Plastic thingys from pill bottles: Dessicants: it comes in containers or small bags in pills, among other things. Well, do be very CAREFUL. It is very bad - dangerously so - if a pet or a child (or anyone) consumes one, with or without the holder. If a child opens one and eats it ... off to the ER for sure.

Gail

Glass Fishing Floats: I have some old life-scale net floats, and they're irregular blown globes with lots of bubbles trapped in the fairly thick glass, hollow, one red, one yellow, one coke-bottle green, and various sizes from about 3 inches to 5 inches diameter. Each has a tiny pinhole somewhere that seems to be where the globe was separated from the blowing apparatus, like the pontil on glassware and vases.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Buckram: I worked in a drapery company years ago and the stiffener used in the pleated top was called buckram. You can find it in the drapery section of fabric stores. It comes on a roll and you buy it by the yard. It is usually 3-4 inches wide.

Louise in MI

Tins for cake pans: Want some cheap tin type pans for cakes- Look at your Big Lots, Dollar type store & discount drug stores for those multi pack eye & blush makeup compacts. The shadow and blush generally come in little tins that are glued to the compact. I just picked up an eye makeup compact with 12 colors/tins for .99. The tricky part is popping them out without too much damage to the tin. I use a flat spatula type blade for clay carving to get them out and then take my needle nose pliers and bend back into shape any dents I made. Chip out the eye shadow/blush and you have a tin to add poly clay to for your cake. Keep the shadow for adding specks of color to paints, clay and such. Also the empty compact can be used for storing small items like beads and such.

Try using the tins for molds/cutters with rolled out clay to make bases, shelves, books and more.

Maybe if you know someone who works at a cosmetic store or counter you can have them save the empty compacts they use for samples and then you could get them for free!

Kerrie KMC-Minis

James Herriott: I popped into the museum today and they have a virtual tour on their website - could make some great roomboxes. The World of James Herriott http://www.hambleton.gov.uk

Anne, N York

Use for odds and ends: Another use for a lot of those things we don't have a place for yet would be a theatre prop room - maybe the back done in shelving for small props (dishes, lamps, books, etc) and wardrobe racks. Odds and ends of furniture on one side. Maybe a small change room (or curtained off area) in one corner...and a makeup table and mirror...and...and...

Maureen in St. Albert AB Cda

Prop room: Painted sets propped against the wall, old playbills around the makeup mirror, freestanding spot lights...

Maureen in St. Albert AB Cda

Pie Pan: I found the perfect 'pie pan': the top of a Christmas bulb! --the filigree ones.

Kathi in Minnesota

Graph Paper: I just wanted to say that MSPaint, which comes with everyone's software if they have Windows, has a graph available.

In Paint, you click on New and drag the corner of the drawing space to fill your whole screen. Then click on View and choose Zoom, and then Custom then 600 or 800 for larger grid. If grid isn't there, click on View again, the Zoom and you will see where you can choose "show grid". Then you can draw or print.

Knitwhit43

Rummaging in my work room I came across:
Embroideries and Patterns from 19th century Vienna
by Raffaella Serena
ISBN 1-85149-283-6
It bulges with charts and pictures of 19th century needle points and oh the colours! Several of the charts are for small motifs.

Helen from York, England