Mini Action Figures: You might want to try looking at large toy stores, comic book shops, and shops that sell role playing games and accessories. Even if you only find generic pieces, you can always paint them to resemble the different characters you need.

Karen from PA

Mini Action Figures: I used the 1" tall Star Wars micro machine figures available in the toy stores when I needed mini action figures and models. I just used my X-Acto knife and paint to transform them into the characters I wanted. For Batman and Robin...the same company makes several play sets with those very figures in them. If your Toys R Us does not have any ...they are always listed on eBay. Here is the link to the boy's room I used them in: http://www.wishbooktoys.com/boys/ Look closely at the "Mummy" model and you will see hi is really C3PO in disguise. Dracula was Obi-Wan Kenobi :) You might also look at the tiny HO and N scale people that are sold in the railroad shops...with a bit of paint, they can be transformed as well.

John Medeiros

Yellow Rain Coat: How about cutting one out from a rubber glove, the kind used to wash dishes? It could be cut out in the shape of a coat and then draped to fit to hang. Seems to me that the rubber gloves are very pliable and could be arranged the way you want. Don't know if clear nail polish could be applied to make it shiny.

Donna

Ballet leg warmers: I believe that pink baby socks could be cut into a tube, and sew closed on the doll. Not hard to do at all since I don't think leg warmers have "feet" do they? They're just a tube I think. You could also use a thin cotton knit sewn into a tube.

Viola

Ballet leg warmers: Find a hand therapy clinic (under physical therapy or occupational therapy) Ask for some cloth surgical tubing (smallest size of "stockinette" made for fingers). Dye to desired color.

Mel K.

Ballet leg warmers: Try finding a pair of thin knit gloves and cut the fingers off - that should do it. The fingers of kid's gloves make great stocking hats when you roll down the edge.

Gail

Making Porcelain Dolls: If you want to learn to make porcelain dolls using commercial molds, "Dolls & Miniatures" magazine had a very descriptive article on how to do so in the Winter 98 issue. It tells you what supplies you need, and then takes you from casting the mold to removing and cleaning the greenware, to detailing and firing, then on to polishing it and painting and ends up by showing you how to assemble the finished doll - ready to be dressed & wigged. There are also several other how-to projects in that issue.

You can order it from me, and learn more about it by going to my web page http://www.dollsminiatures. bigstep.com and clicking on "Dolls and Miniatures"

Viola

Civil War Widow: I want to do an attic scene of an old woman looking through a trunk of mementos of her beloved husband. He was killed in the civil war and she never remarried. Each year on their anniversary she spends the evening going through this trunk, looking at his things, reading his letters which she keeps tied with a satin ribbon...frayed from so many years of reading and re-reading the letters. She will be in a chair in front of the trunk and parts of the mementos will have been dragged out in sight. A Confederate flag, frayed on the edges; his Confederate uniform...possibly with dark stains (blood; he was wearing it when killed) but don't know if that would be too gruesome for some people. Other things as I can find them. Tears are on her cheeks as she reads these letters. In the background behind her, but watching her is the ghost of her young husband seen in a cheval mirror. Hopefully I can find one with somewhat of a look of longing and love on his face. Have wondered if I printed the picture out on transparency (light ink) and attached it to the mirror, then maybe sprayed with a matte finish...would this work do you think? Maybe the mirror is in a corner of the attic with lots of spider webs (to help obscure the image of the husband-ghost). Any ideas about how I could do this?

Rita Pierce

Ethnic Dolls; To the people looking for ethnic dolls, there is a wonderful lady named Phyllis Hill who can do magic with porcelain. I have bought several dolls from her including a few Hispanic dolls. She will make up any kind of doll you ask for and the quality cannot be beat. You can reach Phyllis at her email address: Minimade@earthlink. net

She has a website and also a color catalog. http://home.earthlink.net/%7eminimade/

Deana

Yellow Raincoats. Jean's Wee things, 157 Glen Street Rowley MA 01969.

Susan

Rain Slicker: Sylvia Rountree does business as The Doll's Cobbler, and I know I have seen a yellow rain slicker (with matching hat and boots) on her table at shows. I have never seen her on any of the digests, but her mailing address (or at least the last one I have for her) is P. O. Box 906, Berlin, MD 21811.

Janet in Baltimore

Rain Slicker: Barbara Schuckman, BY BARB miniatures, from NY makes a slicker and other rain gear. You can email her at : bybarb@juno.com

Alice Zinn- Pt. ST. Lucie FL

Shoes: Doll's cobbler has wonderful shoes and I do have a couple of hers - but if you are going to place shoes in a distant area and would like many, I suggest getting the many styles available at Metal Miniatures from the Reynolds in Illinois. I did an "Imelda's Closet" vignette and filled it with a lot of shoes in different colors & styles. I added raveled Bunka for frou-frous on some and managed to make some of the same styles look different with varied trims and colors. It was loads of fun and not very expensive for a novelty setting. Just an idea for those of you who have open closets or want some shoes in a bedroom.

Jeanette in Wisconsin

Felt Hats: If you have access to WOOL FELT it's wonderful to work with. This can be done with craft felt although it seems to have a mind of it's own and does not dry as sharp as the wool would.

1) You need a FILM CAN with smooth sides, NOT the one with the ridge at the top.

2) Piece of 5/8'' DOWEL 2 1/4" long.

3) 2 Tiny RUBBER BANDS, like the ones they put around green onions in the market. Larger ones leave an ugly dent in the hat.

4) Glue. I use Designer Tacky or Veverette

5) A square of felt 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 for a one piece hat (crown & brim all in one piece)

Submerge the felt in warm water and squeeze out excess water, you don't want it dripping but it must be wet all be way through. Center the felt over the dowel and wrap a rubber band around and around till it is firmly held. Stand the dowel in the film can and bring the felt down against the can top and secure with the other rubber band. The crown will go slightly off center but that doesn't matter. When you trim this later you will cut around the brim about 1/4" or approximately where the bottom of the last rubber band comes so you want to work that rubber band down the film can at least 1/4". That band tends to mark the felt and you can avoid this by moving it down.

Set aside to dry, I usually leave them 24 hrs. When you take it off the can if you have used wool felt it will be real sharp on all the folds where the Poly felt relaxes and has a different look. Now the fun begins, trim with feathers beads, roses, ribbon or what ever is your fancy. For a two piece hat, make the crown the same way we started the first hat. Cut your brim any size suitable and put a 5/8" hole in the center. When crown is dry trim it to the height you want it. Put a tiny bead of glue around opening of brim and place crown in hole. Press both parts together and leave to dry.

Helen from San Diego

Dryer sheets: When I was dressing miniature dolls I used the dryer sheets to make patterns out of for their clothes. They don't tear like paper you can mold the pattern around the dolls body to fit and nip in order to get the correct fit.

Sclarise

Realistic dolls: For everyone pining for realistic dolls, check out this link - this company makes action figures of yourself! I have no idea what they charge, but it would be fun to have yourself in a dollhouse. http://www.andgor.com/Personalized_Figures/personalized_figures.html

Bev

French Doll Artist, Beglan: Here is a web site for" Marie- France Beglan -The French Doll Artist http://teddies.ch/miniatur/beglan/beglan1.htm It has a link with "Catherine Munière" If you click on Miniatures, the site is in German, but it gives you an idea of different doll artists besides the French ones.

Gisele Nadeau, BC Canada

Playable Dolls: Doll family for kid play: Try www.miniatures.com(which is Hobby Builders Supply) for a set called "Dollhouse Family Play Set" goes for about 22.50 (HBS price). Comes with removable clothes, extra set of outfits, Mom, Dad, toddler, little girl and a dog. I can't tell if it is plastic or not, but considering its price and the stuff you get with it, it probably is a good bet that it is sturdy enough for 8-year-old play (as long as the 8-year-old isn't nicknamed "destructo";)). The set of which I describe is a contemporary style, they also have a couple of other family types as well.

Kim from Canada

Cats Paw Doll Accessories
Pamela and Michael Lembo
336 Candlewood Lake Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
Tel:    203-775-4717
Fax:    203-740-8146
melembo@snet.net

Fine doll jewelry, brass accessories, brass hardware, and miniature trunks.

Judy Bayless

Elizabethan Costuming: I found this link while surfing the web today. Looks like a great resource for anyone doing anything in the Elizabethan Period. http://www.dnaco.net/~aleed/corsets/general.html

Cindy in Dunmore, PA