Plates: I was looking at punches and found a great site.

http://scrapramento.com/Punches/FTPreview/PunchShapeSets.html

This punch set is a set of round punches. Hard to see but I think various sizes up to about an inch. Since we have been "talking china," I thought how about using cardstock and punching out circles. It is hard to believe but some items that are made from cardstock can be very "china like." Use a 1" circle with a 3/4" one on the bottom, flare the edge, using a bone folder tool, or other tool. Glue together and decoupage with transfers made from Transfer medium. Eileen's "Transfer It" is one product. You can find it in most of the craft stores. (This idea was on the list just recently. Want to give credit but can't remember who. Thanks to you most kind person.

This might make some nice plates. Instead of Decoupage, you might try water-based polyurethane. This has worked well for me on other things. You could also print out printable plates onto cardstock from the web and punch them out with the punch, since the major thing is getting them nice and round and exactly the same. Karen from Dubai just put this site up on the last SS digest MSATMiniatureCutOuts@yahoogroups.com

Barbara D

Plates: I make paper plates out of circles cut from 140 LB hot presses watercolor paper. Cut the circles to the size that you want your plate to be. Find something solid and round to use to make the well in the plate. I have a brass spitoon that is just the right size. I put the round circle on a relatively soft mouse pad, center the spitoon on the paper and press down hard. This makes a nice well and pushes up the edges of the plate. Then I give the plate a couple of coats of fingernail polish on both sides, in the color of choice. When dry, decorate with gold, silver, or whatever color ink. I haven't tried to put decals on but it should work.

Mary Lou in Portage, IN

Paper Plates - How to make decals for paper plates: I shared this with my "crackers" swap group, and thought everyone else would like it to.

The plates were punched out on cardboard with a paper punch. I also punched out a plate of clear plastic and used it to find pictures in magazines and catalogs for the plates. Laying the plastic disk on different pictures to see what I think would be pleasing to see on a plate, I then trace around it. I then cut out the pictures I had traced. I then used two heavy coats of modge podge, letting it dry 24 hours between coats. When dry, I soaked the pictures in hot soapy water and very gently rubbed the paper off the back of the picture with my fingers. Then I laid the decals on a paper towel to dry. I then glued them to the paper plates. When these were dry, I put each plate into a top off the little plastic dome bubbles that you get out of the machines at the store, and used a wooden bead that I have on a stick to rub the plate to curl the edges slightly. Coat it with a few coats of acrylic high gloss varnish and the plate is finished.

Pat Thompson

Plates: I have 4 sets of the dishes made with "Decal-it" (here in the USA) and mini wallpaper. I put 6 coats of it on the wallpaper, and, yes, they really look like fine china.

Kathleen, CC, NV

Mini rugs: Quick, before you toss it out - the Home Depot color ad in the 3/19 Sunday paper has pictures of eleven different Oriental rugs. Well, ten of them are Orientals and one is just plain 'different'. They look to be the right size for quarter inch houses 'as is', but if you have a scanner you can enlarge them to fit where ever they are needed. My DH gives me 'That Look' when I suggest printing on fabric, so I glue my paper rugs to unbleached muslin and then iron them, which helps bring the grain of the cloth to the surface. If I'm feeling ambitious, I cut the material about a quarter inch longer than the paper and make fringe on the ends.

Dani

Accessories for Valentine Box: Here are a few ideas for filling your box using items around your home;  we've all started here and used these items - at least I know quite a few people who did this.

For a table in your room, use a paper cup, perhaps 3 or 5 oz;  cut to height you want it (measure your kitchen table for the height).  Then take a round piece of material that is cut to the correct length to just touch the ground, or a little above.  (From the center of the table, measure over the top and down the side, double this length and that is the diameter of your cloth.  Then find a bowl or something round that is approx. the correct size across, mark and cut out your table cloth.  Add paper doily or piece of lace for doily if you want.

For a plant, you need a pot with dirt in it.  The pot can be small or large (toothpaste cap - the old kind- or a lid off  Pam or Hair Spray.  Then fill the pot 2/3 with paper, foil or foam, (this is just to take up space), and then using dried used coffee or tea grounds, put in the dirt. For the plant, collect some twisty ties off your bread or whatever, use them for fern fronds (clip along the edges to fringe them) or if you want a larger leafed plant, use the twisty ties as the stem and lay it between two pieces of masking tape (sticky side together.  No glue needed).  Paint the masking tape green or whatever color desired, cut to shape of whatever type leaves, and "plant" your botanical.

Marjorie in CA

Jim Collins Trunks: I printed out the trunks, then printed out some wallpaper, either from his site, or Eileen's, can't remember which.   Glued the wallpaper to the trunk with Yes glue before I cut it out, and it worked great!!  Just enough stiffness to hold its shape.  Tomorrow I'll spray shellac and I think they'll look great, up in the attic, or in the "junk room" under the stairs!

Sharon Begley

Picture frames: Someone suggested wooden match sticks. I decided to try this the other day. Glued them together the size of the picture, painted and weathered the frame. Punched Oak leaves from card stock with a tiny leaf punch. Added them to each corner. Last I dry brushed some acrylic gold paint on the frame and painted the leaves gold. Varnished and then added some veins to the leaves with a 005 Micro pen (black). The matches were the small ones in the little boxes that work well to cover and make under the bed boxes.

Jeannine

Vanity Trays: There's a DIY article by Joann Swanson in the January 1997 Nutshell News, p. 62.

Kathy

Tin signs, thermometers: I have always loved the old tin thermometers that are used for advertising and the old tin signs that used to hang outside of stores long ago. I cut out the small coke bottle from a coca-cola can and I am using it for an outdoor thermometer. I need to attach something to it that looks like a thermometer, and waw-la a real tin item. This might be cute too for all the ones that have stores of some kind. You can also cut around it in the form of a square or something to make a tin sign that shows that you sell coca-cola beverages in your store. The lady with the coca-cola room box, sorry forgot your name, this would be for you too! This is also pretty right for 1/12 scale as some of these things in real life were quite big, although this would not seem all that big!

Laura Busch

Coke sign: Laura, how about a thin nail or a straight pin for your thermometer? Every once in a while, you'll find a pin that I call a "young nail" - a really hefty thing. Dip the end of it in red paint and let it dry head down so the paint makes a ball at the bottom. Maybe grab it with a clip clothes pin suspended between two drinking glasses or something. The temperature scale behind it can be scanned down from a real one or made up on the 'puter.

Dani

Perfume Bottles: As I'd already painted every 'bottle' shape with green glass paint (FOOL), I couldn't try an initial painting with nail polish. After some reflection though, I realised painting over the still tacky glass paint with nail polish may help to stabilise it all, assuming nail polish has stronger chemical 'driers' in it than most other things, especially spirit based glass paint. Indeed this proved to be the case. Three of the bottles 'bled' their glass paint when treated with nail polish, so I re-dipped them with glass paint over the nail polish, and they have all been fine.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE = Try one before you do them all. Most situations are recoverable.

Then it dawned on me, if I dip the bottom bead into yellow glass paint, it will look like perfume. And indeed it does :O)

Helen from York, England

Books: I found a great resource for Volume-sized books for your library. On the new Special K (cereal) cartons is a plastic slide to keep the cereal fresh. I cut out some "pages" to fit into the book from an old date book and then dabbed the cover (to make it appear like leather) with acrylic paint. Made some thin gold lines on the binding and sprayed it with matte sealer. I was quite impressed with my find! AND the cereal is good too!

Michele

Birdbath: For a large shallow basin to use for a birdbath, take a look at the bases of throwaway plastic stemware (wedding supplies, usually twenty to thirty cents each).  See garden-ornament catalogs for ideas on completing and finishing.

Mary

Working Umbrella Instructions: The directions for a working umbrella are on page 45-46 of Andrea Barham's Making Period Dolls House Accessories. Barnes & Noble lists this title as available.

Loretta Sniarowski

Mini Vehicles: 1:12 scale vehicles - there is only a limited supply of 1:12 scale cars around and they are not cheap - I have a Mini and a Datsun (Nissan) 240z (made by Tamiya). I have also seen a 1930's Cord and a variety of formula 1 race cars. Many of these are quite old but may still be currently available if your local plastic kit shop can't help try contacting Carkits International (101 Kensington Rd, Southend-on-sea, Essex SS1 2SY, England - fax 01702 615397) If you are just looking for vehicles there is quite a large range of 1:12 scale motorbikes available, your local shop that sells plastic car kits should be able to help you purchase from catalogs.

Sandra Monk in New Zealand

Easter bunnies and chicks: Go to your nearest dollar store or drug store and find a 1" scale bunny in plastic. Make a push mold bytaking a piece of Fimo big enough to fit both the front and back of the bunny. Cut the Fimo in half, carefully press the front of the plastic bunny into the Fimo in one half and the back of the bunny in the other half. Bake Fimo, viola, a mold is made. Using the mold you have just made and some brown Fimo press a small amount of Fimo into your mold, remove it and trim excess Fimo (any color Fimo will do, they can be painted). Stick front of Bunny & back together gently pressing two pieces together. Bake bunnies! If you have not used brown Fimo paint the little bunnies with chocolate brown acrylic paint.

Chicks: glue two very tiny yellow pompom's together. Using a black thin line pen make one dot on either side of the "head"for eyes. Using small pieces of orange paper or felt cut a small diamond shape piece and fold it in half to make a beak. All done, one chick!

Marilyn

Mini Vehicles: 1/12 scale cars are big. Depending on the model, about 14 to 18 inches long. Quarter Inch scale cars are move available. Check with model railroad shop. Ask to see the Walthers "O" gauge (pronounced oh, not zero) catalog. There will be quite a variety of cars and trucks, both assembled and kits. While looking at the catalog, I'm sure you will find lots of other Quarter Inch items you can't live without. Their O Gauge is the same as our Quarter Inch scale. Walthers has a web site, I'm sure a search for "Walthers" will get you there.

Dean Jenson

Poker Table: Wanted to share how I made my own POKER TABLE, checkers, etc. for game room.... On Microsoft using the auto shapes and colors!  It was a lot of fun once I got the hang of it.... read your help file or just ask a child... really!   It was my 13 year old that showed me how to use it.... Experiment with the different sizes & shapes.  The table was about as realistic as I could get with the shapes & sizes available but it will hopefully give you an idea to go by.   This picture is the entire game set including poker table, cards, checkers and backgammon and we also sell the kits you can cut out & put together as needed for your scenes & room boxes. http://www.geocities.com/livinobx/bbgames.jpg

Lauriel

Bow Making:

1.  Put ribbon on pin point, loop and glue.

2.  Cut 1 inch cardboard into thirds about 1/2 inch down. Loop ribbon over one 'horn' then back and over the other, spot glue, then loop again higher for trailing ends. (Laying a tie ribbon down first before looping, then tie loops in center).

3.  Pin ribbon to board, loop and pin at center, then loop again and pin. Add a drop of glue, cut and do another loop at angle, glue again and pin. Let dry, tie in center.

4.  Make a "V" with wire, slip ribbon down into V, loop and cram another layer into V. Then another layer. Lastly, tie with thread tightly, add drop of glue and then add trailing ends.

5.  Use dinner fork for looping device. All the above directions work well with the fork. Might consider a junk fork. I have 'threeks' myself, but they work pretty well too.

Judie, Daytona Beach, FL