Rolling base for a dollhouse: my two big houses are on wooden TV stands on casters recycled from the flea market. If your house is bigger than the dimensions of these stands, you could cut a piece of plywood the right size and screw it to the top with metal L-brackets, then paint the whole assembly to match the house. I find carts handy because they move for the rare times I clean the workroom, and my glass-topped aquarium gardens fit on the bottom shelf (no worries about dusty shrubbery that way). A rolling kitchen island might work for larger houses if the jerry-rigged TV cart sounds too tacky.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Acorn caps: You can wash and scrub off the dirt and then put them in a 250 oven 20 min to 1/2 hr to kill any critters. If you found these on the ground and they are real dirty, they might be too old. After you clean and dry them they should be hard. In the garden club, we always put pine cones, nuts etc. in the oven to kill the critters and keep nuts from germinating (even nuts from the grocery store). I recommend this for bird seed also.

Joanne Offutt

Attic walls:  Have you ever tried using the lint from your clothes dryer tray?  It works well though you have to handle it with care.  Simply store it between layers of paper towel until you've saved enough to complete your project.  Apply your glue or adhesive in small sections at a time and lay the lint onto it.  Don't press it down too firmly as you want it to look like the insulation that they used to use years ago, (kind of mottled in color and not packed perfectly even.)

Betti Brike

Cutting Tin: I used to cut holes in tin cans using a Dremel Moto Tool with the abrasive disk in it. You must use eye protection, the disks can shatter, but they cut the tin nicely, along a drawn line. Then I took wood molding, mitered the corners, and glued it on as a frame so the raw tin edges were no longer available to cut me or someone else. The wood was painted an appropriate color.

Barbara Jones

Painting name of a shop: You can make the shop's name in several ways: transfer lettering (made by companies such as Letraset) and sold in Artist Supply stores. It comes in several type styles. You just place the sheet down on the surface you want "lettered" and gently rub or burnish the letters down. Then seal with clear spray. Or how about making the name in a graphics program on the computer? You can print on a pretty paper, glue down to the wall and then spray to seal.

Jan in Charlotte

Miniatures & Dollhouses Scale Chart

*This is the scale size of a 6' tall person.

Jane Walker

Making a country mini: Here's a tip for those who paint little country items, I just painted a little country doll on cardstock. I did the dress in wine, and then when that was dry, I mixed up some watered down white paint and painted a pinafore over the dress. Went back with straight white from the bottle and outlined the pinafore and it makes the pinafore look very sheer. I made a front and back of this little doll. I cut her out and glued the front and backs together. I made a tiny round base out of cardstock and painted it. When that was dry, I stuck a straight pin up through the middle and went clean through the two pieces of the doll and she stands up just fine. So if anyone out there is doing country items, thought I'd pass this tip along.

Susan in VA

Shipping Minis Safely: We sell a lot of glass and porcelain pieces and here's what we do to transport them. Go to a medical supply place and buy a foam mattress pad, the kind with the deep ridges. The ridges create wells in the foam. We cut the foam to fit plastic boxes and put a mini in each of the wells of the pad. It's easy to pack up, and easy to set up as the pieces are not wrapped individually. We bought plastic boxes deep enough to hold 2 layers of film. For more protection you could wrap each piece in a tissue.

Carol

Child-Proofing Your Dollhouse: I asked this question on SS when my son was about 4 months old-- there were a lot of great ideas that made it into the Small Stuff Archives. Here's what I did: I first glued everything inside the dh down using Aleene's Stick-It-Over & Over Glue, which is a temporary bond that won't harm your minis, dries clear, and I just love it! This was to keep things from either getting knocked over and broken by a wobbly-walker, or falling out and being eaten or choked on. I also put Plexiglas on the back so he wouldn't reach in. I measured the opening and then went to Home Depot where they cut the Plexiglas for me and even let me have the scraps. So far, the combination has been working great. Whatever you do, make sure that anything small enough to fit inside a toilet paper roll is inaccessible to small kids (under 3) who might choke on them.

Yesterday was my son's First Birthday Party, and with all the kids in the house I noticed even the older kids are more respectful of the dollhouse now that it's got the Plexiglas. My niece (almost 3) gave the other little girls a guided tour-- not even asking to remove the Plexiglas, and my nephews (10 yrs and 8 yr old twins) only asked politely if they could flip the electricity switch to show the lights to some guests.

Michelle Fox

While Recuperating in Bed: You PLAN things. I think about a project I want to do, then I start planning in my head. First I think of what I want to make, then I make a mental list of what I need to make it. I plan how I can make needed items inexpensively or from regular household items etc. Write all this down and when you feel better you are all set to do your shopping and make the item.

Barbara

While Recuperating in Bed: I know that there are special kind of spectacles (glasses) available that have a prisma + mirror to allow you to read a book that is flat on your stomach while you are lying flat on your back. If you could get hold of those.... you might be able to do SOME mini work, using a tray on your stomach to have some kind of work-area. You would need sufficient strength in your arms and hands though to work in that position! You could try to elevate your elbows slightly with some cushions on either side of your body. Cutting things out and gluing them should be possible that way... Holding parts together with paperclips for instance.

Could you have someone interested in miniatures keep you company so both of you could work on a project while you lie down? That would offer some assistance in case you need help...

Else

Hanging Pictures: I want to warn people about using minihold wax for holding pictures on walls. The wax will stain the wallpaper after a period of time. Our museum received 57 roomboxes in a collection where the miniaturist put windows and doorframes in, even baseboards in with the wax. All furniture was waxed in as well as just about everything else. She never glued anything in place. The wax has "bled" into the wallpaper and stained it terribly.

I, myself, glue the stuff to the walls -- after all, when I decide where I want it, I figure it isn't coming down anyway. I tried using the moveable (earthquake) glue and it tore the wallpaper when I decided to remove the picture -- so I went ahead and glued it down. My dollhouse rotates on a turntable so things have to be firmly attached or they fall all over the place. Just my own preference. I did use the moveable glue on the furniture pieces because it really can't ruin the floors -- it will sometimes stick to the floor, but you can peel it right off. I HATE the waxy residue the minihold wax leaves on everything.

Fay in St. Louis

Hanging Pictures: I always use the stuff called "Dap Fun-Tak" to stick my pictures on the wall. It's a reusable blue gummy stuff. I've been using it for years and so far it hasn't marked the wallpaper. It is easy to remove if you decide to move your pictures. I put a small ball of the "Fun-Tak" on the 4 corners of the picture and it holds fine.

I don't like the wax stuff as it is terrible to remove and it doesn't hold if the temperature is warm.

I also use the "Fun-Tak" to hold all my mini accessories in place in my rooms. It hasn't marked the surfaces.

Paula Foerder

Hanging Pictures: I've found that I can get the marks caused by tacky wax on furniture and floorboards off with acetone (nail varnish remover), but it's important to check in a corner first, as acetone dissolves some varnishes. I like to put my pictures up with tiny nails (dressmaker's pins cut down work well, but get brass ones, or they rust after a while) and thread or fine chain. Sometimes they even go crooked, which is authenticity if you like!

Lynne Connolly

Hanging Pictures: I am a die hard fan of mounting putty. The only caution is that it will leave a slightly greasy spot if you don't seal your wallpaper. I use it to hold everything down - the furniture, the coasters, magazines, lamps, Kleenex boxes - everything. I like to change things around until I get them just right and I found it is good if you are going to transport your house or room. You only need a tiny amount of it so don't go overboard. I caution again that it would not be good on walls painted in flat paint

Rebecca

Removing Marks left by wax: I have had the same problem with the wax leaving a greasy mark. When I started in minis in 1980, I always felt if a little wax was good then a big glob would hold even better. So I had a big greasy mark. I used mineral spirits and the mark was cleaned. Do not soak the paper or rub hard, but this will work.

Carroll H. Elmer

Chenille bears - teddy bears made from chenille stems, the instructions are on my website, on the projects page. http://www.pipmin.fsnet.co.uk

Alison from Accrington. UK

Clear caulking for water: I just made a 'bobbing for apples' tub for my Halloween room box. I used a black soufflé cup that is used in restaurants for salad dressing, put in a layer of caulk, let that dry --- it is still a little sticky --- then another layer. On the third layer, I used a scrap of wood to smooth it out and pushed some plastic apples I had so they were about half in/half out. It really looks great. I thought about painting it with silver paint, and then decided not to. I may spatter on some white paint to make it look like enamelware. I have come to enjoy Halloween and am having a great time making this box.

Martha Simpson Nock

Bowls: The bubble packaged pill (sinus pills and such) make great forms for bowls of every kind. I have tried this and it works real well --- if you want clear ones find a marble or whatever will fit properly and use hot glue then push in the marble. The hot glue one can be painted however you like.

ANGELTCAD@aol.com

Bowls: I have found the perfect bowls for my plants and for the kitchen counters. They are at the Eagles Hardware store and are electrical wire cap covers, they are a few cents each and they are in three sizes, they come in red, white, black, and silver. They have a little cross thingy of metal inside the plastic "bowl" and I heap my potatoes or yams or poi etc on top and I have a filled bowl. It looks exactly like a mixing bowl with the rim around the top perfectly. These aren't the cup shaped ones, they are in a different section and really do look exactly like mixing bowls.

Norieta