17th Century Dutch House -- Oh my! - My imagination was immediately fired up when I heard about your Dutch house project, and I spent about an hour last night talking to my husband about it. I could immediately see it all -- the elegant wooden ceiling beams, the painted and unnaturally clean black and white floors, the thick Turkey carpets thrown over the tables, the red velvet chairs rather too low to the ground, giant maps spread on the walls interspersed with seascapes (calm? or stormy?), wine glasses everywhere with at least one overturned. A Jan Steen kitchen with drunken revelers, or perhaps just a sleeping servant maid. A Ter Borch bedroom, with a box bed with red velvet hangings, a lady in spotless satins, the inevitable tiny dog and pair of slippers, perhaps a doctor visiting? A Vermeer music room, with those beautiful instruments, and some shadowy figures engaged in a conversation known only to themselves.

Diane

Dutch interiors: Here is a link to a Dutch site with a lot of old interiors. Enjoy! http://interieurmanifestatie.nl/index2.html

Marjon de Haas (The Netherlands)

Medieval Thatch houses & kitchen kettles > Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, rats, and bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof-hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs," There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence. The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entry way...hence, a "threshold,"
They cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while, hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old." Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat." This is an excerpt from the ancient civilizations list on yahoo. Perhaps the graphic descriptions of medieval homes & kitchens can be useful for someone's next project?

Whui

Stripping Wallpaper: I have found *warm* water with vinegar, sprayed on the walls/wallpaper and allowed to soak in for about 10 minutes, then scraped off with one of those metal plaster spreaders works best for removing wallpaper and paste.

Anne Gerdes

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

Period Interiors: I came across an absolutely fabulous book to use when looking for inspiration to decorate an 'authentic' period interior for your dollshouse. I was blown away when I saw all the detailed drawings and watercolour paintings. Now I know just want I want my Regency Library to look like. If you're interested, I would highly recommend it: "Authentic Decor, the Domestic Interior 1620-1920" by Peter Thornton, (408 pages!!, paperback @£19.99, but I got it for £9.95)
I checked in Amazon.com and it's still in print/available @£15.99.

Cardiff

On the subject of helpful books on decorating styles, I have two on Victorian that are both wonderful. One is "Victorian Style" by Judith and Martin Miller, and the other one is "Victorian Home" by Ellen Plante. Loads of pictures, and massive amounts of information.

Deena in Miami

Miniature Book Sites:
A totally delightful stroll down mini book lane! http://www.mbs.org/
Tuttle Antequarian Books http://www.tuttlebooks.com/minibooks.htm
The Microbibiliophile http://www.microbibliophile.com/index.htm

Judie

Candles: I don't know who is inquiring about candles but here's what I've done for my "gift shop". After having spent countless frustrating hours fiddling with Fimo and thread, I purchased a package of party candles...those long, slender ones used to decorate cakes. They're about 6-1/2" long and about 1/16" in diameter and come in a variety of colors in a package of 24. I cut them to just under an inch in length to fit into individual open boxes holding twelve, just as you'd see them displayed in a store. Ready-made candles, wicks and all, with no hassles! Don't know why it took me so long to have thought of this! Hope this helps.

Helen

Ceilings: I have found an easy way to do ceilings. I buy the large sheets of water color paper. At Hobby Lobby they are next to the bins of large colored heavy poster board. There are different thicknesses and textures, and they can be painted. I measure, cut to size, and then apply regular wallpaper paste to the paper, and then apply to the ceiling. I then use a rubber roller to make sure I have all the air bubbles out and to make sure the paste will adhere. Since my house has ceiling fixtures in each room, and I wanted to dress the ceilings up a bit, I bought some ceiling paper from my a dollhouse shop(the kind that has different designs throughout), cut the designs out I wanted around my lights, placed them where the ceilings fixtures would be, and used wallpaper paste again to put these on with. You do want to be careful about using a roller on these since it might mess up some of the design. I then inserted the lights. I have found it is MUCH easier to install these fixtures by running the electrical tape on the floor above, drill a hole where the fixture is to be attached, run the wires up through the hole, and connect to the tape. The only problem with doing it this way is if you are going to have a "wood" floor instead of carpeting, and you glue the floor down. If you have to get to the tape run or if you have a short somewhere, this can be very difficult. If you have carpet, you can just lift the carpet up. Hope this helps.

Shara in Colorado Springs

Painting Chrysnbon Pots: I don't know how Teri did hers, but I've done a spatter painting technique in mini when I did the Crysonbon pan set. I wanted it blue with black spatters. I painted the basecoat (blue), and let it dry. Then, I took an old toothbrush and dipped it in black paint. Point it in the general direction of the piece you're decorating, and run your thumb through the bristles. Its rather messy, but a great effect. Very easy. You might consider wearing gloves if you don't like the idea of getting paint all over yourself. I used acrylic paint.

Sloan

Design/decorating: When I was in high school, we were lucky to have a wonderful art teacher and could choose our art courses. I took architectural design one semester. The teacher gave us a list of the personalities and interests of the family for whom we were designing the house. WE even had to build a 1/4 scale model of it. (The next semester we took interior design and furnished the house on paper.) It's amazing how much knowing who lives there can add to your detail in a scene! Even if you choose not to put in 'people', it is good to imagine them! A great lesson for those interested in miniatures.

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Mini angle iron: I made my own pieces of angled steel for utility shelves for a room box using manila folders and stained them with watered down ink for a nice color.  I cut the strips carefully and used a sharp edged ruler to make the fold.   Then I made pin holes on both sides to simulate the bolt holes.   You can use thin aluminum shim (found in hobby or train shops) to do the same thing.   You can see the results at: http://community.webshots.com/photo/24686980/24761850DNYfPIcefZ  Everyone who has seen them say they look like the real thing.

Jacqui in Hilo

Punched Tin Cabinet: The foil from a Large Kool aid container or from any commercial tins of food, such as nuts, fruits, etc., will give you the "tin" without the heaviness and bulk of real tin. They are easily cut with scissors/X-Acto knife. So cut away and enjoy the punching. A large darning needle with an eraser on the end is a good tool for that.

bon in Sunny Alberta

Log Cabin Floor:  I have done many floors including Log Cabin and have used random sizes from 1/4 inch, half inch and up to 3/4 Inch.  Follow a pattern   when laying them.   You can even cut at random lengths and fill in on the sides.   Follow the same size after so many strips. After floor is laid and glue dries, sand the top.  Stain with a Minwax stain to match your walls. For a finish, use a matte finish NOT GLOSSY. It will give it the rather rustic look you want for the cabin.

Ann Weiner

Log Cabin Floor:  An alternative for the floor. It works well for me. If you are lucky enough to have a store that sells handmade paper (paper store, stationary, art supply) see what they have. Years ago I bought a very large piece that is brown and fibrous, It can be torn or ripped and makes a great floor.

Melissa Cookman

Log Cabin Floor:   Unfortunately, there aren't many options - either dirt, stone or tile.   The latter two don't really work with log cabins, so I'd still go with wood, but not oak or anything fancy.  Use basswood strips about 1/2" x 1/16 or even thinner.  You can also use strips of different widths for a random look, but make sure they are all the same thickness. Depending on the look you want, sand them a bit with the coarsest sandpaper (going with the grain), to make them look hand hewn, or just use them as is.   Lay them like a regular wood floor, but if you leave some gaps here and there, it will look more rustic.   Since you don't want the floor to be too pretty, don't finish it with glossy polyurethane - use a matte sealer instead just to protect it.   You could even rub some dirt into the floor before sealing, so that it wont look too new.

As for other ideas, how about a chimney and fireplace faced with pebbles to simulate "river stones".     Use tartan plaids for curtains and/or upholstery, or even just as blankets.   An old-fashioned cook stove, like the one that Chrysnbon makes, would be very appropriate.  I would recommend the Realife "Country Kitchen" kit, as the furnishings would be perfect for a log cabin, and are not large: an old fashioned stove, Hoosier cabinet, sink with pump and icebox.  These kits are no longer made, but they appear on ebay all the time.  Expect to pay between $10 and $20 - which is a great price for these excellent kits.   The only problem is finding the kit on ebay.   Usually, you can do a search for "Realife" and most of their kits will come up.   But some sellers misspell it as Reallife or Real Life, while others list it only as Country Kitchen Kit or something else entirely.   So, try several searches.

Jonathan in Israel

Stucco Problems:  the slick surface of foamcore is best primed with gesso to create a grip. Your stucco is cracking and chipping because it has nothing to grab onto. Tuck this lesson in the back of your mind and remember that closed, nonporous surfaces, like glass, tile and slick posterboard need to be primed to create artificial pores that can be clogged with gunk.

Becky Holliday

Marbling is harder to describe than do. Many of the DIY books have instructions. Short version: choose a base color, a couple of related, slightly darker shades, and one dark shade for the veins. Example: cream, tan, light brown, and burnt umber. I use standard acrylics from WalMart.

Paint the base color, let dry. Pour a small puddle of each darker shade on a disposable palette (clean meat tray, paper plate). Dampen a small sponge in water and wring out, dab it in one of the darker shades, and then dab on the palette till it's fairly dry and leaves only faint sponge marks. Sponge them randomly all over the fireplace. Repeat in some areas if you want more intense color. Rinse and wring out sponge, dab in second darker shade and repeat, sponging in some new spots, overlapping the first sponging in others, and leaving small areas showing base coat.

While the sponged layers are still slightly damp, use a very fine brush (some people use feathers) to lightly trail veining randomly across the piece -- don't overdo at first, you can add more if it looks too sparse.

If you don't like the effect, keep dabbing on alternating thin layers of the base, accent colors, and veins till it looks right --marbling is really forgiving and hard to mess up as long as you use a light hand! When you're satisfied with the look, let it dry. If you want to tone it down a bit, dab a final layer of very diluted brown wash over the piece, gently blot, and let dry again. Finally, spray a coat of matte acrylic to protect your creation.

For fantasy effects you can even use wild colors not found in natural marble -- pale lavender base, dark lavender and purple sponging, gold veins! All metallic with silver base, gold and copper sponging, silver and black graphite veins! Marbling is fun to play with.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Pumpkin Lamps: For those who are looking for lit pumpkins - we have some for sale on our web site. http://www.grandadsplayroom.com

Wiring & Lighting Instructions:We have written our own wiring diagram leaflet,written in non-technical language! AND we make and sell lighting for the Georgian/Medieval/Tudor periods to Victorian. http://www.grandadsplayroom.com or e-mail for advice on grandad@grandadsplayroom.com

Nanny Joyce