Tape Wiring: You MUST remove any brads that you installed incorrectly. It will cause a short and your electricity will NOT work. There is a very good booklet entitled DOLLHOUSE LIGHTING Electrification in Miniature by Barbara Warner (Boyton and Associates, Inc. Publisher) on how to electrify dollhouses and room boxes. I suggest that you purchase this booklet. She explains, in detail, the how and why of tape wire and hard wire. Also, why you have "shorts," which is basically when the electric flow is stopped. I knew nothing about electricity or electric wiring, used her instructions, and haven't had one problem. My first project, a three story dollhouse, has been tape wired since 1991 and all the lights still work. Most miniature shops carry this publication and I have even seen it in A.C. Moore, a popular craft store in our area, - Bensalem, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Caroline K. Bradley

Overstuffed furniture: There is information about overstuffed dolls house chairs and sofas in Venus Dodge's 'Dolls' House Needlecrafts and Sue Heaser has written a book on Making Dolls' House Dolls from Fimo - that may be the title but I'm not sure of that one. Both are in print.

Chris

Fimo Instruction Books: Several years ago, I obtained four books from a lady named Patricia Verdugo. Her method for measuring amounts is foolproof - after all, I was able to do it (nuff said!). They are called "The Color Books." Book 1 is common fruits and vegetables, Book 2 is meats and breads, Book 3 is Christmas candies, and Book 4 is junk food and other delights. I don't know if this lady is still in business, or if her books are still available, but the last address I had was: Patricia Verdugo, Magnificent Obsessions, PO Box 993, Lawndale, California, 90260.

Jean Brattan

Polymer Clay How To Book: For anyone who is interested in getting into polymer clay, I'd have to recommend Sue Heaser's book quot;Making Dolls House Miniatures in Polymer Clay." I learned to make a basic teapot from this book. Then, I went on to try some ideas of my own. I painted some teapots. But mostly I added Fimo bits to them, for example, tiny Fimo roses, stems and leaves, or little cut-outs done with a Kemper cutter. Sue explains how to make the roses in her book, too. The lemon sponge cake that I made is also from Sue's book. Once you've tried making one cake using her instructions, it's fairly easy to try one of your own ideas. So, I went on and made the carrot cake after carefully observing what they looked like in a bake shop. Of course, I had to eat a piece of carrot cake to be sure I'd get it right! As for the cherry Tiffany lamp in the Mary Engelbreit room, again, I used Sue Heaser's book as the starting point. She makes her shades out of Sculpey and then rolls thin "snakes" of clay for the leading. That seemed a little difficult to me, so I made a plain shade of Sculpey following her directions. I bought one of those small plastic bottles with the very tiny metal tips. I put Gallery Glass liquid leading in the bottle and squeezed out the design on the shade. Then painted the shade with glass paints.

Paula

Dollhouse Plans: I found more dollhouse plans than I knew there were plus all the ones I knew there were! Anyway, the site is http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/info/plans.htm. It's a huge site but this address goes directly to the dollhouse plans.

Mary Lynne Simpson in Huntington, WV

Painting Polymer Clay: Recently, I began experimenting with sculpting animals for the first time. There is a new book out by Katherine Dewey. It is fabulous and describes, in wonderful detail, sculpting of polymer clay animals. See her work here:http://www.elvenwork.com/   She recommends a polymer paint. I went to a model train store and picked up several bottles of acrylic model paint. I wanted to try it before reporting results to you. Well here are my results - WOW! WOW! WOW! I have been using a regular acrylic paint for all of my dolls and it worked well, but not so well when I tried to use it on animal sculptures. Details like razor fine hairs of cats and dogs were almost obliterated when I painted them with my usual paint. The model paint pigment is ultra fine. Spreads into the tiny details, keeps its vibrancy, and every nuance of the sculpture is enhanced! Try it!

Lyn Trenary

Beginners Tool Kit: A perfect "tool" might include a subscription to "Dollhouse Miniatures" if she doesn't already have one. I purchased a subscription a few months after discovering this hobby and don't know what I'd do without the magazine. I now look forward to getting it more than my "Men's Health" or "Sports Illustrated" magazines!

Mark Hagen

Tool Recommendations: I'm a miniature woodworker and much prefer power tools to hand ones (I have 3 nice stitches in my finger to remind me of the utility knife slip!). Check my website http://members.tripod.com/miniwizz I have a page on "tools and supplies" and a detailed list of tools I have. They were purchased over a period of years, so start small (no pun intended) and add to your toys over time.

Jan in Charlotte

Making Jigs for Minidrills: About a month ago I picked up a book from Amazon.co.uk. called 'Minidrill' by John Everett. There are 15 projects telling you how to use the various drills, burrs, etc; and at the beginning of the book there are three attachments to make using the minidrill itself to build them. A lathe, a drill stand and a router table. The cost of the book was very reasonable and would repay purchasing even if you only made one attachment. A great help if you mini on a mini-budget.

Maureen in Hemel, UK

Art Stickers: Dover Press publishes a booklet of 16 art stickers for $1 US, which contain acid-free ink, paper, and adhesives. Dover also publishes postcards featuring Renoir and Gauguin. These booklets are also $1 US. You can obtain a Dover Stationery Catalog (58461-5)from Dover Publications, Inc., 31 East 2nd Street, Mineola, NY 11501. I don't know if there's a charge. Dover is a great resource for such things such as quilting, art, paper dolls, etc., and you can't beat their prices.

Beabe