Design/decorating: When I was in high school, we were lucky to have a wonderful art teacher and could choose our art courses. I took architectural design one semester. The teacher gave us a list of the personalities and interests of the family for whom we were designing the house. WE even had to build a 1/4 scale model of it. (The next semester we took interior design and furnished the house on paper.) It's amazing how much knowing who lives there can add to your detail in a scene! Even if you choose not to put in 'people', it is good to imagine them! A great lesson for those interested in miniatures.

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Leaves: As an alternative to painting and punching leaves (but still sort of labor-intensive), I've used scale-sized leaves cut from fabric ribbon found at the craft shop in the clearance bin -- got two different designs, in shades of dark and shades of light green. Don't think I'll ever run out! They seem to be regular fabric with lots of sizing or Fraycheck, so with sharp scissors they cut out without shredding and I just glue a stem wire up the back so the leaf can be shaped.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Paper: When buying paper for flower-making, always be sure to purchase only those papers that are acid-free and lignin-free. Those are your safest bet. I take one additional precaution: I use a UV-protectant spray to seal all my flowers before assembling the finished piece. It's never a good idea to have your flowers -- or anything else that goes into your miniatures scenes, for that matter -- exposed to direct sunlight. And that includes your dollhouse! Cool, dry shade is the best place to set up your dollhouse to avoid any problems related to warpage, fading, moisture, heat or dryness.

Bev

Tapestries: check upholstery stores. There are some great materials and sometimes you can get leftovers or scraps free.

Susan Hanks

Mini Bow-Maker: I recently ordered a miniature bow maker from Cotton Ridge Designs (http://www.cottonridge.com/ - click on shopping, then scroll down to click on the tools & supplies link). They shipped it out *very* quickly and I was delighted with their service. I haven't yet tried to make bows with the tool, but it looks like what you need. (They also carry Syd's Tool for Fimo, the one mentioned in the Petite Eats & Mini Treats booklet.) I imagine other vendors carry this, and you could probably make your own if you want. I was happy to just order and go.

Alix in San Francisco

Weathered Wood: I have used the following to weather wood for years. It turns the wood a silvery transparent color, sort of like the color of barn wood. Put nails in vinegar and tightly cap (use a glass container, such as a mason jar) until the nails rust. Paint onto the wood and allow to dry. It does a satisfactory job and is very inexpensive, nay---dirt cheap!!!!

Barbara from Alabama

Weathering: I've read so much about weathering and staining... I've developed a method that might work for others.

I use 1/2 cup alcohol and a dab of acrylic paint in a small jar. Shake the jar mightily, until the paint is in tiny pieces. It won't mix! When you use this concoction, it will streak nicely. When at rest, the paint will settle quickly, but just stir it up a bit. I paint and wipe, paint and wipe. Those tiny particles of paint are excellent for giving you the aged look. It dries almost instantly and because there is no water involved, won't warp your wood.

This solution will cloud the alcohol with a tint of color to wash a light coat over bright work. Pretty versatile stuff. . . I have a dozen jars with different hues and mixes. They hold pretty well in the jars too.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Beehive roombox: Rather than using real honeycomb, which might sag or even melt if it gets too warm, and would also be very messy to clean for use in a roombox, try using the foundation sold for beehives. It's a thin sheet of plastic, 15-18 inches long and about 6 inches high, with the honeycomb pattern embossed in it, to give the bees a head start at building the honeycomb. You can usually find ads for companies selling beekeeping supplies in gardening magazines, or you might try your yellow pages. (For those who collect information of little or no use, the other reason beekeepers use it is because some bees, if left to themselves, are not neat builders. They'll make honeycombs with odd sizes and shapes of cells and it can be difficult, even impossible, to get the honey out of those.)

Nancy

Russian Translation: http://www.translate.ru is the same site I used to translate a "Welcome to our Home" letter and "House Rules" listing for Olga. It is a very easy to use site. The only limitation is the length of an article it will translate as it is a demo. I just broke my rather long letter down into pieces, and it managed it fine. I then sent the letter to a Russian lady here locally to check, and she only found a couple of minor problems that would not affect understanding. I'm planning on using this site to translate our daily schedule to Olga each morning so she'll know what to expect -- such as today you have a dentist appointment, etc. I highly recommend the site. The countdown begins, Olga will be here in 23 days!

Michelle in South Carolina

Stairs with landing: I needed a staircase with a 3-step landing for my All in the Family roombox as that's what we saw on the TV show. I simply took a full staircase and cut it up. You can cut off the three steps and create a landing from a piece of scrap bass wood, butt the remaining staircase at an angle to ascend the rest of the way.

Pearl Jordan