I have gussied up a scratch & dent Petite Princess Treasure View cabinet and buffet chest to look better than new – found architectural clipart the same dimensions as the drawer fronts, cut to fit, and decoupaged them to replace the original stained, ripped red velvet paper.   Looks fabulous if I do say so; always thought that red velvet was PP's one design flaw anyway.  

Fine artist and miniaturist Natasha Beshenkovsky has even designed a line of decoupage patterns sized to fit kit furniture, so those of us who are impoverished paint klutzes can still own a Natasha "original" miniature with a little effort!

Loretta.Sniarowski

Button Uses: Some buttons make great frames for pictures cut from magazines. Buttons can become covered powder jars when you glue a metal "lid" shaped button to a colored glass button used as the jar. Some buttons are realistically shaped, so a pig shaped button can be glued standing on a table to represent a piggy bank, for example. Tiny flat buttons can be glued as wheels on a painted rectangle of cardboard to make a base for a child's pull toy. Just glue   a tiny plastic animal charm on top of the platform (or use a paper picture of an animal you glued to cardboard and cut out)   and you'll have a cute toy. You can add a pull string made of thread with a seed bead on the end.   It is so satisfying thing to see what you can create using your own imagination. In time, you'll find that you start looking at the world differently

Darlene From Long Island, N.Y., Doll Artisan, IGMA

Sarah in Paris told us about two sources for vintage style miniatures, which I checked out further.

One is Barbara and Lew Kummerow, who make very high quality, detailed lamps and small "electrical" appliances from the 1920s and 1930s.   I have never seen such items available anywhere else, at least not at this quality.  They make a vacuum cleaner, two heaters, a fan and an iron.  I bought the last mixer and toaster, and I don't know if they'll be making more. They also have the BEST Tiffany-style, Arts & Crafts and Frank Lloyd Wright style lamps, which are very realistic and highly detailed. Unfortunately, they don't have a website, but I recommended that they get one. They do shows and mail order.   They do have email, and they sent me pictures as attachments.  If any of you are interested in these items, send them an email to: kumini@thegrid.net    These minis are just too great to be sold only at shows - they should be available world-wide, so encourage them to get a website.

I also placed an order with Bob Carlisle, of Carlisle Miniatures.   He makes a mall but very unique line of furniture and some accessories, primarily from the 20s, 30s and 40s.  He makes three different styles of radios (the best I've seen), some occasional tables, including one specifically for placing a radio on top, with a shelf below and pockets on the sides for magazines.  He makes a Jenny Lind bed, a kitchen table with matching chairs, and an Art Deco bedroom suite. He makes a telephone table and sewing table that are just SO vintage! The sewing table opens from the top and the front.The prices are very reasonable for all-cherry construction.   Bob is also a Machinist, and makes his own hardware and radio dials, as well as a sewing machine (comes with the table) and a candlestick style telephone (sold separately from the table).  He doesn't have email, and only does mail order.   So, send a SASE to:

Carlisle Miniatures
703 North Elm
Creston, Iowa  50801

Jonathan in Israel

Medical stuff:  I think a company over here in the UK sells all sorts of medical stuff I think they are called JLB miniatures http://www.jlbminiatures.co.uk/

Sharon

Metal Castings: You can make your own castings by making a model in wax. Use the wax model to make a bivalve(2 halves) cast (Negative). Melt solder into the mold and take out your finished metal objects.

Dr Bob

Firefighter hats: I happened to see Kim's request for a 1" fireman's hat. I have them. You can contact me at fantasyworkshopa@cs.com

Marilyn

Turned Toothpicks:   a friend who knows I do miniatures returned from vacation with mini art that used the toothpicks -- three glued together at the pointed ends into a teepee shape, a fourth trimmed and glued horizontally across two of the legs made a table-top size easel, displaying a hand-painted art deco floral of calla lilies.  Very nice, but it's unsigned!  

You could also stain most of the pick, paint the turned section ivory with an antique wash over it, or paint it gold, and add an ivory or gold seed bead to the point for a fancy cane -- but of course that's just a variation on the umbrella.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Cobwebs: That fake spider web stuff that you can buy everywhere around Halloween time (looks like a ball of white cotton when in the bag) makes good cobwebs or spider webs. You can pull the tiniest strands. To make a web you can carefully glue the strands unto waxpaper to form your web. When completely dry it should be stiff and you will be able to carefully peel it off. Tedious Job!

Brooke, Wa

Turned Toothpicks:   I have cut off the turned part, painted it gold, and used it for a faux hinge and oriental drawer pull. I have similarly used that portion for a turned detail on the front of a handcrafted washstand. I use them for 1/4 scale chairs and four poster and canopy beds. Have also used them as spindles.

Linda in Leroy, OH

Medical furniture and equipment: This website: http://www.countrystoreminiatures.com   has a great selection of medical equipments, furniture and accessories. When you enter click on find and put "medical" in...first thing to come up is an examining table, sink, chair and then keep scrolling!!!

Cathy Heimbauer