This past Valentine’s Day, I was looking for something fun and different my husband and I could do besides the typical flowers, chocolate, and stuffed teddy bears.  I mean those are great (especially the chocolate!), but after being together for over 11 years, we’ve sort of moved beyond that.  We’d rather save our money for vacations or things for the house, and since we have a toddler at home with no babysitter, we’re kinda limited with our date night options.

I started scouring the interwebs for ideas, and while perusing Hometalk, I stumbled across these Valentine conversation stones….and I instantly fell in love!   These little guys:

1. Are cheap to make thanks to using stones from the dollar store.
2. Are super quick and easy to put together.
3. Can easily be discussed over dinner, dessert, in the car, or anytime really.
4. Will allow for some serious discussion as well as some serious laughs!
5. Are a great interactive game for spouses, families, the classroom, teams, etc…..although you may want to leave out some of the topics if using with kiddos. ;)

Sounds like my kind of project!

 

Conversation Starter Stones and Free Printable + Cut File

Supplies

• Large glass gem stones (I used 55, so just under two full packs from Dollar Tree)
• Clear sticker paper (or white printer paper and glue)
• Silhouette Cameo/Portrait, other cutting machine, or just plain ol’ scissors

 

The Conversation Starters

Here are the 55 conversation starters I used for these stones.  I found some from this great list of random date night questions, and others I thought of on my own to suit my and my husband’s personalities (hey, every couple has their own quirks, right!).  Also, since I was bound by the size of the stones, I couldn’t make the topics too long or complex….plus we’re not trying to draft a dissertation here!

{I sort of divided the topics up by general category, but there’s definitely some overlap….}

Favorites

Just some good ole LOVES right here:

• Favorite Time of Year
• Favorite Feature of Mine
• Favorite Way to Relax
• Top 3 Bucket List
• Top 5 Musical Acts
• My Perfect Sandwich

Relationship/Family Life Eye-Openers

Sometimes it’s a little hard to see things from each other’s perspective, so these topics can help to enlighten us on how we each view our relationship and our life together….and who doesn’t like receiving a compliment from their partner?!  Also, like Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better,” so some answers here can help to improve little friction points we may not have even realized existed.

• Favorite Tradition of Ours
• Actors to Play Us in a Movie
• I LOVE When You ____
• I HATE When You ____
• Dream Date
• You’re Awesome at ____
• Favorite Feature of Yours
• Funniest Moment Together
• Best Memory w/ You
• 1st Thing I’d Update About the House
• Least Favorite Chore
• I’d Like More Help w/ ____

Digging Deep

These are a little more straight-forward in terms of conversation starter topics.  And no fluff here!  They require a little more thought and/or soul-searching.

• Dream Vacation
• Retirement Dreams
• Talent or Hobby I Wish I Had
• I’d Like My Legacy to Be ____
• Best Advice I Ever Got
• Worst Advice I Ever Got
• Era I’d Like to Live
• Biggest Pet Peeve
• Biggest Fear
• Proudest Moment
• Historical Figure I’d Have Dinner With
• Most Nauseating Thought
• Super Power I Wish Had
• Invention I Wish Existed
• Invention I’d Like to Dis-Invent

Open-Ended

These topics are a little more open-ended and allow for some real variety!

• I Would NEVER ____
• If Elvis is Still Alive, He’s ____
• I Don’t Mean to Brag, but ____
• Favorite Lame Joke
• If I Got a Tattoo, It Would Be ____
• It’d Be Awesome If ____
• Would You Rather….

Fun with Pop Culture

Now we can have some fun!

• Celebrity Crush
• Same-Sex Celebrity Crush
• Dream Sit-Com Parents
• Name *THIS* Tune!
• ____ is My JAM!
• Least Favorite Athlete/Sports Team
• Dumbest Movie Ever Made

Just Silly

These are just some extreme out-of-the-box topics to have a little fun with!

• Our Leprechaun Names
• Our Stripper Names
• I’d Hate to See ____ Naked
• How I’d Dispose of a Dead Body
• Last Meal
• Toy I Never Got as a Kid
• Talk Dirty to Me
• Here’s My Best British Accent

Keep reading to score your FREE printable and/or cut file with these conversation starters!

 

The Conversation Starter Stones

The Glass Gem Stones

I ran to my local Dollar Tree and picked up a couple bags of large glass gem stones.  They have smaller ones too, as well as some in color instead of clear, but I liked the larger clear ones for this project.

 

Creating the Stickers

I created my stickers in Silhouette Studio so I would be able to print and cut them out on some clear sticker paper with my Silhouette Cameo.  My inspiration printed her topics out on some regular printer paper, filled them in with a highlighter to add some color, then cut them out by hand and glued them onto the stones.  However, since I’m in love with my Silhouette, I opted to make it do all the hard work instead….plus this would be the perfect excuse to give clear sticker paper a try!

I first created a bunch of ovals that were just over 3/4″ wide.  Since the gem stones are a little oblong and uneven, I decided to not make them perfect circles and also have them be a little smaller than the back of the stone.

Once I typed out all my topics, I filled in the ovals with bright colors to make them a little more playful.  Since I would be printing them on clear sticker paper, I needed to mirror them so they would read correctly once applied to the stone (if you’re not using clear sticker paper, you can skip this mirroring step).

 

Printing the Stickers

I then set up my registration marks since I’d be utilizing my Silhouette‘s print and cut function (which I’ve described in great detail here), and also set up my cut settings.  I used the default ones for…wait for it….Clear Sticker Paper.

 

I used some Silhouette-brand clear sticker paper and loaded it into my printer.  I first printed off a sheet using my printer’s Glossy Photo Paper settings because, well….it looked pretty darn glossy to me!  However, after allowing it to dry for over ten hours and it was still not drying (seriously!), I decided to cut my losses and give another printing a try.

This time I used my Auto print settings and allowed my printer to think for itself…..and it worked perfectly!  I let it sit for about 30 minutes and when I came to give it a looksy, it was dry as a bone and ready for cutting!

 

Cutting the Stickers with my Silhouette Cameo

Next, I loaded the printed sheet onto my cutting mat and then into my Silhouette.  Then I double-checked that my blade was set to #3 and instructed my Silhouette to detect the registration marks automatically (once again, I wrote a complete tutorial on how to print and cut on a Silhouette if you’d like all the deets).

 

Applying the Stickers to the Stones

A few moments later, my stickers were cut out perfectly!  Wahoo!  I then started picking them off my mat, peeling off the paper backing, and applying them to individual stones.  I was really impressed with the quality of this clear sticker paper, too….it’s rather thick and plasticky as opposed to flimsy paper, and once the ink dried it didn’t bleed at all, even when handling.

And we had a successful project!  I just love when a plan comes together….

{And yes, my tradition of stellar manicures continues….} ;)

 

The Finished Conversation Starter Stones!

And here are my finished conversation starter stones!  I just love how bright and colorful they are, and the ink doesn’t smear at all….wahoo!

This project couldn’t be easier (or cheaper) to make, and my husband and I had a lot of fun taking turns with these over Valentine’s dinner.  Even after being together for over eleven years, we still learned new things about each other, and some responses really, and I mean really, opened our eyes (for example, my husband’s same-sex celebrity crush is Danny DeVito….don’t ask).  This’ll be a fun activity to revisit again from time to time, too.

 

Upcycling a Container

Now I just needed a container to hold these guys.  My son had recently devoured finished some cheesy puffs (and yes, I know they’re not organic….I’m such a terrible mother!), and their container would be the perfect home for these stones.

So I took it outside and gave it a little upcycling makeover with some spray paint.  I gave the can a light coat of white paint, just to help conceal the bright color and graphics a bit so they wouldn’t show through the upcoming washi tape covering.

For the blue lid, I used the same textured silver spray paint that I purchased for my son’s plastic Trick-or-Treating pumpkin makeover….and yet again, it let me down.  The texture ended up being very blotchy, and now I wish I would have used a completely different color like red, but I’m too lazy to try and fix it for this little project.  Good enough is good enough here….that’s how I roll.

 

Next up came a quick covering with some striped black and white washi tape, and my container was now ready to get stoned!  Haha, get it? ;)  I might eventually slap a vinyl decal on the side, too.  Maybe one of these days….

 

This little guy is the perfect home for these stones now!  Hooray for upcycling!

 

FREE Printable & Cut File!

If you’d like to create your own set of conversation starter stones, feel free to download the template I created!  All 55 topics are included, and I also added several blank ovals to add your own topics as well.  Pick and choose which ones will suit your needs, and enjoy!

I have TWO versions available: one is a PDF file, and one is a Silhouette Version 2 .studio cut file that can be cut with a Silhouette Cameo or Portrait:

• Click HERE to download the free PDF file!
• Click HERE to download the free .studio cut file!

(The Fine Print: These files are free for PERSONAL USE ONLY. Thanks!)

 

***Safety Disclosure: I think this goes without saying, but please keep these stones out of reach of small children!  They are very shiny and pretty and we wouldn’t want them to be confused for a sweet treat!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Post last updated April 7, 2018.