Sauerkraut: the best sauerkraut can be made with fine cut paper excelsior used in packing. Cut it up small, place in paper cup, sprinkle in a touch of cinnamon, then squeeze some 527 multi-purpose cement into this. Stir...then use on hot dogs, in pot, dish etc. Again, I would be happy to send you a bit for your hot dogs. (at my website, www.pannikins.com, you can see how it looks with bratwurst).

Mary Eccher

Potato Chip Bag: How about using those heated wire things on a bag sealer to close the mini bags? Or if you have an old curling iron, use it to seal the edges...

Dahn

Jelly: Using a idea of JoAnn Swanson's, I've made 1/2" scale jars of jelly using the narrow (plug) end of Lite Brite pegs. If you use the fat end of the peg, you can make 1" scale jelly jars, just make them about 1/2" tall. Here's how to make the 1/2" scale ones: Saw off the pointy tip first, then cut off a 1/4" piece of the narrow end of the peg. Smooth the cut ends by QUICKLY touching them to a flat knife blade which has been heated on a stove burner. (Hold the peg with tweezers for this or risk blisters.) Then cut circles out of onionskin typing paper or tracing paper just a tiny bit larger than the diameter of the peg. Put glue on one end of the cut peg and press the paper on to the peg in the cupped palm of your hand so that the edge of the paper forms a crinkly band around the side of the peg. This is an effective cap for your jelly. Next draw tiny labels using a red fine point marker on a piece of plain white paper. Print the name of the jelly in black on the center of the label. Then cut the label out and glue to the front of the jelly jar. These red-rimmed labels look just like the old fashioned gummed labels people used to use on canning jars (and maybe some still do use them). Lime green pegs are lemon-mint jelly, purple are grape jelly, pink could be rose hip jelly, orange ones would make marmalade, but I'm not sure that orange ones are available. This is so easy to do, you can stock your whole pantry with jellies.

Darlene

Food: Poppy Seeds - I use poppy seeds to make blackberries/raspberries. I use glass paint in the berry color and roll the seeds in it using a pin. The glass paint dries shiny, clear purpley and holds the teeny clusters together. I have been working on a bramble bush for over a month now.......that's a lot of teeny clusters!

Leslie

Gel Candle Jello: I have made lots of mini Jell-O from the gel candles. I scooped the gel out of the candle and placed it in a microwavable glass dish. Cover the dish and microwave it on high for about 30 seconds at a time until it is liquefied. Make sure you have a pot holder on hand, because the dish gets very hot! Pour the gel into your mold immediately. I used copper molds. I didn't coat the mold with anything prior to pouring the melted gel in. After about a minute, the gel will be set. I was able to get the Jell-O out by running my fingernail between the gel and the rim of the mold to loosen it and then grabbing the gel and pulling it out of the mold. I never had one loose it's shape or stick in the mold. I never tried to alter the color of the gel. The one I have is a nice red color. I also never had any come out inconsistent in color.

Colleen

Mini Pie Filling: We use Fimo, choose or mix up a color to suit the filling you want, and pinch off the minutest piece and roll into a (very) small ball. Repeat many times till your pie base is as full as you want it, bake it. Then resin it in and if you want lattice strips you can add them first, bake, and then inject the resin between the lattice using a throw away injection (no needle) from your local vet or doctor.

Diana

Gel Candle Jello: I make my jells by melting gel candle in a teaspoon over a candle. I put a light spray of Pam in my pan when I use the mold for the first time. I pour it into the mold and let it set and then I release it with my fingers. I have no problem getting it out or with coloration. I have some about five years old and it still looks the same as the first day I did it.

Mary

Pie Filling: To save yourself some frustration, little balls of Fimo get boring to roll after awhile, take a piece of Fimo the color your fruit is and make a mound of it in the center of your pie pan on top of the crust, then bake. Roll your little cherries, blueberries, whatever and bake them. Put white glue all over the inside of the pie pan and put your cherries on top. Let it dry and add your lattice and bake again. For pies with pieces sliced out, cut the slice out of the mound and then glue in the fruit. Georgia M. taught this trick years ago. The same thing can be done in canning jars, etc. Don't try to fill your container with little bitty pieces that aren't going to show anyway. It's a waste of valuable mini time.

Quinn

Potato Chip Bag: I use wax paper and a hemostat... I put the glue in and press it for a while with the rippled pinchers (hemostats.) After it has set a while, 15-30 min., trim and there you go. Oops- I do put the seam up the center back... then pinch the two ends. There is a clear fabric glue I have been using that seems to work on anything.

Billie Joy Eller

Cake Decoration: The fancy sequins sold as confetti in gift/party/craft stores? They have various special occasion assortments (Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Over The Hill, Congratulations, etc.). You might have to cut the words apart to fit onto a mini cake top, or you could stand them up in the icing a la wedding cake toppers. Use as is or cover with fabric paint to make more dimensional and frosting-like.

Loretta

Clay Foods: I am just beginning to explore the world of mini food but I recently wanted to make red onion slices from Promat (I'm sure Fimo, etc. Works the same). A friend of mine told me to make the onion, bake and slice with razor tool when hot. I made a thin layer of purple red. Placed a slightly thicker layer of white and transparent mix on top then rolled up like a jelly roll. It sliced easily after baking while still hot and looked like WOW! a red onion slice!

I wanted to suggest that you bake your cake then carefully slice it while still hot. Do Not burn your fingers please! Hold hot clay with heat safe tool or cloth. However, I'm not as yet a gourmet "cook", as in seven layer chocolate cake. I'm still in veggies! Mary Wrenn, who makes wondrous mini things, gave me this tip. "always have what you make in front of you." Then you see what it really looks like. Sure would like that 7 layer cake in front of me right about now! MmmmmYum!

Here's is another food making tip I just read in an '84, I think, NN. For shredded cheese, Mozzarella and Cheddar use pale yellow and orange pencil lead. (not water color pencils) Just cut the lead into shavings with a sharp edge tool. pile on to your glue.

I think Anne had mentioned this and I also use this technique. Tint glue to be used with a coordinating acrylic paint. It is almost impossible to see when dry.

Lyn Trenary

Sealing Shiny Bags: If you have a heat gun and shrink wrap, it is good for sealing all kinds of packages with a shine.

Brooke, WA

Sliceable Cakes: I am going to make a wedding scene with a cake as well. Searching the web gave me lots of sites with lovely pictures of wedding cakes. That's were I started. Now, on your question: with polymer clay you can easily make cakes with layers of different colours in them. When you've finished a cake, take your hobby knife and cut out a slice. Bake them in your oven, but don't let the slice touch the cake during the baking process.

Marjon de Haas (The Netherlands)

Sliceable Cakes: To make cakes that are sliceable use Model Magic by Crayola. Form the cake in a mold and allow to dry for at least a day. Powdering the mold or cake pan will help in removing the cake. I use the cake pans from T & E Brownawell and I believe he has a tiered set for Wedding cakes. When cake is thoroughly dry, cut out a slice with a new single-edge razor blade. For a more detailed explanation, I wrote an article for Dollhouse Miniatures using Model Magic. It was in the November, 1997 issue on page 56. Hope this is some help to you.

Arla Johnson

Sliceable Cakes: I make my mini cakes out of fimo. When I make a cake that I want to cut a slice out of, I add a little semolina flour to the fimo before I bake it. Then, the cake has some texture to it. (tip from Sue Heaser's book). I bake the cake and slice it while it is still warm (not hot). The fimo cuts easier.

Paula in NJ

Sliceable Cakes: I use an air dry paper clay tinted with acrylic paints for the layers. This has the best texture I have found for the cake part. You can use cake pans or cut with a cutter to various sizes! Let them dry first before you ice!! You can do several things for the frosting, but I think the easier one for a beginner is the dimensional paints used for decorating clothing. If you want an edging that is really simply you can often manage those with a pin as the paint starts to harden a bit!! If you want a fancier edging I would try it out of Fimo and bake it before I put the frosting on the layers and then position the trim before the frosting dries so it will hold together. Silicon Chalking is another possible frosting..this one does not shrink like the paint does either. But the paint does not shrink much...just use a little thicker than you want for the frosting to be. Let it all dry very well before attempting to cut it lol, use a very sharp razor blade and pray!! Be sure your cut it straight..that is the main thing...if you slant slightly you can trim off a bit more usually!!

Laura Redman

I tried many suggestions on making a potato chip bag and found that the easiest (HA!) thing to do was just to barely melt the edges with a lighter and then press them together to seal. I have to perfect my technique because it's really easy to go a little too far and melt the bag. I tried to heat a straightened paper clip and press it along the edge, but the paper clip turned black from being heated by the lighter and then, in turn, turned the edge of the bag black.

Anita LeMaster

Lady Fingers: Why not find some thin fun foam in a tan/beige color and cut the ladyfingers from that. Or you could use Fimo and make the cutter from the metal end of a pencil. (Remove the eraser and shape into an oblong shape.) Sounds like a wonderful gift. I've done several for marriages. Usually made a 4x4 Corner in Time (from an old Nutshell News) and they came out wonderfully! Be sure to take pictures when you're finished so we can see what you've done.

Terri Young

Lady Fingers: You could use white bugle beads which are just tubes about 1/4 inch long that come in white. Or you could use white plastic covered paperclips cut to the size, and then when stood on end you might have to paint the metal insides that show with white paint. Or you could use the pointy ends of flat toothpicks painted cream or white.

Roz Weitzman

Ladyfingers: I'll bet rice would be the perfect thing to use for ladyfingers. You could toast it a bit in a pan to make it a little brown, and whatever you use for sealer on the cake afterward would help keep the critters out.

Rebecca