Acrylic paints: I read about many techniques used with acrylics, but one way to keep the paint from drying out is to use a Masterson's Stay Wet Palette. You wet the sponge and the paper. When you use flow enhancer in the paint on this wet paper, the paint stays wet longer. I used this when I painted full scale landscapes with acrylics.

Susan Robbins

Flower film: I am not familiar with the product being discussed for a film over wire for flower-making. But I just watched the Mindstorm video Patricia's Garden and what she's doing sounds very much like what these folks are looking for. She uses gold wire to form petals and leaves and just paints them with Sobo glue. Then she mixes a little acrylic paint with more Sobo and paints the clear, dried film formed by the glue.

Linda in Leroy

Miniature firearms: While I was browsing for something totally unrelated, I found this interesting site. http://www.kucer.homestead.com/files/Kcr_MinFK.html

Marcie Van Deren

Painting small items: to make a workable surface take a large foam meat tray and pin masking tape upside down (sticky side up) place your things on this and they will hold while you spray paint.

Sue Groves From Cobourg

Puffy Paints paint: I have had much better luck using Jel-pens, or Gel-pens, as they come in Gold and Silver, and work well on the leather straps when I am making Carpet-bags. The silver works well for studs or buttons, and doesn't rise up to a peak. These pens also come in white, and almost all other colors, can be found in any store that carries school supplies, or art craft supplies, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, my local drugstore, etc. The colors and white work well for buttons when you need just that touch of extra trim.

Jan

Hinges: I have used paper to hinge my doors for ages. The easiest thing is to cut a bit off the long edge of an envelope. Glue one side to the door and the other side to the frame. Doesn't take up a lot of space the way hinges do and, honestly, lasts forever.

Dani, in Bradshaw, MD

Most of my dhs have stucco exteriors. I live in south FL so this is the way most real houses look here. I use textured wallpaper in any color because I paint it or sponge on a "natural" finish. It hides many errors in my assembly or kit bashed dhs.

I use greeting cards cut like fancy windows for roomboxes. I wait until the scene is nearly done to get the best placement and style. Pearl's sells a pack for under $6. Most of the dhs have exterior chimneys too. Hobby builders supply sells a block kit which I fit to each dh and cover with textured wallpaper which has squares in the pattern, then I paint it to look like brick and stencil tiny ivy to the finished piece. I suppose thick pieces of Styrofoam could be used for the base too. The square imprinted paper makes excellent tile floors and walls for bathrooms and other rooms where 4x4 tiles are used in real life. I splurge on working windows and other items with the $$s saved on the stucco and bricks!

I splurge on fancy wallpaper and accessories when I use paper windows in the roomboxes. Rhett Butler (by Peggy Nisbit) has a real leather top desk and resin office chair with a leather saddle in the corner of his study with Brodnax wall cover in jungle pattern. His antique celluloid St. Bernard is by his side. I'm still "placing" the paper window. All of the office thingies like folders, etc., are from Jim's printable minis.

Karen

Finch eggs: I ended up piercing each end with a tiny tool and blew them out. After careful washing first. Some were sent to interested Small Stuff readers and the rest I dyed. Of these I used some in tiny nests with the baby fairies I make using molds from Joyce Wolf. The fairies had their hair colored with Kool-Aid.

Diane, The Alpaca Lady

Using up Unwanted Minis: On a visit in the USA, I picked up a small shadow box /printer's tray about 23cm x 30cm (9" x 12") at Hobby Lobby, for about $10. I took it apart, sanded it, spray painted it and reassembled it. I also added a glass front, to keep it clean. Then, I filled all of those spaces with my unwanted mini accessories - vases, flowers, kitchen accessories, books, pictures, a tea set, etc. Different scales were of no consequence. This made a wonderful gift for my 13 year old niece, who thought it was the best gift she ever got, next to her stereo. I also added some things I bought specifically for it, that I knew she'd like, like a miniature dog and a teddy bear.

Jonathan in Israel

Chain Link Fence: For a chain link fence I have used Activ-Wire Mesh, which is an 'art & Craft sculptural support'. The size I used was Item #167, 1/4" x 1/8" mesh (opening size) but there are other scales. It's great stuff, non-rusting aluminum that you can cut with scissors -- and surprisingly inexpensive. They have a web site: http://www.activa-products.com Hope this helps -- it worked well for me!

Diana in Canada