1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  You could use gift wrap tissue paper cut into strips to make a template of the inside of the pot;; it's not too flimsy but light enough to mold along the pot's curves.  Tape strips together till you have a template to cut the good paper. Or, you might want to use a border paper as a chair rail and just paint the walls a solid cover.  Just don't give up!  Keep experimenting and you'll figure it out.

Loretta.Sniarowski

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  If you are set on using wallpaper why don't you build some false walls out of thin foam core. They would be straight and easy to wallpaper. If you want to keep the original curved walls of the teapot try painting the walls then doing a fun stencil. I painted and stenciled all the walls in my dollhouse. It's different from what everyone else does.

René

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  Could you put in a false wall by curving a rectangle of cardboard to fit in the teapot from open edge all the way around to the other open edge, and then wallpaper that?  If your opening isn't too large the cardboard wall could go up high enough so the top edge wasn't seen.  Will you have to put in a false floor because the bottom of the teapot is (1) not level, and/or (2) not big enough?  The wall could then fit neatly around the new floor.  You will probably lose "room" space for your scene with the false wall.  I guess a lot depends on the shape of your teapot!  Love to hear how it works out!

Judy in (middle) TN

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  I think if you really want to wallpaper the inside of your teapot then you should at least give it a try.

- First blow up a balloon inside the teapot until it is nearly the same size.  Seal the balloon and take out of the teapot - this is your "guide".

- Second (it helps here if you have seen a globe - round map of the world - - opened out so it looks like a series of flat bananas ?).  Cut rough paper strips so that at their widest they fit exactly to the curve of the belly of the balloon narrowing as you go to the top and the bottom. Overlap each one slightly.  These paper strips can be trimmed again and again until you get the perfect fit for the balloon.

- Third.  Use the paper strips as wallpaper templates and cut copies from the wallpaper gluing into the walls of the teapot overlapping slightly as you go round.  VOILA!  Patterned paper can't be matched on a curved surface so suggest you use plain and when it's in place stencil small pattern all over.

- Never tried it but remember making papier mache money boxes and masks this way in school (long, long time ago).  You might need to ask this digest for advice on gluing the paper to the ceramic.  Not sure what to suggest.

Karon

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  Jane, what about painting the walls instead of using wallpaper in your 1/4" teapot?  If you want some design, maybe if you cut a narrow strip for a border, you could more easily glue that around the "room".

      I made a 1/4" scene in a paper mache teapot;  didn't like the way some looked when just painted or collaged, so I covered the outside with stucco, making it as smooth as possible when applying it.  Then I sanded it down after it dried completely.  Wanting it to look like a "china teapot", I wanted flowers on it, and instead of trying to paint it myself, I bought some of the rub-on floral pages and I was very pleased with the outcome.  I used gloss varnish on it after all the flowers were in place.  For the inside, I painted the walls with a stucco look, or light textured look by tearing up pieces of Kleenex in little pieces, painting a spot on the wall, picking up the Kleenex piece with my brush and laying it over the wet paint. You have to work with it a little, but after a few times, you will get the knack of it.  It hid all the blemishes the paper mache had and I was pleased with the look when done.

Marjorie in CA

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  If you HAVE to wallpaper, I suggest building a 3 sided box that will fit inside and square things up . Ceramic is NOT good to wallpaper. Measure depth and width inside pot. Cut one long piece of cardboard or fiberboard score at measured depths, wallpaper it. Then bend it and place inside.

LadyBug, Sue Thwaite

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  the only way I know to paper a curved surface would be to cut small slices in the paper, fit it, and then cut out the overlap so it will lay flat.  You might just want to paint the inside and then use an eraser to print a design.

Jacqui in Hilo, HI

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  I like Loretta's idea for a wallpaper border at chair rail height for the curved walls of your teapot. You could paint the wall first, leave the top part above the border a plain color, then maybe use several colors to "rag" or sponge on the bottom. Choose one of the colors from the border, and then go several shades lighter so it won't be too bright.

Marilyn - Wisconsin

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  Suggest prepainting and then apply whimsical decals? Model railroad stores and a few mini shops have a solvent that makes decals more flexible than usual so they may conform to the interesting back shape.  If you build false walls, don't loose the in-between space entirely. Paint and "plant" a backdrop on the pot wall and include a window or two in your false wall. Plan ahead so windows align with point of greatest "exterior" depth.

Mel in Vegas

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  Why not just use strips or squares of patterned tissue paper or paper napkins and decoupage them on the teapot walls.  The paper is thin and more forgiving than the thicker true wallpaper and would allow you to follow the curves better.  It won't be an even, neat lining up like true wallpaper and you will still have wrinkles, but they will be less obvious and it will add some color and a semblance of wallpaper.

Parisa

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  I have to get in on the conversation about papering the inside of a teapot. I have actually done it. In fact, I taught a workshop where we did just that.

Now I'm not saying this is the "right" way but here is what I did. In my case, Mrs. Potts had previously been a bank and her "inside" had various cavities from the form that needed to be hidden.

      I made a template out of poster board (shirt board). I cut slits down from the top and up from the bottom and pushed that into the hole. Then I marked the overlaps, pulled it out of the teapot  and cut out the V's so there were not extra bulges. I refit to make sure I liked the new "interior" wall. The I pulled it out an applied paper to this. (I actually used a flowery pattern and it didn't look bad.) I then trimmed out some, not all of the paper that went over those V's that I cut out.-- I left a little to hide the seams. --I shoved it back in the pot and pasted down the thin little edges.

Shannon Moore

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls:  For anyone needing to cover the inside of a curved surface (like a teapot) who is considering fabric...try turning the fabric 45 degrees...so that it is on the bias of the weave. Then it will stretch and fit itself to a curve.

Terry

Musical Teapot: I did the decoupage finish on my teapot and under the lid there was room for a musical button. I put it in with a blob of Stickum wax. Take off the lid and push the button. It plays the length of the chip.

      They are getting better with those songs. Find the buttons at craft stores. If I were a miniature shop, I would stock songs like Tea for Two, It's a Small World and A Few of My Favorite Things.

Laurie

To wall paper a curved (concave) surface. I would approach it this way; I cannot apply a full size strip of paper as it will "dog ear" at the top and bottom of the walls. I would cut the paper into strips and apply each strip matching any design as you would with real life size paper hanging. By using strips you avoid the "bunching" at the top and bottom of the walls.

Dr Bob

Lattice: Lattice is wonderful for foundations. Paint the foundation black before applying it. Also, I use brick or stone at the corners anywhere from 2" to 4" or 5". I make lattice from 1/16 x 1/8 strips. You can either make it diagonal or horizontal and vertical. Both look good.

Fannye

Stucco: When we remodeled our bath, I needed to patch some holes cut to access pipes. Instead of digging out the air compressor and texture gun and make a big mess mixing up texture, I used a product available at most home improvement stores. It is canned texture. The brand name of the product I used is by Homax called: Easy Touch Spray Texture. it comes with different size straws to attach to the nozzle for different textures. A bit spendy but probably enough in the contractor size to do a doll house stucco. Also a product similar that is used to repair the old popcorn ceilings. The product is enamel base and dries quite quickly.

Bill Hudson

Frosted Mylar: The summer issue of Do It Yourself magazine (available on newsstands) has an interesting article titled 3 Ways to Frost Glass. One of them uses a new spray from Krylon that creates a frosted glass finish that dries in 5-10 mins. Although this product is for glass it may be possible to use it on clear mylar...check with RustOleum/Krylon (800-323-3584).

You could also ask if it would take the pencil work that you want it for. The other two products described are Etching Cream and Vinyl Film.

Joann Swanson

Dulling Aluminum: There is a fantastic product available through most good model railroad shops called DulCote (perhaps two "l"s - Dullcote). Anyway, it is in a spray can and you simply spray it on your item(s) and it immediately dulls the finish. I spray painted a tin ceiling with aluminum color paint - very, very bright. Then I sprayed with Dulcote and you wouldn't believe the difference. The ceiling became flat, dull, old looking - the look I wanted. Colorless but definitely not odorless so be sure to use with lots of ventilation. It should give you the flatness you want. If not, after spraying, wash with a dirty water wash.

Mimi

Dulling Aluminum: I know I used an aluminum pan as the bottom half of a water bath when baking custard and to this day the pan is darker below the water line than above. So I suggest boiling your aluminum piece to dull and darken it.

Kellie in Omaha

Frosted Mylar: check the art or drafting or blueprint stores. It's used by us graphic artists and by architects etc. for making first drawings of blueprints, ink drawings, etc. I used to achieve a passable scratchboard affect by drawing in ink on the mylar, and scratching off areas for shading.

Dave Pierce