Hanging Plants: I use the tiny eye brass hook that screws into the wall.  I think I bought mine at Joann fabrics.  Cut it to make a hook.  I macramé the plant hangers with DMC floss. Use a jewelry metal chain link for the end.

Here are instructions for a mini macramé hanger http://members.tripod.com/~Folkgal/mac.htm   Another idea is to make a multi level plant stand, like a spiral stair case made of wood.

June, Tualatin, OR

Wiring. For houses that have a flat back I never use the tape method as I find the wire method with just the transformer, the outside sockets and of course the   lamps with wire much easier and faster for this type of houses. All wires of all   lamps meet at the back of the house. Great advantage of this method: no out of scale sockets in the house, plus you can replace (re-arrange) the lamps to your liking later on! Also you can have lights on places NOT on walls e.g.   above fire places, on the piano, outside the house in the garden etc. etc.

Wilga, Netherlands

Lights:    Chandelier in dining room would usually be central, and the table would usually be centrally placed under it. The 'chandelier' was often a large gas or oil lamp, and often 'telescopic' i.e. rise and fall, so it could be lowered over the table at mealtimes.

All 'fuel burning' lamps, oil or gas or candle, make a lot of heat and water vapor. This rises, hits the ceiling and some of the water condenses. Dust is often carried in the column, from open fires, as well as any soot the lamp might make and gradually fouls the ceiling.

A consumer or shield is a glass 'plate' hanging on a ring , near the ceiling and above the lamp. This catches the 'brunt' of the muck, and can be wiped. Also spreads out the ascending air, i.e. whole ceiling gets equally dirty and it is less obvious. Some lamps have a 'consumer or bell,' hung much nearer the chimney, these are better at spreading the flow long   before the ceiling is reached, and they don't need a hook in the ceiling.

This has given me some ideas for my real ceiling smoke marks!   Smoke marks around lights are a big problem. When my dolls house gets smoked damaged it will really look authentic.

Pauline UK

Tape Wiring: I work in a dollshouse shop in Worthing, West Sussex. We don’t have the lovely Fairbanks in stock but the other Emporium houses & other makes are very simply wired with the copper tape. Even to me, a complete novice in tape wiring is tempted to have a go. The central lights are run with their wires through a hole in the ceiling onto the above floor& along a channel to the back wall. If you take some measurements this should coincide with the tape on the back of the house. The wires are then taken through a hole in the back wall ,the plastic cover is stripped back & each wire is then soldered to each tape, making sure the wires don’t cross. Each set of lights can be put onto this tape circuit without having to run tape into the house, keeping it all on the back. This will eventually be papered over. At the base of the house once you have finished adding all the lights you can then solder a wire from each tape & connect this into one side of a household size connector (the plastic snap off type). This will then have the wires from your transformer connected to it in the other side. Doing the wiring this way means there is only one wire seen from the house & less to be tangled when it's on the turntable. A good illustration is in this months offers sheet from Dolls House Emporium. If you have any problems though give the company a call, they are always very helpful. They have apparently just won an award for their customer care!

If you need any more help I am available at Ginny’s Attic, South Farm Road, Worthing,as are my colleagues Ginny (the boss!) & Kim.

Liz Taylor, Worthing UK

Tape Wiring: I have just found a complete & detailed description for tape wiring on the Dolls House Emporium website.   http://www.dollshouse.com  It's just what you need & probably a lot clearer than my waffling!!

Liz Taylor

Lighthouse: for those of you looking for lighthouse ideas, here is a link to a virtual lighthouse tour!   Pigeon Point Lighthouse Virtual Tower Tour

http://www.pigeonpointlighthouse.org/vtt_intro.htm This is a really interesting virtual tour to take with the whole family.  When you get to the site you are introduced to a 19th century lighthouse   Keeper. He will be your tour guide. On each page of the tour you can  read all about the history of the lighthouse and the many  responsibilities of the Keeper. There are clear photographs of every   feature of the lighthouse -- both inside and out -- and the Keeper explains them all. You will even discover what qualifications are necessary to be a Keeper. The tour continues to the top of the tower where you can see the Fresnel Lens and learn how it was used to help sailors avoid the dangerous rocky shoreline.

Jenny Gabrenas

Monoject: Next time you are at the dentist (or orthodontist), ask the assistant to save you some of the little rubber tips that cover the ends of their disposable composite material cartridges. They work very well.

I fill it using a tip of Brooke Tucker's. Pull out the plunger and fill up about 3/4 of the way with glue. Stick in the plunger and then sit upright on a table top with no cover on the tip. After about 10 minutes or so, the air left in the barrel will work it's way up and the bubble will force a big blob of glue (say that five times fast!) out the end. Just push down on the plunger and that will expell the air. You don't want that air in there - that's what will set up your glue.

Stick on that handy little rubber tip from your dentist and you are ready to play. I still find that Aleene's has a tendency to set up if left over time. If not using it, once a week make it a habit to just squidge out a little and put the cap back on. I've had the same syringe and cap going for about a year now.

Debi in Quesnel

Glue syringes: I got this tip from Liz from Grandpa's Dollhouse in Port Stanley. She suggested plugging the end of a glue syringe with some of the Blue Tac stuff. Works like a charm.

Pat M, London, ON

Foil coffee bags and GLUE: Regarding the gold and silver coffee "foil". It MAY be some form of PVC, which is what some of the "foil" ribbons are made of. Any glue that works with PVC would then probably work.

Rose

Gluing: For those of you who are having trouble sticking one thing to something else. like the coffee packets to wood, try one of these tricks: try Fabritac glue, or coat one surface with Tacky glue, let it dry, then attach it with super glue....or, use wet Elmer's or Tacky on one surface, and super glue on the other.

Alice Zinn