Water slide decals: Make sure that you use several coats of Krylon on the decals before cutting and applying them to your dishes. Spray again with Krylon to seal the edges. I used them to decorate the outside of a dollhouse using a garden scene with a trellis over the door. I used clip art from Provo Craft "Peeking thru the Garden Gate". It has many different flowers and garden tools. You can view the garden scene on my website by clicking on Haley's House. http://hometown.aol.com/lisaandjimhenri/index.html

Lisa

baskets: I just found a great web site with some of the cutest miniatures, and I had to share: http://www.hoosierbasket.com They have 1" resin lined baskets, shelf-sitters and more. And they are so adorable

Mary in Maine

Painting dishes: I have had a great time painting the plain white Chrysnbon dishes. I use acrylic paint with one coat of gloss acrylic over it. See my pictures at: http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=1664953

Chris in Minnesota

Polymer clay molds:. I just visited Sue Heaser's web site, and she now offers molds, too. Here is the link. http://www.heaser.demon.co.uk/products/Kits/dollmoulds.htm

Lauren from Abingdon

Bees: I've made some this way. I layered extremely thin layers, I mean paper thin, of black and yellow polymer clay, maybe 6 layers all together. Then, using a thin metal tube, first dipped in baby powder, I cookie cuttered (Wanna?) out a cylinder from the layers, I rolled it slightly between my fingers to round the ends. I cut the wings out of cellophane, the kind I used was iridescent, although I'm sure clear would be fine. I made a tiny dent in each bee's back and inserted the wings with the smallest dot of tacky glue. I made feelers from a single strand of silk thread stiffened with Elmer's glue, and inserted them into the 'head'. Then I baked them for just a couple of minutes in a toaster oven preheated to 275 degrees. And there they were...bees! Do you know what a bee flying in reverse sounds like? Zzzzub, zzzzub! lol

Alice Zinn

Graduation Dog: Today, I was working making heads for polar bears rugs and had a little piece of white Sculpey left over. I needed a bit of a break, and the clay 'spoke' to me, and I made a cute mini autograph dog with a graduation hat. You can see pictures to illustrate the instructions below in my Assorted Miniatures album on Webshots http://community.webshots.com/user/iamazin.

Let me start by saying you can leave off his cap and add a bow at the neck to use him for a Sweet 16 girl, or other event! The parts are pictured on the web page. Here are the directions.

After making all your parts from polymer clay, attach them together by rolling the 'seams' back and forth using a nice smooth, round toothpick or the handle of a paintbrush. When adding the head to the body, create a 'neck' by shaping the clay in that area with your tool. After you add each leg, turn the end forward slightly to form a paw. Make two vertical dents in the paw part with the toothpick to make the dogs 'toes'. If you are making the graduation version, squish a tiny ball of black clay onto the top of the head, then make sure the top of that is flat.

Bake at 275 degrees for about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Using black paint or marker, paint on two dots for eyes, a nose and a smiling mouth as in the photo. Center and glue the black paper square to the black clay base on the dog's head.

Make the tassel as shown in the picture, using a piece of silk or embroidery thread. Tie a knot in the middle of a short length of thread, then cut most of the strands off on one side of the knot. Trim to the length you want and glue to the hat, the tassel side hanging down and add a tiny black bead or drop of dimensional paint at the center top of the hat.

Using the finest point marker you can, sign your dog! You can add other names as well, or have fun letting your friends sign it! Please feel free to share this project with your miniatures friends or clubs. You can download and or print the photos from my Webshots album. All I ask is that you do NOT make them to sell.

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

China painting - I'm no expert, having only china-painted dolls' faces, but I'll share what I do know. You can china paint scenes on china with the same paints that are used for dolls. I have both Seeley's and Bell ceramic china paints. Both are fired at cone 018. The labels on the paint bottles or jars usually give this information. Just to be safe, don't use any new paints along with your vintage paints. Or fire on the vintage paints first, and then do a second firing using newer paints(if there are special colors you want to use in the newer paints). Once it's fired on, it's very hard to remove, so I can't imagine any bad reaction between the two if they're fired at different times.

If you don't want to be worried with firing, there are translucent stains for china painting that are not fired on, but look very much like the fired on.

Paulette in IN

CAMERA ADVICE : You can't go wrong with the Pentax brand especially if you can get your hands on a Pentax K-1000 body and a 50 mm lens. Add a set of Nikon close up screw on lens in +1,+2,+3 and you can do most anything you need done in close up for your miniatures. I suggest looking for an older model K-1000 body and lens though..........Mine is over 23 years old and "still ticking and taking a licking!" Have thought on occasion of selling it but even with a fancy electronic "does it all Olympus model camera" I still keep going back to "my old war horse". Oh!! and a good sturdy heavy duty tripod! Don't skimp on this with a lightweight, cheap Wal-Mart or KMart one. Those items and Fuji film [personal preference over Kodak] and you'll be set.

Patricia / Redwood City,CA

Metal Miniatures: if you are looking to buy metal miniatures this is the place i get mine, Millie is a jewel to buy from, she sells them at a wonderful price you can't beat!   yorkiepoo50@hotmail.com is her email address...JenniferKY

Folding Miniature Fan: I've made foldable miniature fans. There are 2 secrets to this. The only thing I have found that works for the spines is extremely thin plastic. I got mine from cutting up the 'innards' of a candy box. These often come in black or gold which each work very well. Using a cork backed ruler, so it doesn't slip, and a new Xacto blade cut narrow strips of the plastic for the spines of the fan.

To make the paper part, use the thinnest of paper, like tissue paper or paper from those rice paper napkins. Cut out your fan shape.

Use a very thin needle or straight pin to make a hole near the bottom of one end of each spine. Push a 1/2" long brass straight pin through all the spines, and, using a jeweler's pliers, turn the protruding part of the pin in the back into a loop (this is a good thing to hand a tassel from!)

Then open your spines gently, and using tacky glue VERY sparingly attach your paper to the spines.

Warning, this fan will be thicker in mini than a real life counterpart would be. It is impossible to use materials that are thin enough to really make it in scale! Hope this helps!

Alice Zinn

Folding chairs: Tom Wolfert of Mayberry Miniatures, in the Cleveland area, makes very nice wooden folding chairs.  cw0719@aol.com  

Pete

Handling lead: DO NOT SAND LEAD!  This stuff gets into your lungs and food and is poison. Any imperfections should be smoothed down with a round, metal tube (some pens or dental tools work well for this) keeping the particles out of the air and out of you and your family. Then prime and paint.

Additionally, Avon makes a product called Silicone Glove that you can rub   onto your hands like cream but it coats your hands so that you can get paint or metal or whatever on them, then wash your hands and all traces of mess come off easily. Highly recommended when working with metals.

Keep in mind that many things when used other than their original use could cause harm...like heating plastics that cause a gas by product or sanding metal... A miniaturist is a terrible thing to waste!

Laurie Sisson

Fans: it's probably out of print but look for a projects pamphlet Joann Swanson did back in the Nutshell era -- it's a miscellaneous compilation that includes fans (sorry am at work so can't look up title), gardening products, Victorian scrap art and Valentines, kites, etc. There's a set of fan templates to copy and hand-color. Directions call for using cut-down flat-sided toothpicks as the blades glued to the folds of the paper fan. To make a working fan a tiny hole was to be drilled in the narrow ends of the picks (don't think I could do it!) to thread them onto a fine but strong wire fastener. Otherwise, directions were to glue the fan in open position with the narrow ends of the picks stacked on top of one another. Once assembled, accessorize with a tassel hanging from the handle and/or lace or feather trim on the fan.

An easier alternative would be the paddle-type fans popular in old-time churches in the summer (Scripture quotes and Biblical illustration on one side, funeral home ad on the other) and also sometimes found in purely decorative secular styles. Use some clipart or fabric the right size and shape for the paddle, cut a matching backing of coordinated fabric or paper, and glue together with a turned toothpick handle sandwiched in between.

Or make a similar "palm leaf" fan - -- same general principle and turned handle, with a fan-palm frond paddle cut from tan silk-flower foliage.

Loretta

Fans: my fan DIY was first published in NN Nov. 1982....one of my first articles. I have not looked at it for years but I do remember that the wood used was slivers of bamboo. Bamboo can be cut and sanded very, very thin without breaking. If believe I sliced the bamboo from a large piece salvaged from slat blinds but with a bit more work it could come from a skewer. I still have some of the original fans and they, unlike some early pieces, do not make me cringe.....so maybe someone will share the old NN with you and you can see if the fans DIY is something you can use.

Joann

China painting. I have not done any for the past 6 or 7 years but I can answer some of the questions. First of all all china paints are fired at a low temperature. Some of the older ones have a range of ^017, 018, 019 and even 020. These are not as warm as earthernware temperatures of maturity (^04, 05 and 06). I have mixed old and new china paints and not found it a problem. I have bought some new ones from Seeley's in Oneionta, NY and they are online. There are other brands and when I bought them from my china painting instructor she bought them in large quantities and resold them in containers she packaged herself so they did not have names. But I have had recent catalogues for china blanks and all of these places stock normal fired china paint powders. I have never used the liquid china paints but I have some friends who swear by them, and I would not hesitate to try them. Try some searches on Google for outlets for china paint powder or go to the Seeley's site.

Gary the Yank in NH in the US

Gift Room box ideas: I recently made my best friend's "office" (read: extra room) for her and what I had the most fun with was things I could do with my computer or scanner.   For example, I captured images of her favorite book and magazine covers on line, and printed them out to scale, and left them lying around.  There was a desk in the room, so I tucked away scanned images that she'd understand in the drawers, like a tiny little portrait of my kid and me, little CD's and VHS boxes of hers, etc.  My favorite was a tiny version of our high school yearbook.   Being a newbie, this was a great way to give it a personal touch until I figure out what I'm doing.  

Marti-in-Maui

Gift Room box ideas: Whenever making something like that as a gift, I always make a list of things that remind me of that person. For example, list their hobbies and others interests. I had made a shadowbox (more shallow than a roombox) one time for my accountant. I took an inexpensive desk, and made shelves above it. On his desk I put all the usual things you'd expect to find. I had a calendar hanging on the wall with April 15th circled in red. I used a small piece of cork to make a bulletin board and put tiny notes on it with things like his kids phone numbers, and a dental appointment. (We go to the same dentist.) He and his wife go RVing, so I got a charm of an RV and put it on the shelves. Their dog is a Doberman, I found a tiny one and put that there too. He loves riding motorcycles, so I did the same. You all get the idea. I reduced a picture of he and his wife and put it on his desk. You get the idea.

So, starting with a list of someone's interests is, to me, the most important thing! Often, you do not need to do a whole room, a vignette or small display under a dome can 'say it all'!

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Roombox for Mom:   Here are some of the things I included in a roombox for my Mom and Dad. Basically divided the box in half and did one side for each parent.  I listed hobbies and interests from their work and retirement years as well as some of my memories growing up in a rural family with 8 children.  Mom's side had her sewing on a quilt top, with yarn for knitting close by, a crocheted tablecloth, homemade cookies ready to go in the oven after the pie came out. Home canned fruit, a butter churn, flowers and a cupboard with mugs with everyone's name in the family(one way to include all family members).  Pictures on the wall include parents and wedding pictures and a cross to bring in their religious faith.  Dad's side included his favorite roll top desk, and many tools and projects he liked to build including a dollhouse for one of my daughters.   Dad wore his striped overalls that I made from the remnant of a striped shirt.

Joan

Alsatian pottery: Carol of SP Miniatures has Alsatian wares made by Elizabeth Bettler of France. This is the direct link to the web page:
http://www.spminiatures.com/bettler.html

Wendy in Clinton, NJ

mini ceramic molds: somebody was asking about a source for molds for making miniature ceramics/porcelain.
Cross Country Molds
Rt. 1 box 231
Greenfield, Missouri 65661
crosscountrymold@netscape.net

417/637-2606

Kathy in Wisconsin