Scale Cabinetmaker: As far as I know all the patterns are given in full-sized inches and feet and you need to use a scale ruler to scale them down, but the drawings, as Nancy pointed out, are in scale and can be used as patterns just as they are. The other measurements given are for the thickness’ of the wood and they are given in thousands of an inch so .0833 refers to 1" in scale, or 3/32" thick wood. If the sofa is 6" long then it is 6' in full size and so on.

June in London Ontario Canada

Flower Film: I am not familiar with the product being discussed for a film over wire for flower-making. But I just watched the Mindstorm video Patricia's Garden and what she's doing sounds very much like what these folks are looking for. She uses gold wire to form petals and leaves and just paints them with Sobo glue. Then she mixes a little acrylic paint with more Sobo and paints the clear, dried film formed by the glue.

Linda in Leroy

Flower Film: Just a note to the people that are interested in making the miniature flowers that are wire and a thin film. I have done this many times with great success and used the decorations on the Miniature doll dresses, as well as Floral Arrangements. I used 34 gauge Brass wire and then shaped the flower petals. As for dipping, I dipped them in Sobo white Glue, which dries clear, and placed each petal on a Styrofoam ball to dry. Once they are dry you may then paint them with Acrylic paints the color and shading that you would like.

Darlene

Victory Gardens: In the August 1990 Nutshell News Joann Swanson did a Kitchen garden, the project was very nice. I also think i remember a Victory garden in the old Miniature Showcase magazine. In NN Joann pointed out that the gardens would vary from area to area depending on what would grow where you were.

Joanne in Beavercreek Oregon

Grass Not Sticking: If this is Creative PaperClay that you are using, it does shrink slightly if you use a thin layer. A heavier layer of it will shrink more.  When it has dried you can go over the clay 'cracks' with more PaperClay to fill them. NOW: Did you paint the PaperClay a mixture of brown & green or a spray varnish before you started 'grassing' ?  Your watered-down glue is going to soak in if not.  I use Woodland Scenics milky white spray glue (ballast cement?) myself and after applying the grass to the surface, I spray (saturate) the whole thing again.  I also use the static grass, not the foam. A good mix is railroad 'dirt' and two shades of grass.   When this is dry you shake off the loose stuff and if there are bare / thin patches you spray and put more on those spots.

Mary Lou in Middleburg Hts., OH

Grass Not Sticking: I've had some experience with landscaping so this time go more slowly. Get a nice Tacky glue and only do about two inches square at a time. Don't rush this. You want it to look as nice as everything else and grass takes time to grow. First, I didn't hear you say that the paper clay was sealed or primed...it is sucking up all your glue. Get out your gesso, pour a small amount in a paper cup and add some green paint, add a dash of deep blue to this and paint it in anyplace that might have a shadow. Now, get another paper cup and this time add a little more yellow for any places that might not get enough water or be in bright sun. Now, you are ready to add a two inch patch of glue and this time try to get more of the yellow green onto the similar paint and continue s-l-o-w-l-e-e-ey. This is not a race. Now, when you are done with that you are ready to accessorize with rock groupings and tall grasses sticking up here and there and weeds and children's toys and even flowers. Grass is it's own reward, enjoy it.

Laurie Sisson

Victorian Fencing: I have a catalog I bought from the Elegant Doll House it has a few companies who sell the fencing I believe you want. Call the Elegant Doll House at (916)484-0419 the co. names I saw are The Lawbre Company, Timberbrook and Precision Products.  or go to the web site http://www.dkwp.com/elegant.htm

Kari

Display of Houses: I like the European style cupboard houses which open at the front. I have small children and mine isn't a turntable household! I have two huge ones which dominate the living room. they sit either side of the sofa where I sit so that when there's nothing to watch on TV (which is most nights) I can switch on the lights and enjoy them! My back opening American style house (Glencroft) is on the landing at the top of the stairs. You see the front of the house as you go up the stairs and the insides when you round the corner. I replace the pictures on the walls with roomboxes as I do them, and I have some of those little cabinets thimble collectors use. They are useful for pretty little bits which haven't found a home yet. I'm almost out of space now, but I have 2 kits in my shed. I suppose I could sell one of the children, that might give me some extra space!

Lynne Connolly

Display of Houses: I too have limited space. My current project house is the Newburg. It sits on a base that measures 32 x 36 inches. At present, it is sitting on an antique oak pedestal table in my office. It will eventually be housed in a corner of the dining room in a custom built case. My newest project (which I just got today!) is a greenhouse. It measures approximately 12 x 20 inches. It will sit on a base (size not known at this point), and will be kept on top of the entertainment center in the living room. Which brings me to telling you all what I have picked put for Mother's Day....its the greenhouse! I found it at Hobby Lobby. It is made entirely of glass with black metal framing. It has a high pitched roof and is about 18" high. It has a base made of resin which the greenhouse sits sown into, but I intend to turn it upside down and set the gh on it that way so that it is not sitting in a "ditch". I'm planning to turn it into a flower shop! Complete with all sorts of plants, maybe even a few trees for sale outside! I think I'll have a path around the outside with various landscaping items to choose from. I'll have to simulate a door as it does not have one. And, I'm planning to build shelves and tables for the inside. They will have to be free standing as there is nothing to attach them to on the walls. I'll start working on it first thing tomorrow. I need to figure out what kind of flooring to use. I'm thinking that stone would lookgood, or maybe wood. May take a trip to the local nursery just to walk around and look!

Sloan

Displaying Dollhouses: I still haven't found the right display space for my dollhouse. One thought I had is if I can find a salvaged base to an old, possibly treadle style sewing machine and have a new top made to display my dollhouse. Does anyone here think that might work? Most of my furniture is either old or imitation old. Another question I had is about House That Jack Built's end table dollhouse. I saw that in a mini shop in Fredericksburg, VA. I thought that might be a neat idea for when I think I can't squeeze in another dollhouse. Maybe I can use it as a bedside table in my guest room. I have a bit of a problem with "using" a dollhouse, but that room is little used so I don't think I need to worry too much about damaging it. Has anyone bought that shell? What do you think of it?

Jeri Moriarty