Air Fern: I have purchased from Sun Bulb Co., P.O. Box 309, Arcadia, FL 33821, 813-494-4022 for my bulk supplies. Note the price varies by the quantity you purchase. Tom has mailed to me and I have been very satisfied.

Becky

Bees for brown-eyed susans:  Find a chenille (sp?) stem (extra fuzzy pipe cleaner) of the correct YELLOW color. Apply your trusty  "black Sharpie pen" to create a few stripes. Cut wings from those thin plastic bags you bring your veggies home in. Bits of a paint brush bristle, or something equally thin for antennae. Give the back end of the fuzzy body a trim with the scissors to taper it a bit.  Assemble with a few dabs of tacky glue & I can almost hear it buzz.    I know this sounds like a Bumble Bee, with the stripes, but they are the most recognizable bee and can be a little larger than a Honey Bee.

Ann in AZ

Lycopodium: I have seen lycopodium in the catalog for Hobby Builder's Supply. They may have it on their web site at http://www.miniatures.com

Linda in GA

Lycopodium: Most miniature shops carry lycopodium. Dee's carries it so if they don't have it in stock they can order it. It is not very expensive.

Jackie Bruno

Tiny brass leaves: Karen Stull has a new address: Karen's Miniatures Int'l Ltd., 1546 Missouri Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88001; 505-532-0939 and e-mail KARENMINIS@AOL.COM. For those who don't know, she bought out Skycrest ceramics and offers those along with the brass sheets of 1", 1/2", and 1/4" scale leaves, garden furniture, bird cages, cutlery, pub signs, clocks, weather vanes, fencing & gates, scale screen, decorative panels, outdoor lights, wall sconces. Can't remember how much the catalog is, but anyone interested could e-mail and find out. I have no connection to this business.

Rita Pierce

Tiny brass leaves: I carry the brass leaf items you are looking for. They are very easy to work with. There are many types and sizes.

JB's Doll Houses and Miniatures, Yuma,AZ http://www.jbsdollhousesminiatures.com

Jackie Bruno

Tiny Metal Leaves: There is a company in the UK called "Scale Link" which sells 'etched brass frets' and they have a variety of minute brass accessories, including very small scale gates, fencing, sun dials, weather vanes and the tiniest leaves you can imagine.

They have leaves in all sorts of scales - oak leaves, ash leaves, maple leaves (would work for small scale ivy), horse chestnut (scheflera) etc. http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/index.html

Lesley, Johannesburg, South Africa

Snow: To create mounds of snow on the sides of the sidewalk, use small "logs" of styrofoam glued to the sides of the walkway and covered with snow paint. Snow paint can be found in most craft stores in various varieties. You can use it  on your bushes and snowman as well. You can make the sidewalk look wet and  icy with clear nail polish. A snowman can be made out of styrofoam balls, an orange painted end of a toothpick for the carrot nose, some dots of black paint for the coal eyes and mouth, and a scrap of fabric for a scarf. Use a thin dowel for the broomstick arms!

Alice Zinn, Florida

Snow in yard: I made a similar scene with the outside, front  of a house on one side and the inside on the other. Mine was in a dome and I put our family name over the front door because it was to be auctioned off at our family reunion. The front door was red and had a Christmas wreath on it. I put snow on the top of the door frame, on the wreath and piled on both sides of the sidewalk. There is a little snow which has been swept off of the welcome mat. Where you take the snow off, it leaves a shiny wet place that looks like ice or melted snow. The name of the stuff is Delta Fantasy Snow. I can be found with the paint in the craft department at Wal-Mart. It has little balls of plastic which may need to be rearranged to make it look real but I think it sounds perfect for what you need. You will need to make the snowman etc., before you paint them with this snow.

Mary Lou Dawson in Florida

Paper Clay: I've been making paper clay bricks and stonework from an article by Ric Pierce in the May, 2000 Miniature Collector.  I have not been applying the paper clay directly onto the wood for a fireplace or house, as his directions say to do...I have been making small squares of flat paper clay to start with.  And, have come up with a tip for working with paper clay in this way...since you have to score the front for bricks, stone, etc...score the back too.  Otherwise the paper clay will warp when drying. 

      His instructions are clear, and this has been a fun project...not to mention a extremely useful way to make lightweight brick and stone.

Kaye in L.A.

Hard Paint: I had some acrylic paints in screw top jars go hard too. I put the rest in squeeze bottles and they lasted much longer. Acrylic paint is plastic so once hard there is not much you can do to salvage it as paint. However.. being a miniaturist you might try shredding the hard paint with a knife to use as foliage, slicing it into shapes as you would cooked FIMO. It makes interesting grass for small scenes. I sometimes dry a thin layer of acrylic paint on glass and scrape it off with a knife for paper thin leaves for plants, it's very flexible.

Jean Day

Paper Clay: Someone asked about paper clay, a few digests ago, and as I use it a lot, thought I should reply.

Paper clay is a very smooth, fine, moist block of paper mache...it comes in 8 oz packages, and once you open the package, you'd better put it into a sandwich bag and keep it airtight, because it does air dry.

Doll makers use it because of it's very fine grain. Miniaturists can certainly use it for just about anything...as long as you are careful not to make things too thick, because it does tend to crack.

I have just used it as the base for topiary animals that I wanted outside of a store window I am making for my daughter for Christmas...(Noah's Ark.) I made a giraffe on either side of the window, with heads as high as the window itself...also, assorted other animals as the hedge at the base of the window. I made the animals over a armature of foil, so they wouldn't be too thick, let them dry, painted a black/green, spread with white glue, and then covered with model railroad foliage.

I think it's about $5-6 where I get it...(Michael's), so it is cheaper to use in these big projects than Fimo would be. Plus not having to bake it - you can tell that I really like it...right?

Here is the URL:

http://www.paperclay.com/product.htm

Kaye in L.A.

Paper Mache: I have made a "yard" out of it for one of my houses. I used newspaper, and a white (Elmer's, or another comparable school white glue -- not paste!!) glue/water prep (sticky but runny, if the mixture is opaque then there is too much water, if it is too sticky, add more water). Don't use flour/salt and water preps, just asking for critters. Newspaper has a grain much like fabric, and you will be able to rip the nicest, straightest strips if you are holding it the right way, generally with the written word as opposed to ripping through it, if that makes sense. Rip your print, and moisten (not soak) in the glue/water mixture. Let every layer dry completely, that way you will get a good solid coverage and nothing will peel. Also, alternate which way your strips go, that way you build up a good base. At the end, it can be nicely painted. You can speed up the drying process with a hair blower/dryer.

Kim from Canada

Landscaping Stuff on the internet: Your best bet for any type of landscaping material is Sue Thwaite at http://www.ladybug-fairies.com Just click on "supplies" and there ya go! Her fabulous mini water is now there along with the very best tool kit in the UNIVERSE. While you are there, check out the fairies, etc.

Carrie in Smithville TX

Mini Pine Cones: Lorrie Harvey has very low priced mini cones on her web site that is mostly for "stained glass."  You may have to search a bit. http://www.suite101.com/myhome.cfm/minilorrie

Bar Turner

Wedding cake columns: Don't forget they make a great base for the infamous garden "gazing ball", especially since the mini Christmas balls that are on sale right now work well. Just cut the pillar down to the height you want, and plop in the upside down ball (the end with the hanger goes down the hole.) Glue on with hot glue or epoxy, etc. You could also recreate the Parthenon.... but guess that would take up a lot of space if you do it in 1" scale!!!!!

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson

Water: Fill your McDonalds "tub" with DAP Clear seal caulking. Found in any Home Depot or any store that carries caulking.

Dr Bob

For a cobblestone roadway I glued down hundreds of split peas, rounded side up, then painted a dark gray and dry brushed with a mixture of black and brown. Sprinkled with Epsom Salts which fall into the crevices, it looks great.

Cecile

Hanky Panky - Paper Punches and more: The URL for Hanky Panky crafts is www.hankypankycrafts.com

Paula

Flower Punches: You can find flower punches onhttp://www.etropolis.com/mini/hooked/index.htm

Deb