China Silk: Pam Kille of Etcetera, Etc. has it in 16 or 17 different colors, and you can buy it in small amounts. She also has loads of other goodies for dressing dolls and making miniatures. The address is: Etcetera, Etc. 13 Isla Court Roswell, NM 88201 Email: rwk@rt66.com

Paulette in IN

china silk: I purchased a few different colors of china silk from "Sandy's Lace and Trims" at the Seattle show last year. She has smaller pieces (perfect for our uses) at reasonable prices. http://www.sandyslace.com

Tammy Fischer

The 144 Nuremberg kitchen: I thought, I deserve a treat, and decided to make up the Nuremberg kitchen printable Jean Day has on her site, especially as when I am mini-ing indoors, Rodney is outdoors - ah bliss, ah peace, Earlier I had bought a 144 Nuremberg kitchen from Francis Armstrong .. hhmm, I'm thinking medley here, and when I printed off Jean Day's kitchen via the Paint program in Microsoft and the wall pattern fitted exactly into a matchbox, I knew it was meant to be,

I pasted wall and floor into a matchbox, and sealed them with Mod Podge. I used waste bits left over from a punch out house kit to make the body of the stove, and glued the piccy of the stove front onto the stove body, mod podged it, then added acrylic painted details. Glued black card on top for the surface, and a bent flue pipe I had cut from a 144 pot bellied stove bought in Holland. Everything comes in useful in the end.

I edged the window piccy with very thin white painted wood strip, all round, and glued royal blue tissue to it for curtains, then I glued the whole ensemble into the left hand corner and the stove slightly off center, both on the back wall..

I made a tiny shelf which I glued on the right wall, and using snipped up tiny plastic tubes which protect paint brushes to make glass bowls, and brass thingumijigs bought from Tee Pee crafts, filled the shelf with goodies.

With a scrap of square shaped wood, I veneered it with the thin veneer which one can occasionally find in cigar boxes, and used snipped off bits of brass to indicate handles. Voila! a cupboard. This was glued onto the left hand wall.

The bones of the kitchen done, I raided Francis' kit for all the little pots, bowls, plates and pans, and now the kitchen is full and utterly gorgeous. I felt so smart she said modestly.

Helen from York, England

1/24th Components: you can find 1/24 scale windows and doors and other architectural components at Grandt Line Products at http://www.mria.org/companies/grandt.html They are in Concord, CA at 1040 B Shary Ct., 94518. Their phone number is 925-671-0143.

- Grandt Line also has such things in 1/4" scale and HO scale.

Barb Jones, Cupertino CA

1/24th Components: Try http://www.halfscaleminis.com they have just about anything halfscale (24th) you might want, and if not on the website email Kathy Thomas (the owner) and she is sure to be able to help you. Also, you can get bricks from http://www.grandadstoys.co.uk and then http://www.richardstacey.com

Marja Lewthwaite

Street of shops: I've made five of them (did two of the larger shops) They are: soda parlor, garden shop, gourmet shop, candy store and baby shop. I used all kinds of different gingerbreads and colors to set each one apart. They all have brass coach lamps, address numbers, copper bay roofs. I'm in the process now of changing the inside lighting so that each one has it's own transformer. The plexi top is being exchanged for an 1/8th inch wood top. I used ceiling beams to hold the chandeliers in each shop. If I were to do them again, I would definitely make the back hinged and have a solid top. That way you can get in them easier. Oh well, live and learn. I love mine all stretched out on a wall shelf with gray brick sidewalk to unite them. They are all FULL and I mean full. I collected for them for quite awhile.

Roberta in Wisconsin

English Dolls Houses: I bought a Classical dolls house from The Dolls House Emporium in the UK, and have been very pleased with it. They also carry The Manor House and Montgomery Hall, the houses you mentioned in your post. The house went together very easily and I'm pleased with the quality. It was super easy to electrify the house,(my first try at lighting) and I love looking at the lights shining through the windows.. The shipping on the dolls house was free; they offer free shipping on all orders over $60. I've been pleasantly surprised at how many miniature businesses in other countries offer free or reasonable shipping costs. This makes it just too tempting to shop online! They also offer a free catalogue, and have a different sale each month.

Their website address is http://www.dollshouse.com

Katie in California

I Love Lucy room:   For the person doing the I Love Lucy Roombox, I just had to share the following site    http://www.dhminiatures.com/dhm/roombox/roombox98.html   The Lucy living room is the third roombox from the top (directly beneath the wonderful "All in The Family" box by Pearl Jordan)

Reva Losiewicz

Log Cabin: We had a real life log cabin and to make it more rustic we singed it with a propane torch before we oiled it.   Which is what I would do in miniature.   If you have access to one of those butane fireplace starters it would be perfect to "toast" the wood some.   Barring that, I would try a light brown watercolor or acrylic wash on the logs and then seal with Tung oil.

Renee Kutcher

Log Cabin:   A couple of years ago my brother in law made log cabins for my sister and I. Hers was finished with Min Wax stain and polyurethane, with very neat rows of chinking between the logs...looks like one of the new log homes in the magazines...

Mine was coated with Thomas's Bug Juice to give it that old grey look and sort of pushed in chinking to make it look like it had been sitting in the woods for ever.

We both used a wood filler from Home Depot...can't think of the brand...brown white and black label...we used white...it dries to a dull pale off white. If you have seen old log buildings with chinking still hanging in there the color is perfect..Sometimes you just luck out. Both of them are great if I do say so myself and a little praise for my baby sister...You wouldn't believe to look at them now that they had started out identical.

Annamarie in still chilly Stuart, Florida