Old PIANO Keys: Ivory, Can't remember who posted the question about the ivory but perhaps a miniature musical instrument maker would like it for harpsichord/piano keys. The harpsichord I had made last year has a real ivory keyboard (no he didn't go kill an elephant ) and the keys have a wonderful "used" look about them instead of being sparkling white.

Karon

Moving 60" Dollhouse Shell: Consider having Mott's not connect additions to main section of dollhouse. Have each section assembled & wired independently. You can bridge wire connections between sections (Mott's knows how to do this) or use separate transformers if you plan to have lots of lights. We would also recommend the use a 1/2" or 3/4" piece of plywood as a "yard" for landscaping. The stable base will make the move & re-assembly of the total dollhouse much more manageable.

Gail MacDonald

Shiny paint into dull: A friend and I were talking about using shiny paint the other day she had used it on one of her consignment houses and I had used it on the the store I am building...and we both agreed we didn't like the look, well what do you know I accidentally found a cure for that problem.

While working on the store I dropped a large drop of glue on the paint and when I whipped it away it was dull. Using this hobby glue I added a little water to t and wiped all the green shiny paint with the glue and then wiped it off. Now it is dull except in a few places where the siding lap each other. I now looks like it has faded with age.

The stable base will make the move & re-assembly of the total dollhouse much more manageable.

Sclarise

Removing gloss ... I tried to use alcohol on my IRL woodwork to remove a stubborn bit of detritus and took the gloss off as well.

Chrissy the Hyphenated

Removing gloss ... I tried to use alcohol on my IRL woodwork to

Bunka: Bunka is the stuff tassels are made out of. It comes in lots of different colors and is used as trim. It looks like a tiny cord. But if you pull a string on one end, it unravels (or ravels?) Anyway, it makes a lovely tiny curly-frilly trim that can be used as decoration on everything from furniture to clothing and even looks like hair on tiniest dolls. I think most of the miniature ribbon and lace suppliers have it - you can get it from Etcetera, Etc. or Sandy's Laces, and probably most miniature shops carry it, because it's become such a staple item for decorating. Best of all, it's inexpensive, and a little package goes a long way.

Paulette in IN

Airport bag searches and Minis: A small suggestion to make the airport bag searches a bit faster if you're carrying a ton of minis.... Go to your local bait (fishing) store and ask for artificial lure boxes.. the store often removes them and tosses these clear resealable boxes in the trash. They're wonderful for storing minis... plus they're designed to hang on a display peg at the store and would work equally well for your craft room for supplies.

I suggest you wrap your minis carefully so that each one shows through the box. Then stack the boxes neatly for inspection. They're clear plastic, light and reseal indefinitely. They're designed to kick around in a dirty tackle box for years so they're sturdy..

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Sculpture in Progress: Kathy wanted to know what to use to make a female sculpture appear it was in progress. You might use some kind of Sculpey to build up around the statue. Most likely you would need it to be rough-hewn, which you could do by cutting chunks away from the outside with your exacto knife. Then you could paint it to match the sculpture (or paint both with the same paint and then add streaks to marbelize.) HOWEVER, no matter what you do, this effect is not going to appear realistic, because sculptors don't finish just sections at a time. You would never have a perfectly finished torso or half of the body sticking out of the chunk of rock. Sculptors roughly cut out the whole figure and then work on it. It would look more realistic to have it sitting in a studio with a tarp partially over it and lots of marble chips and flakes on the floor around the bottom.

Paulette in IN

Sculpture in Progress: [ The surrounding block of "marble" needs to be a material that can have small "chisel" marks. Do you have any suggestions as to what material I should use and how to do this? Kathy ]

I think you are in luck. Fimo has new colors they call granite. White with black flecks would give you what you want. I have worked in marble (not my favorite medium) Be sure you have the piece in progress sitting on a pillow of sand. (Absorbs the shock of the tools.) There should also be chips on the floor and around the piece.

Laurie Sisson

Parrot project: When reading your question I remembered a project by Sue Heaser I once stumbled upon at Polymer Clay Central. It's a Victorian birdcage with a parrot, and has some good explanations on how to sculpt the bird from - guess what? - polymer clay :)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/pcc/featured/parrot1.html

It doesn't use real feathers, but maybe you could make the body out of an air-drying clay and stick the feathers into it before it dries? Or glue the feathers onto the polymer clay body.

Åsa in Fairfax VA

KLAY GUNS - Oh yes, you need to be Superman to get the polymer clays through it. But sometimes they can be really useful and here are some hints to make using them easier. 1. Knead your polymer clay (mixed with Mix-Quick to soften it all the more) until it is super soft. 2. You can coat the barrel of the tool with baby oil (I have never tried this but it is mentioned in a few instruction books. 3. Mix your color, fill the barrel and hand the Klay Gun to someone you know with strong hands (perhaps your DH), and have them extrude your clay. 4. If all else fails, you can try to stand on the two handles, plunger side down and your weight will extrude the clay. If anyone thinks I am joking here, then you have never tried to use a Kemper Klay Gun - desperation inspires ingenuity. There was also a question as to how to clean the gun. Bake the gun in the oven on low temperature for about 10 minutes. Let cool....the baked clay is easy to pick off the metal tool.

Mary Eccher