Food - I bought Meyers Homemade Meals from HBS online a few months ago. It has a lot of easy projects. Most of them call for bread dough, but I use the polymer clay instead. I did finally spring for Sue Heaser's book, though. Boy am I glad I did! Her ideas are fantastic, the directions are easy to follow, and the results are wonderful! I just ordered her book about making miniature people with polymer clay.

Lauren in Baltimore

Making Miniature Water Lettuce from Polymer Clay:

Water lettuce is a floating plant. It looks like an opened-up head of lettuce. They get to be about 6-8 inches in diameter, maximum, with roots as much as 12 inches long that hang in the water.

Materials:

Polymer clay: create a light green color using green, yellow, and transparent
Ceramic tile: to work on, and use to bake finished plants
Round toothpick
Wooley thread, separated, to make the roots.

1. Mix green, yellow, and transparent polymer clay until you get a pleasing light green color (see picture of actual water lettuce).

2. Start with a 1/16 to 1/8 inch ball of clay

3. Squish against tile with finger, letting it be thicker in the middle than at the edges

4. Using the last 1/8th of the toothpick, lightly press "dents," in parallel, into the clay

5. Push at the sides of the clay using your fingernail, shaping the leaf into a petal shape.

6. Lift the leaf. If the clay is quite soft, lifting it will distort it somewhat. That's ok, because all leaves in nature are not uniform.

7. Arrange each lettuce with the bigger leaves on the bottom, and the smallest on the top, with the smallest being just a folded piece of clay in the middle.

8. When you've made all the plants you can put up with making, bake the tile with the plants according to clay instructions.

9. Separate small lengths of needlepoint yarns to make the roots. You want to make it kind of like a tassle that's had a haircut--the outer strings are shorter than the innermost strings.

10. Glue to the bottom of the baked lettuce.

When I plan to "float" my water lettuce in a resin casting, I'll suspend the bunch of threads so that they can hang down below the surface. After the resin is hard, I'll glue the lettuce heads on top of my "roots."

Trish in San Jose, CA

Topiary: It would be easy to make your own topiary tree. Find a suitable base and fill it with florist clay or plaster with a dowel in the middle of the height you want your finished topiary. Spray the appropriate size and number or Styrofoam balls with green Design Master floral spray or use green acrylic paint. (Other paints may melt Styrofoam) Slide the balls onto the dowel and glue with tacky. When dry, coat balls with tacky and cover with textured ground foam (often found in train stores.) Add tiny Fimo fruits or tiny flowers to decorate. You could also substitute sprigs of lycopodium if you want the feathery look. You can make them in any size and shape; they look nice with 2 or 3 balls graduated from large on bottom to smallest on top.

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Tomato Plants: We used to make and sell tomato plants for the garden.....we now do food and accessories....and leave the plants and flowers to better gardeners. First, fill the pot with fimo or other base material to "plant" in. Cover with dark brown railroad "dirt". Cut a 1/8" dowel rod to the height needed to extend about 1/4" above your finished plant and put in the center of the pot. "Plant" sprigs of pepper grass (found in the dried flower dept of the craft shop or florist shop) around the stake. Make the tomatoes from red fimo, put a little star shape of green on the top and poke a tiny hole in the top with a wire and bake. Take green florist wire and bend into a shepherd's crook. Glue the tomato to the end of the crooked wire and let dry. "Plant" your tomatoes in among the sprigs of pepper grass. Use a single strand of embroidery thread to "tie up" the tomatoes and then spray the whole thing with a light spray of matte sealer to keep the pepper grass from drying out and falling apart.

Kathie, J & K Miniatures

Hanging Baskets: Have you tried to use the small wooden bowls you can pick up at Hobby Lobby? I think you could use a Dremel tool to drill out the holes for the wires. I would use silver metallic thread for the wire too, as it can be tied easier and doesn't kink up like wire does. Think I would add a small drop of thick glue to each knot so as not to come untied and spill dirt and lovely flowers all over the place. Then, again, it would resemble my botched trials (more like errors) of the real thing.

If you insist on using Fimo for the baskets, try something round that is bigger than a marble......hmm, I see a new topic clicking away in all mini minds! And by the way, who says it has to be round? There are so many unique and unusual shapes in gardening these days.

Or what about using toothpaste lids, water bottle lids, syrup lids,....well you get the idea, now let us know what your success story is!!

Lisa Lynn

Topiaries: I was thinking that Model Magic would be a good medium to sculpt (or would that be mold) the unusual evergreen shapes and topiaries. I just have it in white, but I believe it's sold in green too. After you achieve the shape you want, you could glue the green landscaping flocking on, insert a stem before it dries, (although it still remains pretty flexible after drying,)and stick it into a pot or your landscaping scene. I'm mostly thinking of those really weirdly pruned evergreens you sometimes see.

Cheryl Loaring

Stone Enclosures: When making a stone wall or enclosure of small stones for a pond, there are spaces between the small stones that are being glued one on top of the other to make the wall for "water" containment or a stone fence etc. I filled in these spaces after the glue dried; with air curing clay. Materials; air drying clay, cup of water, a "pusher" like a nail with a small head. You hold the shank and push the clay with the head of a paint brush, perhaps 1/4" wide. Procedure;

Take a small piece of clay that will be able to fit into the opening you wish to fill. Wet it with water from the paint brush. Gently push it into the opening. Use the "pusher" to tamp it into place a bit more securely. Now, wet the brush and just wipe the clay and spread it as you brush it with the wet brush. Blend the clay into the crevices with the wet paint brush. Hides the holes and the glue and looks good.

Bob in Hollywood, FL

"1/12 Scale Character Figures for the Dolls' House" by James Carrington - This book is printed in the U.K. and hasn't made it to the U.S. yet. But, as a miniaturist/book fanatic, did I wait for it to get here? No, I ordered it from Amazon in the UK This book is fabulous if you want to try sculpting your own dolls in polymer clay. There are great color photographs of dolls with real character to their faces. The instructions are well-written with very good illustrations. Not only that, it is written with wit and humor. Just to give you an idea of James' sense of humor..... He wrote about how, as you get older, gravity pulls the face downwards and with it, features such as the eyes and mouth. He says... "If you are of a certain age, and feel very brave, test this theory by placing a mirror flat on a table, and lean over it to look at yourself. (Remove all sharp objects out of the way before you do this!). The effect can be devastating, and you may find yourself not daring even to glance down in public for the rest of your life. Of course, if you are young, this will not happen - well, not today perhaps, but it will, so work on your sense of humor now; you'll need it!" For anyone who sculpts dolls or is thinking about giving it a try (like me), this book is a "must have".

Paula in NJ

Polymer Clay Book: For those asking about a clay projects book. I have one called Making Miniatures in Polymer Clay. It is available from Scott publications 800 458 8237.

Mary Kaliski

Making Doll House Miniatures out of Polymer Clay was found by me at Barnes and Noble last year.

Penny

Sue Heaser Book: Here is Sue Heasers' site with information on her books: http://www.heaser.demon.co.uk/sue/suetemp.htm

Marjon de Haas

Miniature Books: I've seen a couple of messages from subscribers looking for dolls house and miniature books namely Making Dollshouse Miniatures With Polymer Clay and the New Dollshouse Do It Yourself Book. Try www.miniaturebookshop.com They have a large selection of reference and how to books. And talking of books - thanks to the digest I found out about the Reference Guide To Miniature Makers Marks that was auctioned last week on eBay. I made a successful bid and just received the book and I love it! Talking of postage the book cost $39.99 and the postage $38.50 but it was still worth it. If you really want something you just have to consider the price plus the postage when bidding, and remember that you have saved a lot of time and energy and fuel by not having to travel to a shop.

Karon

Making Miniatures in Polymer Clay: by Mary Kaliski is advertised in July 2000 issue of Miniature Collector as being $15.95 from Scott Publications.

June Simpson

Fimo canes: I believe the person you're thinking about is Donna Smolik. Her site is: http://home.flash.net/~wolfes You can E-mail her at wolfe@brigadoon.com.>

Sue in Ct

Garden Vegetables:. The best booklet I ever bought for making fruits and vegetables was "Bread Dough Fruits and Vegetables" by Barbara Meyer. I don't know if it's still in print - I bought mine over 15 years ago. I don't use bread dough - I use polymer clay - but the basic "how-tos" are fantastic for beginner or more advanced.

Since many vegetables don't ripen at the same times, to keep a garden realistic and identifiable put seed packets on sticks at the end of the rows. I think Farrow made sets of them, or if you have some real packets of seeds you could reduce them on a color copier.

Beverly Michie

Polymer Topiary:  There's a project for making delightful-looking little formal orange or lemon trees, and their pots, on http://www.polymerclaycentral.com. It's by Sue Heaser.

Mary

Fimo/sculpey: I like to mix equal parts of fimo and sculpey. If you have a pasta machine it is very easy to do. The pasta machine conditions the clay and is much more easier to work with. I use this method for making my dolls.

Bonnie Justice

Promat is basically the same as Fimo and Sculpey, except it is suppose to have more strength. I really haven't found the others to be weak, but I use Promat for sculpting animals. I have found that it is easier to get fine details than with Fimo, and Sculpey is too soft. The texture is just right - kneading is much easier than using Fimo. I haven't checked lately, so I don't know if the craft stores have it. It's made by the same company as Sculpey.

Mary Eccher mentioned the problems with realistic color when using Sculpey, and I don't know if Promat is the same in that way because I work with white. There is a newer clay called Premo that is also made by the Sculpey people, which comes in an artists color palette, and I have seen that in Michael's.

Cheri Stewart

Fimo vs. Sculpey vs. Promat vs. Cernit vs. Premo vs. Polyform vs. etc., I must say here that in my last post I was selfishly speaking of my experience with these compounds in making FOODS. These modelling compounds are used for so many things in miniature - plants, toys, picture frames, animals, dolls, leather items, or whatever the imagination can think of to create! That is what is so remarkable about this polymer clay.

Then there is the mixing of one brand to the other to create the exact look for your miniature, as BONNIE pointed out with her dolls. CHERI tells us that Promat is best for sculpting her animals.Even with my foods I don't stick to one medium but usually must mix certain colors of different mediums to attain the look and color I need.

And so I, and all the others out there who work with polymer compounds, have found that there is no "bad guy". Through experimentation, you will find the best compound to use for what you wish to create.

If you don't mind my taking up a bit more space, I will list the attributes and downfalls of the various compounds for your consideration.

Sculpey - soft and easy to work with, colors can be dull after baking

Super Sculpey - flesh colored, fairly firm, great for dolls when mixed with Champagne Fimo

Elasticlay - Beige colored compound, stays flexible after baking - great for mixing into other compounds where a bit of flexibility is important, such as the fragile fingers of a doll. Also good for molds.

Fimo - Stiff to work with (especially if one has cold hands!) but when mixed 1 part color to 1 part Mix Quick, a very workable compound can be attained, a very true-colored compound, doesn't shrink, and detailed miniatures can be created. Colors can be mixed like paints, for example, green added to red gives you brown.

Fimo Soft - You would think this is it! But...after baking, the miniature has a translucent look. This may be fine for many things, but not so great for most foods.

Promat - Soft, yet firm enough for detailed miniatures. Some of the colors look a bit day-glo, and there is a smell of soap when baking. The yellow is wonderful for cheeses!

Cernit - Soft consistency, colors are mostly realistic, again depending on what you are creating.

Premo - Soft consistency, odd sort of array of colors, better for larger items and not detailed miniatures.

There are others, but since no one has mentioned them, I will not confuse us all the more here. Just remember that these compounds can be intermixed, with the exception of promat. Yes, Pasta machines are a plus to soften any compound and also, if your machine has thickness settings, this is wonderful to attain a uniform slab to cut with the Kemper Cutters.

The above are only guidelines...it is up to YOU to decide which compound is best for you.

Mary Eccher

Preemo is the newest offering from the Sculpey people. It's an improved replacement for Promat, which I believe they are discontinuing. Preemo is supposed to be the hardest of all the new clays after baking. I find it a little sticky to work with, but it is really strong! I've even seen people make shoelaces out of it! I'm sure the mini-possabilities are endless!

Another new clay from the Sculpey folks is Flex-clay. It's only available in a multi-color package (8 small blocks of different colors) but it cures flexible, sort of like rubber. I've made doll hands of it, and they won't break, even if you bend them.

Fimo has a new one, too. Theirsis Fimo Translucent. I haven't seen it in the stores yet, but I think it's available on line. It looks like a great way to make colored glassware. (cranberry glass?)

Stacy Mandell