Stuffed Mattress: Why not use pulled-apart cotton balls for stuffy a 'lumpy' mattress? That's what I plan to do for the pirinhas (feather beds) in Baba Yaga's house.

Molly

Stuffed Mattress: I wonder if 'Perlite' would work as a filling to make a mattress look lumpy. Perlite is a white crumbled product used in making up a potting mix for plants. Also thought sawdust might work.

Bobbie

Cabinetry: Since you enjoy kits, you could always kit-bash the Chrysnbon Hoosier cabinet. That's how I did cabinets for my townhouse. Just assembled the top section with the faux glass doors, using one shelf in the enclosed section (bottom of section gave the enclosure two shelves) and using the other shelf to finish off the side brackets where the top of the bottom cabinet would be connected if you followed the directions. This gave me an open shelf underneath the cupboard. Since they're in a country-style modern kitchen, that shelf was handy for cookbooks, a radio, spice jars, etc. I used two cabinet tops, which fit along one wall of the kitchen, and then used the bottoms for kitchen islands in other projects. If you're really new, you probably missed last week's discussion on Chrysnbon, but don't be put off by the plastic. The kits make up really nicely with a good paint or stain job. Also, you might just want to use a Hoosier or two instead of installed cabinetry. One of my friends once owned a farm in Kentucky with a very old, unoccupied house (pre- Civil War) she camped out in occasionally. It had absolutely no cabinetry other than the framing around the sink (which pumped well water). I asked her whether someone had stripped it, and she said that she'd been curious too, did some research, and discovered that until the turn of the century few kitchens had any built-ins. That's why Hoosiers and china closets were so popular. Same thing in a house one of my college professors owned -- it had lower cabinets around the sink (nicely marble-topped, too) but the storage was open shelving in a small pantry between the kitchen and dining room.

Loretta Sniarowski

Cabinetry: An exception to the lack of built-in cabinets in late Victorian kitchens is in the grand house. There the butler's pantry and warming or serving kitchen often had wall-hung glass-doored cabinets for china and glass storage, drawers for dishtowels, cutlery, etc., and cabinets below a wooden counter for large serving pieces. A good source for accurate details is William Seale's book "Restoring the Historic House Interior." Another is the same author's "The Tasteful Interlude: American Interiors through the Camera's Eye, 1860-1917." Seale is the White House Historian. Both of these books are out of print, but can probably be found through Alibris, ABEbooks, etc., and certainly through interlibrary loan. Your public library' s architecture, interior design and decorative arts sections should provide you with a wealth of material. Also, Dover Publications has reprinted many works on these subjects that are available through book stores and their on-line catalogue. I have been involved with historic houses for many years as a house museum curator, director and now volunteer, so know the importance of research, research, research if you want an accurate setting. Watching "costume dramas" (unless by BBC) doesn't cut it and isn't necessary -- except for fun - -- when there is so much documentary material available.

Margaret in Texas

House of Miniature kits: These are great kits Ellie. Just follow their instructions about finishing and you'll be very pleased with the results. I ordered their finishing kit and it's been a wonderful thing to have. Goes a long way. The things they recommend with the kits is very fine sandpaper and also a very fine steel wool. Those are easy to find in any shop that sells paint etc. The one thing I find that is invaluable in making sure things are square is Lego blocks. I use these all the time when making, sanding and putting together my wicker furniture.

Debi in Quesnel

Crafty Collectibles Kits: I have done a lot of the Crafty Collectibles and also the Rocking Horse that you got on eBay. They were very easy to do, and fun. However, they look bigger than 1/12 to me. They are great for a child's dh, to play with, or even for a room box, but I have never used them anywhere. My favorite one was the bench with two tiny teddies sitting on it. I had a ball making the teddies and I have kept them handy for a Teddy Bear cottage or something similar. But I don't think I would use them in my dh......a little too bulky and out of scale. IMHO

Judi, Centralia, WA

Special tools for kits? I read the question recently about special tools for making furniture kits. This is long so be warned! I made quite a few of these kits when I was 15 and 16 years old...and I didn't have any special tools at all! Here's what I used (as I remember):

Very fine sandpaper Extremely fine steel wool (I think it's size 000) toothpicks (for spreading glue) Wood glue Krylon clear sealant in a spray can wood stain newspaper needle-nosed pliers Drill with small bit? (can't quite remember)

I used the newspaper to cover up the table so my mom wouldn't kill me. Then I laid out all the pieces. I lightly sanded all of the wooden parts and wiped away the dust with a slightly damp rag. *Slightly* damp! You don't want to warp anything. Then I stained the pieces with a wipe-on stain, but not the ends of the pieces where the grain was exposed. If you do this they will stain darker than the rest of the piece. You don't need to stain the sides of pieces that will be in the interior. Like the insides of drawers, or the underside of a dresser top, etc. You an if you want to but I never did. When all the parts were dry I did my first coating of sealer. I sprayed Krylon lightly on the pieces, including the un-stained ends. When dry, you'll notice that the pieces feel rougher than before, because the sealer makes the grain "stand up". So I lightly sanded again, not enough to remove color but enough to smooth the wood. Then stain the pieces with the second coat and do the ends this time. When dry, seal them again. They'll get rough but not as bad as before. To smooth them this time, use the steel wool. The wood will feel very good now. I don't think that I sealed them again after the steel wool. Now it's time to put the thing together. I put the hardware on the drawers and things first. I believe that I had to drill the holes. I marked and drilled them after the staining was done so that the holes wouldn't be clogged up with stain, etc. Use the pliers to bend the hardware pins so that they stay in the drawer. You'll see what I mean when you get the kits. Careful not to mar your finish with the pliers. Then I used very small amounts of wood glue to assemble the pieces. This was easy for me because I had NOT stained the sides that required gluing together. As I have learned, wood glue is not as strong if you are trying to glue wood that has been pained or stained. Use the toothpick so that you don't use too much glue. If it gushes out the sides it will sometimes leave a visible mark on the wood even if you try to wipe it off. I did just a few pieces at a time. I just held the pieces to together for a minute or two and then carefully set them down to dry. I used text books to make my cabinet legs straight by bracing the piece with the book so the leg couldn't fall over before it dried. I had a great time putting my furniture together!

Lynn in Gainesville

Bed Size: I looked at some canopy beds on the HBS site and the Motts Minis site--the average dimensions seem to be something like 7" high x 7" long x 4-5" wide. Remember, these are outside dimensions.

Molly

Countertops: When I built Greystone B&B, I was determined to use the same gray granite on the countertops that I have in my bathrooms. Of course I didn't think of this in time to save the scraps from them. So..........I went to the Formica place and asked what was the smallest piece he would sell me (since there were no scraps in the scrap pile of the right thing) He said he could sell me a 2x4 piece. Well, since he was talking feet and I was talking inches, I left. My husband asked me how much he wanted and I told him twenty-two dollars. He asked if I would pay that much for a 2x8 inches (what I needed) if I had found it at a show!!! Well, of course I went back and got the darn piece. So I will have granite floors in the next shop I build and lots of other granite stuff. My point being........these Formica places have a scrap bin with lots and lots of scraps if you can find the color you need. A previous project I had used 1/16" basswood, painted and spattered with a toothbrush to make the countertops. I have also used the Evergreen white plastic sheets (6x12) in the tile pattern. You can get them at some mini shops and most train shops. I have used these for countertops, back splash, flooring, tub surround, shower linings, etc. They can be painted or left plain.

Fannye

Clear bathroom fixtures: the ones I use are from Model Builders Supply in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. You paint the inside of them...no sealer or topcoat required Their website is: http://www.modelbuilderssupply.com

Roz Weitzman in Toronto, CANADA

Colonial roaster/oven: could you fake the roaster/oven device with a film canister and a couple of the cheap plastic hair rollers with the holders that are sort of like a cage? Cut the roller-holder in half lengthwise. Glue the halves together like back-to-back Cs. Remove the lid from the film canister, trace around the open end and cut a card or plastic lid end, punch in the decorative holes and use a couple of jump rings for hinges. Glue the canister into one of the roller Cs; the other forms the "feet" Paint the whole thing metallic and distress with "soot" and "rust" to look old. If this is like the ones I've seen in antique houses, you'd also cut a slice out of the long side of the canister that would be open and face the fire. In that case, instead of a door, you could have solid short ends with a center hole pierced, run a wire through as a spit with a rice-shaped bead on one end as the turning handle.

Loretta.Sniarowski

sand in pillows: , I found tiny grains of sand "leak" from bedding or pillows. I use sago or rice in a covering then placed inside the actual cushion. In the case of bedding it is great, don't stuff anything to hard tho. The tiny dolls lay IN their beds and not ON their beds and their little heads leave an indent where their heads have been.

Dianne in Australia

Decorating Chrysnbon: Michaels or the craft places in your area should carry rub-on paint designs (may be hard to locate -- they shelve them all over the store - -- with the woodsies, the stenciling, the scrapbooking, etc.). Many are small enough to use as is, and more can be cut into smaller sections. I've used the ivy and flower borders on several projects -- you can make dishes that match the kitchen hutch. Run a metallic gel pen around the plate edge for a "gold" or "platinum" trim, or use a color that matches the rub-on pattern. Several people on SS have also recommended using the tiniest size of sticker or fancy nail decals from beauty supply shops, so those are other ideas. With all these methods a spritz of clear acrylic sealer is a good preservative finishing touch. I just used a rub-on apple garland border on the twins' hutch, on which the doorknobs were replaced by tiny apple button earrings. If Peggy didn't want fake Fiesta dishes, I would have used bits of the garland to decorate the plates.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Tip for Attaching Drawer Pulls: I've never found an easy way to do this, considering how small the nails are, until last night. I tried Movable Miniatures Glue and it worked great. I dabbed just a little bit onto the pull, allowed the glue to partially dry, then after positioning it, I punched the nail holes using one of my most favorite tools (the wooden stick that looks like a cuticle remover with one large needle at one end and slanted at the other) and pushed in the nails after dipping the tips in the glue.

Theresa Thomas

Wicker: linen cord As for where to get linen cord...... You can use waxed linen cord which is sold in 25 yard spools at most miniature shops and craft shops. I myself hate the stuff. I prefer unwaxed linen cord which I bring in in large one pound spools from Ireland. I won't sell the big spools but will measure out for single project amounts. (I used to but then found that someone who talked me out of a spool at wholesale cost for club use, was using my free patterns and the cord to make and sell their own items. Not sure that their club ever got to use it. Well that was a compliment in a back handed sort of way but left a bad taste - to be honest).

Now another thought - there's no reason to be tied to linen cord for doing wicker. You can use button hole twist thread, jute, hemp, string, crochet cotton. There's no hard and fast rules. Each just give you a different look and texture.

And please, anyone who makes use of my patterns - please feel free to contact me with any questions. They've all been tested out but sometimes questions arise and I've found them to be helpful when writing out other instructions or improving the ones already up. (not to mention, helping the person asking the question <g>) I am a visual learner myself so you can imagine the gyrations I do to write instructions!
http://www.embraceables.com

Debi in Quesnel

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: I used the clear plastic tub in Brooke Tucker's Elegant Bath class. I was amazed at how well it turned out. When I painted the tub (my tub was beige) it did not look smooth on the inside, however when it dried the outside looked like glass. In the class we also did the clear plastic tile sheets for the tub enclosure and it looked exactly like ceramic tile although the grout was not white. I guess if you had the patience and a steady hand you could paint the grout lines white and then paint the tile.

Louise in MI

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: Grout; You can add the grout much like you do in real size - afterwards. You paint the plastic tiles from the back side so they look shiny from the front. Then you can use miniature grout or whip up some gryproc filler so it's nice and smooth (and yes, this can be tinted) and then wipe it on the top side. You wipe off the excess with a damp sponge. The tile sheets have inward lines that the grout sits right into. You want to do this in one application though as you don't want to scratch the plastic.

Debi in Quesnel

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: I took the Brooke Tucker class "Elegant Bath" and did it in red and white and it turned out very striking. It was the clear bathtub and sink set. I did mine in a marble finish to match the red and white tiles I used on floor. The red tiles had a black vein in them so I dabbed black on the underside of the bathtub/sink and then painted it lipstick red. It turned out very elegant. Every one who has seen it says " I wish I had a bathroom like that".

Jayleen in MT

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: As a person that gives class with MBS products as well as have it in the shop, I can tell you that the see thru items are a great product. You paint them on the reverse or you can apply a matching decal or something you've cut from your wallpaper first and just use acrylic paint to cover. Usually it takes 2 coats.

Not only do they have 1/12 but 1/2 scale also in the see through. You can also get tiles to really have the look you want in a variety of sizes. Other than the toilet and pedestal sink, you have to sink the pieces into a base of some kind.

I've also been thinking of doing a bathroom with a red bath and black and white checked floor but never have the time. Good luck with your project.

Deanna

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: Model Builder Supply does have fabulous clear bathroom tubs, sinks and toilets. I've done a few and they are fun. Very easy. You can even marbleize or paint a floral design on them before painting on the main colour. If you'd like to see some done up, I have some on the Gallery page of my web site. http://www.embraceables.com They have nice faucets too and everything is a very good price. Also, have you ever seen Brooke Tuckers Elegant Bath? You can see that on her web site. She uses their components too.

Debi in Quesnel