Downspouts: Another idea using those "flexible" straws is for downspouts off gutters.  Again, the flexible part will curve and form the elbow off the gutter down to the drain. 

Marjorie in CA

Gold Leafing: You can buy gold leafing adhesive sizing at most arts and craft stores. It comes in a small bottle and will be enough to last you almost forever. If you have genuine old gold leaf, you have quite a find. The stuff they sell today is "genuine imitation" gold leaf. You can also buy sheets of silver, copper and brass colored leaf. When you apply your adhesive size, rub some liquid soap into the bristles of your brush first. This will make it easier to wash off the sizing when you are finished with the brush. The leaf goes on after the glue is dry and no longer milky looking- may take up to an hour. Lay the leaf over the area and lightly apply. Use a clean brush to work it down onto the surface you are covering. When you are finished, you can use the brush to clean the leaf from areas where there is no sizing. Save your scraps to use to cover areas where you have rips in your leaf and you need more coverage. Make sure you don't have a fan going when you try this, the leafing will go everywhere! I use gold leafing on my gourd art.

Bonnie Gibson, Tucson, Arizona

Easy Gold Leafing with Imitation Leaf: Gold Leafing is fun and particularly effective in miniature - you get a lustre that you just don't get with gold paint. You can use the real stuff but it is expensive and difficult to work with - 24K leaf is so thin you can see through it! If you want to experiment, get hold of some imitation gold leaf - or Dutch Metal/Schlag (sp?) and some ordinary white PVA glue.

A mini wooden picture frame is a good project to start with. First paint it with gesso to make it nice and smooth. Then paint with coloured acrylic -traditionally a deep rich red is used - the colour shows through the gold leaf and gives a rich effect - this is called the carnation layer.

Use scissors to cut the gold leaf into squares about 1" square . When the paint is dry, brush on a thin layer of white glue and let it dry for a few minutes. Then lay the gold leaf onto the frame piece by piece - each piece slightly overlapping the next.

Use a large soft brush and gently stroke the gold leaf onto the frame. Now take a dose of patience and let the whole thing dry for an hour or so.

Next use your soft brush to brush away the excess leaf. You will probably find that the leaf has cracked here and there exposing the red paint - this makes for a very authentic finish.

Finally, tone down the brightness of the gold by rubbing a little burnt umber onto the frame and then wiping it off.

Lesley, Johannesburg, South Africa

Gold Sizing: I use Rolco gold size varnish. Is is a quick setting varnish. I get mine at an art store. Remember to wait for it to "set-up" and the longer you can wait before it loses tack, the better your leaf will look. Also, it would be interesting to find out if the book of gold leaf sheets is set apart from each other with rouge paper. If you want to email me privately I can tell you about mounting the gold leaf on wax paper to make it easier to apply.

Gary in NH

People responded to the original posting and I think most, if not all, told about a water-based gold size for composition leaf. I use this product and like it and yes, it has its uses. I also use gold leaf that is real hammered out (pressed) gold. It requires a varnish based sizing which I told about on digest. To repeat I use Rolco which is a quick drying synthetic varnish. I buy a small can because if it gets gunky I can toss it and buy another. You don't want to cut corners with gold leaf.

As for the wax paper, I use the wax paper from sandwich bags. Yes you can still find them in most groceries. They are better because they are thinner and have less wax. This can be good if you want the gold to stay better where you want it.

Here is how to transfer the wax paper onto the gold leaf:

1. Cut the wax paper to fit the outside cover of the gold leaf book or, you could make it a little larger. This way the oil from the fingers will not get onto the gold.

2. Take the book of gold leaf. Open it from the front--the part with all of the writing. Go past the section of rouge paper and you are going to work with the gold leaf facing you. Place the square of wax paper and gently place it over the gold leaf, lining it up properly. Gently rub it with a finger and the heat from it will cause the wax paper to stick temporarily onto the gold leaf.

3. I failed to tell you that you should only prepare the number of gold leaf pieces that you will need. If you prepare too many onto the wax paper, the gold may stick permanently.

4. Now you can take out a piece of wax paper with gold leaf adhered temporarily. You can also cut it to size but each time you gently cut it with sharp scissors you MUST rub the blades with a piece of rouge paper so don't throw the rouge paper away.

5. Place the wax paper with gold leaf where you have prepared the size, place down gently and rub gently with the fingers. The warmth of the fingers will cause the gold leaf to adhere to the sized area. BTW, if you are lifting up the wax paper when you are done and notice some areas that did not take (these are called skips or holidays.)You can put the wax paper in place and rub gently in those areas.

6. Throw the wax paper away and breathe again. This is much less nerve wracking than the leaf in the wind technique where you take the gold leaf up after placing the brush in the hair for static electricity. Also it helps to use the wax paper if you don't have any hair!

7. Now you can take a cotton ball and gently rub over the gold leafed area and use a large soft brush. I use a large oval mop (very soft) and brush gently.

8. Being a New Englander (nasty cheap,) I save the gold leaf pieces remaining on the table in a glass jar with a screw lid and use it on projects that don't require such exacting work.

I also suggest if you are interested in learning further that the craft farm in Vermont (The Fletcher Craft Farm) is great. They have a nifty free catalogue and you would not believe the cost (I did say I was thrifty and a New Englander) or the variety of crafts. I have taken courses in EAD (Early American Decoration) using bronzing powders and gold leaf. The instructors are the best. BTW -the guild is called the Historical Society for Early American Decoration (HSEAD). They are online and have a wonderful magazine article which illustrates many techniques including gold leaf. It may be a starting place for ideas and pictures. The guild is juried for admissions based upon stringent standards and techniques that are hundreds of years old. EAD is the one branch which shares some techniques with tole but is not tole. The address for a catalogue is Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 South; Ludlow, VT 05149. They celebrated their 50th birthday 2 years ago I believe.

Gary in NH

When to wallpaper: By all means, do your wallpapering before you install the stairs, fireplaces, moldings or any other structure. It would be very difficult to paper around those structures. Whether or not to install fireplaces as you finish a room or wait and do them all at once depends on if you like to see the results of your labors as you go along. Take care to measure where you plan to install the fireplace and leave an opening in your baseboards, so the fireplace can fit into the opening thus allowing the fireplace to be flush to the wall, rather than having an air space behind it because of the baseboard.

I forgot one important thing which you may not know about since you are a "newbie." Never apply wallpaper to an untreated, raw wood surface or your paper will buckle. You can paint the walls with white flat latex paint or use sizing that is used in "real" life which is less expensive. Trust me, I found out the hard way and had to remove two floors of hallway mini paper - not a fun job and worse yet, I knew better than to do that.

Jeanette in Wauwatosa, WI

Depth: Wonder how many of you are like me and like a 3 dimensional effect with the pictures they use in their minis for looking outdoors through windows or doors? I knew when I started doing this that it would add hours to a project but still decided I had to do it. The effect is fantastic but not for the faint of heart who want something done right away. It's extremely time consuming but well worth the effort.

If you looked out the window, you saw mountains. I didn't want just a picture of mountains, there wasn't enough room for actually making any, it was only a space about 1 1/2" deep and lot's of stuff had to go in that space. So I proceeded to make several copies of a mountain with sunset scene, and cut out the mountains and glued them atop each other until it had the effect I wanted, then bent the bottom of the picture forward so that it sloped in the right way. The effect was amazing.

Then I actually drew birds flying overhead, some tiny ones sitting in the snow up closer to the picture window and on top of the bike seat, that was just outside the window. Even had a "Don't cut the grass" sign just sticking up out of the snow. Had a birdfeeder out there too

That left a space to the right of that window that was the same depth that I couldn't figure out what to do with. Didn't want to waste it, so I put in a wide door opening and behind it I found a picture looking off into other rooms with a curving staircase in front and to the left. Again I proceeded to print several copies of the picture, cut out the steps, and then the railings and glued them on top of each other until they were 3 dimensional. I slightly curved the bottom of the picture out so it looked like the floor that was in the roombox blended right into the other room. Made the room look much huger than what it was. There was a large plant to the left of the staircase and I also cut out tons of little leaves and glued them around the picture so it looked like there really was a plant there, bent this way and that so that the leaves looked realistic.

Kathy in E. TN

Polishing with "rouge": A handy rouge to polish with if you are doing it by hand or by machine (Dremel) is to use plain old tooth paste. After all, it is a very mild abrasive (rouge).

Dr. Bob

Polish: If I want a really good mirror polish on jewelry or a mini, I use Mother's Mag Wheel Polish designed for chrome or aluminum. My DD needed a mirror that was a cylinder for a project and I made one out of stainless steel, hand polishing with that stuff. It worked very well. The grit is finer than jewelry polish, and it is suspended in a white grease that can be washed off afterward. Buy it in a hardware or automotive shop. I use a lot of it, but it comes in a small jar too, which would be a lifetime supply for a miniac, at quite reasonable prices.

Rroweblue

Polishing Compounds: When I mentioned polishing wheels for the Dremel, I used rouge as an example because often accessory kits come with a small container of this polish and often people don't know what it is used for. I actually prefer other compounds - I do a lot of jewelry work and use Tripoli, Zam and other compounds. "DrBob" is correct that toothpaste makes a handy and cheap polish. I have used that to polish the edge of Plexiglass and other things with much success. Someone also wrote about the mag wheel polish which is also great stuff. My favorite for hand polishing of metal is "Wenol" that comes in a large orangey colored can or in a tube. That and a bit of elbow grease really gives things a mirror shine.

Bonnie Gibson

3-d Effect: The 3-D effect is actually Paper Tole - quite popular in full size and I have done about 30 of these over the past few years. They certainly add another dimension in the background of a scene - especially when used for a scene out through a window, or from a balcony.

Jan in sunny Melbourne, Australia

Matboard: Brooke Tucker always advises against using matboard because it is not meant to have paint, glue or anything like that on it and it can separate into layers. Illustration board (poster board) comes in single and in double thickness and is meant for these purposes.

June in London, Ontario, Canada

Mat board: Seal it first with shellac or don't use water based paints to avoid separating.

Tom Berkner

"Old paint" problems. I get so frustrated 'cause almost every time I buy paint from Michael's, it's already old and thick. At any rate, one thing you might try that works on thick paint at least (don't know about hard), is putting it in the microwave for a brief moment. I'd start out with just 5-10 seconds and see what happens. If you can get it softened up enough to then add water, you might be able to salvage the paint. I've done the heat up trick and it makes the paint quite useable again but I've discovered that unless I also thin it, it goes back to its thick state as it cools down. So maybe experiment with this idea a little - after all, what have you got to lose?

Mary Lynne in Huntington, WV

Oil stain:  The first room box that I made was a garage for then 19 year old son.  I used a Pennzoil box as the room box.  For the oil stain on the floor, I used a little burnt umber watercolors.  When that dried I put on a little glue and sprinkled on kitty litter that I has smashed into smaller pieces with a hammer in a plastic bag.  Looked good, like someone was trying to keep the oil from getting all over the place.

Mary Lou in Portage, IN

Wallpapering: I know there are many wallpaper pastes available for miniatures, but I've found the real thing works best. I buy a product called "Shur-Stick". It's "ultra clear", like painting with clear Jello. Adheres very well, no chance of staining. You should find it at any wallpaper or hardware store. I also prefer to brush it on the wall and then apply the paper & smooth with a brayer and paper towel.

Ruth in Grass Valley, CA

Fieldstone Flooring: Try using egg cartons. Not the Styrofoam type but the cardboard (paper) ones. They have a stone contouring and can be cut and painted.

Bob in Hollywood, FL

Fieldstone Flooring: Try using egg cartons. Not the Styrofoam type but the cardboard (paper) ones. They have a stone contouring and can be cut and painted.

Bob in Hollywood, FL

Fieldstone flooring: Take an ordinary floor tile (12 x 12) that is white clear through (look at the edge). Peel off the top layer which is the design and no wax part. Break it into pieces and glue down. Even if it's self-stick, use glue. Regardless of the pattern on top, you will see a texture to the surface. Some look like stone, some have little indentations, this will be the finished surface. To mortar between the joints I just mix pure cement with a little water to the consistency of cake frosting. When dry, then take VERY diluted Burnt Umber tube acrylic and brush on for an stone color effect. You can always do it twice if it's not dark enough. When finished and dry spray with a matte acrylic sealer. Or brush on if it's in an area where you can't spray. I have also cut it in random squares (just score with an Xacto knife and break) and laid a beautiful sidewalk outside my Antique Shop.

Ruth in Grass Valley, CA

Distressed Ceiling Beams: I suggest you use any soft wood that you can work easily with your wood carving tools. Dimensions of beams. Assuming that you will be securing them to the existing ceiling I would suggest that 3/4" wide x 1/4" deep would be acceptable (that would be 9" x 3" in real life) After carving the rough shape using a wire brush - the type for cleaning rusty metal - and scrub the beam along the grain - this will remove a lot of the soft wood leaving the harder grain. Use a coarse sand paper to remove the 'fluffy' pieces of wood. To finish treat with diluted wood stain. Wipe the stained surface whilst still wet, this will further highlight the hard grain giving the weathered look I think you are trying to achieve. This is the method I use for my Tudor houses except that I use hard wood like oak but it is hard work! I have suggested this easier method for you. With a little practice you will be surprised how realistic the end result can be.

David & Joyce Betts