Tiny Glass Animals: I just got an order of tiny glass dachshunds (my *thing* is collecting dachshunds) from "Sputniks". She has lots of tiny glass animals from Russia (many only 1/2" long) and takes credit cards. Her service was prompt and my doxies look just like they were pictured.

There are bears, cats, dogs, piggies, frogs, fish, rabbits, hedgehogs, etc. -- even some vegetables under "misc."

I think some of these could be used to embellish a baby's room lamp, or bookends. http://www.tsarinaonline.com/sputniks.html

Anne Gerdes

Food packages: We have quite a large selection of authentically labelled food packages at reasonable prices. We are based in the UK but will deliver internationally.
Visit our website at http://www.wood-street-miniatures.co.uk

Maddie

Miniature ceramic pieces: If you are interested in miniature plates, bowls, containers, etc., please have a look by selecting the "Ceramics" link: http://www.swallowhilldolls.com/

Joy in Midland, Ontario

Book Roomboxes: I have made books into roomboxes thru trial and error (not to mention swearing). If anyone has a different technique, please let us know. I have tried a variety of power tools to cut the pages, without success. Clamp the book with the front cover open and use a craft knife and change the blade often. (Don't worry about the blood, it probably won't show when the roombox is finished.) You can use scissors to cut up the right side of the book. Scroll saws, moto-tools and drills cause the cut edges to be slightly rough. That makes the book appear twice as thick. The good news is you don't have to do a four-sided cut - just two. Do not cut the front inside cover page if paper is attractive. You want to leave the pages intact on the top and side opposite the spine. That will leave a margin of pages that looks like an upside down and backwards "L". There will be no pages showing on the bottom of the book. Slice thru where the binding attaches to the cover. While still clamped apply glue generously to inside cuts of the pages. Force white glue into pages, but not enough for it to show thru exposed parts of pages. For multiple books repeat leaving the back cover of one book and the front cover of one book uncut. Use contact cement to glue books together.

Build a box, I use plywood, to insert in hole where pages were. The end that meets the front cover will be open. The plywood box provides rigidity to your finished book roombox. Cut a hole for window or door in the wood box and in spine of books. Apply paint, wallpaper, flooring, moulding etc in box before inserting box into books. Apply lots of white glue to outsides of wood box, except the bottom. (unless you want to permanently mount the finished project to your worktable). Slide wood box into hole in books, clamp and leave it alone - the longer the better. Apply window moulding. Wallpaper the front inside cover page that you left intact, or your choice of wallpaper, over box opening and cut out opening.

Jackie Aiken

Yellow Rain Slicker: There is an easier way of making those little yellow rain slickers and without sewing! Use one finger of a yellow rubber glove to cut the slicker from and then use small black hooks and eyes glued down the front for the closures. Makes a very convincing slicker. Cut off the finger approximately 1 1/2" from the tip of the glove. About 5/16 of an inch down from the tip of the finger cut horizontally int the front of finger until almost all the way through the glove finger, leave a "hinge to act as the flap that connects the "hood" of the slicker. Next, cut vertically down the center of the coat to create the opening. Make two little tubes out of a piece of the left over original glove material to make the sleeves. Glue sleeves and hooks on to slicker and you have it.

Marilyn, MI

Lantern Scene: Sharon asked for suggestions for making a scene in an antique lantern, 12 inches high by 8 square. Depending on your lantern's appearance, you could design a scene such as one I made in a Mexican tin lantern of somewhat smaller dimensions. This was a gift to a dear friend, who displays it near the front door of her Southwest-style home in New Mexico. It shows a statue of Mary outside the arched stained-glass window niche of an adobe church.

I painted the inside top of the lantern pale blue with very light swirls of white to suggest sky and clouds and painted the bottom of the lantern brown. I used graph paper pressed into the lantern and creased to make patterns for the gessoed and painted Styrofoam for the church window wall and the two partial side walls of the niche. My stained glass window was made from one section of a three-sided stained glass panel enclosing a votive candle, but you could also buy or make your own stained glass window, using suggestions from the SS Archives. I can't remember now whether I used black or a golden color of paper behind the window; I just remember having to experiment to make the colors show up better.

Two graduated stacked Styrofoam half-circles, gessoed and painted like the adobe church wall, were used against the wall underneath the window to make the raised platform/flower bed for the statue, one of those small inexpensive magnetized figures designed to go on dashboards. I painted her coppery green, with antiquing washes for an aged look.

Dried flowers and preserved greenery were used in the half-circle flower beds which formed her base. Off to one side was an octotillo (instructions for which are in the SS Archives, I believe) "planted" in a small mound of Styrofoam. A vine made of beige buttonhole twist threads, covered with glue and dragged through a mixture of shades of railroad foam greenery, was on the other side, extending up the wall and arcing over the curve of the window. I painted a thick coat of Tacky glue mixed with beige paint on the base, over the plant mounds and at the edge of the flower beds, sprinkled on sand to cover, shaking off the excess when it was dry.

Wanna in El Paso

Lantern: I had considered making a lantern scene of "The Lamplighter" in the Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses" Take a look at the children's book and see what you think. My own edition (1931) is illustrated in silhouette but some of the latter have color pictures of a boy watching out the window at old Leery with his ladder and light attending the lamp in front of the door. If the boy peeks through the drapes, no additional backdrop depth would be needed. You may need a shorter than normal gas lamp

David & Joyce Betts

Lantern Scene: Here's a project I actually finished! My brass lantern was actually an outdoor porch light at some point. It was 4 sided glass, electrified. I removed the electric, and put a chandelier hanging from the socket. I left the glass on the sides and front (along with the wire that faked leaded glass), but put a mural and wainscoting on Oaktag, then put that against the back wall. The mural is antique, and an Ed Norton chair and side table sitting on a floor cloth with a mariner's compass finish the scene. A tiny toy 'horse' sits on the floor cloth as well, picking up the theme of farm animals from the mural. Sits on my bedside table, and can actually act as a night light since the chandelier has 6 lights. The transformer sits quietly behind the lantern. The DH, by the way, says that the transformers are not quiet, he can hear them 'vibrate'! When the place is very quiet, he makes me go and unplug all 3 in the bedroom. I, on the other hand, don't wear my hearing aid to bed, so not an issue!! Be advised that if your lantern has glass that fits along the sides, putting anything in that adds depth (wainscoting and chair rail, for instance) makes the glass not fit back in. Ask me how I know... I had to cut the chair rail off about 1/8th of an inch at each side so the side wall glass could slip back in.

Beth in Maine

50's boy's bedroom: I was born in 1950 along with a twin brother, so I can tell you what he had in his bedroom in the 50's was mostly cowboy decor. Lamp with cowboy on horse silhouetted in sunset motif, cowboy hat on chair back, even had some homemade curtains with cowboys and Indians on them. Had colors in browns, orange, tans. Also had model planes hanging around, books because he liked to read, baseball glove and bat, etc.

Paulette in In

50's Boys room: I think of many ideas. First one comes to mind is a cowboy room like Roy Rodgers. Chenille Bedspread with Roy roping in the air on his horse Trigger. A covered wagon lamp setting on knotty pine furniture. Next The rocket to the Moon. With Stars and Moons with Rocket in middle bedspread. Then Rockets hanging from the ceiling and glow in the dark stars on the walls. Modular furniture in a light gray color. Next one of my favorite is Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier! Coonskin Caps, Betsy his rifle, leather fringe buckskin and moccasins. Wood furniture ;like twigs and skin lampshade. Bearskin rug. etc.

Sherri Deer Park, Texas