Hinge Idea: For hinges in minis where the hinge does not show, use pieces cut from Postal or Fed Ex overnight envelopes. This material is Tyvek, the same stuff they use as a house wrap in the construction business. It does not tear, takes most inks and dyes. When you look at it closely you can see the random pattern of the fibers. This is not the plastic that other overnight packages come in and it's not paper. It's especially good when working with cardboards, tag board and foam core, because it's lightweight. The Tyvek material will flex over and over and over and not tear. And it folds flat between the furniture parts. If you use it on a child's refrigerator made of wood, you may want to both glue it and tack it with small nails or short pins.

Janine

Mirroring and CD's: As a person with CDs laying around I have found a couple of different ways to get the silver film off them.

1. Score the side that goes "down" in the CD-ROM with an exacto and round stencil. Keep scoring until you cut through.
2. The film of the CD can be removed unto its own but requires ALOT of patience. Break the CD in half and you will be able to peel the film from the plastic. It is a pain in the batookis, but can be worthwhile.
3. Use a "hot pen" to cut the plastic. You could even use a wood burners pen outside as you melt the plastic around your shape. This takes a light touch and a bit of sanding cleanup.

Sudie Parker

Cutting CD's: I've done it using garden snippers, regular scissors were chipping the edges on the disks. And if you can, wear some old gloves or some sort of hand protection, got a few mean cuts from sharp edges.

Sue Meringolo

Pumpkin tree: I made something neat and had to share.... I covered a mini planter pot with orange Fimo and scored it like a pumpkin then "planted" some of those beautiful grapevine tendrils off our wild grapevines to look like curly crooked branches, then made some tiny pumpkins out of more orange Fimo, and after baking drew little jack-o-lantern faces on them to hang on my tree. It turned out really cool!!

Natasha

Bowls: The bubble packaged pill (sinus pills and such) make great forms for bowls of every kind. I have tried this and it works real well --- if you want clear ones find a marble or whatever will fit properly and use hot glue then push in the marble. The hot glue one can be painted however you like.

ANGELTCAD@aol.com

Cups: I have made cups out of cross-sections of straw that were painted. I have also made them out of Fimo via the Sue Heaser method (basically make the shape, insert a darning needle and roll back and forth in the middle until you achieve "cupness";) -- admittedly not the easiest way). You could also go and buy some of those "cheap" metal cups (usually are blue or red spacklewear) then enamel paint them. If you look around carefully then you might find the little decals for fingernails and you "might" be able to use these as decorations.

Kim Bulback

Bowls: I have found the perfect bowls for my plants and for the kitchen counters. They are at the Eagles Hardware store and are electrical wire cap covers, they are a few cents each and they are in three sizes, they come in red, white, black, and silver. They have a little cross thingy of metal inside the plastic "bowl" and I heap my potatoes or yams or poi etc on top and I have a filled bowl. It looks exactly like a mixing bowl with the rim around the top perfectly. These aren't the cup shaped ones, they are in a different section and really do look exactly like mixing bowls.

Norieta

Contacts to bowls: remove soft contacts from solution and balance on a clear pony bead (originally I made blobs of silver paint for the base but this is better)- leave it in a safe place to dry over night since they are very delicate. Then glue gently. Carefully add gallery glass in your flavor of choice for jello, let dry and top with a spritz of white paint and a red seed bead for whipped cream and a cherry. They look like fine glass. Fill with fimo ice cream balls too. Thanks Jyl & Ronni couldn't have done it without you.

Gail in Orlando

Paper Bowls: I make bowls from narrow strips of paper. I have also seen this in a Joann Swanson article. Cut narrow strips of paper, roll up very tightly, adding strips as needed. When you get about 3/4 inch or so, glue the end. After it dries, slowly push out from the center to make a bowl shape. When you get it like you want it, paint with several coats of clear fingernail polish. You can use strips of colored paper or paint it before adding the polish.

Martha Simpson Nock

Faux pottery: Paint any color undercoat onto wooden shapes, beads or small figurines; white, pink, turquoise, brown. Mix fine craft sand with an off white or contrast paint and daub onto the shape. Any Terra Cotta Fimo? Make primitive shapes and pinch pots.

Laurie Sisson

Cups: if you want to DIY cups out of odds and ends, look at office supplies. Everybody in my department hoards their mechanical pencil eraser refill containers for me, because they have 2 end caps on each tube that are just right for cups, and the tubes can be cut into sections for glasses. Handles can be made out of epoxy putty or (as I prefer) out of C or D alphabet pasta glued on -- or V pasta if you're doing Clarice Cliff high deco. So check out the refills at Staples, Office Max, etc. Superglue the pasta handles on, spritz on several coats of white acrylic spray paint as a base coat, then paint to match your china pattern.

Loretta Sniarowski

ERASERS: Because balsa or bass wood is hard to obtain here I purchased a box of 20 erasers at a discount store for $2.50 Aus. (Not many things are cheap here but occasionally you find a bargain) They are very easy to cut or slice thinly. I have used them for making wrapped gifts for under the Christmas tree, gingerbread houses and I am sure there are many other ways of using them. They would be great for kids and people that have got limited use of their hands as they are so easy to slice.

Karen Hill

Button bakery: I have made bakery items from buttons and beads.  Just look at your buttons from a mini view and let your imagination  and maybe a little paint do the rest.  For example, buttons with a wavy top might be a meringue topped pie. Buttons can also be layered with different colored buttons in between to make layer cakes.  Tiny beads can be used for cherries.  I  once found some replacement knobs that made very nice bundt cakes with a little bit of added paint.  Cupcakes can be made out of tiny wooden plugs used to fill in drill holes.

Marie in San Jose, Ca

Wonderful miniature kits for young children: Just wanted to share a real "find" with all of you. I have been looking for a way to really share my love of miniatures with my five year old daughter but most kits are very delicate and difficult for her to attempt without a lot of frustration. Then, today at Marshall's I found a wonderful dollhouse kit and coordinating furniture set kits by a company called Shure Products.

http://www.shureproducts.com

They have an absolutely beautiful (albeit juvenile) dollhouse made of laminated wood. Each kit comes with all of the materials to make mini foods, books, beaded lamps, a door mat...lots of fun mini projects designed especially for the 5-7 year old. I am so excited about her reaction to this present on Christmas morning. I'm even more excited about this chance to share a wonderful hobby with my little girl. If you do look for this dollhouse, you have to search the toy stores they list on their site for Smart Family dollhouse...or you could be lucky like me and find it for a great price in the toy section at Marshalls. I know I sound like a toy rep...it is just that I am so thrilled with this fun kit! My "real" dollhouse will have to be put on hold while I play with my daughter.

Paige

Resin: Here in South Africa we make molds of old jewelry and metal decorative items using Vinamould and then duplicate them using resin. Also use resin for drinks and sauces and water. We use our molds to make decorative architectural items for our houses and also things like picture frames etc. We have very few mini items available here and have to innovate and duplicate.

Roberta Pijper

Lisa Engler of Lisa's Little Things also paints Chrysnbon plates and cups. She mixes craft acrylic paint with paint extender (can purchase at any craft store) to get a smooth flow to the paint. After drying, the pieces are finished with gloss sealer. The place settings look like real "china". Her web site is http://www.lisaslittlethings.com/

Priscilla

Oval Laundry Basket: I use a Tums bottle cap, even the Albertson's brand works great, just make a couple of oval handgrips and you are set to go! they even come in designer colors..

Sudie Parker

Laundry basket: They are not oval but the little baskets that you hang in the dishwasher that has the Jet-dry in them make convincing laundry baskets.

Alberta

Laundry basket: Badminton birdies could be made into good laundry washing baskets someone was asking about.

Barbara B from South Africa

Teeth: If you want "real" teeth, the next time you eat chicken, when you are cleaning up after the meal, throw a drumstick bone and/or wing bone into a pot of water and boil it to death. Then dry it thoroughly for a few days. You can bash it to slivers and make "teeth" out of them. You will, incidentally, also see why it is not good to feed chicken bones to an animal. I have done this and used the bone slivers for fangs in bear rugs. You just pick out the best and throw away the rest. After all that, you may go back to toothpick teeth.

Rita Braun