Modern bath fittings: you can create a pretty convincing modern bath by building a "surround" for the bathtub so it looks built in, a cabinet to drop the sink into, and a tank for the toilet out of balsa wood (this last idea came from one of Pat Thomas' articles in Nutshell News). I've done all of these and have been pleased with the outcome. Same thing can be done with the Cassidy Creations half-inch scale bathroom fixtures.

Doris in San Antonio

1/4 Scale Printouts: there are some 1/4 scale printouts on my website, as well as several 1/4" scale freebie how-to's that you might enjoy. You'll also find lots of photos there of 1/4 scale items and roomboxes that were made by myself and by others. If you enjoy quarter scale you'll have fun looking around my site.

http://members.aol.com/daisy21/pam/index.html

Pamela Scott

1/4 inch houses:  I'd check out model railway shops for O scale buildings, or the plans for them.  O scale is 1/4" or 1:48.  The UK was the home of O scale - I'm sure you'll find something. You may have to kit bash them slightly as railway buildings are not usually designed to open to access the interior.

      The dolls house magazine (the magazine formerly known as Nutshell News) has just run a series of a village in 1/4" designed by Debbie Young - a nice set of box rooms but IMHO *not* 1/4" scale buildings, a few years ago they had plans for a 1/4" Easter bunny house by Pam Junk - not too bad - contact me off digest if you want more details.  I have recently done one of Pam's 1:4" kits (a painted lady) and have one of Debbie's on order (a Christmas present to myself!).

Sandra in New Zealand

Pencils and paint brushes (miniature). Go to your local pharmacy and get a package of "stir sticks" or wooden handled cotton swabs (professional Q-tips) The birchwood shafts are about 1/16" diameter or 3/4 of a scale inch. To make small pencils, paint brushes, etc: Chuck an appropriate length in your Dremel tool and "turn" to size and shape with an emery board or such. USE EYE PROTECTION!

While on the subject, The 1/16" dowels make for VERY economical; moldings. Slip into a 1/16" wide X 1/32" deep groove in a metal pate. Shave away the part sticking up and you have 3/4" (scale) half round. In the Dremel, you can get more creative than just paint brushes. With sharpened jewelers screwdrivers as turning chisels, I make finials, pendels, balustrades, and such for my micro-scale (1:144) houses. How about turnings for a plate rail along the top edge of kitchen cabinets or as spindles in a really nice magazine rack. A hundred  (~6" long each) should cost you about $2.

Mel in Las Vegas

¼ Scale animals: Try model railroad stores, and ask for "O" gauge, pronounced oh.  That is the same as our quarter inch scale. Most MR stores don't have much in the way of O stuff, but ask to see the large scale Walthers catalog, animal section.  They will probably have HO scale animals in stock, pronounced H-oh, but will be too small, but you might find a large dog that could be used as a small dog in 1/4 scale.  I know Arrtista has lots of quarter inch scale things, including some dogs, cats, peddle car, stroller, etc, but I no longer have their address.  I don't know if they sell to shops, hopefully a model railroader on this list can furnish the address--they occasionally advertise in Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman.  Model Railroader is a Kalmbach publication, sister of Dollhouse Miniatures--perhaps they could help.

Dean Jenson

Garden Railroads:  Yes, this is a great source for 1/4" and 1/2" scale stuff!  There is a magazine called Garden Railroads that I pick up once in a while, and the AW NUTS mag. is a great one, especially for ideas for whimsical buildings.

Kaye in L.A.

Cutting a hole in the porcelain tea pot with the Dremel: Get a tungsten carbide cutter. It is a "thing" made by Dremel for the Dremel. It is used to cut into fired ceramics or use a Silicon Carbide Grinding Stone. It is green/gray in color and conical in shape. It is also used for work on ceramic and glass. I would suggest keeping the cutting head of whichever you choose wet while doing the cutting to keep it cool. These things get hot. Try to rely on speed rather then force to get the tool to do the cutting.

1/144th scale: If you want people, fences, trees, & outdoor things, look for N-gauge railroad items. I've been told they are very close to 1/144th scale houses in size. Furniture is available in 1/144th scale or make your own. Here 1/12 of an inch = 1 foot. If you have quilling paper or just a pretty scrap of colored paper, CUT one piece 1/8 inch by 3/4 inch & CUT one piece 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch. On both pieces, bend up 1/8 inch on each end to look like this I____I Turn the 1/8 inch wide piece over so it stands like a bench and put the wider piece behind it having the bent arms facing you. Glue them together and you have a couch. Round the upper corners with small scissors, like fingernail scissors, if you don't like a square look. Good Luck.

Ann from AZ

Quarter Scale Pianos; Sally Dohrman has wonderful grand pianos in quarter inch scale on her web site. You have to see them to believe them. http://members.tripod.com/SallysPage/index.htm click on the music room.

Peggye L. Mills

Half inch grand piano project at: http://www.miniaturerealities.homestead.com/projects~ns4.html Tiny Turnings can be ordered from Jane Coffey of Coffey's Cuties. Her addy is coffeys_cuties@global2000.net

Favorite Site: http://www.gailwilsondesigns.com/ I like this site because it creates a mood. It is designed for 9" Dolls but there are 3" doll kits, bears and small accessories miniaturists can use. Doll's bed and pouting chair...etc.

Laurie

Half Scale - Bauder Pine at http://www.scaledesigns.com/ as well as sdk miniatures at http://www.miniature.net/sdkminiatures carry 1/24 scale.

Marilyn of Michigan

Websites for 1/24th scale items:

Half Inch News: http://geocities.com/RodeoDrive/Outlet/1268/HalfInchNews.index.html

Oakridge: http://www.oakridgehobbies.com/

Bauder Pine: http://www.scaledesigns.com/

SDK Miniatures: http://www.miniature.net/sdkminiatures

1/2" Victorian: http://www.victoriana.com

Hughes House Dolls: http://www.tinytalk.org/hughes1.htm

Joyce Meyer - plants, flowers: http://members.aol.com/Joymey/index.html

Regina Steele - One of a kind dolls and animals: http://www.inet-serv.com/~tinytalk/regina.htm

Rustic Replicas - Log cabin kits: http://www.rusticreplicas.com/

Smaller Than A Breadbox - IGMA Helen David - Flowers: http://www.smallerthanabreadbox.com/

Marilyn of Michigan

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: There are three options I'd suggest for your teapot walls. One is to snip thin wedges out of the paper to help it conform to the teapot curves, something like the way tiny 'v'-cuts are made in fabric to help ease it around a curve. The second is to cut walls from matboard and fit those in place rather than leaving the interior curved. I think I'd paint the curved walls, then if you want a print you can either paint dots or flowers on them or cut little bitty designs from paper or fabric and glue them in place.

Pam

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: Imagine a little, white box of Chinese food. Turn the box on it's side, remove the top. Now, if that were unfolded, it would be easy to wallpaper wouldn't it? Blue Teapot 2000. I used this method to do the interior. It creates space under the lid to put surprises?

Laurie Sisson

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: You could use gift wrap tissue paper cut into strips to make a template of the inside of the pot;; it's not too flimsy but light enough to mold along the pot's curves. Tape strips together till you have a template to cut the good paper. Or, you might want to use a border paper as a chair rail and just paint the walls a solid cover.  Just don't give up! Keep experimenting and you'll figure it out.

Loretta.Sniarowski

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: If you are set on using wallpaper why don't you build some false walls out of thin foam core. They would be straight and easy to wallpaper. If you want to keep the original curved walls of the teapot try painting the walls then doing a fun stencil. I painted and stenciled all the walls in my dollhouse. It's different from what everyone else does.

René

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: Could you put in a false wall by curving a rectangle of cardboard to fit in the teapot from open edge all the way around to the other open edge, and then wallpaper that?  If your opening isn't too large the cardboard wall could go up high enough so the top edge wasn't seen. Will you have to put in a false floor because the bottom of the teapot is (1) not level, and/or (2) not big enough? The wall could then fit neatly around the new floor. You will probably lose "room" space for your scene with the false wall. I guess a lot depends on the shape of your teapot! Love to hear how it works out!

Judy in (middle) TN

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: I think if you really want to wallpaper the inside of your teapot then you should at least give it a try.

Karon

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: Jane, what about painting the walls instead of using wallpaper in your 1/4" teapot? If you want some design, maybe if you cut a narrow strip for a border, you could more easily glue that around the "room". I made a 1/4" scene in a paper mache teapot. Didn't like the way some of it looked when just painted or collaged, so I covered the outside with stucco, making it as smooth as possible when applying it. Then I sanded it down after it dried completely. Wanting it to look like a "china teapot," I wanted flowers on it, and instead of trying to paint it myself, I bought some of the rub-on floral pages and I was very pleased with the outcome. I used gloss varnish on it after all the flowers were in place. For the inside, I painted the walls with a stucco look, or light textured look by tearing up pieces of Kleenex in little pieces, painting a spot on the wall, picking up the Kleenex piece with my brush and laying it over the wet paint. You have to work with it a little, but after a few times, you will get the knack of it. It hid all the blemishes the paper mache had and I was pleased with the look when done.

Marjorie in CA

1/4 Scale Teapot Walls: If you HAVE to wallpaper, I suggest building a 3 sided box that will fit inside and square things up. Ceramic is NOT good to wallpaper. Measure depth and width inside pot. Cut one long piece of cardboard or fiberboard, score at measured depths, wallpaper it. Then bend it and place inside

LadyBug, Sue Thwaite