Raised Tables: Well I am glad you and some of your customers like the raised tables. But I think you are not quite right about the people in wheelchairs. Being at almost eyelevel with things is not at all nice , I for one '(tried it out at home) do not feel happy with it at all. If there are houses etc. I will only be able to see the basement. Well I can look the dolls under the skirts that is true, pity I am girl. And you seem to be about the only people who do not mind us handling your things, for here in Holland that is almost never allowed. By the way, how do your wheelchair customers pay for their purchases ? I can't think of any way of reaching people to hand over my money when they re behind a raised table. Or is the table very narrow ? And I can also imagine that lots of the standholders can't manage standing all day. Maybe we should meet each other half way up and go for a little raise which may be ok for everyone

Marianne

New Business Announcement: I would like to make a special announcement - I am now the owner of Old World Tile, the business that was the brainchild of Sheila Benjamin, Eve Karoblis and Ed Mabe.

We offer paper tiles in kit form to make trays, counters, floors, table tops, back splashes, wall plaques and more. The grout is already printed on and the print is sprayed with a special spray to seal it against bleeding. The floors and countertops do not come to you mounted on board, but the others do. (It's easier to fit your floors and counters if they're not already mounted.) The tray kits include wood parts to make the tray. You have to coat the product with water based varnish. When dry you score the grout lines using an included stylus, and you have very realistic looking tile with very little effort on your part.

The previous owners sold mostly wholesale, and I expect that will be the bulk of my business too. I have color catalogues available, and will have the products at CIMTA. Let me know if interested - and don't forget I will need your address.minimanr@vnet.net

Beth, In A Miniature Manor

WalMart Photo Site: I just stumbled onto this, and many of you might already know, so bear with me. I love photography, my Minor in college. So, I take lots of pictures, and used to develop my own. Lately I started with WalMart, and thought I'd try the CD download...But, because the rolls were stacking up, just had them developed into prints. WalMart inserted a card, "Share your world", with the roll #, claim#, etc. So I went to the site, and there are my pictures! I could email, crop, zoom, and yes...have an album to share. I haven't fully checked into the in's and out's but the opportunity is there for us photo site newbies. I'm not sure it has all the bell's & whistle's of all the beautiful sites posted here on SS, but it can be a start. And for those that do not have a scanner/digital camera, this just might be the ticket. There is a price. I think it is $1.48/year. So take a peek.

Rita-Montana

PaperClay: I also read the article in Collector about using it to make stonework, so I used it to make a stone fireplace. I thought I would let you know about my experience with it. (It's great - I love it!) First of all, cover your work area with plastic wrap. (If you are like me, you will really get into your work, and make a mess) Don't use wax paper, as the clay is somewhat sticky, and also you will be using water, as the clay will dry out relatively quickly, and the water keeps it from doing so. Wax paper just didn't hold up.

You will need a small cup of water, which helps to keep the clay from drying out, or helps to smooth it once you have put it in place. While the clay is a little bit sticky, I found that using a little water makes it even stickier, and using a bit of carpenter's glue worked best for covering my wooden fireplace frame. For dressing dolls with it, I would think that a little tacky glue would work, but you may not even need it.

Only take a little bit out at a time to work with, and keep the rest in a plastic bag or container. But if it starts drying out on you, you can just knead in some water, and it softens right up.A wonderful thing about it is that you can add paint to it and color it any color that you want. I used just tube acrylics, and kneaded it into the clay. (You would think that this might take forever, but it doesn't; it takes the color very fast) I also added color to the stones after it was finished, and it paints nicely, too. Plus, it is unbelievably lightweight!

The whole thing was dry in about a day, and the stones were hard as rocks! Pun intended. I also did some sanding on the base of it - be careful if you do this because it sands easily, and you could take off a lot more than you intended very quickly. I hope this helps some of you who are looking for a new medium, or just were wondering about how it works! Give it a try!

Deena

Air dry modeling clay: My local Wal-Mart store didn't seem to have any Crayola Model Magic today. I needed some to make breads and rolls. I was about to give up when I spotted small (2.5 ounce) packages of "Amazing Super Stuff Modeling Compound", Creamy White, made by RoseArt. The package says it "shapes like clay . . . hardens like foam". I'm hoping that by foam then mean it will remain somewhat pliable, like the Model Magic. This "Super Stuff" air dries, and I found it in the same toy aisle where Pla-Doh was displayed.

I bought two packages, at a total cost of less than $4.00, and tried it when I got home. This stuff truly is amazing. It is much more pliable than Model Magic and more moist. Also, even though it is more moist, it holds its shape much better than Model Magic, which tends to do its own thing once you stop working with it.

Mary in MS

RoseArt air dry clay: So many people have asked for an update on this product that I am posting to the SS digest.
Roadrunner Memai asked how I colored the hamburger and hotdog buns I made. When the items were dry, I brushed them with brown (powdered) eyeshadow. The product took the coloration well and I think the finished ones look pretty good. (I'll try to take pictures tomorrow.)
Leilani wanted to know if I had tried mixing paint with the product. I haven't done that yet, but since this clay is so moist, I think you'd have to try a drop at a time and see how it goes. It may come in colors, as well as white, but my Wal-Mart had only the white.
Sclairse wanted to know in which section of the store I found it, and in the local Wal-Mart it was in the toy section next to the Pla-Doh display. Other stores may carry it in the craft section, so if you look in one department and don't find it, try the other.
Linda (lgebo) wanted to know about the texture. I didn't add anything to the clay for texture, and I would say it doesn't have much of a texture when dry. It's very smooth, moist, and easy to work with. But if you wanted more texture, I think you could add cornmeal or something to it.What I found is that the clay doesn't shrink noticeably and even when still moist holds whatever shape you have created. I found that Model Magic (especially on loaves of bread) tended to lose some definition once you stopped working with it. The RoseArt clay seems to hold its shape much better. When dry the product will "squish" some when you slice it, but the original shape can easily be restored with a little poke or pat here and there, after which it stays put. All in all, I like this product much better than Model Magic. I think it would be a good choice for making lots of mini items.

Mary in MS

Plaster moldings: This would be very authentic for Victorian architecture. Many of the "wood" cornices and such were "wood grained" plaster. For miniatures, Hydrocal is finer and retains more detail than ordinary plaster of Paris. In the USA it is usually available through model railroad suppliers. Look into purchasing in quantity - it is much more affordable than the small bags which are simply repackaged and marked up ridiculously.

For molds, RTV works well if poured carefully over patterns well coated with mold release. Everybody has their own favorites so check your local art supply and (again) look at commercial quantities as a possible way of saving over the long run though most RTV does have a relatively short shelf life even unmixed.

For my plaster moldings, I "paint" the first layer into the molds to assure no surface bubbles, pour about half way and then add a strip of precut gauze for added strength before pouring the remainder. Slightly overfill the molds and then sandpaper away the excess after all is very-very thoroughly cured. Do not use wood or metal stiffeners as the widely different coefficients of climatic expansion and recession will cause cracking and separation with time.

Installing plaster cornices (for example) I usually glue to the wood shell or right over wallpaper with Elmer's white glue. Cope and overlap/underlap at corners rather than mitering. Paint AFTER all is in place but allow at least a month of cure time after casting prior to any glue or paint.

Mel K. Las Vegas

Plaster moldings: I think Fimo or air-dry clay would be better for the method I use: Roll out your clay into a long flat strip; in scale. On a piece of scrap wood, draw your design for the molding (remember your design will be reproduced backwards). Paint the surface of the wood with Elmers glue and place string, or thread on the penciled design. What we are making is a stamp. When the glue dries the thread or string will be raised and firmly held in place. Now press the design into the Fimo or air dry clay. If the strip of molding is too long for the oven you use. (in the case of Fimo), use a sharp razor and cut it into sections. These can be glued together later.That is how I make molding with a repeat design.

Dr. Bob, Delray Beach, FL

Plaster mouldings: I happened to flip past the Christopher Lowell show and they were doing this with cake bags and tips. Not for minis of course but they used something that looked a lot like spackle in the frosting bag.

Karyn Zabrouski

Plaster moldings: When I was in Fine Arts we had a design project where we each made a length of our own plaster moldings which were then cut up to form design elements. We had to cut out a metal template of the profile of the plaster molding we wanted. A large batch of plaster was mixed, when it reach a workable consistency it was spread out on a long table. We then ran the metal template over the plaster to form the molding. Once partially dry we cut the plaster on a band saw. This was how old plaster moldings were made. I have never tried something like this on a miniature scale but I don't see why the same process couldn't be used. It was sort of like extruding but with only half the design. Extruding is what you are doing when squeezing out a design from your pastry bag. It can also be done with clay or fimo in an extruder from a ceramic or crafts store. This is also a good way to make moldings. Many potters use large extruders with their own designs to make the handles of pots and various trims for their work, the same principles work in miniature.

If you find metal designs, jewelry forms or make designs of fimo, clay or carve in plaster, that you would like for molding you can cover them with quite a few layers of latex rubber. Letting each layer dry. Mix up a batch of mold plaster as it is stronger than plaster of Paris. You can buy mold plaster in a ceramic shop. Mix up a quantity of the plaster and pour it into the latex mold, knock it on the table to release any air bubbles. When it sets up remove it from the mold.

My favorite way to make plaster like trims is with sculpy that I press into plaster molds I have made. Remove the sculpy forms and bake them. The white sculpy looks very much like plaster and can be stained with oil paints or painted with acrylic paints.

Jean Day