Shop Recommendation: I have always ordered from A-C's EMPORIUM in McMurry Pa. even though I live in NV. I found them in the first "Nutshell News" I bought and ordered from my first Dee's catalog in 1978. They have always been most accommodating and very pleasant. It is really pleasant to chat with them on the phone when ordering and they really know their minis, I always hoped that some day I'd be able to get there to meet them in person , but I doubt that I ever will as at 79 I don't travel that much any more.

Kathleen, NV

Shop Recommendation: I don't know about online but I have ordered from the Dollhouse Factory through their catalogue and found them great to deal with. The orders came promptly and when I called to ask a question they were very polite and helpful. In fact when I called on the phone I was using a phone number that was a toll number. The woman asked where I was calling from and when I said California, she insisted that I hang up and she would call me back so I wouldn't run up my phone bill. I hated to do that because from previous experience I figured I would never hear from her again, but she insisted. With hesitation I hung up but she immediately called me back!:-) I got my questions answered and then she gave me a different number to call if I need to call again so I wouldn't be charged. YES, they are very nice and I know I am going to give them a lot of business. As other have already said I also found HBS to be a good one to deal with, never a problem.

Piper

Shop Recommendation: My first mini online purchase was with HBS. They are always prompt, reasonable and friendly. Although they do not carry some of the high end merchandise, what they do carry, is never shoddy, or poorly made either. Whenever I have had to call, the friendly Operator sounded as if we knew each other, always helpful. Ernie, the owner, always writes cute little bylines in the catalog, and a newsletter online. He may be a 3 piece wearing corporate CEO, but I really don't think so. I have shopped many online stores, with very good results, but I will always try HBS first.

Barbran

Shop Recommendation: I've purchased my mini's from http://www.miniature.com (Hunt's Collectibles) and have had good results and timely delivery. Furthermore they often have 15%-20% off sales and free delivery for sales over $150.

CM Miller

Shop Recommendation: My favorites have already been mentioned.....except for Hanky Panky Crafts: http://www.hankypankycrafts.com. They don't have an on-line order form.....but even using snail mail, their speed is incredible. When I received my 1st order, I was embarrassed to find out that I had misread one of the prices & shorted them a bit. They sent the merchandise anyway with the price correction shown on my original letter. I didn't want to write another check for such a small amount, so did some more shopping.....for things I really needed.....honest!

Jude in ND

Walls: what I do for making 'natural' walls: I use thick waterbased paint (wallpaint), sample pots for sale at the large do-it-yourself stores, use an old, hard brush and move it around, then put bird sand on it and you have a very natural effect!

Dienke

Textured walls: I am no expert on any of this but I have an idea for your outside walls maybe this would work if you take tissue paper crumble it up and then dip in watered down glue and paste to your walls, or decoupage it to the wall and then paint over it. Also if you get the tissue with the color you want all ready on it would be even better. I did a box like this and it came out pretty good

Leilani

Textured Walls and Ceilings: I wanted a textured wall in my mini living room. I cut a template of the wall which included cutouts for the wall plugs. I took all my textured paint kit out to the garage and opened the door for ventilation. Once everything was set, I glued the entire piece to my wall. It didn't require doing any mammoth movements of my huge dollhouse. I was good to go and it has stood up to the task.

Cora/Rhode Island

Staining Wood for your Dollhouse: When staining any porous, open grained timber (Basswood, Pine, Luan, etc) try using a Non-Grain-Raising or NGR wood dye. These are alcohol-based and contain much finer dye particles than a typical wood stain. Because alcohol is used as the "carrier" for the dye particles and evaporates quickly, the wood fibers do not have a chance to swell and produce a "nap". The color itself is generally much clearer and brighter than a water-based stain, not being susceptible to lap marks or blotching. NGR stains are easily tinted using a wide variety of glazes Japan dyes. These are widely used throughout the furniture industry, as they produce consistent results. NGR stains can be readily obtained through any number of cabinetry supply sources. Two that come readily to mind are Garret-Wade and Constantines. They both have decent websites. The URLs can be easily found through a Google search for either company. Finishing wood is a science (or art) all it's own. Experiment and have fun!

Brian

Shop Recommendation: Some of my favorites: Little Obsessions http://www.miniature.net/LittleObsessions/ Sandy and Stu Dawson Sandy is great to deal with. Items are sent out promptly and I have never been disappointed with what I ordered. Woodland Whispers http://www.woodlandwhispers.com/ Lyn Trenary is great to work with, although after my last order she said she would never make little boys again. They came out great by the way. For half scale: Scale Design http://www.scaledesigns.com/ They are very nice to deal with.

Judy in Floyd, VA