Remove The Shine: Here's a suggestion for how to remove the shine from your slate roof: You might try the trick of using India ink mixed with rubbing alcohol. Whenever I've applied a light coating of this, it normally dulls the surface so it's not quite so shiny. Might want to try it on a piece of scrap to see if that works in a way you like.

George Held

Remove The Shine: To take the shine off your slate roof, go to the train store and ask for a spray can of Dull Coat, this will give it the dull appearance of slate that you are looking for. Hope it works for you.

Maxine from London, Canada

Ceiling: You can use joint compound or you can use a fine grain sand ceiling texture, either one works good. The joint compound will give you a more smooth appearance while the ceiling texture more rough texture. Both can be painted.

Joni

Ceiling: I bought some white wall paper that had a small embossed (textured) design and glued that to my ceiling. The roll was on their "sale" table (probably the last of that line) and was not expensive. That worked well for me.

Viola

Paper Ceilings: Someone asked what could be used. I had some embossed white wallpaper (partial roll from a yard sale) , the kind that can be painted or left white. It's fairly durable and the pattern is swirley - you can pretend it's plaster. It took paint really well. I was able to cut the pattern out so that it was centered. I painted mine Buttermilk.

Theresa again, from MD

Ceilings: None of my ceilings is plain. I use all shapes and colors of picture mats over paper lace or textured paper to create interesting ceilings. Some are one with wood slats (like the ones we had in the house I grew up in). If there is a ceiling fixture, there is a medallion or centerpiece around it. Sometimes I use mirrors!

Karen

Ceilings: my favorite thing for plaster looking ceilings is paint mixed with Skid-Tex. Skid-Tex is the stuff used to make painted surfaces non-slippery. You can mix in as much as you want in your paint to get the look you want and it doesn't flake off.

Carole Pierce in TN

Ceilings: we usually put stucco on our ceilings and they look like the popcorn ceilings in so many houses today. We've even used it in old-style houses and it looks fine there, too. We like to do the ceilings before we start building the houses. If you try to do it after building, cut V's in the ends of a large cardboard carton, put the house in it upside down so you don't have to stand on your head to do the ceilings.

Dottie in Tucson

Glittery Ceiling: There is hairspray on the market that has a glitter in it. Maybe you can spray your ceiling with that.

Dorothée

Pocket Doors: Someone asked about pocket doors. We had a set in a vintage house, Nathaniel Crosby House, our club made and donated to the City of Tumwater in Washington State. The doors divided the dining room from the room that had been the kitchen, but had since been used as more of a family room. The panels of the doors were not moveable. They just had the appearance of being all the way open, except for about 1/4 inch. Doubt if anyone knew they didn't really work.

MAP in Puyallup

Mission Tile House: I have posted some pictures so you can see what I have been talking about with my mission tile house... This is a scene made using a full sized mission roof tile as the main wall of the setting. The hardest part was cutting out the door and window openings on the tile. Because of the curve of the tile and where the openings were situated, I couldn't use my jewelry saws or the tile saws that fit into a hacksaw. I ended up using a tile drill, drilling holes all around the openings and then breaking the remainder out and filing smooth. Now that I am getting the hang of it, I will have to make more. I have included a close up of the tile roof and floor I made using the air dry terra cotta clay. I sponge painted the roof tiles a bit to make them look old and mossy. There is also a close up of the front door entryway. The interior has been coated with joint compound to add texture and then painted. I plan on adding a few chairs and tables, but this will mostly be a flower shop, so furnishings will be sparse. Not sure what to "store" in the small attic area... maybe buckets or cardboard boxes of vases...? I will also be adding plants to the window shelf, shutters and a window frame to the window opening and some other architectural details. I am also going to paint a flowery sign on the outside by the door. If you have any other great ideas for me, just let me know and I'll see what works.

Here is the link (first 4 pictures in the album)
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=345686&a=4165987&f=0

The best part of this project was the cost. The tiles were given to me, and I used scrap lumber, so the only thing I actually had to purchase was the air dry clay and some joint compound. I love inexpensive projects that use up my leftover stuff. And a great tip I discovered while I was doing some plants, the air dry clay makes great dirt to poke your plants into. Fill the pot with the clay, add a drop of white glue and top with some railroading dirt, poke your flowers in, and the clay will harden and hold your plants great.

MAP in Puyallup

Downspouts, round or square - maybe it's a regional thing? My grandparents house, built in 1912, had round ones. My parents' house, built in 1939, had round ones. The first house my husband and I bought, built c. 1952, had round ones. And the house I live in now, built in 1964, had round ones until we had the new roof put on in 1995.

Nancy

Slotted Houses: I have used the Dopesold in model shops to condition and strengthen these devils prior to cutting or working with them. This material is used to strengthen balsa in airplane models. Work in a WELL-VENTILATED area. If you don't, you'll quickly discover why it is called Dope. It will make you high as a kite and can cause permanent brain damage. I have been satisfied with the results. I use it on both sides of the scored material. It also helps to prevent warping and elements many of the splinters. I have sealed the area around the assembled slot with wood filler or spackle then used my Dremel to sand the area smooth. The result is very neat and gives a smooth surface. Though not the kit of my choice, I have found they are workable if you spend time prepping the material before you work with it. I would point out, however, that the expense of this prep work often negates the saving in purchasing a kit of this type

Becky Holliday

Project for child visitor to take home: Why not make a collapsible room of some thin airplane plywood. If you hinge the side walls and floor you can fold it flat, and then pack the things which go in it separately. Perhaps a replica of the room in which she will be staying in your home would bring back nice memories when she goes home. Of course, you didn't say how old she is, so maybe something like a scene from a nursery rhyme or children's book would be more fun for her.

Alice Zinn

Stairs: Dorie Krusz: Building Miniature Houses and Furniture in this book is a very good description of how to make a staircase (and lots of other goodies)

Birthe in Denmark

Free dollhouse plans.: To all SS'ers who are looking for dollhouse plans, there is a plan for a 7 roomed Victorian to download at the following site - http://www.thewoodcrafter.net/projects.html

Maureen in Hemel, UK

Horse Barn: could your mini-estate be in the Kentucky Bluegrass region? Down there many of the old horse barns are stained a dark charcoal with white trim so they match the tobacco barns, which are invariably charcoal. That's neutral enough to be okay with your house. Others have rather New Englandy/Greek Revival color schemes -- white, dark green trim. Anything goes for the less traditional owners. I've seen some off Harrodsburg Pike that are burgundy, teal, and tan. Roofing runs the gamut from tin to slate to modern shingles. Apparently the less traditional, more modernized horse farms often have "foreign" owners,according to Pam, which in the Lexington area means anyone from movie stars to oil sheiks.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Tiny Hidden Hinges: I made kitchen cabinets and faced the problem of invisible hinges.

After beating myself to death over it, I finally just drilled a small hole in the edge of the door, then a corresponding hole in the frame,. Added a bit of glue and inserted a tiny piece of floral wire (fabric coated) Then after it dried, I faked a tiny bit of hardware (actually it wasn't necessary) After considering this problem, I wondered just how often one opens and closes a miniature kitchen cupboard door? This works wonderfully, looks fine and the door stays just where you put it. Open or closed.

After this, I began to wonder how many other doors could be hinged with just a poke of wire. . . . and windows and French doors, and cabinet doors and bathroom cabinets etc. Most of them I suspect. They don't get flapped in the breeze and should be good for many,many years.

They hang straight and look good. What else is there?

Judie

Concealed hinges: To the person wanting to source hinges that don't show:

For completely invisible hinges that are very economical: - use dressmaker pins or the slightly thicker office type pins!

I have recently purchased some furniture kits where the doorframe is constructed around the door, before adding on the top shelf base. Tiny holes are drilled at the top and bottom of the frame door together where the door is to swing, so that the wood does not split when pounding in the pin. A dressmakers pin is inserted and the excess is cut off. The rest of the kit is then constructed with the front (with door) viewed as a "whole" piece. I find these to be as sturdy as any glued on hinge; and besides, who is going to constantly open & close the doors in our precious dh's. Some purchased doors (internal & external) are also constructed in this manner, although I have noticed that on the thicker doors the hinged side has been rounded off to facilitate opening and closing.

Sharon from South Africa

Painting beads on Porch Posts: Susan asked about how to paint a thin highlight on a Porch post. One thing you might try is to take a large paper cup and cut a pair of small notches in the rim opposite each other. use that as a "rest" for the Porch Post. Set the Post onto the notches and slowly turn the post with the fingertips of one hand, while the other hand guides an appropriately loaded thin brush on the bead as it turns.

If you like that general technique, I'm sure that a more permanent "rest" can be fabricated.

Brian