Lighting etched glass: The effect of light on etched glass is best if done from the edges. Plexiglas can also be etched.

I made some special parts for toy truck for a man who collected and restored old toy cars. As a thank you he made an etched glass lighted sign of my business card with logo. To light it he lighted it from the bottom and edge. It looks as if my logo and business name just floats.

Bill Hudson

Childproofing a Dollhouse: My husband "catproofed" my miniature antiques shop with a sheet of plexiglass, but rather than making doors, he made a single sliding sheet. He nailed two grooved pieces of wood at the top and bottom of the back and this way the sheet slides out horizontally and is completely removable and also does a bang-up job of keeping the dust out. You could do the same thing on your dollhouse below the attic but make it even harder for your son to move by doing this vertically; i.e., putting a grooved piece of wood on the bottom and the sides and sliding it down from the top. You could protect the attic area by more conventional means, perhaps by attaching a plexiglass sheet with a hinge so it lifts up. You should be able to find plexiglass sheets in various sizes at your local hardware store.

Bev Gallerani

Babies and Dollhouses: You might feel better to temporarily put away the most fragile and expensive items. An acrylic shield over the open side would protect everything inside from dust. Another thought is to get or make a small, sturdy dollhouse with some sturdy furniture for your son, and if he shows a curiosity about yours, explain patiently that it is Mommy's toy, and this one is his!

Janet

Childproofing a Dollhouse: I had the same problem when my daughter was an infant but I never thought of enclosing my scenes in any way. Looking at the house became a wonderful time we had together and she learned from a very early age that she was not to touch without momma being there. I made a point of always saying yes whenever she asked so it wouldn't become a temptation when I wasn't looking. I showed her how to gently touch and be VERY CAREFUL!!! To secure pieces that you don't want to move use sticky tack. It's very similar to silly putty. You can find it in the stationary section or in the picture hook sections of most stores. I know Michael’s carries it and so does Target, Ace, and if you have any by you Meijers.

The best part of allowing my daughter to look at the house is that it has put the mini bug in her. Now that she is five, we sit down and do projects together. She has her own dollhouse that she is decorating. I have purchased some the inexpensive-dime store variety- press board furniture. After I punch it out, she sands it then paints it MANY MULTI COLORS!!! When done she gets to put it in HER HOUSE!!! I get to work on my projects, while still being able to have some good quality time with my daughter. I hope that the bug stays with her and when she becomes a rebellious teen (which I'm sure she will) we will still have this to do together!!

Jean Mumma

Childproofing: We used to put our Christmas tree in the play pen when our daughters were toddlers, I don't know why it wouldn't work for a doll house. However when my grand daughters were about two, they were taught to look with their eyes not their fingers. They would hold their hands behind their backs and peer in the windows. The rule for visiting children has always been hands behind your back and look with your eyes not your fingers. The only damage I've ever had was from the hands of an adult who tired to open a door the wrong way.

Patricia

Childproof Dollhouse: It might be easier to encase the entire dollhouse by making a box of Plexiglas. You could then set the entire house and box on a piece of fibre board (or whatever you choose) slightly larger than the size of the house and box. Add some ready made legs (sold at Home Depot or other lumber stores) and you will have a childproof and decorative addition to your room.

Marilyn

Baby Proof: I had twins and found that putting my dollhouse, Christmas tree, etc. in the PLAYPEN and letting the kids loose had the best protection LOL :) Now that I have 4 yr and 9 month old grandbabies I find plexiglass shields allow them to play and me to relax. And I always know their favorites by the handprints :)

Sue Thwaite

Keeping Dust, Hands and Cats Out: Truly the sliding plexiglass tracks work for the Lady Kathleen. I've done it for this house before. The one story addition will need a separate piece to slide on its own tracks. If you didn't, read my earlier post about making (or buying) the U shaped tracks.

Fannye

As for dust, my husband has built all my dollhouses (12) and since we have cats, each house has a back. Ergo no dust (or very little).

Patricia

Snow: I've got another way to put snow on a roof top or lay it in a landscape: I cut a piece of white felt fabric to fit the roof plus an additional inch all around. I lay it on sheets of wax paper. Working on one section at a time, I coat it with a watered down solution of SnowTex. Big, disposable sponge brushes are best for applying it. And, before the SnowTex dries, I liberally sprinkle on irridescent glitter and lightly pat it down. When you've done the whole sheet, let it dry for a couple of days. Then, peel off the wax paper and glue the "snow" to the roof. Trim around the side edges and fold the edges down. At the bottom edges, cut out hanging icicle shapes. Spread a little dab of white glue between your thumb and forefinger and gently pull down on the tips of your icicles to bring them to delicate points.

Sally Cook-Thomas

Stucco: An easy way to get the stucco look is to use white (or any color) acrylic paint. Start in a small area and paint heavily, about 1-1/2", then tear about a 1-1/2" piece of Kleenex (facial tissue 1 thickness)and put it on top of the paint. With dry brush, (white stiff bristle,) push it around 'till it's lumpy and looks like stucco. Work in small areas to get the look you want. Let dry 24 hours and you can antique, seal or leave alone.

Jo Nan Deltona

Stone Foundations/Fireplaces: I made a stone foundation and fireplace by spreading light grey caulk on the base and then pushing the stones into it - quite effective. If you have the caulk thick enough, you do not need to add any mortar to the joints.

Shelby

Clapboard Siding: Glue the clapboard siding on first. It is much easier to do it first and then paint. I didn't get any curled or warped boards with mine doing it that way. I used both paint from the hardware store and paint from the miniature store. I used latex paint from the hardware store for the house itself because it took a lot of paint to paint it and it is much less expensive that way and just as good to use. For things that didn't need a lot of paint, I used the paint from the miniature store. I didn't want to buy a big can of paint just for small items and have a lot of paint left unless I knew I had other things I would use that paint for. I never used oil based paint for anything. The clean up is way too messy.

I would put on the amount of coats that you are satisfied with. You usually do have to sand somewhat between coats of paint. I used three coats of paint. Shutters and window trim can be painted with an acrylic paint if the siding is painted with an oil base paint. One would not effect the other when finished but the acrylic/latex paint is so much easier to work with for everything. I have never heard of spaying with a sealer of any kind once the siding is painted. The paint IMO is enough.

Carol from MA

Clapboard Siding: I apply the siding to the house first (using Quick Grab). After it is all on, I then paint. Any paint works. Some people prime the wood with sealer. I use the first coat of paint as my primer. Sand, then paint again. With some paints, I will use a third coat, but not often. And you don't have to use the same kind of paint on doors and windows as you use on the siding. I use an eggshell or anything except flat, flat paint. This makes it easier to dust the siding. I don't use a sealer afterwards, but you could.

You can cut plexiglas yourself. Buy a piece at a home improvement store (Home Depot, Lowe's,) The cutter costs about a dollar or two. With a metal yardstick as a guide, you score the plexi several times. Don't try to cut through with one cut. Just score, score, score. Do not cut all the way through. Scoot the plexi to the edge of the table, lining the score up with the edge of the table and snap it off. You can also cut plexi with a scroll or table saw, but I much prefer the plexi cutter, I get straighter cuts.

I glue a track for the plexi at the bottom of the first floor and the bottom of the third floor to slide the plexi in. You can buy these already made or make your own. Glue three pieces of wood together to form a U shape. The plexi will then slide right in. On the top floor, I glue two small pieces of scrap wood at the top (open) corners on the inside under the shingles. Let it stick out a little, so when you put a piece of plexi there, it rests between the little piece of wood and the shingle. This will place the plexi against the opening. Let this piece of plexi overlap the piece you put on that covers the first and second floors. Drill two holes (one each side) through the plexi and small wood. Drop a straight pin through to hold this piece on. It will be nearly invisible.

You can use blu-tack (rubbery stuff, different names everywhere,) to stick your furniture down. I don't like it because it is hard to hide. There are several restickable glues on the market now that let you lift the object and reglue. Rubber cement will also work.

Fannye in TX

Painting Clapboard: I glued on my clapboard and then painted it. I used interior latex house paint from the hardware store on the siding and some of the trim. It covered well with just two coats. I sanded in between coats using emery boards, which are just about the same width as the clapboards so as not to round the edges of the boards. You'll need a couple of packages of the emery boards and also a brush the same width as the boards. The only disadvantage to using house paint is that they won't mix it for you in quantities less than a quart which is way more than enough to paint the house, but if it's a light color you can always use the leftover for priming inside the house. The advantage is you have lots of color choices.

Linda Roebke

Finishing RGT Lighthouse Kit: I would recommend painting before putting the lighthouse together. My lighthouse was put together because I requested a hinged door to totally enclose it. It came out great. But it was very difficult to paint. The person who put it together for me also glued the beacon housing together. I ended up ordering another from RGT because I found it was impossible to paint without getting paint on the plexiglass provided for the windows. I think the kit actually recommends you glue it together first so you don't get paint down the window grooves. Well, IMHO you want to paint down the groove, not a lot but just enough to cover the bare wood. Otherwise, you see unfinished wood in the grooves which to me was very unattractive.

Emily Court

Wallpaper Pasting: My first experience with prepasted wallpaper came with this advice from the owner of my now gone dh shop. Mix water and Elmer's glue til it looks like skim milk. Then paint it onto the back of the already trimmed paper. Let it settle a bit and you can apply to straight to unsealed wood. I did this, and my dollhouse, wallpaper and all, has survived the humidity left from 5 or 6 floods, and all is still intact.

Paula Isaacs

Pre-pasted Wallpaper: My personal experience with adding dollhouse wallpaper paste to a pre-pasted dollhouse wallpaper was a disaster. There was so much paste that I could NOT get the wrinkles out. The paper had huge lumps and oozed until it tore. I finally just pulled it off and used unpasted paper with paste.

I would recommend that if you do add paste to pre-pasted paper, that you go very lightly on it!

JJ

Formica: You could make a very nice tile floor out of the little color samples of Formica. Cut in one inch squares and glue down. You could even mix colors if you have different colors. For the grout in between, you could use real tile grout. Put a thin layer over all, let it set for about 15 minutes, and wipe off the excess.

jeregrl

Shingles on the gazebo roof need to be absolutely vertical. When you come to a slanted edge (as the divider of the 8 parts,), cut the shingle to follow that line. The triangles of shingles should meet snuggly. It's harder to describe than it is to accomplish. Once you get the hang of it, you'll move right along. I space 1" scale shingles 1/2" overlap instead of more, as some of the directions tell you. And I draw all of the shingle lines on the roof before I start to shingle.

Fannye