Furniture plans/architectural questions: I have found this site very helpful if you have questions on any types of old buildings, furniture or what color to paint different periods, thought I'd share it. http://architecture.about.com

Joanne, Calgary Miniature Club

Block Glass: Home Depot carries a plastic suspended ceiling light cover panel that looks a lot like glass blocks.

Louise in MI

Plastic Brick Sheets: I use Liquid Nails or Weldbond and tape the sheets in place until the glue sets.

Sally Cook-Thomas

Moss: To adhere your moss, just apply a little tacky glue with a small paintbrush where you want it to stick. When dry, spray a little cheap hair spray on it.

Sloan

Strip Shingles: I prefer to staple my roll on shingles at intervals of 6 inches or so. You just have to be sure that the roof is thick enough or the staples are not long so they won't go through. I use a commercial type stapler because of the strength and the variety of sizes of staples. You also have to make sure you staple above a slit, so the next row will cover the staple under the overlap.

Deanna

Strip paper shingles: The quarter scale strip paper shingles are great, too. I painted them with my window trim color, then sponged on a cream color very lightly - aged them nicely.

Carole Pierce in TN

Stucco: I used Magic Stucco from S/W Crafts, Inc., on the exterior of the first dollhouse I built. All you have to do is mix water or paint with the stucco powder until the mixture resembles cake frosting (or thinner, depending on how you want it to look). You would want slightly thicker stucco mix for stucco with peaks and valleys and slightly thinner if you want a fairly smooth stucco finished with swirls. I mixed the stucco powder with blue latex paint, then applied it to the dollhouse with a round, flat makeup sponge. Worked great!

Mary in MS

Glassblocks: You could do 2 things (1)-make a mold(the rubber kind works great) and pour them with a clear resin such as Envirotech lite or go to the stained glass supply and they will have architectural glass. Its on s solid sheet of glass and should be available in 2 pattern sizes. The thickness is about right also. You can have them cut it or you can cut it yourself, its very easy. We are general contractors by trade and this is the two closest forms of glassblock look-alikes I've been able to find.

Joni

Floor template:If you use a thin brown wrapping paper you can fit it inside your rooms to make a template. With oddly shaped rooms you can use torn paper with the straight edges lined against the walls and overlap the torn edges, taping them together. It is then quite easy to do your flooring on the paper and slide it in.

Jacqui in Hilo, Hawaii

Flooring: Here's some things that I have successfully used for flooring that would work for bathrooms and kitchens too. (No particular order):

1) Hardwood floor painted and stenciled or with paint rubbed in showing the grain of the wood (looks like old painted flooring that is worn. )

2) Card stock cut to the size of room. Spray painted with a base coat of white or gray enamel, then drizzle spray different colors like that old speckle coated linoleum. Top with several clear coats of varnish (either spray or brush on). You can do this directly to your dollhouse floor but you have to put up protecting paper so that you don't spray the rest of the house.

3 Thin wood squares laid like checkerboard tile. You can paint the whole thing before or after you lay them. I usually end up doing both as it seems I always get that high corner that I need to sand down and have to "fix" the paint on that tile. Again I coat with varnish when it's done.

4) Appropriate paper glued to cardboard, varnished, cut and applied like tile.

5) The Formica edging that comes in a roll, score and snap it in squares and lay those little tiles.

6) Cardstock painted in color preference, cut in tile size, and glued on the floor. (You can paint the underfloor if you want to simulate grout and leave small spacing around the "tile" to show this).

I personally don't like the small tile that we used to use to make ashtrays with as I feel it is too thick and uneven. Hope this will give you some ideas. The main thing is to TRY!

Shannon Moore

Parquet floor squares: I have seen regular parquet floor tiles in 9" and 12" sizes. Usually 9", so that would be 3/4" for minis. The strips of wood for the parquet pieces would probably be about 1/8" with 6 strips/tile.

Jacqui in Hilo, Hawaii

Parquet floor squares: I made a parquet floor for my living room and used blocks of 48 mm. This was for a floor with a mozaik-motif called Versailles Etoiles. In real life the blocks are 50cmx50 cm.

Marina

Parquet floor squares: The ones I've seen done are 1 inch squares to correspond to l foot "real-size" squares. I expect this is not engraved in stone as parquet comes in many patterns and arrangements and I would think it would be essentially whatever size you want it.

SUSAN AT THE WHITE RABBIT'S HOUSE

Parquet floor squares: I have a parquet floor in my sunroom - the real sunroom not a mini one and they measure 6" x 6" so I would imagine in mini talk that would be 1/2" x 1/2".

Vi in Hamilton

Lightning rods:   you should be able to make lightning rods by sliding beads down a piece of wire, or even a VERY fine knitting needle, as it strikes me most rods are slightly tapered.

Dani, in Bradshaw, MD

Log Cabin: We had a real life log cabin and to make it more rustic we singed it with a propane torch before we oiled it.   Which is what I would do in miniature.   If you have access to one of those butane fireplace starters it would be perfect to "toast" the wood some.   Barring that, I would try a light brown watercolor or acrylic wash on the logs and then seal with Tung oil.

Renee Kutcher

Gothic Dolls Houses: There is a wonderful Gothic house at http://www.angleseydollshouses.co.uk

it's certainly on my wish list.

Jacquie

Blueprints : site update: you can find free plans for a Victorian house at http://www.thewoodcrafter.net/proj/p40.html

Karolyn

Peter Cook's Signs: Just received the wonderful wooden engraved sign that Peter Cook made for my potting shed/shop. I can't tell you how absolutely perfect it is and how pleased I am with Peter's work. I was so happy to have been able to pick the font I wanted, too. The price was reasonable and his service was ultra-quick. Highly recommend him to all. Once again Peter's website is:
http://www.woodencraft.co.uk/

Bev

Color and other things: After reading Kathleen Peake's excellent tips on color matching and lighting, my memory was jogged about a number of questions I've been asked concerning the various aspect of my miniatures. Soooo....If you'll bear with me I would like to " Wax the Elephant " just a bit about some philosophical and practical thoughts on minis.

This has gone on long enough so I'll save the reason I landscape every house and create a history for each one for another time.

Rik Pierce