Vanity Trays: In the jewelry findings section of craft shops, there are ovals and rounds that have a gallery around them. They are what is used to hold cameos and such. There are all kinds of sizes and JAF has a catalog that has all kinds of findings we mini people can use.

Maria

Vanity Trays: Frame-shaped jewelry findings, new ones from JAF or scavenged from your own/family/ friends' old junk jewelry, or at yard sales.

Vanity Trays: I have seen packages of 100 little round mirrors in the dollhouse miniature catagory of ebay. These would work. You could fancy them up by wrapping with some gold or silver trim from a fabric store.

Linda

Vanity Trays: Thought I would come out of the lurk mode to suggest using some of those CDs you get in the mail for vanity trays. Mine are all square corners since my scroll saw is broken but the discs saw beautifully. Sand the edge a bit and put some feet on. Or get fancy and glue beads all around the edges. Did one with pearls and it came out really nice.

GG

Annie

Marsha

Collectable Spoons: Have you checked in a beauty supply store? They have tiny charms that are used on fingernails. I bet one could be attached to the end of a spoon handle.

Lori

Old Photographs: For my Victorian dollhouse, I scanned in old family photos, reduced the size, changed them to the right shades of brown and printed them.  The family portraits on the walls in my dollhouse are actually my ancestors.

HINT:  If you are looking at a thumbnail photo, click on the photo for a higher resolution version.  Then right click on the picture and SAVE it in a directory.  Then I use Print Shop to put several pictures on a blank page. I print out a draftof the pictures and re-size until I get the sizes that I need.  Then I print them in the best quality on photo paper.

Ricki Pitzner

Originial paintings: There may be original oils & acrylics on this site: http://members.tripod.com/~myownminiatures/index.html

Maureen

Annie

Fish: I found some realistic looking rubber fish in the sporting goods department.  The kind I bought were the tiny minnow size lures, which look like 1" scale trout.  These were fairly expensive if you were to buy several of them (around $2, I think).  I've never been to a fly fishing store but I'll bet you can buy these fish separately without all the extras and it would be cheaper.

Annie

Oil Painting: I've used 100% cotton fine weave broadcloth.  This I then glue with gesso to a thin acid free museum board, wrapping the edges of the cloth around the board. I use a thin gesso coat to cover the entire piece and I'm ready to paint on my small canvas boards.  I like the look of the cloth on the board but some people will just gesso a museum board and paint on that.

Barbara Ann Wilson

Tiny knives:  I broke my favorite pair of foldable scissors but after I looked at the separated pieces I noticed that they looked exactly like little knives.  I baked Fimo handles on them and now I have 2 very sharp kitchen knives.   Naturally I ran around the house to see if I could break more scissors but none of the other foldable ones I had were made the same way.  So watch for the older style tiny scissors in the thrift stores.

Annie

Legacy Ltd. makes miniature computers (PCs) - I highly recommend their stuff.  I have bought quite a few of their items:
desktop PC / mouse / printer (lit), desk chair, stereo, TV & Video, TV & computer game (lit), cordless phone & base station, sewing machine. The computer game and printer are a bit dated for "now" but they are still pretty good.

You will need to detail the model – e.g. for the PC, I painted the mouse pad blue, I used a thread for the mouse cord. I added appropriate cables to the PC & Printer with fine black wire it was easy to drill little holes into the resin with my pin vice and fine drills.  I used some fine white covered wire for the keyboard cable - I twisted it round a pin so I got an appropriate spiral in it. I glued beads to the plug end of the wire and made power points and a multibox out of scrap styrene.  I drew little lines on the styrene to represent empty sockets and glued the bead "plug" into the right place for working plugs.

I have had really positive comments about how realistic it all looks – every good PC MUST have a "birds nest" of cable behind it.

Sandra Monk

Pictures: For pictures in my dollhouses, I go to http://www.homedecorators.artselect.com  and I print off the selections I like on my printer with ink jet canvas paper.  You can get a very realistic "painting" this way, and frame it yourself for practically nothing.

Linda Gibeault

Pictures / Paintings in frames - I take the picture I want mount it on card with glue stick or YES glue, smoothing it out carefully with a clean piece of cloth. When thoroughly dry I coat it with a thin coat of modge podge, stroking in one direction, Let dry well (20 to 30 minutes) then put on another coat of modge podge. Paint in the other direction and this time a bit thicker. Again let dry. Then "stipple" a third coat going in every direction. When it's dry I trim then and glue it into the frame.

Patricia

Books: I put the book cover in a paint program and make two copies, allowing enough space between them for the spine. This way, you have the full cover all in one piece. You can then change the back "cover" by erasing the illustration and adding more printing.

Courdee

Suzanne Russo sold her business a few years ago. The trunk kits are now being produced and marketed thru Cat's Paw.  The brasses (and the trunk line, too) are available through mini stores - distributed by Dee's Delights.

Laura

Miniature Book Covers: For your miniature book covers don't forget the Martha Stewart paint chip samples. They are a good weight for the covers and come in many lovely colors and are free too.  I find two-sided carpet tape works well when making books.

Ann Kozlik

Perfume bottles: The way we make the perfume bottles is to use an earring post (for pierced ears.)  Stand it up and put your beads on it to form the bottle drop a tiny drop of glass glue down the hole of the bead.   Glue another tiny bead on for the lid.  Make vases the same way.  Similar way for lamps, salt and pepper sets etc.  Go to www.coolmini.com   and see what can be done.  For lots of fun join MSATMiniFindings where we learn from each other how to make fun things from beads and findings.

Roberta Pijper

Perfume bottles: Go visit Kathy Bracken at www.coolmini.com and the MSATMiniFindings there you will find all the instructions for making perfume bottles, goblets, vases etc together with the beads and fittings for making them.  It is also a fun list to join to share ideas on making items from beads and findings.

Roberta Pijper