Plant Kits: Floral & Plant Kits: You will find many inexpensive, quick and easy kits on my site under Florist-Seasonal-Summer and Greenhouse-Plants. Instructions are downloaded from an email to make a permanent How-To file on your own computer. No postage charges on orders until the first of the year.  Becky's Miniature Greenhouse http://www.beckyholliday.com

Becky Holliday

Crayola Model Magic: I use Crayola model magic all the time, here are my personal results with the stuff. Storing, use a airtight Tupperware container or Ziploc baggie, just make sure no air gets in.   It isn't reusable if dried, well we can always find a use but..........LOL.   Just a thought if you dry some and chopping the food processor or coffee grinder you might get amazing popcorn.....I am going right now to try it...LOL.

Paint.   Acrylics and watercolors...........I like the watercolors the best, as you don't need much paint at all to color a large piece.   Dab a little on and then start smooshing the clay until it is uniformly the color you want.   Or after it is dry you can paint it then with either acrylic or watercolors

Slicing when dry.....A clay tissue blade cutter works wonderful like butter.

Once dry I have added Hot Wonder Water to it and it has never melted so the temp isn't too hot for it, works great for ponds.

Kathy

Snow: Snow is easy to do - you can build up drifts or snowmen or whatever with PaperClay, foam core, etc. When you have it shaped the way you want, apply a layer of Snow-Tex or Outdoor Snow decorative snow (comes in a 4 oz tub and can be found at craft stores or places like Wal-mart) The most effective touch is to buy the most ultra fine iridescent glitter - so fine it almost looks like powder - in a tiny glass vial - and sprinkle it on the wet snow. It looks very realistic. You can also create patches of ice for your mini people to fall on with Envirotex - just pour it on areas to simulate ice. I used this technique for a pheasant woodcarving and it turned out very effective - except no one believes it is real snow when it is 90 degrees outside...

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Paper-Wrapped Wire: http://amsi-minilandscaping.com They have white and green cloth covered wire sold by the bundle. They have wonderful landscaping materials and are extremely helpful. They extended me a 30% discount since I have a miniature business. The man's name is Tony and his wife is Mary. They provide landscaping used for small scale miniatures in Hollywood. I searched for 2-1/2 weeks to find their site on the Web.

Jean

Marlene Chapman-Ontario

Fairy Ponds: Today my 7 y/old daughter and I made our fairy ponds ala Ladybug. I used the Sculptamold (from A. C. Moore) on top of a throw away plastic lid--like a large one from a tub of margarine. shaped it roundish will little hills and a pond in the middle. We each painted our own and I helped her with the fairy dust and 'water' which is a type of sealant. I'm taking a break, she is still working on hers making a mini bridge from broken toothpicks. She also drew a tiny fairy on paper and we used pieces of driftwood from our trip to the shore. I think we still might add the butterflies--have to find the right thing to mount them on.

Kathy B. in PA

Flower Instructions: Some of you have asked for tips on making flowers. Here is a start - I'll post more in the next few days. First, whatever paper you use - typing, tracing, tissue, etc. - I prefer to paint the petals before shaping - wet paper has a tendency to return to it's original flat state. Next, you will need either a ball stylus or a round toothpick to shape/cup the petals. The point on the toothpick needs to be sanded off to a nice smooth rounded end. This will keep the paper from tearing. Some people prefer to use a pad of several paper towels to lay the petals on for shaping - you can also use a mouse pad. I prefer to use the palm of my hand or the pad of my fingertip. One thing that will help you is to have a nursery catalog or gardening book/magazine so you can examine the flower's petal shape. You will also be able to see the colors/varieties of each flower.

Most of the time I use wire with a little "pip" on the end - I cut the wire into 1-1/2" to 2" pieces and dip the very tip (maybe 1/16") into a mixture of yellow paint and glue. Depending on the flower you are making, you might need to redip after dry to get a bigger pip. If you are making flowers that have "fluffy" looking centers, you can use finely ground foam or sand in the appropriate color. Try a few of each and see which ones you like.

Today, I will start with Irises - you can use a teardrop-shaped punch or 'some' heart-shaped punches - does the heart shape look like it can be cut down the center to make 2 nice teardrop shapes? Take each teardrop and start pressing with the stylus or toothpick in the center of the fat part to make it cup nicely - practice with a few - sometimes it works better to press gently just inside the edges first. The kind of drag the tool toward the pointed end of the teardrop to make it curl a little. Does it look like an iris petal yet? If so, move on to make 5 more. Once you have 6 petals, dip the pointed end in tacky glue and then just the tiniest touch of super glue. Attach to the end of the prepared stem with the "fat" part up. Repeat with 2 more petals, spacing evenly around the stem. Now attach the other 3 petals in between the "up" petals, only point the "fat" part down. After this dries, you can add color to the edges with a marker or with paint (lightly now). You can also add the "beards" (the fuzzy part at the base of the "dangly" petals) by touching on a little glue and then dipping in finely ground foam in appropriate color (most iris have yellow beards but there are some with white, orange, etc. - check your catalog/book). Leaves are kind of a light to medium green and are shaped much like a sword blade - long, skinny, tapering to a point.

Sonia

Fishing Pond: First, how deep will your pond be? This will determine how you go about placing the boat. I would suggest that you plan for the pond to be at least 1" deep....and for the best results, an inch and a half would be most realistic. I will assume that you will be using a pond at least 1" deep.

I would start with the shell of the pond first. The bottom can be painted a darker color, and gradually lighten the color as you move up the sides of the pond. DO NOT paint the bottom of the pond black, or any other extremely dark color. This is done in hopes of making it look deeper.....it does not work. It makes the bottom of the pond look black....nothing more. I would suggest a nice muddy brown...no darker! Add sand, rocks, plants, moss, etc to the bottom of the pond and glue in place. Let the glue cure completely...a day or two. Then, a pour thin (1/4") of resin in the bottom of the pond and let sit up completely......this will keep the pond from sitting on the bottom, which will look fake. Next, add more "stuff" to the pond..... fish, more moss, plants, etc. Now, pour the next layer, another 1/4 to 1/2" of resin. Let sit almost completely.....until it is quite thick and gooey. If you place the boat too soon it may tip over....you should have to use light force to get the boat into the water. This will also "mess up" the water just enough. Let that sit up completely. Depending on the type of resin you use, this may be 3-4 days. Finally, add any other details to the top of the pond that you like. I would put the lure and fishing line in at this point. After you are happy with the final details, add the last layer of resin. Set the pond in a spot that you can leave it in until it is cured.

Fill the pond completely to the brim, maybe even a little over.....so that the grass, sand, dirt....whatever....is is just slightly wet. If you are planning to add lily pads and lilies, wait until the pond is just tacky to the touch. Again, adding them too soon will result in their sinking instead of floating! :o)

As for your resin....go to your local auto supply store and ask about Everlast 2-part resin. It runs $20 a quart here in Iowa. It is almost completely clear, but not perfectly clear, which for realism is actually better....how many fishing ponds have you ever seen that are "really" crystal clear? And, with all the "stuff" going on in you pond.....including the painted bottom......you will never tell the difference. However, if you are going to have a waterfall in the scene, use the higher priced Everlasting Elegance (available at Michaels and other floral supply stores) for the waterfalls. It is perfectly clear....looks great! The only way to really make a pond look deep, is to pour it deep. If necessary, add a little to the price of this piece to cover the cost of the resin. Hope this helps! If you need more specifics about any of this, please feel free to email me....always glad to help out!

Sloan

Resin for Water: If it is a polyester resin, try to finish details in the painted base should be done and dry, first, several days dry. Then pour first layer, this should be accordance to manufacturers instructions. Since the depth of each layer of resin is critical to proper curing, pour no more nor less then it says for each layer. Castolite is 7 ounces of resin per square foot of water surface, so about 1/8" depth each layer. So if area has deep water add any rocks at bottom then put each layer(1/8" at a time) til time to add boat. Then put boat and next layer, or layers, depends on boat. Oh couple tips, do keep the room 70 degrees, while polyester resin is curing. 24 hours is good between pours, acetone removes any that may get on things it should not be on, use it before it dries, and a toothpick helps for bubbles. I hope this helps you a little, please follow the directions from manufacturer, and email me if you have any questions.

Jaime

Resin water: I did a bit of a lake under my nautical shop and even for that small area, it took 4 kits of the water resin from HBS. Depending on how deep you want the boat to float, pour a layer and then study on it for a bit. The resin takes a good 20 or so hours to dry, per layer. I thought I'd die and go to bankruptcy heaven before the lake got full. But yes, I set my boat in the water before I started pouring the resin. The fish, however, were another challenge. My fish were artificial bait from WalMart, and they just really wanted to go belly up before the resin dried. Hence, two or three dead fish in the water and one still hanging on the line ...... and only because of the line might I add.

Paula

Paper Leaves: Best suggestion for realistic paper leaves.... paint regular rice paper, tracing paper or typing paper even (if you must make do) with acrylic color washes.... then punch the leaves.... you get the colors you want without paying preemo dollars for "it'll do" paper....

Bob Francis

Paper Leaves: I made fake mini Fall leaves by painting both sides of white tissue paper different colors of browns, oranges, golds, and reds, (I used water colors) and then cut leaves out of that. Looked pretty realistic. You could probably punch several layers at a time, using the tissue paper.

Paulette in IN

Fall Leaves: buy a package of preserved REAL leaves at the craft store. You may even have these around from some fall project. Use your tiny maple leaf punch, lining the veins in the leaves up naturally where possible. These are very realistic because they are made from the real thing, and because they are preserved, they will last.

Bonnie Gibson

Trellis: DIY trellis can be hard or easy, depending on the style you want. Easiest, cut plastic needlepoint canvas to shape, apply vines, and glue in place (floppy if it's too tall and not supported on a porch or house side). Slightly harder, cut plastic canvas on bias so trellis is diamond-shaped, not square-holed, gluing coffee stirrers or other wood strips along edges and painting to match. Or cut up a plastic berry or tomato basket to size and paint the color you want. Hardest, glue wood strips together to the size and geometric pattern you want -- use a grid to space them (example: graph paper taped to cardboard under plastic wrap) before painting. Another easy one -- the smallest size of bamboo rake from craft shops looks like a natural-finish fan-shaped trellis in 1:12 scale.

Loretta Sniarowski

Trellis: Your garden trellis shouldn't be too hard to make, after all, I made one! Do you want the fan kind? Here's how I made mine.

Material used:
1/8" wide bass/balsa wood
Cut 5 pieces of 1/8" wide bass/balsa wood 7" long.(long stems)
1 piece 3 1/8" long (horizontal top cross)
1 piece 2" long (mid section cross piece)
4 pieces 1/2" long (vertical separators at the bottom, between long pieces))
4 pieces 5/8" long (horizontal separators behind the top cross piece)

1. glue the 1/2 pieces in between the 5 long pieces(stems), at the bottom, all going the same way and thickness same way. I used spring clamps to hold them together overnight.
2. When dry I laid it out onto a thick piece of Styrofoam. This will allow you to poke nails or pins to hold in place while building. Lay flat on Styrofoam, pin between the long rungs to hold in place. (Pins at an angle will hold in place better.
3. spread the top of the long stems out evenly, and glue the 5/8" separator pieces in between the stems (approx. 1 15/16 down from top).
4. Glue the 3 1/8" horizontal cross piece on top of the separators, this hides your construction.
5. Glue the 2" mid section cross piece approx. 4" down from the top

When completely dry I added to ends of bamboo skewers to the back side for ease in poking it into my base. If your base is wood you could drill holes then secure with glue. For vines, drag thread through tacky glue then RR landscape material(looks best if colors are mixed). Lay it onto trellis, make sure trellis is on wax paper! For flowers, you may use bits of colored sponges or very small roses you can get in bunches through Wal-Mart or others.

LISA (LYNN) VANZANT

Glycerin: glycerin acts as a softening agent on many plants - not all plants reacts with the same success. Sometimes it turns the leaves a dark brown disfigured color - as memory serves me it depends on the chlorophyll. Eucalyptus leaves probably respond the best and that's why everyone sees them all over the place. Aspen leaves are awful - their beautiful fall colors are completely destroyed. You will have to try and see how the particular leaves respond. As for applying you set the stem of the leaf in a glass container with an adequate amount of glycerin for the leaf to draw up into its cellular structure. If you put in small leaves and stems I'd let them set at least overnight - if you remove them before the glycerin has completely drawn up you will have a half finished process. Don't dilute with water by the way. I don't believe the structure of bark will allow the glycerin uptake.

When I used the glycerin I bought several bottles of it -- I had to leave my address and phone number on file - it is an explosive agent when combined with other things. I don't know what other things - so don't go mixing it.

Jean

Japanese Floral Arrangements: If you're looking for authentic reproductions of Japanese floral arrangements visit Helen David's web site at http://www.smallerthanabreadbox.com and at the bottom of the page under "Show 'n Tell" click on the "Floral Arrangements for the Orient" link.
There's about 29 floral arrangements in this group along with some information on the "History and Tradition of Oriental Floral Arrangements" that will be of interest to you. These arrangements were first introduced at the 2000 Chicago International show and still are quite the conversation piece.

Richard

Trellis: I bought a roll of "gutterguard" at the shop. It is a black plastic, diagonal mesh ,6" wide and I think it was 6' long. A piece of it looked really good fixed to the wall of a garden roombox I made and gave as a gift.

I made vines out of the finest brown paper-covered florist's wire and made leaves and blossoms out of fimo, using sugarcraft punches, which I keep just for use with fimo. There is enough to make a lot of pieces of trellis or it would make great chain-link fencing.

Dee

Beach Foam: " I'd like to know if anyone has any ideas for foam as the water hits the beach."

I use two part resin mix, such as Envirotex and actually whip it as I mix it. I whip it HARD. I prefer a wooden popcycle stick or tongue depressor for this process. Metal cuts through the resin too sharply. Plastic tends to get soft as the heat in the resin develops. I continue whipping the mix until I feel the heat beginning to develop as the chemicals work together,I do not stop working the material until the cup becomes hot - then and only then do I apply the resin froth to the water. This traps bubbles that do not break as the resin hardens. I mix small quantities in a small paper cup- never more than 2 ounces. Larger quantities will not froth well.

When I'm ready to apply the mixture, I pinch a spout in the side of the paper cup to make application easier. Once you begin to pour, handle the resin as little as possible. Every movement will break a few of the precious bubbles. When dry, I repeat the process either adding to the existing height of the foam I just made or creating another wave breaking behind the first wave. I also use this technique in my waterfalls where the fall hits the pond.

Another tip for water that is a lot of fun will make wonderful ripples and small waves. Simply add more hardener to the mix. The chemical reaction creates ripples in the thin layer you have just poured. I prefer pouring in several thin layers and I alter the color and texture with each layer. The illusion of depth is astonishing.

Becky Holliday

Beach Foam: I just saw the question about making the foam on the beach as the waves roll in. With the new Scenic Water, it is very easy to do. Just melt down the SW and pour it where you want it and then take one of the syringe applicators and inject air into the liquid SW while it sets up. No beating, no hard work. If you desire more foam, with smaller bubbles, just mix a bit of shampoo or dish detergent with water, and suck up the bubbles with one of the applicators and push them into the cooling SW and tah-dah you have foam. You can contact me offline if you are in the eastern part of the US or Deanna atminitqs@execpc.com if you are in the mid west to get it supplied to a shop or order it from either one of us as an individual and we will be happy to oblige.

Dolly