A translucent grey Mauve dangle shaped like a morning glory with a large loop cast on the back. There are about 100 strung on a tiny tape (like a shoelace in miniature) and then between each dangle is a piece of heavy elastic cord (such as is used to string 9" all bisque dolls). Individually the dangles have potential.

Cut the cord releasing the long cord strung through the loops and start stroking the petals with various coloured nail lacquers. The intense blue yields a lovely morning glory and the dark purple a lily. The ivory another lily. Gold resembles a Victorian bell. They are of a size to be lovely additions to the hats ornamentation with a quick snip of the loop and a green star calyx. There is a hole in the centre and a snippet of yellow thread frayed slightly gives a nice detail. Drill a hole in the base to insert wire for planting in the garden and trailing over a fence. So look for the ugly things along with a silver chain with a wee box with a latch (it is a charm but nail snippers took care of the loop in no time)

Golf club lead for wrought iron strap hinge, making a decorative square head nail #195 Karin Corbin
2/11/04

Take a tin can, burn off the tin with a torch and clean up and flatten out the metal. Next cut the hinge shape out with a pair of tin snips, cleaning up the edges with a small file. When you get ready to do a production run of these parts you will be stacking up the metal between some thin plywood that has a pattern glued to it and cut the stack on a scroll saw with a jewellers blade in it so you can make a number of them at once. Also drill the holes for the square head nails that typically attach a wrought hinge to a door before you pry this stack of hinges apart. After the tin is cut grab a piece of the adhesive backed golf club lead and stuck it to the strap hinge. Trim the excess off with an exacto knife using the tin shape as the guide. Then set the piece, lead side up, on a scrap of wood and go at it with the ball end of a ball peen hammer to get the look of hammered wrought iron. The lead is very soft so it's easy to hammer in those tool marks. Taking a pair of round nosed jeweller's pliers bend the hinge end around into a tight loop for a hinge pin to go through. Use some Jax Pewter Black to put a dull, dark patina on the piece and the results look great, the hinge is very strong and the project took a relatively short time. You can make a matching wrought iron door handle using this same method, putting the bends into it with the jeweller's pliers.

Next you need a decorative square head nail to put this hinge on the door with. For this use a solid brass, escutcheon pin.. You can get these at most any hardware store, they are a small brad type of nail, larger than the typical dollhouse nails. Tape it a short ways into a wood block just deep enough to hold it there and then create four flats on the round head using a Dremel motor with a diamond coated cut off disk acting like a sanding disk, you could also do it with an actual sanding disk. Time required to make a square head nail...maybe 5 seconds. You can also put some Jax Pewter Black on this to make it look like iron. Plan to clip the brass pin fairly short with a pair of wire cutters, drill a small hole in the door and then glue it in place. The pin would split the wood if you tried to use it as a real nail. The length of the strap hinge will be glued for extra strength. Use clear adhesive caulk for this type of work, it will stick to the metal and painted, varnished, stained or bare wood.

Only you can decide what project suits you. Never do projects that have to be expensive or take much space. I've seen nice little
vignettes done inside a teacup. People have done laundry room scenes inside Tide boxes. Every holiday begets many small scenes
by innovative miniatures afficionados.

I'd say that it's best to start with a bit of websurfing if you don't have any ideas. Hit as many miniature sites as you can find,
letting google.com do the work. After an evening of this you should have more ideas than you can manage in a lifetime.

Larry Marshall (Quebec City, QC)
1/20/04

For a first timer, I would not suggest anything as major as a room setting. Success is the greatest motivator, but anything that takes more than a couple of weeks to bring to "Parlor Display Completion" will become
burdensome long before you ever get to relish the greatest pleasures of this art form. For newcomers with access to a mini store or craft store that carries dollhouse components, the following would be my suggested entry into doll housing.

Come In Through The Front Door. That is, build a simple front door display that goes into a glass dome. I used to offer a workshop kit but I think a greater sense of personal achievement comes for those who gather
the parts themselves. Get a dome, a heavy piece of foam board for the wall, and a manufactured but unfinished door such as Houseworks manufactures (or buy some basswood and make your own door). Collect wall paper, moldings (including base board, door casings, chair rail, ceiling cornice, etc) for the interior side of the door. Get sheet wood siding for the exterior and choose either real wood strips or printed paper flooring for both inside and the outside porch. There will be paint, stain pens, varnish, glue, wallpaper
paste, brushes, knives, saws, and more to acquire and create working/storing places for. When you get it all layed out and ready to
build- - -take a long look at your own real front door. Be ever so observant. Don't just see the doorknob but also the hinges where they show on the inside even when the door is closed. Look at the tiny bit of the brass striker plate that also shows inside. Notice the threshold, the edgewise peek of weather strip, key scratches in the paint or varnish, the doorstop in the baseboard, and maybe a brass peep hole - - -all details of "just a simple door". Outside, on the front porch of a wood sided house, notice whether or not the siding come all the way down to the floor? Learning to see is preliminary to learning how to hold a brush for those who would be great painters.

When it is built;is it exciting? Maybe we need to add a mailbox outside and a small table inside to stack the day's mail. Little details are important. A door mat, the corner of a note or key tucked under the door mat, muddy shoes left outside or slippers to put on within. Do you get the idea? This is only a simple front door but incorporates most of the tasks that
are repeated endlessly in the creation of a mantle room box or table top mansion. You will love it more than anybody who looks at it will. Those who take the time to look, however, will be far more impressed than those who look at a six month project far from completion. You will need to look at it from time to time to remind yourself that things do come to fruition.

Mel K.
1/20/04

Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004

Subject: floortiles


I am Rita from Germany. I saw your question and decided to
answer your privatlay, because I can include some pics of my floor tiles this way.
I don`t know if you have this stuff over there, but I use airdrying clay for my tiles.It comes in blocks , the colour is light or darker
terracotta and it is very easy to use.
I just cut thin slices off with a sharp big knife, then cut the slices into squares or rectangles.
I lay the floor as long as the clay is soft ! Don`t let it dry first, because
is wharps a little, if you don`t glue it down immediately.To glue it to the surface I use simple white glue. After it is bonedry, fill the gaps with thin plaster of Paris. Apply this
with a spatula. Wipe off with a wet sponge or cloth quickly and don`t rub to
hard, because the water would soften the clay again.

If you don`t want the " dirty old " look, paint the tiles with high gloss paint ( not waterbased, because it would soften the clay
again ) and fill the gaps after this. Clean carefully, after drying to bring the
shiny look back.




Rita B.

Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004
JudieblueV@wmconnect.com
Subject: Diamond windows as a DIY project


I took clear plastic from any veggy container etc. and
cut out unblemished flat section. This was laid on top of a 1/4" grid paper and then turned 90 degreee so the grid (graph looked like diamonds. I then laid a steel rule long the grid lines and with a pointed tool scratched the grid lines onto the plastic. I then rubbed a soft lead pencil over the scratch lines and wiped off the excess lead which left the lead in the scratch lines and I now had diamond shaped leaded windows.

The almost instant aging of wood to a grey color is done with the reaction of iron and the tannic acids in the wood. If you ever look at an old house built with steel or iron nails for the siding you will see the black rings around the nails and streaks down the wood as well. I have not taken the time to play around with creating my own homemade solutions but it would not be too difficult.

You will need some powered iron oxide, or some iron sulfate (plant nurseries use this for moss killer and fertilizer). Its not too hard to locate some iron oxide powder now with all the faux rusty finishes out there but I personally have not done any specific searches for sources.

Its also possible to use rusted steel wool or a handful of rusty nails, bolts, nuts, etc and soak these in a jar of white vinegar then strain with a very fine cloth or mesh.

I do use the Thomas' Bug Juice product myself as it is convenient, always the same strength solution, and I like helping to support other miniature artists by purchasing some items from them. Of course another factor in my using Bug Juice is that Noel and Pat Thomas are my all time favorite miniature artist heros, I hope that someday they will take the time to publish a book on all their techniques they have shared in the miniature magazines and classes.

The iron sulfate liquids will also age concrete with rusty stains so if you are creating mini sidewalks or stucco using some of the concrete patching products you might try it on the fresh work while it is still damp. On dried concrete it will give a more splotchy appearance.

Always try your solutions on a sample board before you try it on your dollhouse, if the wood is turns too dark dilute your solution with some water and try again. Remember if these solutions get on your clothes you will have rust stains on them. Have fun!!!!

Karin Corbin
16 Dec 2003

From: Kim G. in Las Vegas
Date: January 23, 2004
Subject: Tutorials & Instruction_Class_Ages 8 and up

I've beeen teaching monthly miniatures classes for kids for my homeschool support group for about 2 years now. We began with just making a miniature project each month. My group is for ages 8 and up due to the fiddly nature of some projects and the need for patience and a degree of maturity. Cost has been a factor with our club since the 14 regulars are
from diverse ecomonic backgrounds. For our regular meetings, the girls pay $1 into a class fund which is used to buy any special supplies needed for our projects. They each bring a shoebox "tool kit" with scissors, tacky glue, ruler, toothpicks, and paintbrush. I provide lots of things for the classes from my horde of mini supplies and have made some headway in decluttering my supply closet. We do some original projects and some from miniatures
magazines. I usually have project materials pre-cut and sorted into sandwich bags. I've had to offer the class twice monthly in order to accomodate all the interested kids.

From: Laurie Sisson
Date: January 24, 2004
Subject: Tutorials and Instructions_Instructions_judging appropriate scale

Trace your table top onto the stiff part of your checkbook. When you go to a store or mini show and you aren't sure if something is going to be the right size, try it out on your checkbook template. No one will ever complain about you pulling out your checkbook.

Other tricks include seeing how a dime looks as a plate, then order plates in that size. You can do the same with comparing a dollar to the size you would use as a blanket or drape or doorway. Comparison size is how it looks to you and what will work.

Artists work in the area of scale where they feel comfortable, so some things might be called half-inch scale but be a little large for most but perfect for your uses. The sucess of a hunt is when you find the perfect item to fit your need and therein lies the fun.

From: Laurie Sisson
Date: January 24, 2004


Trace your table top onto the stiff part of your checkbook. When you go to a store or mini show and you aren't sure if something is going to be the right size, try it out on your checkbook template. No one will ever complain about you pulling out your checkbook.

Other tricks include seeing how a dime looks as a plate, then order plates in that size. You can do the same with comparing a dollar to the size you would use as a blanket or drape or doorway. Comparison size is how it looks to you and what will work.

Artists work in the area of scale where they feel comfortable, so some things might be called half-inch scale but be a little large for most but perfect for your uses. The sucess of a hunt is when you find the perfect item to fit your need and therein lies the fun.