mini butterflies: I'm mostly a reader and not a poster, but I wanted to share a small offering that I discovered this weekend. Fiskars has a new punch (at least new to me) that is an adorable little butterfly. It's about 5/16" x 3/16", so in scale, about a monarch size. I'm going to try punching out of tissue paper, adding details and gluing on a piece of monofilament so it can appear to be floating above my flowers. And if the monofilament is light enough, every passing air current will make it flit about. I'm very excited to try this and wanted to share.

Sherrie in Spokane

British Antiques Fairs: If you are visiting GB and touring, I'm fairly sure you'd enjoy a big antiques fair, simply due to all the STUFF that one can see, touch, feel. Try the site http://www.dmgantiquefairs.comfor dates of a few.

Helen from York, England

Wholesale dealers: Remembering back when I started in business I had gotten some very useful tips from the lady I bought out (Fran Meehan)
1. Contact Dee's Delights and sign on with them
2. Join CIMTA and go to their shows
3. I didn't join MIAA but I did go to their shows.
That's a start.

Carol, S P Miniatures

To make a chicken teapot: Make a squashed cone of grass green. On it place a ball of white, pinching one end (this will be the head). Take lots of doggy waste bits of unbaked Fimo, pass through a pasta machine, which will leave you with a thin sheet of many colours, all streaked. Cut 2 teardrop shapes, cut one edge of each for feathers and place on body as wings. Cut a fat teardrop shape and fringe smallest end and place on chicken's rump, bending the fringed ends hither and yon. This is the tail.

With a Klemper cutter (sp?) cut a red teardrop shape from thin Fimo for the wattle. Attach to chin area of head. Make a biscuit coloured cone (beak), place above wattle. Finally cut Klemper cutter shape of daisy from red, and cut in half - this is comb. Place on top of head.

Use finest glass seed beads for eyes. Place small ball of white on chicken's back for teapot lid. Bake (before your pet squashes it). Rejoice.

Helen from York, England

Helen's fruit baskets: In one of my favorite classes I learned to take any trashy bits of Fimo, left over from any old color, and mix them together. That gives (usually) a nice dark shadowy nothing-color. Then make tiny balls of that stuff and fill your baskets. Only the fruits and veggies on top need to be realistically modeled and colored since nobody will see the others anyway. You can make lots of baskets this way, and you won't die of boredom (or old age) before they're done.

Rebecca

Child's handprint in Clay: If you have a child doll and a lump of clay you can do this one yourself!
- - - Roll the clay into a ball and flatten it.
- - - Dust the doll's hand lightly with baby powder or corn starch and blow off excess.
- - - Press doll's hand into the clay and remove.
- - - Use a pin to scratch the doll's name into the edge of the clay.
- - - Follow the clay directions to bake or air dry.

Laurie Sisson

Reassembling Your Computer: This is associated with miniatures in that, without our computers, we could not follow SmallStuff!

When I was new to computers, I labeled all of the connections on mine with colored tape, a bit of one color next to the port and a bit of the same color on whatever plugs into that port. I think you could also do it with little dabs of acrylic paint. Even though I understand where things go now, it saves me time when I need to dismantle the computer. Also, there is no reason you should lose anything just moving your computer from one place to another.

Linda in TN

Sherry in Uniontown

Colorcoding Puter cords: Most stationary stores carry packets of assorted little color dots about a quarter of an inch in diameter. Place one dot on the cord and one on the puter connector before disconnecting. Then when you get moved match the colors. I spent nearly twenty years in the home appliance service business and this is a method I used when I need to remove a motor or timer from an appliance.

Bill

Miniature clubs: What exactly do clubs do? Well, it can be a variety of things. Mine generally works on a different project each month, something that can be completed in an hour's time. Once in a while, a project might span two meetings. Some of our projects have included bunka rugs, quilled flowers, finishing and decorating a fireplace, and dressing an unfinished bed. Other activities might be creating a complete house or roombox for a charity and inviting an artisan to demonstrate a particular technique. If the artisan isn't a miniaturist, it might be fun to offer the challenge of reducing his or her work by 11/12.

As for promoting the hobby, there are lots of opportunities. Offer to do some demonstrations for a scouting troop. Display your miniatures at the local library, perhaps along with some of the miniature books the library has in stock. Take a booth at a crafts fair. With press releases, don't stop at the first one. Keep publicizing the club's activities.

Rosemary in Cleveland