Milliput: I'm glad you're talking about Milliput. I've been trying to encourage customers to use it not only for the shop's sake but because it is fun. I have used it in a class I developed. I made some free-form furniture and a Spanish style fireplace with it in half-scale. It's really great for the small scales because of the ease of formation and detail you can achieve and no bake qualities.

I've also painted it and flocked it. I've created ponds and it makes very realistic smooth rocks. Try to find the right one outside when you need it.

Deanna

Unhappy Shoppers: For those who have a comment about the service of *any* online business, look for a link to http://ePublicEye.com on that business' site. For example, some of the businesses we have been recently discussing on SS *are* registered with this resource. You can click on their link from that mini business site and file a report. These will be viewable by future prospective customers, and help keep businesses accountable or reward them for excellent service! http://www.epubliceye.com/

Anne Gerdes

Mini potpourri: Courdee sent me a tip about making mini potpourri. So today when I was cleaning out the cupboard where I keep all my spices and herbs I thought this was the right time to try it. I had great fun, crushing up some dried flowers and a way past its selling date heather plant. I ended up with a blue-ish and a pinkish mix to which I added some crushed up bayleaves, heads of cloves, crushed cinnamon sticks etc. To round it off I added a drop of lavender oil to both mixes and put them in airtight boxes to mature a little as for full scale potpourri. I will add some thyme leaves and things from the garden that are drying in the microwave right now. I think it will be very nice. The only thing is.........you can make 12th scale potpourri but it you can't make 12th scale quantities. I think I will end up with lots of mini Christmas gifts

Marianne

TOPIARIES:
1. Coat small styrofoam ball with glue and roll in potpourri.
2. Use dowel or small twig and poke into ball; plant in pot; decorate with ribbons, lace, silk roses.
3. Coat inexpensive plastic toy animals - rabbits, ducks, chickens, etc., with acrylic paint; roll in potpourri. Tie small bow around neck, make hat of small snippet of lace, etc.
These are especially pretty in Victorian-type Christmas decorating, as well as in bathrooms and bedrooms.

Wanna in El Paso

OPEN POTPOURRI TUSSYMUSSY: Cut lace designs as above. Glue potpourri in center, leaving lacy edge visible. These look great glued on tree tips, especially with fine thread or ribbon streamers hanging down from back. Again, one teeny bloom looks good.

Wanna in El Paso

Sculpy doll push mold: Rather than baking with the pipe cleaner already inserted, you can make holes through the limbs and insert pipe cleaners or wire after they are baked. Then your limbs are moveable.

Kim

Sculpy doll push mold: The push moulds are very easy to use. My husband gave me the full set for Christmas last year. I recommend a light dusting of talcum powder on the mould first to stop the clay from sticking .Then take a ball of clay the size of the head you want to form & take a third away from this .Using this third flatten it out but leave a small cone in the center to push into the nose. Push this all into the form then carefully ease it out. this can then be smoothed back onto the two thirds of clay remaining. Any joins need to be smoothed out ,I use a moistened cotton bud for this .Remember to make a hole in the neck to take a pipe cleaner. Then just bake. The faces can be sculpted & changed slightly i.e. cut the mouth open to change the lips or show teeth. If you use the moulds with a full amount of clay you may find them a little out of scale

Liz Taylor

Push molds: Just an idea: I think it would be easier to partially bake the first half (front half) of the face first so it won't get smashed. Then add the back of the head. Here's what I think would work: before removing the head from the mold, push short pieces of toothpick into the clay, allowing the toothpick pieces to protrude about 1/4" or so. Then remove and partially bake it (just enough to somewhat firm it). Then add clay for the back of the head (the protruding toothpick bits will help to hold the two clay pieces together while you form the back of the head. Then smooth out the clay (back of head). Remember that the wigging will cover the area where front and back head meet if you feel the joint isn't smooth. Then bake them both together until &;cured;. I have found that rubbing a SMALL amount of vegetable oil on my finders before smoothing out the clay makes that job a bit easier.

viola

Push molds: I used the push mold of the legs with feet to make,footstools,and tables. Just add pant legs or skirt him and attach table top. Of course you want to paint the toenails of the "her";.

Fannye in TX

Harry Potter doll...why bother making one, there is a great resin cast one that is put out as an ornament, just unscrew the little deal at the top of his head...he's holding two chemistry class flasks...that's not the scientific name for them, they look kinda like wine decanters...you can tell I didn't pay attention in my science classes! It's not the ornament where he's attached to a book...have one of those, too, but can't figure out how to separate his body from the book without losing part of his feet.

Molly Cromwell