dressing miniature dolls: it's easy and fun to learn to dress dolls, and you can learn a lot by subscribing to the Dainty Doll Newsletter. Each issue has 6-7 costume projects of all kinds, complete with patterns and detailed instructions. Anyone can email me for more information, or check out my web site. http://daintydoll.tripod.com/DaintyDolls/

Paulette Stinson

Metal Miniatures: if you are looking to buy metal miniatures this is the place i get mine, Millie is a jewel to buy from, she sells them at a wonderful price you can't beat!   yorkiepoo50@hotmail.com is her email address...JenniferKY

Joining Yahoo Groups: I didn't see the original post regarding the difficulties of joining any of the miniature lists on Yahoo but I would like to assure you that there are no restrictions placed on anyone who wants to join any of the lists. We would love everyone to come on down! *grin*

I am the owner/moderator of Dollhouseminiatures@Yahoo.com, one of the many free lists that are about miniatures on Yahoo. We welcome anyone who wants to join! We are a casual, chatty group that encourages people who want to meet like minded people to exchange ideas, tips, projects, triumphs and woes all in the name of miniatures in an informal setting. You can sign up to get a digest daily, or set it up so you receive every email sent individually. We have a lot of very talented people who will inspire you and make you laugh.

The only essential thing is that, to get on any of the Yahoo lists, you must have an active Yahoo account, which you can sign up for and open for free. Go to Yahoo.com and it will walk you through it.

Leslie

mini action figures: Action figures. Here is what I did for action figures. I found a plastic pack of 50 soldiers in action poses in a Dollar Store. Right size etc. I took them home and removed all the military stuff from one of the figures. I figured since they are plastic I can put them in boiling water and reposition any parts I want. Can also heat the joints and move the extremities to the desired position. Less destructive with boiling. I moved them( the extremities) a little bit at a time until I got the desired position. The painted with acrylic to get rid of the gray color of the figure.

Drbob

Handling lead: DO NOT SAND LEAD!  This stuff gets into your lungs and food and is poison. Any imperfections should be smoothed down with a round, metal tube (some pens or dental tools work well for this) keeping the particles out of the air and out of you and your family. Then prime and paint.

Additionally, Avon makes a product called Silicone Glove that you can rub   onto your hands like cream but it coats your hands so that you can get paint or metal or whatever on them, then wash your hands and all traces of mess come off easily. Highly recommended when working with metals.

Keep in mind that many things when used other than their original use could cause harm...like heating plastics that cause a gas by product or sanding metal... A miniaturist is a terrible thing to waste!

Laurie Sisson

Pastels for polymer foods: I thought it might be useful to go over some points. The artist pastels are basically like chalk, sold as sticks of different colors. These are used as an alternative to paint for the purpose of making objects appear more natural. They are especially useful for coloring baked goods, roasted meats, fruits, some vegetables, flowers, and much more. (I buy an entire set of 12 colors at Wal-Mart for something under $5.) To make the powder, take a stick and press it onto paper (like you did as a kid writing with chalk on a sidewalk) and that's all there is to it. You can mix colors as well. (Example: I use a coat of "mustard" mixed with a touch of brown to coat pastries and breads. Then I add a bit of solid brown and/or some burnt sienna to the tops. Note: I make burnt sienna by mixing orange and brown, then just a tad of red.) Brush on the pastels prior to baking the clay. The idea is to pretty-much dab on the color, rather than to solidly paint the object. To apply pastels to small items, such as potatoes, just roll the objects in the powder. The whole point in using pastels is to impart a depth and variance in color, such as for making oven-roasted potatoes. The pastels become a permanent part of the clay when baked, and do not need a gloss or matte protection. If you use pastels after baking, you'll find that it is harder to apply the pastels and you'll need a gloss or matte finish to protect them. Do NOT use "oil" pastels…just the regular artist pastels. Honestly, if you make mini foods orflowers from polymer clay, this product is a "must-have."

Doc

Glue: Just wanted to share something with you. Until recently, when I needed a glue,  I have usually used a white tacky glue or super glue for dressing and accessorizing my miniatures. At a show, I purchased a glue called Magna-Tac 809 and this last week I have used it for everything from the mohair, moss and feathers on my faeries and to the ribbons, jewelry and petticoats on my dancing gypsy doll. It dries clear, (really clear!). and it is creates a bond that is unbelievably strong.

I haven't looked for it around town, but I am sure it can be purchased at craft and fabric stores. Also, here is the web site listed on the bottle: http://www.beacon1.com

Lyn Trenary

Gift Room box ideas: I recently made my best friend's "office" (read: extra room) for her and what I had the most fun with was things I could do with my computer or scanner.   For example, I captured images of her favorite book and magazine covers on line, and printed them out to scale, and left them lying around.  There was a desk in the room, so I tucked away scanned images that she'd understand in the drawers, like a tiny little portrait of my kid and me, little CD's and VHS boxes of hers, etc.  My favorite was a tiny version of our high school yearbook.   Being a newbie, this was a great way to give it a personal touch until I figure out what I'm doing.  

Marti-in-Maui

Gift Room box ideas: How about a mini-room-box that works as a neat thing she will use.  I mean a Kleenex box cover with a room box end that will have meaning for her.

They are nothing other than a box to hold the Kleenex with an end added to make a small scene of any kind.  If you want to go this way, find a scene your Mom will like and place it into the display end of the box.   The best part of this gift is that it provides a memory or a pretty picture and still has a use by the loved one you gave it to.   You can see more of these gifts on my website If you want dimensions for such a box, e-mail me separately and I will send you a plan.

Dave

Gift Room box ideas: Whenever making something like that as a gift, I always make a list of things that remind me of that person. For example, list their hobbies and others interests. I had made a shadowbox (more shallow than a roombox) one time for my accountant. I took an inexpensive desk, and made shelves above it. On his desk I put all the usual things you'd expect to find. I had a calendar hanging on the wall with April 15th circled in red. I used a small piece of cork to make a bulletin board and put tiny notes on it with things like his kids phone numbers, and a dental appointment. (We go to the same dentist.) He and his wife go RVing, so I got a charm of an RV and put it on the shelves. Their dog is a Doberman, I found a tiny one and put that there too. He loves riding motorcycles, so I did the same. You all get the idea. I reduced a picture of he and his wife and put it on his desk. You get the idea.

So, starting with a list of someone's interests is, to me, the most important thing! Often, you do not need to do a whole room, a vignette or small display under a dome can 'say it all'!

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Roombox for Mom:   Here are some of the things I included in a roombox for my Mom and Dad. Basically divided the box in half and did one side for each parent.  I listed hobbies and interests from their work and retirement years as well as some of my memories growing up in a rural family with 8 children.  Mom's side had her sewing on a quilt top, with yarn for knitting close by, a crocheted tablecloth, homemade cookies ready to go in the oven after the pie came out. Home canned fruit, a butter churn, flowers and a cupboard with mugs with everyone's name in the family(one way to include all family members).  Pictures on the wall include parents and wedding pictures and a cross to bring in their religious faith.  Dad's side included his favorite roll top desk, and many tools and projects he liked to build including a dollhouse for one of my daughters.   Dad wore his striped overalls that I made from the remnant of a striped shirt.

Joan

Roombox for Mother: Amelia has been looking for ideas for a room box for her mother. I made a mini scene for my mother that she was just thrilled with.  If you're interested in seeing what I did, check out the photos here: Mini-scene: An evening at home with mother http://community.webshots.com/album/22875277sxzDpiIKzd

Mary in Virginia

Tiny Doll clothing Patterns: Look at a real pattern - the instructions. First page. LAYOUT...... The pattern pieces are represented faithfully for the layout... take this to a copier, and enlarge or reduce to fit your doll..... cut them out and use as patterns. Keep track of the percentage it took and use it on other patterns....... (thrift store patterns are about $.10) Mix and match sleeves, legs, arms, skirts, etc. Use glue instead of thread.

I've done this for years for all sizes of dolls. Works fine. For the very very small dolls, you might want to eliminate some of the fine detail on such as Vogue or Pristine but good ole Butterick or McCalls are good. Costume patterns will give you some exotic pattern pieces.

Judie - Daytona Beach. FL

New Knitting Pattern: I have created a new knitting pattern on the http://CastingForPurls.com/ web site. It is a baby's undershirt, which is very simple to knit, but the results are quite sweet. Select the Patterns link, then select Baby Eric's Undershirt. I hope you get around to knitting it sometime!

Joy in Pointe Claire

rigid 0.5 mm knitting needles: If you want rigid steel 0.5 mm for knitting needles, ask any surgeon for a piece of 0.5 mm K wire. (Kirshner wire). I used it to "pin" and hold cut bones together. The K wire comes in a variety of thickness'. They are not expensive and can be purchased in packets of 5 or 6.( Its been a while; and I can't recall )They come round pointed or "trochar" which has a three sided point. They are about 10" long and are cut easily with a wire cutter.

Drbob

PILLOW PADDING AND MATTRESS STUFFING: Have been intending to send this tip in for some time. If you need stuffing for pillows, mattresses, chair cushions, sofas, et cetera use tampons, panty liners or sanitary pads.

1. To make bolsters for beds, chairs, lounges, sofas, et al try the following product.........tampons without the plastic or cardboard outer coverings.
2. Pads can be cut to size for the mattress interiors or into shapes [square, rectangle, triangle, et cetera] for pillows.
3. Panty liners can be used to cover metal button shapes then overlaid with fabric to match room or furniture for pillows also.
4. TIP:: Important to remove the plastic exterior and / or the pink / blue absorbent center section.---

This will save a little money if you only need stuffing for a few pillows or one mattress. Most fabric / craft stores now sell batting only in large pre-packaged bags now days.

Patricia / Redwood City, CA

Stuffing for specialty pillows: A good stuffing for the long round pillows found on lounging couches is the thing-a-ma-bobbie that the dentist sticks in your mouth between your gum and your teeth when he or she is doing work and wants the saliva (and blood?) to be soaked up (at least that's what I think they're there for, maybe it is to keep one's cheek from getting in trouble).... ANYWAY I asked my dentist for a few (UNUSED! of course!) to make some elegant pillows and he looked at me really funny until I said 'mini.' The ones my dentist uses are sturdy and I'll bet other mini-ers probably could think of other uses for these little goodies, but pillows are a great start.

Gail of Ballouville

Rust effects etc in UK: Tanis, Have you tried Panduro Hobby for the things you want? They are a mail order company with a large catalogue (I can never get one without ordering something)They used to mainly deal with orders over 25 pounds but now they take smaller orders. Panduro Hobby Westway House, Transport Ave., Brentford, Middx. TW8 9HT Tel:0208 847 6161 e-mail: pandurohobby@compuserve.com

http://www.pandurohobby.whd.net You can sometimes buy their catalogue at large W.H. Smith branches.

Sharon from Hants

concrete flooring: In skimming the digest, I do not know if this has been mentioned. We learned to make a garage concrete floor in New Orleans last year (and this year) by using the wet gray paint and 1 ply tissue method. You paint your floor with gray acrylic paint and before it dries you lay down, flatly, one ply tissue over the wet paint. You pat it down with a brush, another tissue, or sponge so that the paint soaks up all the tissue. Once dried, the texture is fantastic and looks just like concrete....very very fine as in scale. You may also add your tire marks, oil stains, etc as you wish. Works very well.

Rhonda King

One more sheet of Wallpaper: Wallpaper is printed in batches and the colors from one batch to another can vary from just a small amount that's hardly noticeable to such an amount that the paper is a very different color altogether. Looking for and finding that one last sheet of wallpaper might therefore prove most disappointing. I always recommend buying at least 3 sheets of your chosen paper to allow for the size of the room and making mistakes. If you have a sheet left over it will always come in handy in a room box or smaller project.

Karon