Matthew Raines' Arts, Crafts and Hobbies Class

Got an art, craft or hobby you love doing? Are you into scrapbooking, quilting, photography or anything that you have fun doing in your spare? Then this forum is for you. Show and tell us about the art, craft or hobby you are interested. You can post photos, links to your work or start a discussion with like-minded members about techniques or projects. Your art, craft or hobby does not have to be related to Bonanza.

I know it's hot where many of you are and perhaps you're not doing any needlework, but I have two blankets on my crochet hooks, and two shawls on my knitting needles. :-) Not to mention about 18 other unfinished projects, but those were packed away before I moved and they're still in that state. :-) Here are the two blankets, in-progress pix. Is anyone else working on crochet, needlework or needlepoint, quilting, etc. that they'd like to share? I always love seeing others' work! I'm still gathering my skills with PCStitch to try to recreate that pattern for the Ponderosa Map. :-) So far I've not had the time to really sit and play with it …

This is my first acrylic pour on a 5x7 canvas. The paints I used are Apple Barrel. The colors are New Shamrock, Fruit Punch, Bahama Blue, White. I used black as the base. I set the canvas on an old Igloo beverage container. Knowing how messy this type of acrylic painting can get, I put the container in the sink, upside down, used 4 medicine cups to hold the canvas up off the container, layered the paints in a small, plastic cup, and poured. I moved the cup around as I poured. Then I tipped it to make sure the edges were covered. Now all I have to do is to spray it with some clear acrylic sealer when it's dry. I got the sealer when I got my basic painting supp…

Have any old sweaters that you and your family still have, but don't want to get rid of? Here's one idea for them: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/htu_O2Dpd2M

Ever wanted to draw a frog, but you can't even draw a simple stick figure? Here's an easy way to do it. https://m.youtube.com/shorts/dW4dBsy3zNk

Earlier this year I participated in Andrea Nelson's 30 in 60 Facebook Challenge (one challenge every other day) teaching basic watercolor priniciples and techiques. I got about half way through before life intervened but I had fun and intend to pick it up again. She was a primary school teacher and her projects tend to more towards whimsical animals more than I like but the techniques are explained well and are repeated often. I showed some pages in my sketch book to a friend who is an award winning watercolor artist and she said that my colors were clear (as opposed to muddy) which is hard for newbies to do. So ... there is hope!!! 😀 One assignment was to draw a gira…

This is type of painting requires no artistic skill of any kind. Anyone from kids to the aging can do it. You can have all sorts of fun with it and use various items like a colander, the bottom of a soda bottle, combs, cookie cutters, marbles, sink strainer, funnels, etc. https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=acrylic+pour+painting ~~~~~~~~~~ Some are created using a blow dryer. This is what's called a Dutch pour. The results are amazing. One of the YouTube channels I follow, she created ocean waves. Another created flowers in full bloom. https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=acrylic+pour+painting ~~~~~~~~~~ Some have used a marble.…

These little chairs will look cute in your rock or flower garden or any place else you want to put them https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GzBbajAENFM&pp=0gcJCWgCo7VqN5tD

Because a medical condition has affected my eyesight, I don't do much reading nor much writing any more. I have turned more to my artistic hobbies. I was doing wooden coasters but have concentrated more on them in the last six months. I've made quite a few owl ones and flower ones. A new hobby is glass paperweights. They're a little more difficult to manage but fun to give away to special friends. I've continued to make painted rocks. I have friends who drop them off for me, or they're in a collection by my mailbox, or I drop them at clinics or the hospitals when I go there.

Hanging kitchen towels. All embroidery is via machine, not by hand. Still need to sew the tops to these two.

For those who are into arts and crafts, sewing, etc, Hobby Lobby has a great sale on whatever you need/want. Here's the link to this week's ad: https://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly-ad?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=13234025952&gbraid=0AAAAAC-IqNykE8xy-HPg58YdcMY14bawb&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm93DBhD_ARIsADR_DjEHTGKURhomfZRcr5-E1jYI_i06PMRuA-Yr7m5slXraSSF0XO11DxMaAuFBEALw_wcB

I've been thinking about doing an acrylic pour on my phone cover or gluing an acrylic skin on it. f I do a pour, I would have to let it set for at least 24 hours, before putting the cover back on my phone. If I do a skin, then I can glue the skin on. I tried finding a photo of a phone cover with an acrylic skin, but couldn't.

I've found out some very things during my research. More techniques, methods, etc. BUT, I came across one important thing about the canvas panels and why some of them warp. Mainly, its how they are made. Here's a link that will explain it. https://youtu.be/0dp7AEASsbo?si=c1mpW_ZONgXSyaqX After watching it, I've decided to stop getting the panels at Walmart and Dollar Tree and spend a couple extra dollars at either Michael's or Hobby Lobby.

Here's something I'm thinking of trying. I'll have to see if Hobby Lobby has what's needed to make them. I don't like ordering anything online. https://youtu.be/lNniWQLz-6U?si=dT1HuzjVb-DCYPEn

I know it's hot where many of you are and perhaps you're not doing any needlework, but I have two blankets on my crochet hooks, and two shawls on my knitting needles. :-) Not to mention about 18 other unfinished projects, but those were packed away before I moved and they're still in that state. :-) Here are the two blankets, in-progress pix.

I am finding more methods to doing acrylic pour paintings. Using an egg carton, a marble, a comb, a toothbrush, a seive, and various other methods. The videos show how they're done and I can't wait to try them. Here's one that was done using a marble and the link to see how's it done: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gfgBBCd7QNY&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD

I'm not sure if I want to try making acrylic pour wrapping paper. I'll have to think about it. https://youtu.be/2Ialtre9Oh0?si=phX9glBcqurRYg35

I'm DEFINITELY going to make a few of these, if I can find smaller sizes. Our tree is only about 4' tall. https://youtu.be/4DzCnnxf2yg?si=8bpe8-wptpgSfAqy

I found a source for a few colors of acrylic paints, different size canvases, tools, etc. believe it or not, Dollar Tree. Me and hubby went there just to look around and see what they had that we needed/wanted. Some time next, I'm going to try to go by myself. That way I can my time getting what I need/want to get started.

Going to get back into outdoor photography. At least try to. I haven't taken any outdoor pix in months. So, I don't know if I still have the passion for it or not. There are 3 parks that I'm going to check out. One is walking distance from where we live, another is on a bus route we use to go to the VA med center, and the third I have to take a bus to Wal Mart and then take uber from there. There is another park, in the next county over, that I'm going to try to get to. The bus that goes to the mall there only runs on Saturday and then take the bus from there to the park. So I have to plan that trip wisely as the Saturday bus only makes very few trips to the mall. …

Many years ago I started to cross-stitch a large replica of the Ponderosa Map. In the move prep, I found the floss and the partially completed stitching, but the pattern is nowhere to be found. A friend had a high-resolution image of the map and from that, using cross-stitch pattern creation software, I'd created the pattern. It means starting over, since with this kind of software, things will not be perfectly aligned with the older, partially stitched piece. So, my question is this. Does anyone own a high-res, fairly good-sized copy of the Ponderosa Map image? (I want to be sure we're respecting any copyright laws). If you would be willing to allow me use it …

It's been awhile since I posted any of my Zentangle pieces. Here are a few I've done for charity auctions in the last year.

I'll put the topic here. In Ben POD / The Lady From Baltimore, @janet the wicked feels angry about stupid dvd cases. I sort my dvds into cheap sandwich paper bags. The dvd is protected, outside I can note informations about the ep. At Bonanza, I actually sorted each dvd individually in a paper bag, all them together in the original cardboard box. The five plastic cases are empty on the shelf. With other series, I often summarize a season in a paper bag. The plastic case is terrible. I am often afraid of breaking dvds. You can also do handicrafts very well with these sandwich paper bags. There are beautiful stars, flowers…

When I have enough confidence to do it, I'm going to try this with acrylic paints and a vase from Dollar Tree. https://youtu.be/PsGboH5mATc?si=gT2JYIufrFo25s1

After I have enough confidence to try it, I want to try acrylic painting on wooden frames. These are soooooooo gorgeous. I've included the links with the pictures so that you can see how they're done https://youtu.be/D4rtt6hKuAY?si=bi1Xf4aDbZZRUf-n (This link shows two wooden frames being acrylic painted.) https://youtu.be/p10jmYRplOc?si=hHFBGWLwCruKb-LQ (Doesn't show how the paints are combined before pouring onto the frame)