1/2" glasses: Char Lee - Linden-Swiss Miniatures carries 1/2" scale glasses, among many other neat things. Their products are turned acrylic, but when painted with clear nail polish, look just like glass. Here is their web site: http://hometown.aol.com/LinSwisMin/LSM.HTML

Ruth, Grass Valley, CA

Lighthouses and Pirates: All this talk of pirates and lighthouses lately prompts me to mention that in the new issue (No. 106) of Dolls House World, there is a review of a lighthouse kit, which looks really good, and also an article on how to make a pirate, complete with treasure chest.

Annie

Log Cabins: Here's a link I found for 1/2 scale log cabin reproductions. Someone might get ideas for doing their own. http://www.1860woodcompany.com/

Kim

Porcupine Quills: It took a minute, but I found the resource for quills. It's Fire Mountain Gems -- 28195 Redwood Highway -- Cave Junction, OR, 97523-9304 -- USA -- phone 800-423-2319. Sorry I don't have a web address for them, my catalogue is an old one.

Vicki Horiuchi

Porcupine Quills: You can easily purchase porcupine quills from your local fly-tying materials dealer. Just check out a fly-fishing shop near you, or if you are without one go to http://www.llbean.com/customerService/aboutLLBean/index.html. They will be able to help you.

LL Bean has a large fly fishing dept and I'm 99.9% sure that they will carry porcupine quills. They are used to imitate the abdomens of large mayflies.

Brian

Quillwork: For those of you interested in quillwork, here are two supplier sites: http://www.nocbay.com/
http://www.clawantlerhide.com/
and here are 2 sites with info and samples of quillwork - mostly for embroidery with quills, but you can get some great general info on working with them:
http://www.nativetech.org/quill/
http://www.powwows.com/dancing/crafts.shtml

Graceanne

Acrylic Turning Material: contact Nicole Walton-Marble concerning a source for the acrylic turning material. She uses that material for some of her work. Their address is: nmarble@sprynet.com

Jackie

Baking Pans: I got my set of tin baking pans from http://www.cottonridge.com. They didn't come in a set but came separately, like pie tins, bread pans etc.

Linda in GA

Jackie

Window Latches/Hardware: Miniature House used to make some really cute window latches....a.k.a.: Handley House/Intl Miniatures. They have a huge selection of brass doorknobs, lighting, etc. You might try the Handley House web site - it will also have a store list where you can buy their products.
Here's the link: http://www.intlminiatures.com/

Laura in OKC

Glue Bowls: funny you should ask about glue bowls. Judie from Daytona recently wrote to me to ask if I knew anything about them and I had never heard of them. Then she wrote back to tell me she had found the web site about them:
http://members.tripod.com/~PhyllisJoy/me/project6.html

Alice Zinn

Archaic Fitness Devices: When I read your message I was reminded of a movie which took place in a Health Spa or Sanitarium (not sanatorium) owned by Mr. Kellog. It is called "The Road to Wellville". They had many interesting archaic fitness devices and watching it may be of some help to you. It was a satire on the "American cults of hygiene, nutrition and cleanliness" at that time. I also remembered all the different contraptions in my old Sears Roebuck and other catalogs that would also be good reference books for older exercise devices.

Jean Day

Record Albums: unless your part of Canada has urbanized in 40 years (since I went through), it's probably quite a trip to a city large enough to have a party or cake supplies store. But if one is in range, check them for cake decor and party favors. Sometimes you find little Baggies with ready-made records, solo or with little plastic molded record players. The favor manufacturers haven't upgraded to CDs yet! If that won't work, if there's a fabric store around, look for buttons with a groove design. You could roll out some Sculpey or Fimo, use the button for a template and to press in the grooves, and then bake as many "albums" as you need. If all else fails and you give up on perfect authenticity, the http://www.printmini.com site has paper records (and CDs). Glued to either side of a black foamie sheet, they'll do in a pinch.

Loretta Sniarowski

Deer Heads: Deer heads are not hard to find! I make them, as well as other mounted heads...as to other artisans and manufacturers. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1001199&Auth=false

Alice Zinn

Deer Heads: While I like Lawbre's pieces, Falcon Collectibles has a decent range of these and priced quite a bit better than Lawbre. They're not mounted but I don't see the difficulty of getting a piece of wood and staining it for mounting. I have a couple of the Falcon pieces on my site at http://www.spminiatures.com/weapons.htm Falcon has other ones that can be ordered.

Carol

Table Risers: And last but not least a hint for all those that take exhibits to shows and other places and need a riser for them. I found that the collapsible crates from the Miles Kimball catalog or IKEA store and catalog are FANTASTIC!! The crate folds up to transport to show. Pops open to be used for the riser for the exhibit. Prices run from $5.00 each [IKEA] to $9.00 each in the Miles Kimball catalog. They look very good with a fabric cover over them. Very Sturdy and you don't have to go looking for a cardboard box. Plan to have the tailor shop sew up six slipcovers soon for mine [neater than wrapping the fabric around and over the crate.]

Patricia / Redwood City, CA

Packing Tiny Items for Shows: I have a tip for those of you who do shows and bring small, delicate items. We have a lot of porcelain, pottery, glass etc. and it was taking forever to unwrap each piece individually to set up and rewrap unsold pieces at the end of the day. We went to a medical supply place and bought a foam rubber mattress pad with the deep indentations and cut them to fit plastic bins. We get 2 layers in each bin. I don't wrap anything, I just place a piece in each of the indentations. We have used these for a couple of years now and have had no breakage and have saved about 1 1/2 hours in set up and take down time at shows.

Carol

Custom Orders/Mail Fraud: To the person who is waiting for their doll. If this has been paid for, it is to be mailed within 30 days they advise you otherwise. I suggest that you check this site http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/GetWhatYouOrdered.htm. At this point, the person has broken the law and can be cited for mail fraud. If I were you, I would write her a letter stating that if you don't receive your merchandise or a refund within a certain period of time that you will file a complaint with the post office, which you can do online.

Carol

Digital Camera: We have one, the Intel pocket camera that is 'pretty good' for close up work, and it didn't cost a fortune. If you look at...ahem...a little publicity here.. my brand new web page ... (and, be sure to drag your cursor through the "Kaye's Garden" sign), you will see close ups taken with the camera of quarter scale plants. http://home.pacbell.net/kjmel/KGardens.htm Not bad pictures for a cheap digital camera!

Kaye in L.A.

Molds: a rather unconventional material to use, not to mention CHEAP, is paper pulp. I know what everyone is thinking already, but I use a recipe by Ronny Burkette a Canadian puppet artist (besides minis my other passion in life are puppets and marionettes). His recipe is located at http://home.echo-on.net/~props/recipes.html. If you compress the material in your plaster mold and allow to dry completely before removing your cast will have an almost porcelain finish to it. Plus it can be sanded, drilled, added to after drying, can be baked at low heat to speed up drying time, finished anyway your imagination can come up with. If a smoother finish is needed mix Elmer's school glue and Plaster of Paris together to make a homemade gesso and apply it to the cast and then lightly sand. I make dolls for my daughter's dollhouse out of the stuff and just cast a mold of a section of siding to make a cheap durable siding out of it. It is that strong and
detailed.

Joshua