Coffins: I believe Stockton Miniatures makes coffins . . . http://www.stockton-miniatures.com

Marsha, Newark, CA

Coffins: But we do make elaborate caskets and biers, as well as pine coffins for the less affluent "little folks" or for your Halloween scenes. Whoever was interested can seen them under" Novelty Items" on our web site. http://www.stockton-miniatures.com

Sharon Stockton

Coffins: Mary-Agnes Murphy, who daughter is a mortician, makes coffins. Her email address is: mammin@gowebway.com

Alice Zinn

Call Bells: For several years I was curator of a museum built in 1893-95, the late Victorian era you asked about. The rooms have electric buzzers to call servants. They are simple black buttons on rectangular brass mounts. When pressed, the buzzers sounded in the basement where there are two enunciators, glass-fronted wood boxes containing labels for every room. As the buzzer sounded, a little gizmo (sorry for the technical language) popped up to indicate the room where service was desired. This house also has speaking tubes in every room.

Margaret in Texas

Servant Bells: Our current home (built 1824) still has the servants' bells, most of which work. It is Beloved's aim to make them all work (just who the hell he thinks is going to scamper to his call, she snarled..), it is my aim to needlepoint them all bell pulls. How they work is devastatingly simple. One pulls the bell pull in the relevant room, which is connected to wires, which pull on the bells that are in a row in the kitchen. The wires disappear into walls and run under floorboards - it is most neat, and dainty in its structure. Each wire is attached to a large flat metal coil, on which reposes the bell, when the wire is pulled, the coil jiggles (hence ringing the bell). Although we can tell by the tone of the bell which bell pull is being yanked, one assumes there were labels of some sort, as in a busy kitchen, trying to ascertain which bell was which by sound alone would be tough. Maybe it was a visual thing, checking which bell was moving? This brings me neatly onto an electrified system which dated from 1900 in my MIL's London house. This had been very new and swanky when installed. The rooms had buzzers. Pushing the buzzer activated discs of card set in a glass panel in the kitchen, all neatly labeled. So say the Man of the House in his Study pressed his bell when he wanted his evening cocoa, in the kitchen a buzzer would sound, and the disc of card behind the porthole of clear glass above the word 'Study' would jiggle. Thus the servant had both an aural call of being wanted, then a visual stimulation of where she was wanted. Hop to it!

Helen, York, England

Carpet Runners: if you're looking for stair or hall runners we have a couple. Have a look at http://www.hijinx.co.nz

Elli

Beginners: It was so nice to see several letters from beginners in the latest digest. I hope they'll feel welcome in the mini world. I would offer a warm welcome, but some of us have already had all the warmth we want the last few days. A warm welcome to those in the southern hemisphere, anyway.

In my new website, http://francesarmstrong.homestead.com,I have a section specially meant for beginners. I had in mind those who were interested in smaller scales, but much of what's there applies to any scale. Even in 1/12 scale we try to reproduce things like pens, soap, jewellery, fruit and so on, when the results are smaller than our fingernails, and there can be problems gluing, cutting, painting or even picking up these things.

I've tried to provide links between pages to make exploring the site easier, and I'd love some feedback on whether the links are working. In return I hope even non-beginners will find something of interest. I'm adding new stuff all the time.

Frances Armstrong, Erin, Ontario

Mini hanging: Well, if grandad is making a nice hanging place.... One of the first mini's I made was a guillotine, I didn't make a book report in the freshman year on the "Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, as I had read it 4 or 5 times, so dad got me some small dolls, (2) and I appropriately dressed one, got help from dad on the pulley arrangement and the KNIFE I made the structure of walnut, cut off the doll's head and painted nailpolish for blood. It was the hit of the year! I also had a grandfather who was hung during our Civil War, in Texas which voted to go for the south. The army discovered a subversive organization favoring the north, they got a spy inside who got the list of members, there was a trial.... my ancestor was over 70 and so arthritic he couldn't get on a horse to go to jail. 42 men were hung and two more shot later....... There is a picture of the hanging tree... lots of anger about that war on both sides, some still hanging on...... People don't want to talk about the hangings...... or other involvement of relatives in that terrible war.

Rhoda

Picture Frames: Mount picture to be framed, centered, on a piece of mat board, illustration board, cardstock or cardboard of a thickness that will meet your approx. finished depth needs and that is wide enough all the way around to take the width of your frame. For instance, if your frame is going to have sides that are 1/8" wide you would add an extra 1/8" all around. Use either YES glue or a quality glue stick for adhering. If you are using glass and/or a matt to your picture, glue it on top, keeping glue to the edges that will be covered by the frame.

You will be using paper strips to frame your picture. The paper may be plain or decorative, thick or thin, smooth or textured. If plain, pre-paint it as desired...for a wood look paint it a raw sienna color and antique it with a dark brown water based translucent stain. For decorative papers look in full sized wallpaper books or in scrapbook sections of craft stores. Cut paper strips to width that is the same size as depth of edge of the cardboard-glass-picture-matboard (or whatever) combination Cover raw edges neatly in four separate pieces.

Cut strips the width of the face of frame sides and slightly longer. Adhere to top. over exposed frame space next to picture (right over glass if it is being used. Do two connected sides first, overlapping the corners. Using a sharp Xacto knife cut thru the two thickness' of paper at a 45 degree angle, using the inside and outside corners of the paper strips as a guide...very simple. Gently lift up the cut edges and remove the excess paper and you will be left with a perfect mitered corner. Repeat for all four corners.

Thinner paper strips or wood strips can be added in the same manner to the face of the first strips to add dimension and interest if desired. Jewelry findings or what have you may be adhered to corners for interest. Touch up paper edges as needed with matching paint. After you have done a few as described above you may want to try using just one strip of paper to cover a side and it's edge. A bit more difficult but makes for a neater finish.

Joann Swanson

Matting Pictures: I was a picture framer for 10 years. So I do have a mat cutter at home which does make this a little easier. Logan makes one for home use that works extremely well. They are around 100 to 125 dollars depending on if you get the one that also will do straight edges versus just the beveled edge. Highly recommend that one over the other. I've used this for years for so many things that it is well worth the price. Easy to cut long strips of mat board for projects that you're working on besides cutting mat boards. Starting with acid free mat board, which is the only kind I use, Cut your mat board the size you want, mark your boarder on all 4 sides and cut your bevel. Then carefully peel several layers of the backing paper off from the front. It works like a charm, you get your bevel in scale. You can then leave it white or carefully and slowly if you've never done this before, with a marker that doesn't bleed, paint the bevel color of choice. I used gold to simulate fillet. It was very effective without balk.

Kathy in E. TN

Joining IGMA: Yes, joining IGMA is well worth it! Some of the benefits of membership include focused study programs in such wonderful places as New Orleans and Williamsburg, discounted tuition to the Guild School in Castine, Maine, which is held every June (your tuition includes room and board and 36 hours of instruction from your choice of over 20 different instructors, all of whom are either Artisans or Fellows of the Guild -- no better way to learn than from experts! My DH ... who is a mini newbie ... and I just attended for the first time this year and loved it, and we both had such a wonderful experience that we've already signed up to attend again next year!) -- there are a limited number of scholarships available to the school for those who can't afford the tuition and meet the necessary criteria. Also, you get discounted admission to the IGMA Show in New York in April and a wonderful newsletter called The Cube.

There are juried levels of achievement (Artisan and Fellow) which are recognized worldwide -- and there's no better way to sharpen the skills you already have along with the opportunity to learn many new ones. But *everyone* is welcome to join The Guild as a General Member - from those who simply have an appreciation for miniatures and don't create them themselves, to those who create miniatures for their own personal enjoyment, to those who sell their work, and those who wish to have their work evaluated for elevation to Artisan and possibly Fellow status. The goals of the Guild are to promote miniatures as an art form and to increase awareness and appreciation of high-quality workmanship through public education.

For more information, please visit the IGMA web site at: http://www.igma.org

Bev Gallerani

Books: If you want the kind of shelves that a real reader ends up with after years of buying a book here and a book there, all of them read and well loved, foam core will work better than balsa. Measure and scale your real books and make the faux books one at a time so that even the ones that are similar in size or color will still come out slightly different. Choose a size, a cover material and a page edge color. Cut the foam core shape with a very sharp Exacto blade. Press the metal edge of a ruler down hard very close to the edge on both sides of the "book" where the binding bends in on a real book. Color the cardboard edges to match the cover paper; this makes the finished book look like it has a thick binding, not a piece of thin paper glued to cardboard. Gild or color the "edges of the pages" -- i.e., the foam -- as desired. I've used gel pens, watercolor pencil (slightly dampen the edges first and the color spreads beautifully), and regular #2 lead, all with good results. Stroking the edges of the foam a few times on all three sides with the tip of a sharp pencil makes it look like real paper. Cut the cover material to fit top to bottom as closely as possible, just a HAIR bigger than the cardboard. Leave the wrap-around length bigger than you need to start with. Spread a thin, even layer of glue on ONE side of the book and, while the glue is wet, press the ruler back into the ridge. When the glue is set, spread a thin, even layer of glue on the other side, NOT on the edge, and wrap the cover around. The spines on real books are not stuck down. Barbara Brear recommends putting something in there, like a toothpick, to hold it while you're gluing, but I'm too much of a klutz apparently. Everything I put in ended up sliding out and bouncing around on to the floor, so I went with just eyeballing the bulge and it seems to work for me. Press the ruler into the ridge on the second side. While the glue is drying, I sometimes lay the ruler flat on the book and press down. This gives me some thinner and some thicker books, even though I'm using the same size foam core for them all. After it's all dry, trim the edges, again just a HAIR bigger than the cardboard.

For a well read book, "age" the finished binding with some creative swipes with an emery board where a real book would be worn. I'm not doing much for titles, because the foam core faux books are only going into dark corners as library filler. I have mostly just done some little dots on the bindings in the right places with a very fine tipped marker. I find these books a wonderful way to pass time while I wait for web sites to load so I can shop mini sites. As I finish them, I glue them on to the shelves, put some across the tops of other books or maybe falling a bit sideways, whatever looks right to me at the time, so the library is growing in a kind of realistic, organic way, as a real onewould and it's turning out SO well!

Chrissy

Books: Here's how I make books, I use real books (from the used book sales at the library or garage sales. I take the cover off and then lay it flat on a cutting board and cut with a utility knife a strip (1/2-5/8 inch) the length of the book. Then I place this strip in my miter box and cut off pieces 3/4-7/8 inches - purposely varying them slightly unless they will be a several volume set. I do the same with several different color covers and end up with a variety of books. By the way, the covered edge of the original book becomes the spine of the mini book. Some are more worn, some more colorful. I especially like Reader's Digest Condensed books for colorful covers. Some of the older books have textures and are fabric. If the cover is going to show- like at the end of a book on a shelf I put a book picture from a catalog on it. I have also used white out to make the edge white but was not particularly happy with that. The gray cardboard edge was okay for me. If you would like a sample or a few books send me your snail mail address and I'll send some. Once I get cutting and find new colors I have a hey-day! Use the left over book insides- if you can't bear to throw them way - as a weight for glued objects or if you are gluing small paper items you use a page in the book to glue on, then when it is sticky turn the page to a clean one. I might add that I have also cut the strips on my scroll saw, but the results were a little more ragged.

Dick T.

Picture Frame - Using a miter box and razor saw, you also need a small piece of wood for a "stop" and a small clamp. You need a miter box that has a 45 degree this way \ and / that way. Make a 45 degree cut at this / slot. Measure one side of your picture and add TWICE the width of the framing material that will fit flat on the wall (not the indented portion that holds the picture). Place the stop on the miter box at the measurement you've determined away from \ slot and make the other cut. Do not remove the stop. Make another 45 degree cut on the end of your wood and place it against the stop. You will have two matching pieces. Hold them against each other to check. I always cut the longer sides first. If you make a mistake, they can become the shorter sides. Use a wooden miter box if possible, a metal one will destroy the teeth on your saw blade. If you can't find them locally, I have them available.

Ruth

Mini Paintings: I paint on panels of 1/32 airplane plywood from art or hobby stores cut to 1/12th of the size of the original painting which is being reproduced in mini. I give each panel 3 or more coats of a good quality gesso, alternating in vertical and horizontal directions and sanding in-between coats. I also smear a little water on the back while gessoing, so that warping is minimal. The reason I choose this dimension is standard framing has a 1/32" deep by 1/16" wide groove to fit around the panel. This way the back will be flat. I have seen paintings done on stretched canvas and I think they have too much texture. What ever texture the painting has should be limited to the paint itself and that kept small. It works for me, and should last forever.

Framing is tricky. I still mis-measure and I've done more than 60 of them. The stock comes from Hobby Builders Supply or similar. None of my stores stock it. Hardwood is harder to find. I got some ebony at the Guild show in 2000 and I have gotten cherry and mahogany at the Dollhouse Factory which is, alas, closing. Measure carefully, hold the stock firmly against the miter box. Don't let it roll. The cherry stock has a rounded outer edge and I had a lot of trouble with it but it is worth it when finished. It looks great. Always use wood glue (Elmer's yellow). You can put a drop or two of water on a corner and take it apart and do it again when it doesn't come out right. When framed I sign the panel with my name and date and the name and date of the original painter. I use acid-free paper on the back and sign again, everything with a touch of wood glue so it can disassemble. I hope some of this helps.

Marilyn Crockett

Turntables: Hobby Builders Supply carries turntables in two sizes, I believe. Check http://www.miniatures.com

Mary in MS

Simulating rain: What a day for you!! For rain, I think you can use resin. Make a frame of a box with a row of nails on the left and one on the right...have a shallow "catch" area in the center. Knot a nylon thread at the lower right side, then threaded the nylon left-right so it ends up a zig-zag of threads. Then mixed up a batch of two part resin, put it in a squirt bottle with a tiny tip, and let it set up until it's a little syrupy, then "drip" a thin line of the resin all along the thread. Follow the zig zag threads...a very tiny bit on the threads....the excess should drip off, but try to not have much excess as the excess may cause deformed rain drops. Let dry. You now have thin threads of raindrops! Hang from the "sky" of your room box. Takes a little practice..

Whui in Paris

Baby box: How about in a toy drum or jack in the box? A diaper box would be flimsy but the walls could be reinforced with Foamcore. What about a night lighted scene in a lamp base? If you can use gift bags, you could probably use a diaper bag.

Linda in Leroy, OH

Tick Tack boxes make perfect windows. You cut them with the dremel wheel.......then if you put the white opening and turn it upside down (as a base) make grass and fish and rocks put on base....cover with the clear cover and you have a sweet aquarium!! Maybe fill it with water (or scenic water?)

Heather from Florida

Recycling Project: Had to replace a refrigerator bulb this weekend, and the bubble pack inspired a new DIY recycled materials project. Cut around the bulb shape, leaving about a quarter-inch margin on the flat part of the bubble pack. Then cut across the stem near the round section. Paint a neutral beige or pale gray with matte acrylic. Glue to a piece of card painted the same color. Trim away card to the quarter-inch margin and straight across the opening. Voila, a modern igloo-style doghouse in 1:12 scale!

Loretta.Sniarowski