip: write "happystone.id" on the back so the finder knows where to go.

2. Add it in the app

Create a free account, go to "My stones" and tap "New stone". Fill in a name, add a photo and tap "Create stone". Your stone gets a unique ID right away, for example 7F2K. Write it on the back, because that is how every finder traces its journey.

3. Place it somewhere

Put your stone somewhere people can actually find it: a bench, a tree stump, a windowsill. Open it in the app and tap "Place stone". The app takes your GPS location, you can add a name and a hint, and the status switches to placed. From that moment it shows up on the map.

Don’t bury it or hide it where animals live. Visible is better.

4. Someone finds it

The finder types the ID into the search bar on the map and sees straight away where your stone came from. Tapping "Report the find" logs it, which needs a free account. You get a notification and see the new spot on the map.

5. And it travels on

The finder may keep the stone, but sending it on is more fun: tap "Place stone" again, in a new spot. Every stop lands on your stone’s journey page, with the distance in between. That is how some stones clock up thousands of kilometres.

A stone’s journey