Rubber Door Mat: here's another idea for a rubber mat: if there's a Fazoli's restaurant in your area, their salad containers have black plastic bottoms with a grid design. They make great 1:12 scale door mats and would also work as "foot-preserver" mats cut in a larger size.

Loretta Sniarowski

AUTHENTIC STUFFED MATTRESSES: Instead of using real straw, I would opt for shredded paper twist or something similar. I think that the straw may disintegrate and perhaps draw bugs too. For the mini friend that asked about the old crepe paper, could the paper twist that you can get at craft stores work for your needs also?

Fran

Stuffed Mattress: Why not use pulled-apart cotton balls for stuffy a 'lumpy' mattress? That's what I plan to do for the pirinhas (feather beds) in Baba Yaga's house.

Molly

Stuffed Mattress: I wonder if 'Perlite' would work as a filling to make a mattress look lumpy. Perlite is a white crumbled product used in making up a potting mix for plants. Also thought sawdust might work.

Bobbie

Shoes: Doll's cobbler has wonderful shoes and I do have a couple of hers - but if you are going to place shoes in a distant area and would like many, I suggest getting the many styles available at Metal Miniatures from the Reynolds in Illinois. I did an "Imelda's Closet" vignette and filled it with a lot of shoes in different colors & styles. I added raveled Bunka for frou-frous on some and managed to make some of the same styles look different with varied trims and colors. It was loads of fun and not very expensive for a novelty setting. Just an idea for those of you who have open closets or want some shoes in a bedroom.

Jeanette in Wisconsin

Working Fountain: couldn't you do this along the same lines as those 'tabletop' fountains that are so popular now? I know there's a book out with instructions for these available through the One Spirit book club. I think a cooler pump is used for the tabletop fountains, and I don't know if you'd need a 'thingie' to control the water volume...the pump could be hidden in the 'foundation' of your house.

Molly

Working Fountain: I went to the railroad shop and bought a pump for a train engine car that blows steam. 12.99. It was recommended and it works! Need to be a bit creative. I drilled a hole, (carefully), through a garden like urn and set within a circular base I found at Hobby Lobby. A real water fountain!

SuLin

Working Fountain: For those of you interested in having a working, running fountain in your doll house, go to an aquarium store--an actual aquarium store-not Wal-Mart or K-Mart or Home Depot. The people in a real aquarium store are experts on fountains and power heads and the things that you will need to get your fountain working. Good luck.

Carol

Working Fountain: I make table fountains and one thing you have to remember is that somehow, somewhere the fountain mechanism has to be submerged in water and the water it pumps out needs to be able to find it's way back to the pump for recycling. You can find the smallest pumps at your local garden store (eg. Home Depot) for about $15. Some years ago I bought a "ready made" fountain that I thought would go perfect with my dh. When the time comes to landscape, I will incorporate it with some foliage, trees etc.

W. Marie in Edmonds, WA

Working Fountain: For anyone interested in working fountains in a garden ......if you can wait my August NN/DM, DIY article has one.... and I will say that the tinkle tinkle of the water, coming out of the fountain, does add a new dimension to a miniature garden.

Joann Swanson