Vanity Trays: How about using those little mirrors you can get at craft stores in the wearable art section? For the border, you could stiffen some lace, paint it gold, and glue it around the edge. For tinier trays, maybe cut out a little oval from some kind of reflective paper or sticker (you know the kind they use for "mirrors" in toy houses?). And maybe tiny gold beads glued on for the border, using different sizes/shapes in a pattern.

Rachel

Mini Hat Stands: I have bought wooden hat stands from Thelma Lewis DeMet. Maybe she still has some available.

Elise

Mini Hat Stands: I make turned wooden stands from a variety of woods. I have a picture that I can send by e-mail -- please e-mail me if you're interested.

Rosemary

Vanity Trays: I have used the small mirror disks that can be purchased at craft shops here in packets (of between 12 and 6 per packet, depending on the size of the mirror). I have used a 'doily' cut from a full size paper doily to cover part of the mirror and then set the bottles on this. It gives extra reflection of the bottles as well.

Jan

Hearing Aid Batteries: Use them as hot plates.

Louise

Hearing Aid Batteries: You could make Dutch cheese from them. It is called "Edammer Kaas" and is yellow inside with a very nice bright red colored skin.

Louise

"Used"Candles: I took very long/thin birthday candles and cut them to the appropriate length I wanted. I then glued the candle into its holder. I lit the candle and blew it right out, so the wick would be blackened just like a real blown out candle. I then took Gallery Glass paint in the same color, and "dripped" it down the candle. When it dried, it looked amazingly like melted wax. I did a short blue candle and I applied the glass stain 3 times, allowing it to dry in between. The result was a candle almost burned down, with a 'puddle' of melted wax on the holder and table giving the illusion that time had passed.

Kathy Carey

Cash register: I was in the local Bed, Bath and Beyond store today and discovered several animated refrigerator magnets and among themwas a cash register.  It is very close to one inch in scale. They had a commode for a bathroom and several different things with close to scale measurements.

They also have a bathroom wall scene made from plastic attached to the side of a plastic Kleenex box holder  I would say it is perfect to use for a dollhouse bathroom and all you need to add is the tub.  With this you would have sound included, the hair dryer, the shaver, the commode, the radio, each item has a tiny redbutton, when pushed.

K. Furqueron

Candles: What I have actually done is used the toothpicks, painted white of course, then had the "candle" sitting in itsholder, and then actually using a real candle, lit it, and let the wax drip over the toothpick candle and down into the container.  Looks wonderful if you are creating something that looks medieval, or old and unloved.

Pauline Mackenzie

Lampshades: I use parchment paper, like you do calligraphy on. Parchment has a nice translucency, a mottled appearance, and can bepainted with acrylics or watercolors. It's great stuff!

Beverly Michie

Red handled silver ware: Buy the Chrysnbon silverware, and dip the handles in nail polish!  I've also painted handles withacrylic paint, and then glossed them, but nail polish is nice and thick and "plasticky".

Beverly Michie

Towels: I make great Turkish towels out of baby sleepers.  The loop is much smaller and only one side, so they're less bulky.  I buy mine at thrift shops, and now have a lifetime supply of towels for my dollhouses, in lovely soft colors.  If you're doing period, I'm not quite sure when terrycloth was invented, but I remember reading that it was when a weaving machine at a factory somewhere went haywire and began pulling up the threads in the cloth.  Someone thought the fabric which resulted should be used for something, and Voila! Turkish toweling came to be.

Sharon Begley

Wooden Soldiers: aint mini - and I do mean mini - soldiers on the turned end of carved toothpicks. You may need a magnifying glass to do this, I certainly do, but they are most effective in groups of 6 or 9 on a base with a pull for the nursery or you can just leave odd scattered ones around on the floor. You canalso paint mini Santa’s with a tiny bit of non-fired snow for the beard.  I have also done one or two tiny dolls.  The toothpicks turned end can also be useful for tiny turnings for chairs and gallery rails around shelves.  Last but not least - thecut off ends are great for applying glue.

Judy Foster

Towels: I use the fine stretch toweling as used for baby’s 'stretch & grow' suits.  It comes in many colors and folds nicely.  You can glue or sew on a small braid for trim or as my mother did, embroider French knot roses & leaves on them.  Very pretty.

Judy Foster

Tiny Lincoln Logs: If you have a tremendous amount of patience and endless time, you can make Lincoln Logs out of the regular roundedtoothpicks.  After you stain them, they don't look half bad.

Annie

Mini Computer: Try your good old tried and true refrigerator magnets, I have seen some pretty realistic computers.  Look in Bed & Bath as well as kitchen shops.

Marilyn, Mi

Lampshades:

1. Go to http://www.miniatures.org (NAME website)

2. Go to Tips & Projects

3. Go to Find A Project

4. Go to Lighting

5. Finds articles in mini magazines on how to make lampshades

Cindy from Indiana

Lampshades: Here are two ideas:

If you want one that looks modern, look for a medicine, glue or paint tube that is nearly empty and clean it out. If you cut off part of the tube and the nozzle, it will look like a very modern, funnel-shaped shade. White tubes don't even need to be painted, but if there is a label, you can paint it whatever color you like. Then put the wire through the nozzle and it will hang. If the hole in the nozzle is too big and the bulb falls through, string a small button on the wire before you put on the shade to hold the bulb in place. You can also cut a pingpong ball in half, punch a hole to put the wire through, and leave it white or paint designs on it.

If you want a Victorian-type shade, look for cat toys in the supermarket or pet shop. Here in the States they sell transparent colored plastic balls with a bell inside. Saw the two halves of the ball apart, drill a hole in the top of each half, and you have two pretty "glass" shades. The ball halves are different colors, so you get two different colored shades! You can make them even fancier with some gold braid or fringe around the bottom. This isn't an original idea, but I can't remember which magazine or book had the tip in it awhile back.

Loretta Sniarowski

Psychic Minis: If you want some web pages to whet your imagination regarding the metaphysical roombox, here are three that suggest lots more accessories. Some of these might also be of interest to people doing fairy scenes:

http://www.themagicalblend.com/faq.html

http://www.almostradio.com/earthsongs/witch.htm

http://www.wildflowerswv.com/

For anyone needing tarot cards, there are gorgeous images on the next two sites. From four to eight cards are pictured in each of many styles. I'd guess you'd have a bit of leeway in the dimensions, so long as they come to hand comfortably. You could print some tiny patterned stuff on the reverse.

http://www.pointsoflight.com/

Mary, Oregon

Posters and art: These are all non-mini sites, but have useable posters etc for us mini-nuts.
www.jamiemarks.com (floor cloths -they have a great rooster rug), www.nancysteinbockposters.com (tons of vintage stuff), www.posteritati.com , www.frameyourart.com (click on freeposters)

Sondra Klingbeil