Turning Posts and the 'rest': I clip two clothes pins to the rim of a coffee cup. Rest the post between them, hold the post comfortably in the other hand and twirl it gently against the paint brush. I use this method to lay glued string on thin dowels to make 'carved' posts as well. The glass allows the post to spin without friction. Lay it on a proper sized bowl, across the opening - - again between clothes pins to dry without interference. This works for almost any item that needs twirling for paint, glue or embellishment.

Judie

Painting posts: I have the Bostonian doll house and added an extra large porch plus a porch for the upstairs. I wanted detailed posts also. I cut up several 1/4 inch dowel rods into about 3 inch lengths and drilled a small hole one end. I then cut the heads off of straight pins and glued one end of the straight pin into the hole in the dowel. Then I drilled small holes in the ends of the posts and put these onto the pins sticking out of the dowels(be sure to drill holes in the posts -- if you don't and just try to stick the pins in, the posts will split) This way I had something to hold onto(the dowel) while I painted the posts. I first painted the whole thing the base color and let them dry ( I used pieces of foam that you use to put flower arrangements in to stick the dowels in to let the paint dry). Then using a very small brush I painted on the trim colors. It sounds like a lot of work and it is tedious but this really did work well, and I am very pleased with the results.

Shara

SCORCHED PANS: would holding them above a burning candle to get real soot marks, then spraying with a matte acrylic fixative work?

Loretta.Sniarowski

Aging: You can paint the bottom of copper pans with either black acrylic paint or Patina -it several times (the black one). With wooden buckets and barrels I would stain them (if they are raw wood) then do a dirty water wash on them. The bucket could be banged up pretty well with a light weight hammer too for all the times the cow kicked it or it banged down the well! If it is pieces of wood banned together (like a barrel) you could soften each rib with an exacto and softly round the edges before staining.

Renee from New Orleans

Antiquing metal: as far as the copper pot(s). Lamp black from a simple candle flame and then when cool spray with "fixative" which can be obtained at any store that sells art supplies. It is sprayed on to a pastel or charcoal sketch to preserve it. Worth a try.

DrBob...Delray Beach, FL.

Aging metals; Try putting the metal in a zip lock bag with some household ammonia. Try not to immerse the metal in the liquid ammonia. It's the fumes that do the "dirty" work. I place a small glass (shot glass) in the zip lock and fill that with the ammonia and just put the metal to be tarnished, etc., in the bag with the contained ammonia.

DrBob....Delray Beach, FL

ME house: I saw an official ME house at a show; the exterior is indeed paper printed in ME designs, like an update of the Victorian Bliss houses -- red faux siding with a flower border, trees, and shrubs printed on it. If you have paper or fabric you'd like to use, go for it. I used this technique in one of the first give-away houses I did, which in fact was a bashed Sweetheart with an added foamcore lower story and balcony. I covered the exterior with quilt fabric in a mellow old brick pattern, using wallpaper paste, because at the time none of the local mini stores had brick paper in stock. Worked just fine. I stabilized the fabric with Wonderunder iron-on interfacing, then cut paper templates, pinned them to the fabric, cut the fabric walls, and pasted the fabric on (right over the window openings). Once the paste dried, I used a craft knife to cut out the window openings, then added the window trim, doors and balconies. Turned out quite nice; the same technique should work as well for a fantasy finish. Mary Lynn in Huntington did something similar with her quilt shop and has more how-to details on her web site -- don't have it bookmarked, so maybe she will respond with this info.

Loretta Sniarowski

Hiding the transformer. How about making a hollow 'bush' out of styrofoam and covering it with that shredded foam? Or, you could use a garden or potting shed to hide your transformer.

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Mod Podge. when applying fabric to a box try using Modge Podge. It does a good job, adheres well and doesn't warp what you are working with. I have used fabric on two projects, applying both with this adhesive.

Katherine

Stainless steel look: I am surprised no one has mentioned "Rub'n Buff" metallic colors. They can be applied to most any smooth surface for a true metallic sheen. The process is spelled out in the name and the result is exactly as good as you want it to be.

Dave

Crystal paint: Is there a paint already mixed with something like this inside that when you look at your painted project looks like it has that glitter on it?

I think what you want is a paint made by Duncan #SG 880 Crystal sparklers which comes in a 2fl oz bottle available at Michael's Crafts. I've used this paint which is water soluble, on several different surfaces including fabric and it has given me just the right amount of sparkle.

Marilyn, MI

Mod Podge. The classic use is to dab on to give art prints the look of brush strokes or to texture rug pictures to look woven. I also use it to thin acrylic paints to make them sheerer and more like a glaze, which in addition to faking pottery can simulate lacquer when rehabbing dollar store furniture.

Loretta Sniarowski

Modge Podge: So far I have used Modge Podge twice. I used it to seal my printed paper decals used to cover the Buck Rogers toy chest in my Boys Bedroom and as a sealer for the outside of the room box itself. I glued on cardboard artwork panels cut from 1960s style model boxes and added a few printies on them to change some logos. Prior to sealing both of these, I treated the printed surfaces with spray fixative and UV spray, then applied a thin layer of Modge Podge. In both cases it sealed it all in and made a more permanent bond for the printables I had attached. And in the case of the model box art-it gave a light texture of brush marks which I liked. Here is a link to the pics (toy chest is towards the bottom): http://www.wishbooktoys. com/boys/

John Medeiros

Cherry Wood.    I have planed to 1/16 th,   You have to watch the grain that is the key.   Place the wood so that is cutting with the grain. I use cherry wood a lot, I have found a way to make the wood   dark red without stain. I use  1/4th lye (buy it in any grocery store) to 3/4^th water, brush this on your wood. With a damp cloth wipe it off. The more coats you use the darker it gets. Use rubber gloves, keep out of reach of children.

Dan & Jane   Greendale WI

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

Re-Painting Shiny Furniture:  it's GESSO that you want to apply to the already painted glossy cabinet. Just lightly sand and put on two coats of white gesso( it's a liquid medium found at art shops or Michaels). You can sand between coats. Your wood will be very smooth. Then paint your preferred color over. I use gesso as a primer for all my raw wood windows, doors, baseboards etc. It's WONDERFUL.

Roberta in Wisconsin

Clear caulk for water: I know someone recently mentioned clear caulk for miniature water but warned of the strong smell- I must say I used some caulk for the real tub (yes I finished that renovation that was standing still for more than a year) I purchased something called 30 or 40 year caulk- don't remember the brand but it was worth a little more expense as IT DID NOT SMELL AT ALL! 

Teresa from Canada

Clear Caulking; I have used clear caulking (DAP & GE)which does the intended job. Odor free and very cost effective. I also found out that shower and tub caulking that goes on white dries clear. Since it is not a silicone product, it can be manipulated with a wet finger.

drbob..Delray Beach, FL.

Scrolly metalwork: another source of scrolly metalwork if the cast-it-yourself method intimidates you comes from Patricia King and Beryl Armstrong.  Shop the thrift stores for old 50s filigree boudoir accessories (one of my aunts had   a ton of this stuff, tissue box covers, hairspray stands, etc.) made from   pressed, rather soft gold finish metal.   They're like life-scale versions of   filigree jewelry findings.   Fairly easy to cut with tin shears or power scissors,  then flatten bends with a hammer, reshape to suit your needs, and paint matte black for wrought iron or whatever trim color you need.

Loretta.Sniarowski

SHINY FURNITURE: I have finally found the solution for shiny furniture which works for me. I used the Rust-Oleum spray clear top coat protective finish in MATTE. This seems to do a world of good to make that inexpensive furniture look more expensive. Other companies also have a form of this finish, but since this is available at Home Depot I thought it might be the best brand to mention.

Dolores