Landscaping a Front-Opening House: Another option is to do what I saw in an article in DHM where a front opening dollhouse was graced with some landscaping in the front by cutting a piece of wood to fit in front of the house. The landscaping was done on the separate piece of wood and it could be removed when you needed to open the house. When it was placed in front of the house it all looked as if it was one piece.

Nertha

Air-Plants: I use air-plants all over my landscaping! I just remove, and mist with water every week . You can go to http://www.airplants.com for all info/care. They add realism to the scene. I use the smaller ones and put in mini pots....cute added to the greenhouse!

SuLin

Trees: Before you proceed with your tree you need to decide how big you want it to be. I will assume that it is 1/12 scale and it is a big old gnarly oak tree.

1. Find yourself a branch that is shape of the basic trunk don't worry about the smaller limbs higher up just the trunk and the major limbs.

2. Now using 16 gauge single strand bare copper wire which you can acquire at your local hardware store. Twist it together to form the upper limbs. Leave about an inch of each wire untwisted at the bottom to give you something to attach it to the trunk.

3. After twisting the upper branches use 5 minute epoxy (it's also at the hardware store) to attach each upper limb to the trunk.

4. Now comes the time consuming part, apply a thin coat of yellow carpenters glue (hardware store again) to a section (about 4 or 5 inches) starting at the bottom. Then roll out the PaperClay to about 1/4" thick or a little less depending on the size of your tree and wrap it around the trunk. This will be easy on the big trunk but harder as the limbs get smaller. After you've done 2 or 3 sections go back with a stylus or a bamboo skewer that has been rounded off somewhat and with vertical strokes score in the gnarly old rough bark. Don't try to be neat with it, the rougher the better. If you want to have a bole or limb that has been cut off simply put a glob of PaperClay on the trunk and when you have the shape you need score it like the trunk. When you reach a point where you can no longer handle it without messing up what you've done stop and let it dry until you can handle it again. Now I would be remiss if I said it was easy, it isn't but if you pay attention to detail the results are worth it.

5. When everything is dry you can paint the tree using thin washes of a gray brown acrylics.;

6. Using foam foliage build the canopy of the tree to suit your tastes.

Rik Pierce

Cattails: I wanted to share with you all my success in making cattails. I wanted some for a jardiniere in my Victorian, when cattails, peacock feathers, pampas grass & pussy willows were all the fashion, (in different containers, not all lumped together). Anyway....here's what I did. Cut some lengths of florist wire, dipped them in "raw linen" colored acrylic & set on Styrofoam to dry.

I then shaped quilter tape in a double taper effect around the top of the wire. Then painted the tape with white glue and rolled in bronze embossing powder. (Found in the rubber stamp dept.) Ta Da!!! I plan to use raffia for the leaves. They really look good, if I do say so myself.

Sharon in Watsonville CA

Flagstones: I made flagstone pavers for the patio of my dh. I used Plaster of Paris. I mixed it very thick...about to the consistency of dough. Then, I rolled it our between two sheets of waxed paper. I peeled off the top sheet of wallpaper. I let it dry just a few minutes, then flipped it over and peeled off the other sheet of waxed paper. At this point, I let it dry about 3/4 of the way, then broke it into pieces. However, if you wanted uniform pieces, you could cut it using a straight edge right after peeling of the second sheet of waxed paper. Then, let if dry completely. Color it using several coats of color wash (paint mixed with water) until you have the color you want. The benefit of using a color wash is that it is more transparent, and adds a lot of depth. Once you have the color you want, seal with 3-4 thin coats of clear sealer. Install with glue - I used tacky glue. Then, use more plaster of Paris for the grout. If the pavers are sealed properly, the excess "grout" will wipe right off the top with a damp rag. Finally, spray another 3-4 coats of clear sealer to finish. I used a matte finish sealer as I did not want the patio shiny, but you could pick the effect that you like best.

Sloan

Hanging Greenhouse plants - To hang plants 'impermanently' (unpermantently?) in your glass house, you might want to try the smallest of those new hooks with the double stick tape backs. They are called COMMAND and made by 3M, http://www.3M.com/Command, the adhesive is strong, yet removable. I found mine in the hardware section of Walmart.

Alice Zinn

San Franciscan: for the porch of your San Franciscan dollhouse I think you should go with your plant idea. One thing I really love about New Orleans is all the plants everywhere, hanging from EVERY balcony and porch - it's beautiful! I think it would really dress up your porch, and make quite a statement against the white siding and wood-stained doors and windows. Colorful flower pots sitting on the edge of the porch, hanging planters off the railings with geraniums & such, and then ferns and flowers hanging off the top balcony. LOTS of ferns! I uploaded a picture I took in the French Quarter of a gorgeous balcony scene - go to http://hometown.aol.com/kelenenn/Balcony.jpg to view it. I know New Orleans style is different from your house, but I think you could graft the plant decor onto your house very well!

Graceanne

Here is a question that came to me that some may find helpful in flower making: Can I use Elmer's glue?

No. I use Aileen's original tacky glue.

I have used the thin bodied tacky but find it doesn't hold as well. When I glue leaves to wire, you see a bunch of white glue when it is wet but it shrinks and dries clear. Then I paint over ALL glue connections. When I am gluing leaves directly to the wire I do not use the white glue zap-a-gap method. The bond is brittle!

For an instant bond. . . . use a touch of white glue then a touch of zap-a-gap. For small flowers this works great but for stems (like on my hibiscus bush) that have to hold leaves the bond is too brittle. In many cases I then paint over connections with original tacky glue mixed with a few drops of water so that it will flow. Zap-a-gap is available at model train stores or Micro Mark.

Mary Kinloch

Water-scaping: I had a large area to cover -- 18" x 21" – and wasn't about to use all of my precious "Ladybug Water" -- I bought it for personal use and besides I don't think it would cover almost 400 sq. inches. So-o-o, I used shrink wrap instead. We had a 24" roll of the shrink wrap we used to wrap around towers of boxes when we moved; got it from a moving box store.

First, I painted the base in various shades of green (I decided, rather arbitrarily, that the fishing shop is on a lake). Dark toward the edge, shading lighter toward the shore. I laid down lines of Tacky glue, representing waves coming toward the shore. The next part was tricky and required two people because the clear wrap is sticky (I had a problem with the edges wanting to roll under and absolutely refusing to unfurl. ). With Sam on one side and me on the other with the sheet of wrap stretched between us, we slid it under the dock -- above the lines of glue -- up to the shore. Then, beginning at the shore line, we laid it down, allowing some slack between the wavy glue lines.Oh, it looks wonderful! I'm amazed, really. This is a great effect.

I'm putting in the dock posts tomorrow and will use Ladybug's polyseal stuff around their bases to make water ripples. I'll also use it along the shore line to cover the edge of the wrap. Around the side edges of the base, I'm going to put some moulding so the edges of the wrap will be concealed.

Sally Cook-Thomas

Water: I have used acrylic water from WalMart floral dept. for all my ponds and water projects. Also use Everlasting Elegance, from our Hobby Lobby in floral dept. They both are great and quite inexpensive. 24 hour cure time and crystal clear.

SuLin

Acrylic Water:I used the Acrylic Water for the water around my lighthouse and really like the way it turned out. It was very easy to use, too. The main thing is to make sure your area is sealed really well.

Carole Pierce in TN

I decided to try adding something to my "limestone" pavers this morning. I just felt that they needed a finishing tough. So, I broke out the antiquing gel and gave them a quick coat. . . . . I can't believe how that one little detail has brought them to life! Now they look even more real.

Sloan

Gates: I had my gate in Workshop Wisdom a few years back. All the talk about bamboo reminded me. I used the bamboo sticks and quilling paper to make my gate. It makes a wonderful wrought iron gate with all the quilling paper curls and bamboo all painted--mine was black . I was making a fence of it for my Victorian doll house but as with most of my projects I still haven't finished it yet. You can see a picture of it in Dollhouse Miniatures Issue March 1998 page 73.

Penny in Oregon

Hanging Plants: do the plants you want to hang already have wire or macramé hangers attached to the pots?   If so, try what I've used:   get the largest size of hooks and eyes from a fabric store or Wal-Mart / K-Mart sewing department. Save the eyes for something else (they make good pot handles and drawer pulls).  Glue the hooks along the underside of the porch roofline, with the sewing loops to the top and the hook facing up.  Once the glue is dry, you can slip the plant hanger loop through the hook and voila, your plants are hanging.   Make sure you space them far enough apart that the plants won't bump each other as they dangle.   You could also use a skewer and two grommets to hang a horizontal bar (like a shower curtain rod) below the roof.   Measure and mark where you want the bar to be attached on the side walls.  Measure porch width and cut the skewer that width; sand ends so it is just slightly less, enough to slide in between the walls.  Slide the grommets over the end of the skewer with their flat sides facing each end of the skewer (like two tiny top hats facing each other top-to-top).   Slip the skewer in place between the walls and line it up with the marks on the wall.  Apply glue to the "hat brims" on the grommets and slide them into place against each wall.   Brace or tape in place until dry.   Make s-hooks from wire, slip through plant hanger loops and hang along bar where needed.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Hanging Plants: I use the tiny eye brass hook that screws into the wall.  I think I bought mine at Joann fabrics.  Cut it to make a hook.  I macramé the plant hangers with DMC floss. Use a jewelry metal chain link for the end.

Here are instructions for a mini macramé hanger http://members.tripod.com/~Folkgal/mac.htm   Another idea is to make a multi level plant stand, like a spiral stair case made of wood.

June, Tualatin, OR

Clear caulk for water: I know someone recently mentioned clear caulk for miniature water but warned of the strong smell- I must say I used some caulk for the real tub (yes I finished that renovation that was standing still for more than a year) I purchased something called 30 or 40 year caulk- don't remember the brand but it was worth a little more expense as IT DID NOT SMELL AT ALL! 

Teresa from Canada

Coffee Grounds potting soil: First thing to do with coffee grounds is to get all the moisture out of it. You can do this by spreading a shallow layer of dried grounds on  a cookie sheet and baking at 250°F for about 20 minutes.    I also run some through a coffee grinder to get a finer ground and mix it up so the texture is slightly varied.  Sometimes I'll add tea grounds too for variety of texture and colour.

I put a white glue down first with a foam brush and then sprinkle the grounds over top, pressing down slightly.   After it's dry you can blow or gently brush away the excess.  Fill any bare spots with more glue and then grounds.

Debi in Quesnel

Dirt: Another great way to make dirt is taught by Pat and Noel Thomas.  They take sawdust and mix it with Elmer's glue and dirty water (a good dark water with acrylic paint - blacks, browns, what ever is handy).  When it dries the glue is clear and the dirt is rock hard and very believable!

Renee from New Orleans

Dirt for Landscaping or Plants:   I strongly recommend that you do *not* use coffee grounds to simulate dirt.  The smell is not a factor because it dissipates after a few days.

However, no matter how well you treat the grounds, eventually something unexpected will happen, including the formation of mold.  Sometimes this takes years to happen, but eventually it will.

Instead, using inert materials, you can make very realistic and permanent landscaping or potting soil with a mixture of Woodland Scenics and AMSI landscaping materials which are readily available at most hobby shops which carry model train supplies.  I use Woodland Scenics Turf and Ballast.  Try mixing Dark Brown and Buff Ballast in varying degrees of coarseness with some soil-colored Turf.   The only color Ballast you should avoid is Gray; it looks very artificial when mixed with the other colors.

Bev Gallerani

Dirt: As for the dirt questions, we use real dirt, which we sterilize and dry by baking on cookie sheets in a 350 oven for 45 min., door propped slightly open so moisture can escape. It smells bad in the process (try to do it on a day when you can have the doors open for ventilation), but it's plentiful, and easy to work with. To get rid of the lumps, stones and roots, after baking we stir it through a colander.

Pat Thomas