Someone asked about cooking times and it seems that each type of clay has a different temperature and time recommended by the manufacturer. I checked out http://www.sculpey.com and each type of clay they make has different times and temps. So my suggestion is to read the package you are using (or find a website for that brand, if available) and follow those directions. Unfortunately, some of my packages are missing (I "inherited" my clay) so I don't know what brand of clay I am using. In that case, I just bake with the rest of the items and it seems to be ok.

Jo from the Poconos

Boiling fimo: The only problem that I had with boiling fimo is that the pieces that are put together don't stay together. Example. To make a smores, you layer the graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow and bake and it comes out in one piece as intended. You layer the same and boil and you end up with a piece of graham cracker, a piece of chocolate and a piece of marshmallow and then you have to glue them together.

Mary Lou in Portage, IN

Disk space and backup: With respect to your desire to have more than one backup of your catalog (and who can blame you!), have you thought of trying an online, off-site disk storage service like: http://www.filesanywhere.com/

I have an account with them, but used their free services for several months. We needed a huge space for graphics files and purchased one of their GIG packages last year. Anyway, its been a real lifesaver on several fronts. First of all you have a safety backup outside your workspace, you can send other folks to the site to download large files, eliminating the restrictions on email attachments and share large files with other members along with friends and colleagues.

Deborah (in Hollywood)

Researching pictures online. Here are easy directions:
Go to: http://www.google.com

click on the 'images' tab at the top of the screen. Type what you are looking for in the box, or use advanced search, which provides a more narrowed search and is easy to use!

Alice Zinn

What I've done with pretty papers that I wanted to use for upholstery fabric on chairs and such is to scan the paper and then in whatever software you have to use, size it if it needs to be to a smaller scale, and then print it onto the transfer paper that is used for photo transfers (to fabric) like tee shirts and quilts. That paper is available in many stores - WalMart, Best Buy, Office Depot and others. This not at all hard to do. The one trick I learned over the years is to use a ceramic tile (you can go to a tile shop and buy just one tile - if you do this get a large one and make sure it has a smooth surface) and NOT an ironing board for the pressing surface. Also be sure to follow the mfgs instructions for time and heat setting. Another trick is when you put the transfer down onto the fabric, fold back a tiny part of one corner - this will give you a "handle" to hold on to when you peel back the paper. Then when you are ready to peel the paper off the fabric, just peel back a little bit to make sure the transfer really "took". If it didn't just smooth the transfer paper back and press more. If you just yank the transfer paper off, and the image hasn't transferred evenly, or completely it is nearly impossible to get the transfer paper back in proper place. Some fabrics take to this better than others and generally speaking, the natural fibers work best; like cotton, linen, silk and such. When using a light colored fabric or a delicate fabric it is a good idea to use a press cloth so you won't scorch your fabric and good old parchment paper works great for that. If you have any questions on this, please email me and will be glad to try to help if you want to try this.

Ronni

Tapered Candles. To make mini ones try taking a piece of thread and dipping it into a small amount of melted candle wax (about 1"deep). Dip & blow on your string, dip and blow again & again until you have the right diameter. You will end up with a REAL hand dipped mini candle!

Brooke,Wa

Remote control lighting: (As for a remote control lighting system, I have three URLs for you to try: http://www.smallworldproducts.com  http://www.light-fantasia.com/frameset.htm  http://www.lutron.com/  )          

The LUTRON systems are not designed specifically for minis, but for life-size houses. They do control/dim low voltage, 12V lighting systems, however. They are expensive, but one of the best in the world. This is what we will be using in our dh because we are in the lighting industry. If you are not familiar with lighting, you may find their products too confusing- you may want to use one of the other companies than Jonathan mentioned.

Kathy from Tustin

Flame Bulbs: [I have 4 Cir-Kit (KC 1010-4) 12V Flame Tip Gor Bulbs (w/8" white wires - 50 ma) that I intended to use for the torches.   In a catalog I notice that another flame bulb (40 ma) was recommended to be used with a candle body socket to create fixtures with easily replaceable bulbs.  Should I have candle body sockets also?   Do I have bulbs that will work or should I scrap them for this project and use something else?   What size transformer do I need if my display only has these 4 torches?]

These bulbs are fine.   They require a transformer of at least 4 bulbs times .050 amps times 12 volts equals   2.4 watts

Tom & Kari

Tiny Outlets: After several months of sleuthing, after Jonathon asked the innocent question "is there an alternative to those big, clunky outlet plugs" I can finally claim success.   The Cir-Kit Tiny Outlets and Plugs are well-worth the time and effort to install.   I have the first set now installed on a lamp in the bedroom of the San Franciscan and show it in the "Odds and Ends" Album on my Photo-Trail Website.   Eventually, they will be in all my electrified dollhouses.   I wish I'd known about them ten years ago when I first started building dollhouses.

I can see why many people like the huge, clunky plugs since they are a breeze to work with, but the time and effort spent learning how to install and activate the tiny plugs and outlets, to me, is well worth the effort.   They are barely noticeable.

Dolores

Foamcore; foamcore will warp if too much moisture is applied at one time to only one side. I would prime BOTH sides with gesso. This creates a tooth that will grab your paint, tissue, etc. and protect your creation.   I reinforce my walls with wire coat hangers that I snip apart with my wire cutters and slide down the foam interior just like studs in our real walls. I have structures of foamcore that are over 25 years old and look GREAT!!! I still make prototypes from foamcore.  

Becky Holliday