Glue for Perfume Bottles: In the JAF findings catalog it is stated that Super Glues will cloud glass beads and mirrors. They suggest you use a jewelry cement. I have had good success with E6000 and Bond 527.

Louise Hendricks

Glues: Now, I can't tell you much about craft glues, but I know about nail glue. There are hot glues and cool glues and one should never use a hot glue on the nails as it eats away at the natural nail. Nail glues should be cool, and I have used my thicker nail glue to do repairs and never had it cloud up on me, so that could be an alternative to super glue (hot) I haven't tried it, but thought I'd mention it. When I get glue on my skin (just about every day), I use straight acetone to remove it. It is what I use to remove artificial nails with. I also sometimes use an emery board to sand it off (carefully). Emery boards also make good sanders for getting into small places also.

Billie

Glue for Perfume Bottles: The best glue to use for gluing your perfume bottles to the trays is Aleene's Thick Designer Tacky Glue. Sticks tight, dries clear.

Mary Eccher

Glue for Perfume Bottles: If 'snow' that seems to form on your superglued perfume bottles. I suspect you are using too much glue. I just use a toothpick and dab the tiniest speck of glue and it holds well with no snow.

Barbara Knox

Glue for Perfume Bottles: How about using a tiny amount of colorless nail polish to glue those beads.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

How to make a mini lampshade: Determine the desired diameter of the top opening, diameter of the bottom opening, and height of the shade. Find or make 2 wire rings, one for the top opening and the other for the bottom opening.  Measure carefully.

On paper that is not going to be the lampshade, make a diagram (If only I could draw on the darned computer!) as follows:  Make an inverted "T", i.e., horizontal line with perpendicular vertical line going up from the center point.

Mark the intersecting point"A." Measuring from that point going up the vertical, mark the height of the shade as "B."  (The vertical will need to be higher than that point, so if it's not, elongate it.)
Mark the width of the bottom opening on the horizontal line, with A as the exact mid-point.  The outer points will be "C" on the left and "D" on the right.

At point B, and using B as the mid-point, mark the width of the top opening with points "E" on the left and "F" on the right.  This will be parallel to the bottom horizontal.
Connect C and E, continuing that line until it meets the center vertical, and then do the same with D and F.  The point on the vertical where they meet will be point "G."

Cut a strip of cardstock (index card works well) about 1/4" wide x 3" long, depending on the height and size of your shade.  Down the center of the strip, mark three points to correspond with points G, E, and C (or G, F and D -- same diff).  Put a decent-sized pin hole (large enough to accommodate a sharp pencil point) at points C and E.
Pin the paper you will be using for the shade to a piece of cardboard, cork board, or other surface to which the paper can be pinned.

Put a straight pin through point G on the strip, and pin it to the lampshade paper. With a sharp pencil point in point E on the strip, and carefully keeping the strip attached to the paper and board at point G, draw a large arc.  Make a complete circle if you wish; you can always trip later.
With the same sharp pencil (or a different one -- knock yourself out!) in point C on the strip, make another large arc or circle.  BINGO! You now have the correct shape to cut out.
To determine the length of the paper, measure the circumference of the two openings, and then measure out the same distances on the respective arcs, keeping the beginning and ending points of each arc in line with good old point G.  Don't cut on these lines, though; leave a bit(1/4"-ish) to overlap and glue.

Glue ends together to get your conical shape. Using thin strips of tape -- and a lot of patience -- tape the metal rings to the openings.

Rosemary

Quilt Display Rack: How about using one of those tie racks or belt holders that you attach to the inside of your wardrobe?   They flip from side to side (not the ones that go downwards). You could snip off the hook part, get some thinnish doweling, drill a hole and slide over the remaining stump.  I know we used to have one that I threw out when we moved and it had a double layer of hooks on it.  It was quite long - about 10" but you could always cut them down to size.

Yvonne

Quilt display rack:  Have you ever gone into one of those stores where they have the full size area rugs hanging on racks that you can leaf through.  That would be the same idea.  Also I think they use to have a thing like that to hang towels on.  It had a metal plate that was flat against the wall in the vertical position and they had metal arms that stuck straight out staggered one above the other so that you could fan them out to either side.  I would take a thick piece of wire and bend one end into a small L.  Drill a hole into a piece of wood and insert the wire through it so that the bent end caught right behind the hole.  If the hole was large enough or make a slot to either side and it should be able to move from side to side.  Although you would have to hold your wooden piece out a little from the wall so the metal leg can move.  That is just a rough idea.

Elizabeth

Quilt display rack:  Go to your wardrobe and look at your skirt hangers. Several of our rug shops here hang their rugs on equipment that looks very like skirt hangers. Our $2.00 shops sell very small pegs.

Raeleyne

Microscope & Musical Instruments: I found an odd little site, www.veghead.com, which has a huge assortment of the mixed-scale brass miniatures -- including a 1 1/8" microscope for considerably less than the HBS version, but of course you'd have to make your own case for it. Veghead also has a large selection of musical instruments, although few of them were 1:12 scale  (Most would be right for a Barbie orchestra) and quite a few egg stands, for those who like them as table bases.

Loretta

Minis Lathe Turning Class - Rolling Pins: The first actual turning class has been posted on our web site (www.vandijkminiatures.com).  This class provides instructions for turning a miniature rolling pin and features step-by-step photographs.  Lauren and I have been working together to get this class set up after working out some of the problems with the photos.  It seems we needed to get much closer for everyone to better see the instruction pics, and we think we've got it down pat now.

The photos take a while to load, but we feel it's well worth the wait time.  All of the classes will remain on the website so that anyone who just joined us, or needs to refresh, can review any of the lessons.   If you've got questions, suggestions, comments or ideas, please contact me privately.  This is a busy season for us and I have not had time to read all of the online miniature's groups digests.  There's a lot we can learn from each other.

Gerda van Dijk

Dremel: I use the cut-off wheel to make slots in wood or to cut metal. I used it recently to slice some dowels to make cans. I fasten the dowel in a vise and just slice away.

Alberta

Twelfth Scale Books: I am a full scale bookbinder and I make miniature books that are leather bound and readable so maybe I can help you. The first is more difficult, but you need to make a cutting board that fits inside the pages. I use a sheet of glass but it is not kind to your blade. (Edge the glass with masking tape to make it safer). Make a card template that will be the size of the 'window' you want to cut out. Put your "cutting mat" under a few pages and use your craft knife with a brand new blade and cut out your hole going through a few pages at a time. Repeat. You will find that no matter how careful you are, this will still end up a bit raggedy but you can then line the resultant hole with board of some sort and make a mini frame to create a finished "room box" inside your book pages. For twelfth scale books it depends on how much of a purist you are. You can make non opening books with foam core innards, gold the edges and cover with leather. Use a gold pen to mark the spine. Or gold letraset. Or you can cut up checkbook stubs to use as your text block. Or you can make the books properly bound and readable

Barbara B in South Africa

Door-Hanging Beads: At garage sales, look for strings of those small plastic beads which can be cut without the beads falling off - the whole thing is somehow made of plastic. Then cut pieces the right length to fit and fill the opening. To hang them: take a plastic straw, cut it the width of the doorway, then slit along one side very carefully with a razor blade. Now slide the top bead of each strip into the slit so they form a "curtain". Glue straw across the top of the doorway.

Ann in Thorold

BEADED DOOR CURTAINS: I recently experimented with this idea (for a bathroom window) but decided I preferred a stained-glass panel. Glue two clip-on earring findings (Michaels etc. has them)to upper corners of door-frame for rod brackets, with hinge facing down toward the floor. [Pull off the rubber cushions and save to recycle as baby bottle nipples.] Paint a coffee stirrer gold or silver to match the earring findings; glue a medium bead to each end as a finial. Check the dollar stores for seed-bead necklaces and buy several in colors you like. Measure lengths you need and coat areas you'll cut with tacky glue to keep from unstringing. After glue dries, snip between glued beads. Lay coffee stirrer down and run a line of tacky glue along it, leaving about 1/4" at ends to fit into earring findings. Glue bead strings to coffee stirrer. Let dry, and insert into findings. Voila, a beaded curtain.

Loretta

BASKETS - Faking It: Over the years several writers have described this easy basketmaking technique. No weaving, no sewing; you just wind glue-soaked string around a form.

1. Start by covering a suitable shape (e.g., a wood bead) tightly with plastic wrap, cinching it at one end with a wire twistem.

2. Find a cotton or rayon string, crochet thread, etc. that has a distinct "corded" look. (Has to be a fiber that glues well.)Cut a long piece of the string. Coat your thumb and forefinger with tacky glue and apply to a section of the string.

3. Shape this glue-soaked portion into a flat coil to apply to the bottom of the bead; then continue to add glue and wrap string closely up the sides of your form.

Let dry (can hasten with dryer or in conventional oven). Uncinch the plastic wrap and pull it with the bead out of basket form. Make handle with braided string, heavier cord, etc.(just look at real-life styles for ideas). Paint as desired.

For us no-talent types, the illusion is amazingly good!

Note: The top of the basket can't curve inward or you won't be able to get the form out.

Mary (Oregon)

Baskets: Maybe this has been posted before, but an easy way to make baskets is with needlepoint canvas. Just decide on a basket shape (like a small medicine bottle). Wet the canvas so that it is soft and flexible. Form it around the bottle using your thumbs and fingers to smooth it around the bottle. Wrap with a rubber band and let dry. Once it dries it will take on the shape of the bottle (or whatever you wrap it around) remove it and cut around the top to make it even. You can use unraveled canvas threads glued around the top to finish it and also for handles.

Parisa Javidi

Baskets: I usually use the same materials for mini baskets as I do for 'ordinary' baskets - reed, waxed linen, and honeysuckle vine. Just use the smallest sizes, and whittle stuff down if need be. If you're working with really tiny scale, waxed linen is great, because it not only comes in colors but the wax on it makes it kind of stick together and easy to work with and shape as you weave it. Reed comes from the rattan plant, and is what they use for rattan furniture and a lot of wicker basketry. I don't do a lot of wickerwork; most of my baskets are traditional Appalachian region styles, like ribbed egg baskets.

Katie

Grape Vine Wreaths: For making grape vine wreaths, all you need is cloth covered wire, sold in floral departments at most craft-related stores. If you can't find brown, get the green, wind it up in a circle the size you want, giving a pinch and a squeeze here and there so the wire isn't perfectly straight and bumpless, and then paint it brown. Add your decor and it's done.

Marjorie in CA

Contemporary minis: Hi to all those interested in contemporary miniatures. Just ran across an interesting art site that offers an architects idea of a dollhouse with a very different view - it is fun to look at and they also offer interesting accessories. The URL is as follows:

http://www.bozart.com

Ann Hendricks