When I am doing traditional paper mache, such as a tree trunk, I prefer using brown paper bags from the grocery store rather than newspapers. It must be the different ways that they are made, but I find the brown paper much easier to sand smooth. The newspaper sets up hard as a rock, and is pretty darned hard to sand.

Kaye in L.A.

Paper Mache: I have made a "yard" out of it for one of my houses. I used newspaper, and a white (Elmer's, or another comparable school white glue -- not paste!!) glue/water prep (sticky but runny, if the mixture is opaque then there is too much water, if it is too sticky, add more water). Don't use flour/salt and water preps, just asking for critters. Newspaper has a grain much like fabric, and you will be able to rip the nicest, straightest strips if you are holding it the right way, generally with the written word as opposed to ripping through it, if that makes sense. Rip your print, and moisten (not soak) in the glue/water mixture. Let every layer dry completely, that way you will get a good solid coverage and nothing will peel. Also, alternate which way your strips go, that way you build up a good base. At the end, it can be nicely painted. You can speed up the drying process with a hair blower/dryer.

Kim from Canada

Also added are new recipes for candy canes and peppermint sticks:

http://miniatures.about.com/library/clay/bl080600candy.htm

(unknown)

Christmas trees in August - You probably have tons of suggestions by now but here's 2 more: http://lincsminiworld.bizland.com/USAGEpics.chtml

for some decorating ideas, http://pb.quik.com/ikelleher/minikit.htm

Miniature Christmas Ornament Kit - Hand Craft your own Ornaments: These are neat, check them out. Just slice off as many angels or gingerbread men or whatever that you want. "CHOP-m-STIX" tm are SHAPED (angel, gingerbread men etc) POLYMER Sticks (sometimes called canes - although most CANES are USUALLY ROUND) which can be sliced with a single edge razor blade, or if you're really brave - a "tissue blade" - INTO EXACT DUPLICATE SHAPED SLICES!!!!! Then the slices (between 40-120 per stick - depending on the shape) can be rebaked, painted, placed on, added to, built-in, etc. to whatever your Polymer Clay, Miniature, Egg Decorating, Bead, or misc Hobby, etc., Project might be...

They can be found at: http://lincsminiworld.bizland.com/

Jean in Maine

Christmas Goodies: To make candy canes, just roll a snake of each color and then roll them together, cut and shape. I have been making Santa tea pots and a red cup with a very fine candy cane around the lip.

For cakes, cut a block of wood and cover with the Fimo. I cut rubbers since wood is hard to get here.

Plum puddings - cut finely, black for currants and red for cherries. Cook, then roll these in brown Fimo, cook again, then mix white paint, glue and a tinge of yellow to make it a cream color for brandy sauce. I also put two tiny bits of green foliage for the leaves and 2 tiny rolled and cooked red balls for the cherries on the top.

Karen from Dubai

Gingerbread Men:

Materials: Ochre and Caramel Fimo

Kemper Cutter - 3/8" Flower

Fine-point Marking Pen - Brown

Toothpick

Fimo Lacquer - matte

Miniature Platter

For Gingerbread color, knead thoroughly one part ochre to one part Caramel Fimo. Roll the mixture out on a flat surface to a thickness of no more than 1/16". Cut out flowers with the Kemper cutter. Hold a flower between your fingers and gently stretch two of the petals to form legs. Place on baking pan and score eyes, nose, mouth, and buttons with a toothpick. Bake your cookies at 250 degrees for ten minutes. When cool, accent the eyes, etc. with a brown marker. Glue onto platter.

Mary Eccher

Model Magic Cats -- don't see why you couldn't use it. If you are making them in scale, you wouldn't even need an armature either. Model magic does have the tendency to want to "round out" and dry before you can get all the detail you want, so you have to work fast.

Kim Bulback

Kemper Cutters: can be found at the about.com mini site they have a section on where to order clay supplies here is the URL http://miniatures.about.com/hobbies/miniatures/library/clay/blclaysources.htm

Natasha Petersen

Casting Resins: You ask about molding material for making molds of your grandmothers buttons. I suggest trying Micro-Mark. They have an ez to use silicone putty that sits up in about five minutes. They also have a urethane resin that casts very good parts. You will find them on page 56 of their winter 2000 catalog. I've used both of these products and have had excellent results. http://www.micromark.com

Lloyd

Button Mold: you asked about molding a button.   I just did this recently using super-elasticlay.  I worked the elasticlay soft, rolled into a ball and then flattened it and pressed the button in pushing the edges up around but not overlapping.  Then I chilled the elasticlay with the button still in place. Once it was cold it held it's shape better when I gently removed the button. bake the elasticlay according to directions I used sculpy to then make the positive.   measure out the same amount for each piece you want to make, work till soft, roll into ball and press into the mold, working into all the relief.  chill again and gently work the mold free. bake sculpy.  I don't know about molding resin but would try it in a well ventilated area incase the two materials don't like each other.  Let me know how it works. 

Susan B Hanks

Making molds for casting: Micro-Mark has materials in their catalog to make molds for casting. I have the kit, haven't used it yet, looks like it should work.

Barb Jones

Ghosts: Take a needle pin and drape some glow-in-the-dark Fimo around it. Add black eyes and an ugly mouth and there is ghost. You can also drape some tissue around the pin and dab it into glow-in-the-dark paint. Another idea: take a very thin plastic bag and make look-through-ghosts!

Marjon de Haas in The Netherlands

Stuffing pillows: Once-upon-a-time I ordered a wonderful, one room cabin (already constructed-chinking between logs and all, very authentic looking) that I was going to complete for an old mountain man and his young bride. (both are Cat Wingler dolls who are living elsewhere waiting on this cabin) Anyway I wanted the bed and pillow especially to look pretty beat up and I knew that once completed I was not going to ever change it, so I stuffed an old pillow case I made and aged with the paper mache stuff (sculptemold/celuclay, etc ) and wet it real good and shaped it like I wanted. When it was dry it had the look of a very well worn and slept on pillow

Jane Ratcliffe

Pond: Just had to write and tell you that, after thinking for a while about making a pond, I finally took the plunge!( no pun intended). I bought a box of Sculpey and went to work. I ended up with a pond 8-1/2 X 7 inches. I carved small rocks the whole way around the pond, with one large rock on one side that extends into the water.

I then started painting. I bought a jar of Sandstone at Michael's in tweed color that I used for the rocks. I painted the cracks in-between with a dark brown. I then added a glaze over that. I painted the bottom of the pond "blue lagoon".

I made a gold fish, lily pads, lily, and cattails out of Cernit as well as leaves out of florists tape.

Kathy, Rural PA

Ponds: I took a piece of cardboard box and cut it to the size and shape that I wanted my free-form pond to be. Then I used aquarium sealer and spackle and covered the cardboard and built up the edges to the height and shape I wanted and then I let it dry, I painted it dark grey-green and let it dry. I then poured in the resin and as that was drying I put in the plants and fish. I made the koi from fimo and the resin didn't hurt them at all. I used painted masking tape for the cattail leaves (wire stems and the reconstituted bread dough tops which I made about twenty years ago). I added water lily leaves and flowers last as the top was just dry.

Carol

Rocks, landscaping and bases - I was asked about how I construct the bases that my houses sit on. As a sub-base, I use 2" Rigid Foam Insulation Board which comes in 4' x 8' sheets. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowes, Home Base or any of the home improvement places. It costs about $20 a sheet and you'll have enough for a few houses. I generally shape each layer with a sharp knife and glue them down with Liquid Nails Construction Adhesive. I also use bamboo skewers to hold everything together until it dries. This lets me continue working without waiting for the glue to dry. After the basic shapes are glued up, I then make any changes necessary.

Now using Celluclay or ClayMache II, I put on a thin coat covering everything. This stuff dries hard as a rock, making a very stable foundation for the landscaping. Next, using Creative Paper Clay, I do the detailing on the rocks and ground. Landscaping consists of AMSI landscaping materials; ground foam for grass and small bushes. Plant and flower selection is up to you. I personally use various paper punches for vines and flowers along with restructured silk plants.

Celluclay and ClayMache II can be found at Michael's and I imagine other craft stores. AMSI's # is 1-800-227-2760, Creative PaperClay's web site is; http://www.paperclay.com

Tree bark: The process I use is, after I have the trunk twisted up from copper wire, I wrap it with Creative Paperclay. After I have the trunk and limbs covered with a thin layer (about 1/8 ") take a stylus or round off the end of a bamboo skewer and then rake the bark. After the bark is dry, paint it with successive thin washes of acrylic paint. To see a sample of an old oak tree, go to my web site and look at Crossbridge Cottage. http://community.webshots.com/user/rikpierce

Rik Pierce

Cactus: What to use for needles in cactus. The Cactus Lady, who lives in California cuts bristles off brushes and uses those. She uses FIMO for her cacti and bakes them after the bristles are put in.

Marsha Heeter

Cactus: If you are using air drying clay, how about trying those plastic 'strings' stores use to attach price tags and such? I wouldn't use them in the oven, but they ought to do the trick for you. They also make good drinking straws for milk and soda.

Dani

Grass Cloth: What I have done to improve the look of it is to build up the *flat* surface with Styrofoam blobs or non-drying modeling clay first to create rolling hills. This creates dimension and takes away that blah look! Then I apply the grass cloth over the hills, cutting to fit over and I glue as I go. Then spray the grass with a coat of spray glue. Fill a shaker bottle with 2 different colors of green loose grass landscaping material. Shake it over the glue and then apply a final coat of Matte Spray Fixative. Build some flower beds on cardboard or other material with modeling clay and mini earth and then hide the cardboard edges with aquarium rocks, glued around the edges. Fill with greenery and flowers. Decide where you want flower beds and glue them in right on top of the grass.

Roz Weitzman