Ceilings: my favorite thing for plaster looking ceilings is paint mixed with Skid-Tex. Skid-Tex is the stuff used to make painted surfaces non-slippery. You can mix in as much as you want in your paint to get the look you want and it doesn't flake off.

Carole Pierce in TN

Ceilings: we usually put stucco on our ceilings and they look like the popcorn ceilings in so many houses today. We've even used it in old-style houses and it looks fine there, too. We like to do the ceilings before we start building the houses. If you try to do it after building, cut V's in the ends of a large cardboard carton, put the house in it upside down so you don't have to stand on your head to do the ceilings.

Dottie in Tucson

Glittery Ceiling: There is hairspray on the market that has a glitter in it. Maybe you can spray your ceiling with that.

Dorothée

Filling Punch bowls & cups: A teeny tiny small amount of paint and your clear liquid should work for your punch bowl and cups. (or since you need such a small amount you might want to use clear fingernail polish....you might even find a polish the color you want the punch to be ; ) Try one of those glue syringes for getting it into the cups.

Shani Nelson

Quarter Scale Sites: I love 1/4" scale and I know of several people that sell 1/4" scale houses and furniture. Of course, I want all of them!! Here are a few:
Sally's Originals
http://members.tripod.com/~SallysPage/index.htm
Pamela Scott Miniatures
http://members.aol.com/daisy21/pam/index.html
Robin Betterley's 1/4" scale kits
http://miniatureconcepts.hypermart.net/RobinQuarter.html
Suzanne and Andrew's Miniatures
http://www.andrewsmini.com/
BJ Miniatures
http://www.bjminis.com/
Quarterkits
http://www.shawneelink.net/~umbrger/Quarterkits.html

Nancy in Ohio

Quarter Scale Kits: I carry 1/4" scale furniture kits from Mustard Seed.
http://JBsDollhousesMiniatures.comJB's Doll Houses and Miniatures, Yuma, AZ

Jackie

1/4 scale dolls: First I use a softer clay (I like pro-sculpt). I then put it on something to hold it so you never have to actually touch the face or head, such as a toothpick or putting it on foil, visit http://perfect-touch.com/ or visit my website http://BitsnPiecesOnline.com I am linked to them, and invest in some of their sculpting tools. They have war gaming tools that are incredibly small. I have the size up from that. They make all their tools and are very, very nice.

Joni

¼ scale Fimo head: Why don't you try to put a skin of Fimo over an already baked small circle or head form, so that it does not lose shape while you are working on it. You can also use a pea sized ball of tin foil as the armature.

Mary Kaliski

Tee Pee Crafts in England sell small bags of sequin dust in their catalogue. It is mainly an eggers catalogue, but just full of goodies for miniaturists. I get all my tiny crystals and they have a terrific range of sound boxes that include woman screaming and manic laughter as well as the more normal sounds. They have a web site and when I have dealt with them I have received the order within 2 days. the address is href="http://www.teepeecrafts.freeserve.co.uk">http://www.teepeecrafts.freeserve.co.uk

Claire in Morecamb England

Garden Hose: To make your own garden hose, go to Radio Shack or anywhere else that sells plastic covered wire for electronic use. Get the green-or another color if you like. Cut an appropriate length of wire. Either roll it in a coil with the wire for support, or try to strip out the wire.

Martha Simpson