SCORCHED PANS: would holding them above a burning candle to get real soot marks, then spraying with a matte acrylic fixative work?

Loretta.Sniarowski

Aging: You can paint the bottom of copper pans with either black acrylic paint or Patina -it several times (the black one). With wooden buckets and barrels I would stain them (if they are raw wood) then do a dirty water wash on them. The bucket could be banged up pretty well with a light weight hammer too for all the times the cow kicked it or it banged down the well! If it is pieces of wood banned together (like a barrel) you could soften each rib with an exacto and softly round the edges before staining.

Renee from New Orleans

aging brass: Here's a website that carries a antiquing chemical, http://www.rufkahrs.com/hardw4/darken1.html but I bet a local store would carry something like this.

Also, there is a website that has a different method http://www.hgtv.com/HGTV/project/0,1158,DEID_project_4668,FF.html that may work even better yet!

June

Painting Chrysnbon plates: I have always used Testor's brand model paints on all kinds of chrysnbon stuff and it looks great. You know the kind in the model airplane aisle at the craft store in the little glass bottles. Comes in lots of colors or can be mixed.

Karyn Zabrouski

Painting Chrysnbon plates: Acrylic paint will stick to your Chrysnbon dishes if you give them a very light coating of Krylon matte finish (product # 311) spray or some other base coat. If you don't have either of those, try wiping them off really well with an alcohol prep. If that doesn't work for you, apply a very thin coat of paint as a base coat. Expect this coat to bead up a little, just let it dry thoroughly! Then, go over it with another thin coat of paint. Repeat until you have built up enough color. Use the best quality of acrylics you can afford, or you will be applying many coats to get good coverage. Ceramcoat is good and JoSonja is better. Be sure you are shaking your bottle of paint really well so that the pigment is completely mixed with the medium Cheap paint has very little pigment in it and will drive you crazy when you work on tiny pieces. When you're done painting, either spray or paint several light coats of gloss or satin finish. The key is to keep all layers very thin.

Kathy in Wisconsin

Making hollow items: I suggested she make a form from a water soluble packing peanut and then boil it to cook. I've done this before and it worked pretty well. . anyone else boil their polymer clay? Or use dissolvable molding stuff inside? A small bag of salt or sugar also works for a mold, it too will dissolve in hot water... leaving the finished product looking very good with thin walls.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Fimo How to's: I have just purchased "Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay" by Sue Heaser & spent the whole weekend drooling over it.  It covers items for the entire house & some food, as well as bowls & dishes. Good instructions on sizing and colours too.  Definitely for newbies like us.

Sharon - S. Africa

Rosewood Fimo - I don't remember who wanted the rosewood fimo - or if you found any - but here is the "recipe" -- 2 parts ochre, 1 part magenta, 1/2 part champagne and 1/4 part grey.   The makers of Fimo put out a "blending table" that gives you recipes for their discontinued colors (along with recipes for other colors) - you should be able to get one from a retailer who sells fimo - if not, there is polymerclayexpress.com - when you order from her if you ask, she will send you a free chart.  There may be other places online that have the whole color chart, probably a search might yield results.

Sue in NC

Fimo and Model magic - whoever was asking about the hot dogs and buns (I think that's what it was anyway) -- make your hot dogs first, cook them and then glue them to your model magic rolls.  

Sue in NC

England - Cold Porcelain: I have never had much luck with home recipes for cold porcelain - but here is the URL for a place in York that you can purchase some already made - doesn't seem to be too badly priced and they're fantastic people to work with - I've ordered lots of stuff from them - they have great tools and all sorts of stuff for working with cold porcelain (and sugar paste) http://www.celcrafts.co.uk/cgi-bin/miva?cel/merchant.mv+Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=1&Category_Code=CP

Sue in NC