Show Prices: I had hoped this line would have gone to sleep by now and here I am adding fan to the flames. If I am selling an item at home and you come get it- - - -basic price. If it is mail order and I ship it from Nevada to California - - - shipping added. If it is mail order and you are in Boston - - - a bit more shipping. If I had to come with it and pay for a place to show it so MAYBE you Might buy it and I hand it to you there - - - -heck of a mark up with no apologies and so guilt. If one show costs ME considerably more than another - - - - -similar effect for you: Cost of materials + value of time + value of originality and special talent + cost of marketing = price. For those fortunate enough to shop at multiple shows and make comparisons- - - -how fortunate for you. Share the wealth.

Mel K.

Show prices: I don't know anyone who changes the prices according to the area they are in or who they are selling to, I know some who did that 10 years ago, but I think the market took care of that. Once you get a reputation for being dishonorable, you don't survive long in the business. What does happen is that dealers often choose which pieces they will take to a show depending on what they believe will sell there. Larger and more elaborate, expensive pieces often go to a show that attracts major collectors. Smaller, less expensive pieces go to smaller shows. Since travel takes a toll on miniatures, especially the more delicate things, it just makes sense not to take everything everywhere. Also, because I don't like to carry things long enough to look "shopworn", if a piece doesn't sell at a show or two, I generally mark it down a little and I think a lot of people do that. That could account for the variations in prices.

As for marking prices on everything, it's often impossible, and a lot of the Artisan dealers feel that price tags look bad and cheapen the whole display. My personal compromise is to mark enough prices to indicate the price range on my table, and try to do it as discreetly as possible. I don't know any dealer who minds telling you the price and we all understand that it's often only curiosity that makes you ask. You don't ever need to be afraid to ask or think that they expect you to buy it just because you asked.

Cat

Web site advertising: There are several ways to advertise: one way that you already did so was by telling everyone at small stuff digest. Other ways to do it would be to make sure that your signature has your website in it. You also want to make sure that it will be a clickable link: so you want to have it look like this: http://www.yourwebsite.com Then, every time someone asks you for information (via e-mail), you use an auto-responder which will automatically send them a message saying that you will get back to them. and in that message is your web site. You also want to put in your website on all your pages the e-mail address to contact you...You do not have the address on all of your pages.

You may also want to make up business cards w/ your business, names, phone numbers, e-mail address and web address on it. You can have people subscribe for mailing lists or updates on your website. That way you can keep track of people through your mailing list and send out an e-mail that they can then forward to others.

Laura C. Jevtich

Birds and Clay: FIMO, Sculpey and Premo are not in fact clays. They are a non-cured form of PVC. They do indeed give off a fume as the plasticizers that are one of their ingredients (listed as hazardous by OSHA) "cure" in the oven. Nan Roche, polymer clay artist and expert, in her book, "The New Clay" says to keep small children, and all pets, ESPECIALLY BIRDS, out of the room where you are baking clay.

Polymer clay is a wonderful medium, but as a clay artist myself, I ask you to please refer to the book referenced above, contact the manufacturer as someone else suggested, and when in doubt, don't.

Becky

Miniature Hosting Site: I have noticed many comments from several of you seeking inexpensive or free hosting for your miniature web sites. I can not recommend The Miniature Net highly enough. The search engines used to list our sites are great. Any search I run on any site such as Lycos, Google, etc. brings my site up quickly and in the first page of listings. This is important if you want your items to be found. The Miniature Rings provided through this service are excellent. Down time is almost non existent. I also like the idea of miniature sites banding together in one area. I think this benefits all of us.

Becky Holliday

Sheet Music Copyright: It is my understanding that copyright law allows the sheet music purchaser to make one "working copy" for personal use during practice and performance. This allows a musician to a copy to mark up according to the needs of a particular director, while keeping the main copy clean for the future.  It also allows one to make a copy that will stay open and flat on a music stand, which bound music most certainly does not. For mini-ing, I think it would not violate the composer's and publisher's copyrights to provide your personal mini musician with a single "working copy" of a piece of music which you yourself have purchased.

Chrissy

Mustaches: When I made my first doll, I clipped my hair to use. didn’t know any better...it was beautiful. I thought! LOL!! However, I would say not to use your own hair. There are wonderful products available now. I use viscose or mohair for my mini dolls. here are many suppliers but Paulette Stinson, one of our list members, has a wonderful supply in many colors. This is much softer and finer than your own hair. For mustaches and beards, I cut the viscose very fine and apply it with a tacky glue. For a doll with a full fluffy beard and mustache such as Santa, you may want to curl the viscose by winding it on a small knitting needle and slightly dampen. Allow to dry. Unwind and apply to the face.

Pearl

Mustaches: Human hair is too coarse to use on miniature dolls. You'd have a terrible time trying to get it to look decent. But you can make tiny curls out of viscose, and cut short sections to glue on for a mustache and beard. Email me your home address, and I'll send you a page of instructions that include a man's hair, beard and mustache. I do sell viscose, but the instructions will work for fine mohair or silk fiber hair, as well. daintydollnews@home.com

Paulette Stinson

Mustaches. The trick is to not get them too thick. No, I don't think I'd use real hair. It's too coarse. Try viscose (daintydollnews@home.com). "D&M" had an issue on wigging a man and adding a mustache, but don't remember which issue it was in. However, if you ask for it, you can get FREE instructions with the wigging that you order from Dainty Doll) I'm not sure if it include a mustache instruction or not.

Viola

Mustaches-Beards: my friend made as a "portrait" doll to surprise her bearded husband. She noticed that her dog's hair looked a great deal like his whiskers so she clipped some and glued it to the doll's chin. It was a little finer hair than actual whiskers which worked better for the doll.

SUSAN AT THE WHITE RABBIT'S HOUSE