Canadian source for flooring, etc.: I recommend The Little Dollhouse Company in Toronto. They have a catalogue, the cost of which is deducted from your first order. They don't have a website but can be reached at: 617 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Toronto M4S 2M5 (416)489-7180

Pat M.

Mini screw eyes: Golden Egg stocks some very little Screw Eyes. Pg. 15 in their catalog, item #9268 at 12 cents each. Contact details are as follows: Phone: 1 800 828 2823 or (970) 243 4584, Fax (970) 243 4757

They are in Grand Junction, Colorado. The screw eyes are approximately 1/4" including the screw part.

Maureen Williams

Half Inch: I am listed as a resource in their source book for landscape and animals - eventually will get it all listed on the web page. In the meantime just ask.

Sue Thwaite

Projects: Bruce Steinke has such a catalog which indexes projects from all the miniature magazines, and it is fabulous! Gives the magazine, the issue and page number cross referenced by subject. I think I paid $12-14 and it was worth every penny.

Sue Thwaite

Judy Williamson's Book: Here is a link to a website, where I ordered the same book on making beds- Dollhouse Furniture & Accessories Books from Fingertip Fantasies Dollhouse Miniatures. She has books on everything and pretty good prices too.

http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/info/furniture.htm

Sherry

Judy's Beds Book: I have the book in stock at JB's Doll Houses and Miniatures, Yuma AZ. All are signed by Judee herself.

http://www.jbsdollhousesminiatures.com

Nancy

I made my first foods from fimo tonight (besides the cakes that I have made for my bakery). I used Petite Eats and Mini Treats from Sydnie Wagner and Homemade Meals by Barbara Meyer. Just started with some really simple things-peas (can't get any easier!), green beans, chicken legs and sliced bread. I am so pleased with the results and I would recommended these books to all

Jennifer - Thornton, CO

Drafting for Mini Dolls: I've been very quiet but busy writing a section of my book on pattern drafting for miniature dolls and now what I call my Crash Course is ready and it's FREE. Simply send me a private e-mail to tigress134@home.com with Crash Course in the subject and I'll e-mail you a copy. I have to warn you that it is a little over a meg in size as it has lots of diagrams. It is a Word 97 file format but I can save it in other formats by request- just let me know what you have and what you'd like. It's a section on drafting patterns for a child doll and yes, it does work very well in miniature! My 13 year old sister is my primary tester and has successfully worked through it so it's very simple to understand. Anyone can do it! I plan to have the full book out by June this year which will include men, women, children & babies along with style changes for each. I will even have a section of things like oddball ideas for what to use for underpinnings like corset boning and hoop skirts! As of yet I haven't set a price since I'm still in the process of writing it. I do have a small waiting list already started so e-mail me if you'd like to be on the waiting list for one of the FIRST autographed copies as it will be an actual book (home published unless the thing takes off on me and I can't keep up :-) I will keep all my groups and lists posted about how it's coming along and definitely post when it is ready for first shipments!

Sue

Wigging: I wrote a comprehensive piece called "One Inch Scale Doll Making: A Workbook " which includes all aspects of doll making and costume patterns. The first book I wrote was for half inch scale and it is also available. http://www.lsisson.com/TheFootInfo/toOrder/

Laurie Sisson

Costuming Books: I have a book "Elizabethan Costuming - For the Years 1550-1580." It is a paperback and costs $16. I don't remember where I bought it, but it does have lots of nice illustrations and instructions for making full size costumes. For miniatures you would have to shrink everything down but it shouldn't be that difficult. In fact, I do it frequently. On the inside front cover it says they also have "Victorian Costuming: Volume 1 1840-1865" and "Medieval Costuming: Volume 1 1066-1300." These books are published by Other Times Productions. The ISBN on the Elizabethan book is 0-9630220-0-8. It also gives some history and lifestyle information that would be useful in making miniature scenes.

Marsha Hedrick

Costuming: Look (at the library, or an on-line book store) in the theatre section. There are all kinds of books on costuming for theatre designers. Also, here is another site for costuming:

http://www.costumegallery.com/

Kaye in L.A.

Costume book: Just another reference for those looking for costumes for period dolls, with patterns. The Doll Book by Estelle Ansley Worrell 1966, ISBN O-442-29555-3, Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold Ltd. This book contains patterns for many costumes dating from 1600 to 1890, it also includes accessories. The patterns are not 1" scale but a photocopier can be used to adjust them. It also contains instructions for making cloth dolls.

Robyn Sunderland

Inspired - New DOLL Publications: Do you ever have that BLANK feeling? You know the one, piles of gorgeous material sit in front of you, and there is that doll! That undressed painted doll just STARING at you!.... and you have - eee gads

.... DRESSERS BLOCK!

Want to know a couple of different ways to solve it? First of all, upon returning home, I received in the mail my Premiere issue of DOLL COSTUMING magazine. Promptly RUN - don't walk to your nearest doll store (or porcelain store) and buy this! I personally don't get too involved with historic clothing, but the incredible old photos, background info and wonderful line art will get you stirred in NO time!

The other new discovery is the 'La Poupee Modele' book, Volume II. This book contains authentic patterns from the magazine (1868-1885). In case you're in the dark about French (me too) roughly its like the doll's doll dressing patterns from the Victorian age. Do you love those French hand sewing techniques, pins, tucks and pleats? (or .. in my case do you love making it LOOK like that?) This book will definitely show you how! Cost is about $70 - but perhaps on your Christmas Wish List.

Lastly SHARE! Yup that's right! That's how you can get inspired BIG time! Many of the newcomers feel stranded on a doll making island with no directional sun shining on them. This is where YOU can come in.... How many of you have received a little surprise from me in the mail - gratis? Contests or just because? Remember how HAPPY you were at that surprise? Do this for a newcomer!! It doesn't have to be on this list, my FF list or any other list....just reading a basic newsgroup where the traditional........"I'm trying to wig a doll body that's sat in my cupboard for years ..... etc,etc.". WRITE this person, steer him/her to our lists, send them a tiny chunk of hair and a URL for directions.

Or better yet, a chunk of yummy material! What does it cost you? A stamp, maybe a $1 but YOU had the power to nourish and INSPIRE someone! That feeling is awesome .... and guess what?

(Ok my dirty little secret comes out....send lots of surprises because I keep buying 1/4 yd sections of materials that I'm just going to HAVE to have and use someday, but has sat for months..... so when I open those boxes, I find my long lost wonderful ideas of creation and there goes the DRESSERS BLOCK!

Dana

Modern mini chairs: This site has some great contemporary chairs made of resin. I have the regency chair (not modern but wonderful) which is perfect 1:12 scale, so I imagine the others would be also. Someone mentioned chairs from a Bloomie's catalogue, that is where I got mine. This is the site and has more styles than the catalogue. They do not sell directly, but refer to retailers.

http://www.takeaseat-by-raine.com

If you can't get that site to come up, try this one: http://www.willitts.com

Sydney

Bathroom fixtures: Directions for making bathroom fixtures from polymer clay (with great pictures) can be found in Sue Heaser's book, "Making Doll's House Miniatures with Polymer Clay." The fixtures are very nice, even a tub with GOLD claw feet!

House of Miniatures Furniture Kits: I have a catalog here from the Dollhouse Factory that has about 75 kits listed. It also identifies them as X-Acto. Catalog is $5.50 (it's very fat) - 157 Main St. Lebanon NJ 08833 (908) 236-6404.

Peter Bugg

Hoop petticoat: Doll Crafter magazine recently(March or April 2000) had a pattern for a 14" doll (I think... don't have the mag anymore) that used white twist ties for the wire. It would be easy to reduce the pattern on a copy machine. Your library should have a copy of the magazine.

Sammy (I'm a girl) Smith

1950s Appliances: Dollhouse Miniatures May'98 has an article on a 50's breadbox and they used an Altoids tin to make the refrigrator and a silver pen clip for the handle.

Valerie

Lights for art and craft gallery: Cir-kit or somebody makes a cannister style light - the kind you see in "real" places - just a round tube that is installed in the ceiling (so nothing hangs down) and a light bulb goes up in the tube. I don't think they're directional though, like the real ones are. But that might be one option. And then there are the mini-floodlights that *are* directional - they're quite bright but might suit your purposes. I want to do a gallery type setting myself for my pottery collection and have been pondering the shelving/lighting, etc., questions for a while now. I think somewhere (don't you love how definite I am about everything?) I saw a tip or hint or something on making the type of hanger you're talking about for the glass shelves. Might have been in one of the Workshop Wisdom columns in an old Nutshell News. Anyway, that would work very well if you could get each piece exactly the same (which I couldn't). I bought some microscope slides from American Science and Surplus thinking I'd use them for shelves or whatever, and when I got them I discovered that the end of each one is frosted for about 1/2" or so. I think probably for my gallery I'm going to try some sort of "built-in" arrangement of shelves. I bought some bookcases to use but decided I didn't like them.

Mary Lynne in Huntington, WV

Shaker furniture: For the person looking for shaker furniture- I found this book in the library- Shaker Miniature Furniture, by Cynthia and Jerome Rubin.

Laura Bentley