Planting Mini Flowers: A long, long time ago I used floral clay in a few miniature plant pots. THE PLANTS FELL OUT!! Floral clay is too wet to hold. When I plant flowers, I use Sculpey in the pots. I put a good amount of thick white glue on the top, spoon on model train dirt, push plant in place and let dry before dumping off the excess dirt. Many people use coffee grounds but if you live in Florida it is not a good idea! I won't go into details about the mold and bugs here!

Mary

Dirt: for your "dirt" use coffee grounds. Of course, they should be used and dried. And, if you really want it to look real, grind them up once they're dry. This can be a bit tricky if you don't happen to have a bowl and mortar, but I think you could use a metal dish and a rock....same basic principle. Once ground I put them into an airtight container and spoon them out with a measuring spoon....much too fine for picking up with your fingers. I use this exclusively and have had many comments about how real my dirt looks......I think that's a good thing?

Sloan

Ice Fishing Shanty: Go to your local video store or library and enjoy a few hours watching Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier. . . Good, very realistic ice fishing sets. A mix of saw dust from cutting Corian and Lucite makes pretty nice chopped/cut ice around the holes. You can make a nice press for creating corrugated metal roofing by gluing a row of 3/32" dowels spaced 3/32" apart. When glue is dry, overlay a piece of extra heavy aluminum freezer wrap, wrap them, starting at one end, press between bottom dowels with similar dowels from the top. Remove top dowels and tip up to drop out a nice piece of roofing. Practice a bit to get desired sizes right so you do not need to recut after pressing.

Mel Koplin - Las Vegas

Ice Fishing Shanty:: I think that frosted glass (shiny side up) would make excellent ice, but, as you probably want to cut a hole in it to fish thru, I think I would use Lucite. There is a frosting spray you can buy to put on it. It might be neat to have the 'ice' have space below it, so you could see the fish in the 'water'.

Aali

Ice Fishing Shanty: I am in the process of trying to collect old Nutshell News for reference. I read the post about the Ice Fishing Shanty. When my "real" mail came I got 10 more issues of Nutshell and the first one I opened fell to a do it yourself project for an Ice Fishing Shanty. It is January 1996 if you have access to the books. I love these books. This not only shows you how to do it but tells you why she selected certain items to include which were specific to ice fishing.

KarenChat

Ice Fishing Shanty: In the January 1996 issue of Nutshell News (after going to larger format but before changing the name to Dollhouse Miniatures)our Joanne Swanson gives a very detailed instructions for making just the thing! She mentions using baking soda and diamond dust to simulate snow and ice. Some things to be found in a shack: bunk, table, stove, fishing poles, auger for cutting the hole in ice, ice chest of beer, iron tea kettle, chairs or stumps for sitting around hole, radio, fish(of course!) a bucket for fish, thermos for hot coffee or tea, outside perhaps a tin barrel for a fire, wood pile etc.

Donna

Ice Fishing Shack: translucent plastic light fixture cover (it comes in sheets) should work very well for ice. The material is easy to cut and very inexpensive. Buy it at one of the big box DIY stores like Lowe's or Home Depot.

Margaret in Texas

Japanese "shoes": I have received a pair of them from a buddy in Japan. They have a raised block under the ball of the shoe and another under the heel. There is a padded thong that comes between the great toe and the 2nd toe and then slings around the heel.

Dr. Bob

Japanese or Chinese: To the woman who was having trouble deciphering what is Chinese or Japanese: It depends on the item. Some things are used in both cultures and some things are unique to one or the other. Most mother of pearl inlay furniture is Chinese. The shoes that you described, called geta that are wooden with slats underneath and thongs on top are Japanese, so I don't know what the problem with them is. Chinese shoes are usually black or embroidered and look like ballet slippers (not toe shoes) with little straps. Japanese tables tend to be low so that you can sit on the floor and work or eat off of them comfortably. Chinese tables more often have chairs to go with them and painted designs with scenery. The Japanese furniture is in general more simplistic. If you check out even some picture travel books from the library and look at the indoor scenes you will get a better feel of the difference.

Char Lee

Chinese vs. Japanese: About telling Chinese things from Japanese things: Well, since I'm Chinese, I can usually tell the two apart on sight. But it's harder to come up with general RULES about it! Here goes: - Chinese shoes: Depending on the era, they may be simple sandals (like bedroom slippers, with the toe area covered, not thongs), simple black cloth shoes (no laces... think of a ballet slipper, but with a flat sole). This is for both men and women. If you are doing a pre-1920 china scene AND if your scene is of non-peasant people, the women's shoes should be VERY small. Bound feet were common on for almost all women (except peasant women--bound feet prevented work in the fields). For anyone that doesn't know, this involved breaking the foot across the instep and folding it back so that the toes were under the heel. The shoes would have been sort of triangular, 3"-4" on a side, and often had tall wooden heels in the center of the sole (think stilts). I remember seeing shoes of the royal women in the Forbidden City in Beijing. However, if you are doing a peasant scene, it is not inconceivable that the people would simply go barefoot. The men's shoes of this era would probably be the plain black ones described above. For a modern Chinese scene, almost anything goes. But the sandals on two little wood blocks are definitely Japanese. Also, Japanese socks sometimes have a separation for the toe (like the thumb on mittens) to make thongs easier to wear. - Chinese dress: Again, I don't know much about the Japanese side, but I can say a few things about the Chinese side. Chinese "formal" wear for women is a long embroidered silk gown, with a stand-up collar and "frog" fasteners (those knotted silk button-and-loop things). It would either have no sleeves or long sleeves, and should go down to the floor. These are still sometimes worn today (I have one in gold, which was my grandmother's, which I wear on certain special occasions.) As far as I know, these have been popular for a long time. Depending on how far back you are going (Imperial ages, etc) headdresses may be common as well. Be sure to check the internet to see what kind of headdress is appropriate for the woman, as well as what hairstyle is appropriate for the men of the time. When watching "Crouching Tiger," my mother could identify the time period by the men's hairstyle! I think the men would have worn long, probably black tunics over pants (like those described below, only with fancier frogs). Peasants would have worn plain-colored (not patterned) tunic-style shirts with simple frog closures instead of buttons and long sleeves, over pants. This is true for both men and women. I think those cone-shaped straw hats were worn at one time, but I don't know if they are still worn, or when they disappeared. - Chinese furnishings: Back in the day, the furniture would be ornately (but not flamboyantly) carved and possible inlaid with mother of pearl. Common colors are black and reddish-brown. They would be made of wood, and not cushioned. Tables are typically round, with barrel-shaped stools around them. Symmetry is often used in noble/royal rooms, so keep this in mind when making/buying furniture! As in most cultures, the richer/more elite the person, the more decorated the room. I'm sure there are lots of books out there about this. - Japanese furnishings: Fewer or no chairs; more cushions to sit on. Beds are also usually on the floor (futons, which can be rolled up and stored). Tables should be appropriate heights for a person sitting on the ground. Straw mats are definitely Japanese. For some inspiration, try the children's book "Miss Happiness and Miss Flower," by Rumer Godden. - One last thing: White is a color of mourning for the Chinese. Traditionally, clothing is not white. Black does not have the same connotations for the Chinese as it does for the West. Red is the color of celebration and festivity; this is why most Chinese new year decorations are red, and a historical Chinese bride would wear a red dress with a red veil over a headpiece.

Celeste in Boston