Sugar Paper/construction paper: I think you are right about the Canadian/USA term of construction paper. It is a very useful colored paper that comes in many hues.

A word of caution. Some of the papers you get are not stable. In one of my architectural models, I used green construction paper to simulate the carpet on the floor of several rooms. After four years, the carpets are a mottled yucky yellow. There are no guarantees on dye life and some last a great deal longer than others. (Remember, the primary usage of this paper is for children to make wonderful stuff to take home and have stuck on the refrigerator door until replaced by the next one.)

My suggestion is to get the paper in arts & crafts stores rather than the local supermarket. It may cost more, but the quality of the paper can be expected to be better.

Dave

Wax for Candles: I used Birthday candles for this. I light what ever color I want to make and let it drip inside the straw add a tiny piece of thread or string and let harden. To make it quick I put in fridge. Then cut a slit on the straw to remove candle. I also add different colors as I go and make multi color ones a bit longer or shorter what ever you like. If you find that the wax gets stuck just spray some Pam into straw first.

Leilani

Priority Mail supplies: I have a standing order with the Post Office for Priority Mail boxes, tape and mailing labels. They are all free. The PO sends them to me periodically. I placed the original order from their website (which is a navigation nightmare IMO!) Here's a more specific URL: http://supplies.usps.gov/disclaimer.htm I

Anne

Motorcycles and Cinderella: You can get very nice Harleys at stores such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart or Target in the area of the hot wheels and matchbox cars and they don't cost as much as the Hallmark or the dealer ones and they look very nice and realistic (some even have tiny batteries and they "vroom" if you press the handlebars).. They have several different scales to choose from. For your Cinderella - they have them in the toy sections with the other Disney characters, or you can try a Hallmark store to see if they still have the Cinderella ornament. The Beauty doll from the Beauty and the Beast movie would also be interchangeable.

Kathy

Cinder Blocks: All of the talk about boys & mini's as well as the suggestions re: jails
brought back a long forgotten memory. Thin sheet of Styrofoam cut into cubes with a serrated knife. Toothpick inserted into each piece for a handle. Each cube dipped into a thin mixture of plaster of paris that had been tinted with black acrylic paint to look gray. Pieces hung on a line with wood clothespins attached to the toothpicks. When dry and picks removed, they made very realistic cinder blocks. Inexpensive, quick, and easy to build with. My son simply stacked them, like blocks. He used spackle for his mortar. The interior and exterior walls were built with the same brick. I can see a smaller version of this technique for bricks needed for a garden wall, a bar-b-q-pit.

Becky Holliday

Bible Size: I have a Bible in my house that is a HUGE 16inch by 26inch. It is our family Bible with details of all births, deaths, baptisms and weddings for the last 154 years written into the end pages. The cover is tooled and gilded leather, even though the gold is well rubbed it is still very special. So no I don't think you Bible would be out of scale as long as you treat it sympathetically.

Izzy of Skipton

Bible Size: Just measured our 19th century family bible. Its outside dimensions are 10"x 12 1/4" x 4".

Margaret in Texas

Bible Size: I enjoy looking at old bibles and sometimes collecting them. I believe they come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny ones worn as necklaces to huge family bibles. So if it's a little large, you could maybe display it on a coffee table, a special table in the house, or a church alter, etc.

Karen in PA

Bible Size: The bible I got when I was married from the priest is 12" high by 9" high so yours might be a bit big but if it is fun and looks ok, then go for it! I sometimes use things that are a tad over large for scale and as long as you don't use them right next to something really "tiny" they work fine.

Linda in GA

Bible Size: since you have it all printed it would be a pity to glue it into an open book. Certainly pull off the original cover and make a new one. If you have fine leather, you can do a cheat for tooled leather by putting embossed paper underneath the leather and working it into the embossing. Old family Bibles would definitely be this large but never the less it may appear to be out of scale, in which case, you may find yourself having to apologize for it the whole time and explain that it IS, in fact, in scale, grrrrrr.

Your best bet for the page edges would be gilt which can be simulated with that gold run 'n buff stuff. I am sure you know what I mean or have an equivalent product. The only problem is that you have to go through and clean up each page with a soft brush afterwards 'cause it gets in between the pages, no matter how careful you are.

Barbara B

Bible Size: I don't know about modern bibles but I once had the opportunity to see and examine a bible from the late 1500s. It was easily as big or bigger than yours would be in scale. Maybe your bible could be a family's valuable antique?

Esther from Summerland

Big Bible: RE: My request for information about very large (over scale?) Bible. Thank you so much to all who have offered memories and assurances about over size "family" and "pulpit" Bibles. I am encouraged to proceed though (as is so frequently the case) it appears that a 99 cent "accessory" may become another major project.

Special thanks to Maurine in Alberta who offered a fascinating URL full of antique Bibles that others may be interested in - http://www.greatsite.combookvault/under5k.html

Also to Barbara B.in South Africa who offered several crafting insights RE edge gilding and tooled leather and to Carol in Spain who suggested that the Spanish Language text, if noticed, may appear very similar to Latin if I am careful what large print I expose while selecting what pages to be open. Especially at this time in America- - - several people have reminded us that a Bible open in the middle, will be open to the book of Psalms - - -how appropriate both in miniature and in our very real world.

As part of the project, I will probably make plates to photo engrave brass hinges, clasps, and (from Barbara) corner pieces. Also, it appears that such a Bible would be a very valuable heirloom and/or collector's treasure so a glass case table may need to be built. . . .Doesn't this whole thing seem very familiar - - - one thing leads to another and another, and another, ad nauseum. . .8^)?

Mel K. Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Old Piano Keys: he could cut them up and use them for floor tile. it's always nice when something has a history.

Judy London

Old PIANO Keys: The ivory keys, especially, would make lovely vanity accessories; mirror, boxes, comb, etc. Any kind of ivory box would fit into any setting, even modern, as lots of people do have old ivory boxes around, even though it is now illegal to buy new ivory. Even the 'fake' piano keys can be used that way, like ivorine or celluloid, which were versions of ivory for those who couldn't afford it. Even some small frames for a vanity or nightstand would be neat. And, of course, small sticks for fans! Oh, so many possibilities!

MINIROSES

Old PIANO Keys: A partial keyboard with doll(s) dancing on them?

Old PIANO Keys: If he doesn't want to try mini scrimshaw or mini ivory etching, he could sell or trade some of his piano keys to someone who does.

Peggy

Old PIANO Keys: ivory, if you have painting skills, is to make miniature miniatures, that is, the tiny painted portraits popular before photography. Cincinnati Art Museum has a sizable collection, and most of them are painted on ivory.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Old PIANO Keys: Ivory, Can't remember who posted the question about the ivory but perhaps a miniature musical instrument maker would like it for harpsichord/piano keys. The harpsichord I had made last year has a real ivory keyboard (no he didn't go kill an elephant ) and the keys have a wonderful "used" look about them instead of being sparkling white.

Karon

Moving 60" Dollhouse Shell: Consider having Mott's not connect additions to main section of dollhouse. Have each section assembled & wired independently. You can bridge wire connections between sections (Mott's knows how to do this) or use separate transformers if you plan to have lots of lights. We would also recommend the use a 1/2" or 3/4" piece of plywood as a "yard" for landscaping. The stable base will make the move & re-assembly of the total dollhouse much more manageable.

Gail MacDonald

Shiny paint into dull: A friend and I were talking about using shiny paint the other day she had used it on one of her consignment houses and I had used it on the the store I am building...and we both agreed we didn't like the look, well what do you know I accidentally found a cure for that problem.

While working on the store I dropped a large drop of glue on the paint and when I whipped it away it was dull. Using this hobby glue I added a little water to t and wiped all the green shiny paint with the glue and then wiped it off. Now it is dull except in a few places where the siding lap each other. I now looks like it has faded with age.

The stable base will make the move & re-assembly of the total dollhouse much more manageable.

Sclarise

Removing gloss ... I tried to use alcohol on my IRL woodwork to remove a stubborn bit of detritus and took the gloss off as well.

Chrissy the Hyphenated

Airport bag searches and Minis: A small suggestion to make the airport bag searches a bit faster if you're carrying a ton of minis.... Go to your local bait (fishing) store and ask for artificial lure boxes.. the store often removes them and tosses these clear resealable boxes in the trash. They're wonderful for storing minis... plus they're designed to hang on a display peg at the store and would work equally well for your craft room for supplies.

I suggest you wrap your minis carefully so that each one shows through the box. Then stack the boxes neatly for inspection. They're clear plastic, light and reseal indefinitely. They're designed to kick around in a dirty tackle box for years so they're sturdy..

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL