Wholesale Suppliers: Go http://www.miaa.com

This is Miniature Industry Association of America. They will be glad to give you lots of information. You might even find it on their web site.

Tom & Kari

18th century barn: My next project will be the interior of a derelict 18th English century barn, and I'm having a hard time finding out what it would have been made of. All reference books I've consulted go into great detail about houses and public structures, but I can't find anything that tells me which materials a farmer would have used to construct his barn. Perhaps a stone foundation and wooden or thatched roof?

Lynn

18C English barns. It depends on what part of England the barn would have been. In Sussex for example, there were/are lots of barns made from flint - chipped and fixed in place with mortar. In Somerset barns were often made from the local stone, a beautiful golden colour, In Cornwall/Devon, made from 'Cob' (a sort of plaster, finished white) with a thatched roof, in other areas they were made from wooden planks.......I could go on.

Jacqui in Hampshire, UK

heating devices:
> Now, does anyone know when fireplaces began to be used? I always thought it was sometime in the 15th or early 16th century--any medievalists out there who can correct me? <
- In England, it was the 12th and 13th century, when the climate turned colder, and the English vineyards died.

> Also, the ceramic stoves that were used in the Low Countries and Scandinavia--is there a stovepipe attached? < - They were usually attached to a chimney. They were also used in the high countries like Bavaria and Austria.

Tom & Kari

Queen of Sheba: I have been fascinated by (and researching) her story for years now. Oddly enough, of all the dignitaries who visited King Solomon during his reign, she is the only one mentioned by name in the bible. There is also a very detailed list of all the gifts she brought him, kind of interesting. As Paulette said, she was the Queen of the Ethiopian people (the Sheban kingdom is believed to have stretched across the Red Sea, including what is now Ethiopia and also Yemen). The son she bore from Solomon is a legendary hero in Ethiopia. Their stories have a lot of info about her. You will also find stories about her in Arabic traditions, though there she is represented as a witch or a demon (I have a few theories about all this, if you're interested - I think there was basically a "trade war" at the time & Sheba & Israel cut a deal). She would be a fascinating character to create.

Graceanne

Potting Mini Plants: I bought the smallest size box of terra cotta colored air dry clay they had at Michael's to make my Mission tiles from last month. I ended up with about 3/4 of the box left, so decided to use some in my mini flower pots. I take those cheapie terra cotta pots that you get 4/pack at the craft stores, and sand the tops down until they look good (they usually are raggedy) Then I put in a squirt of white glue and press in some of the air dry clay. While it is still wet, I poke in my flowers and leaves, then squirt in some more white glue to cover the top and sprinkle with railroad dirt (I don't drink coffee!!) The terra cotta color looks natural if you don't get a thick covering of dirt, and when it hardens, the plants stay in place nicely. The glue might not be necessary, but I think it would be a good precaution since it dries clear anyway.

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Castle wiring: Cutting channels in the foam and then covering the channel with Bristol board ( a card stock ) is exactly the method I use.. This method has an additional benefit of leaving the wire loose in the channel so that if you leave a little extra at the bottom you can pull the fixture out of you ever have to work on them.

Rik Pierce

Wiring - Foam Insulation Board: And, as to your wiring question for foam insulation board.....I use my Dremel to cut channels, and do general shaping and, I've been known to use an old electric kitchen knife....but that's another story. The foam boards are soft enough that its easy to do. And, just for safety reasons, I'd line mine with wood strips, plastic tubing or electrical tape...what ever you happen to have handy! I'm getting ready to do a multi-tiered pond with landscaping and lighting and will use foam core board for some of the landscaping....planning to use plastic tubing for the wires to run thru. Hope this helps! I know there are many others out there with far more experience with wiring than I, so you may get lots of answers!

Sloan

Small Area Lighting: An alternative method for lighting small room boxes or bags are the shirt lights (small battery packs with a few lights on the ends of the wires - don't get very hot, come in clear and multi-colored) - About $5 or less at most craft stores (look for the t-shirt supplies)

Dollladie

Lighting Roomboxes: How about the single corded light bulbs that one finds in small, hollow, Xmas trees or figures? The bulb is the size used in nightlights, also. They sometimes have holding prongs attached to the fixture and might fit perfectly into a hole in the back part of the box. Haven't done it, but someone might want to try.(Be sure to vent the room, these lights are HOT. Ed)

Betti from LA

Slate: In response to an earlier comment. We carry both English (probably Welsh) slate, and Vermont slate roofing. The English is rectangular and dark grey. The Vermont is hexagonal and multi-colored. The best way I have found to cut the slate is using a rubberized abrasive wheel in my Jarmac table saw. My diamond saw also works ok, but is very messy.
http://www.dollhouse-miniatures.com

Tom Berkner