Coffins: Mary-Agnes Murphy, who daughter is a mortician, makes coffins. Her email address is: mammin@gowebway.com Alice Zinn |
Call Bells: For several years I was curator of a museum built in 1893-95, the late Victorian era you asked about. The rooms have electric buzzers to call servants. They are simple black buttons on rectangular brass mounts. When pressed, the buzzers sounded in the basement where there are two enunciators, glass-fronted wood boxes containing labels for every room. As the buzzer sounded, a little gizmo (sorry for the technical language) popped up to indicate the room where service was desired. This house also has speaking tubes in every room. Margaret in Texas |
Servant Bells: Our current home (built 1824) still has the servants' bells, most of which work. It is Beloved's aim to make them all work (just who the hell he thinks is going to scamper to his call, she snarled..), it is my aim to needlepoint them all bell pulls. How they work is devastatingly simple. One pulls the bell pull in the relevant room, which is connected to wires, which pull on the bells that are in a row in the kitchen. The wires disappear into walls and run under floorboards - it is most neat, and dainty in its structure. Each wire is attached to a large flat metal coil, on which reposes the bell, when the wire is pulled, the coil jiggles (hence ringing the bell). Although we can tell by the tone of the bell which bell pull is being yanked, one assumes there were labels of some sort, as in a busy kitchen, trying to ascertain which bell was which by sound alone would be tough. Maybe it was a visual thing, checking which bell was moving? This brings me neatly onto an electrified system which dated from 1900 in my MIL's London house. This had been very new and swanky when installed. The rooms had buzzers. Pushing the buzzer activated discs of card set in a glass panel in the kitchen, all neatly labeled. So say the Man of the House in his Study pressed his bell when he wanted his evening cocoa, in the kitchen a buzzer would sound, and the disc of card behind the porthole of clear glass above the word 'Study' would jiggle. Thus the servant had both an aural call of being wanted, then a visual stimulation of where she was wanted. Hop to it! Helen, York, England |
Carpet Runners: if you're looking for stair or hall runners we have a couple. Have a look at http://www.hijinx.co.nz Elli |
Carpet Runners: We have over 300 designs of woven carpets in 4 different sizes including the runners you are looking for at www.anatolian-treasures.com These intricately woven miniature pieces are perfect for the delicately decorated and accented doll house. They are 100 % woven in rich colors with a silk impression and look almost exactly like their larger counterparts. Anatolian Treasures |
Fishing Pond: First, how deep will your pond be? This will determine how you go about placing the boat. I would suggest that you plan for the pond to be at least 1" deep....and for the best results, an inch and a half would be most realistic. I will assume that you will be using a pond at least 1" deep. I would start with the shell of the pond first. The bottom can be painted a darker color, and gradually lighten the color as you move up the sides of the pond. DO NOT paint the bottom of the pond black, or any other extremely dark color. This is done in hopes of making it look deeper.....it does not work. It makes the bottom of the pond look black....nothing more. I would suggest a nice muddy brown...no darker! Add sand, rocks, plants, moss, etc to the bottom of the pond and glue in place. Let the glue cure completely...a day or two. Then, a pour thin (1/4") of resin in the bottom of the pond and let sit up completely......this will keep the pond from sitting on the bottom, which will look fake. Next, add more "stuff" to the pond..... fish, more moss, plants, etc. Now, pour the next layer, another 1/4 to 1/2" of resin. Let sit almost completely.....until it is quite thick and gooey. If you place the boat too soon it may tip over....you should have to use light force to get the boat into the water. This will also "mess up" the water just enough. Let that sit up completely. Depending on the type of resin you use, this may be 3-4 days. Finally, add any other details to the top of the pond that you like. I would put the lure and fishing line in at this point. After you are happy with the final details, add the last layer of resin. Set the pond in a spot that you can leave it in until it is cured. Fill the pond completely to the brim, maybe even a little over.....so that the grass, sand, dirt....whatever....is is just slightly wet. If you are planning to add lily pads and lilies, wait until the pond is just tacky to the touch. Again, adding them too soon will result in their sinking instead of floating! :o) As for your resin....go to your local auto supply store and ask about Everlast 2-part resin. It runs $20 a quart here in Iowa. It is almost completely clear, but not perfectly clear, which for realism is actually better....how many fishing ponds have you ever seen that are "really" crystal clear? And, with all the "stuff" going on in you pond.....including the painted bottom......you will never tell the difference. However, if you are going to have a waterfall in the scene, use the higher priced Everlasting Elegance (available at Michaels and other floral supply stores) for the waterfalls. It is perfectly clear....looks great! The only way to really make a pond look deep, is to pour it deep. If necessary, add a little to the price of this piece to cover the cost of the resin. Hope this helps! If you need more specifics about any of this, please feel free to email me....always glad to help out! Sloan |
Baskets, bottles, minis: There are about 100 baskets (small bottles too) shown at: There is a retailer link to find retailers by location. Lili |
Baskets: Faith and Tom Rogers have a really nice printed catalog with tons of handcrafted miniatures and accessories including lots and lots of baskets. I use their handcrafted baskets in my Petitpoint Work Basket kits. They can be contacted at They don't have a website yet but I have recommended Anne Gerdes Web Design Service to them:) Bobbie Schoonmaker - NY |
Tiny Mirrors, anyone? Hi. Just remembered that some of you were looking for tiny mirrors at one time or another. Found this site with Shisha mirrors (1/2"-flexible[to sew on] & 5/8" regular) and Fairy Bells. Says the silver 1/4" Fairy Bells are out of stock, but gold ones are still available. They also have various colors of Rub-n-buff as well as Metallic Foils along with the adhesive to use with it. Hope this helps someone. The prices are right and I have no affiliation with them. Linda |
Wonderful catalog! I received a really charming catalog a week or so ago: "Wonderland - a treasury of nostalgia - Grown-Up Gifts and Collectibles Celebrating Yesterday's Childhood From Dollmasters". 800-966-3655 (only during bus. hours) Anne Gerdes |
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