Accessories Page: 22 |
Bottle Caps: Take a pair of thin tweezers, and slip out <carefully> those little round inserts they put in the covers. They make marvelous picnic dishes. And I'm wondering if you couldn't paint and decoupage them for platters, being they are on a bit of the larger size. other then that ..make cakes. Put them on a platter... get some good puff paint, and go to town.. they are perfect cake size. Beth in NH |
Bottle Caps: You can make little foot stools and pin cushions out of them. Make like a tuffet. (spelling) Also if you put a few together and glue them to the height you like do this by two one stack for each side. Add gesso and paint decorate as you like. Then you can put a piece of glass, plastic or wood on top what ever you like to make a very nice desk. Then glue a few more together to make a nice stool for the desk. Add some cotton or a piece of foam to the seat and cover with fabric and trim with Bunka or ribbon. Make a nice vanity for a little girls room add satiny fabric, lace, beads and a nice bow to the front. Do the same to the stool. Cover the whole thing with fabric or leave the middle open for little feet. They look very pretty. Leilani |
Diapers: The size of "old-fashioned" nappies: Newborn size 22 x 22 inches, Regular size 28 x 28 inches. If you want to display it as folded nappies, it may be too bulky. Glue a piece of white fabric to a square of heavy duty tinfoil, fold in the raw edges, fold the nappy and display a stack somewhere in the scene. Betsie |
Bird Nest: I found an easy way to make a birds nest. 1) get a tuft of Spanish moss two times as big as your nest will be. 2) roll it into a ball in your hand (roll harder for the nest to be tighter). 3) flatten the ball between your palms. 4) dribble glue in the center of the ball. 5) use your pinkie or whatever finger to push a sitting place for the bird in the center. The glue will dry and leave the depressed place permanent. Rachel B |
Dishes: Chris who was asking about inexpensive dishes for her mini foods: I've bought scads of unfinished metal mini dishes from Pat Reynolds at: She's very nice to deal with and gets your order out fast! You'll need a metal file or sandpaper (I use files) to get a few seam lines off, but there's really very little to remove. I just clean the metal minis with soapy water with vinegar, using a scrub brush (to remove any mold resist left on them), dry and paint, then varnish. All the plates, etc. in my dish cabinet and on the trestle table of my Colonial Kitchen came from her. Just painted them "pewter" and was very pleased. Rita Pierce |
Balloons: I use a tiny Styrofoam ball (found in just about any craft store). Mold my Fimo, Sculpey or whatever your preference is, around it. Attach a tiny ball of Fimo to the bottom of the balloon where the balloon would be tied, Insert a thin dowel or a toothpick into the ball of Fimo, to create a "well" in the center of it so that it is now "cup shaped" like the tied end of a balloon would be. Now I insert a piece of white floral wire. This is the type that you usually see in green and looks like it's wrapped in some type of thin threads...but they also come in white and look just like string in mini! I stick the floral wires into a block of scrap Fimo so that they are standing while baking. The Styrofoam melts inside the Fimo "balloon", and when you give the balloons a coat of matte spray they really look like latex. Fern Marie |
Balloons: Clear, pearlized nail polish applied to the plastic balloons used on cakes will make a very realistic balloon. I clean the seams of the molded plastic with an emery board. I also replace the wire with a string. You can make wonderful patterns with your string by dipping it into Porcelain Dip then shape it as desired. This also works well with kites you wish to fly. Becky |
Miniature Musical Instruments: I have 2 addresses for miniature musical instruments. One is for patterns and the other one is the actual hand-crafted instruments. The Ken Manning Collection SUDLERS Even if these are not what you want, they may be able to put you on the right track to find it. Dianne, Tasmania Australia |
Mini Quilting Supplies: I know this isn't exactly what you asked for, but the ex-theatre-propmistress in me had a few ideas you could use if the minis you need are not available. Rotary cutter: polyclay handle, with a flat silver sequin held in place by a mini nail and a different color polyclay for the guard. I'd make an olfa cutter, since they are much easier to sculpt than the Fiskars cutter. Green or grey cutting mat: Thin green or gray 'foamies' from Michaels, cut to size (my cutting mat is one of the big ones, 2.5x6 feet in two sections, but you can get them in just a 3x4 size and smaller) with a grid carefully drawn on in opaque yellow (for green) or orange (for gray) gel pen. You may also do the grid as a clear printable sticker or decal and apply that to the foam sheet. White cutting mat: slightly translucent white plastic food container lid (like on plain cool-whip or shortening cans), cut to size (these come in similar sizes to the green and gray ones) with a clear printable sticker of the grid. Templates, clear rulers: Acetate sheet, or plastic report covers, cut to size and marked very carefully by hand or with printed clear labels. Colored templates should be colored on the back with permanent marker if you are only using clear plastic. These would need to be carded if hung in a display, and the cards could also be printies. Pencils are pretty easy to do: cut toothpicks or very skinny dowels to size (3/4 inch?) and sharpen one end, then color it the right colors for quilter's markers. These need to be carded or displayed in a stand of some kind, so you'd need lots. Maura Bass |
Balloons: Clear, pearlized nail polish applied to the plastic balloons used on cakes will make a very realistic balloon. I clean the seams of the molded plastic with an emery board. I also replace the wire with a string. You can make wonderful patterns with your string by dipping it into Porcelain Dip then shape it as desired. This also works well with kites you wish to fly. Becky |
Animal Trophies: I don't remember who was interested in animal trophies, but Cotton Ridge Designs has them for sale at 50% off right now. They are really beautifully made, and very realistic. There are many other great things at 50% off as well - definitely worth checking out. Here is the URL: http://cottonridge.safeshopper.com/353/cat353.htm?851 Jonathan in Israel |
Miniature Musical Instruments: I have 2 addresses for miniature musical instruments. One is for patterns and the other one is the actual hand-crafted instruments. The Ken Manning Collection SUDLERS Even if these are not what you want, they may be able to put you on the right track to find it. Dianne, Tasmania Australia |
Play Dough: I couldn't keep from thinking about the beautiful pattern on antique silverware as my mother has collected it for years. I got out my hot glue gun and some craft sticks. I covered the pattern on the silverware that I wanted with hot glue and pushed the craft stick down onto it. I let it cool and pulled it off. Then I got out my play dough, rolled a rope and pushed the mold I had made with the hot glue into the dough. It came out perfect, I got so carried away I now have about a dozen little push molds to use on clay. This trim can be glued onto things and painted and varnished. By the way play dough dried and sealed with a water base varnish makes some adorable small objects. It has to be solid I made some old boots out of it and they were to thin, after a time they split where I had joined pieces. I made some tiny children's toys and after 4 years they are fine. Wiggins |
Quilts: I have made several quilts 1:12 scale. The easiest way is to use fabric tack cloth glue, cut your pieces and glue them onto the backing, but I did large Granny Squares, not a tiny pattern. That way you don't have to sew that small scale. I didn't pad mine as the scale is so small it wouldn't really be noticeable unless it was a double padded quilt and would stiffen it more than it is. Then I made pillows to match. :) Pamela |
Writing on cakes: I used a product called Scribbles 3-Dimensional Fabric Writer. It has a nice tiny opening & the bottles are small & easy to work with. Make sure the "frosting" has dried completely before you decorate. It comes in lots of colors. Pam In St. Louis |
Computer Desk: You asked about a computer desk. I make one that I also sell as a kit. Here is the link: http://www.miniature.net/sdkminiatures/compdesk.htm Susan |
Flower Instructions: Some of you have asked for tips on making flowers. Here is a start - I'll post more in the next few days. First, whatever paper you use - typing, tracing, tissue, etc. - I prefer to paint the petals before shaping - wet paper has a tendency to return to it's original flat state. Next, you will need either a ball stylus or a round toothpick to shape/cup the petals. The point on the toothpick needs to be sanded off to a nice smooth rounded end. This will keep the paper from tearing. Some people prefer to use a pad of several paper towels to lay the petals on for shaping - you can also use a mouse pad. I prefer to use the palm of my hand or the pad of my fingertip. One thing that will help you is to have a nursery catalog or gardening book/magazine so you can examine the flower's petal shape. You will also be able to see the colors/varieties of each flower. Most of the time I use wire with a little "pip" on the end - I cut the wire into 1-1/2" to 2" pieces and dip the very tip (maybe 1/16") into a mixture of yellow paint and glue. Depending on the flower you are making, you might need to redip after dry to get a bigger pip. If you are making flowers that have "fluffy" looking centers, you can use finely ground foam or sand in the appropriate color. Try a few of each and see which ones you like. Today, I will start with Irises - you can use a teardrop-shaped punch or 'some' heart-shaped punches - does the heart shape look like it can be cut down the center to make 2 nice teardrop shapes? Take each teardrop and start pressing with the stylus or toothpick in the center of the fat part to make it cup nicely - practice with a few - sometimes it works better to press gently just inside the edges first. The kind of drag the tool toward the pointed end of the teardrop to make it curl a little. Does it look like an iris petal yet? If so, move on to make 5 more. Once you have 6 petals, dip the pointed end in tacky glue and then just the tiniest touch of super glue. Attach to the end of the prepared stem with the "fat" part up. Repeat with 2 more petals, spacing evenly around the stem. Now attach the other 3 petals in between the "up" petals, only point the "fat" part down. After this dries, you can add color to the edges with a marker or with paint (lightly now). You can also add the "beards" (the fuzzy part at the base of the "dangly" petals) by touching on a little glue and then dipping in finely ground foam in appropriate color (most iris have yellow beards but there are some with white, orange, etc. - check your catalog/book). Leaves are kind of a light to medium green and are shaped much like a sword blade - long, skinny, tapering to a point. Sonia |
Street Gas Lamps: we make a couple of street gas lamps - one that is a wall fitting, the other is the traditional standard street light - but as we make them our selves we can make them to any height required - you only have to ask - not extra charge for special heights! Check out our web site - http://www.grandadsplayroom.com David & Joyce Betts |
1/4 inch teapots: a very talented maker of all tea pots especially 1/4 inch is Nona Mitchell, Her email is: tpot@centurytel.net http://www.mitchellminiatures.com/ Bonnie in Montana |
Paper Plates: Shepherd Miniatures has paper plates also. The url is www.shepherdminiatures.co.uk/ My experience with them has been positive. Jennie in San Antonio TX |
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