Thatch for a 1/4 house: how about fringing out grosgrain ribbon?

Martha Simpson Nock

Thatch for a 1/4 house: I saw in Micro-Mark and purchased some "field grass" that is actually some kind of long fur. I think it would make great 1/4 inch scale thatching. You can get it in a variety of colors, including a golden brown. In my latest catalog it is on page 82. Harvest gold is item #81700. If you don't have their catalog, their phone number is 1-800-225-1066. You could probably also get the same thing in a railroad or hobby store. It is dirt cheap.

Susan from St. Croix

Free Siding: Lamp bulb cartons/holders when turned inside out are GREAT for smaller scale siding. They accept paint and stain well.

Kathy Watkins

1/144 scale: I have built and decorated one house in 1/144 scale. The things you need are very fine tweezers, steady hands and lots of catalogs. For wallpaper I use pieces cut out of a Robinson's Wallpaper Interior catalog. The picture samples a perfect for this scale. I even put in borders and murals. I cut pictures of flooring from one of my many Hobby Builders catalogs. I never throw any out. Another good source for flooring and roofing is the textured paint samples you can get in department and hardware stores. My house has a truly finished look. I went even further and landscape a small piece of wood to place the house on. I didn't glue it down though. I am making another piece of wood with a winter scene using Snow-Tex. The possibilities are endless so go for it. It can be nerve wracking work but what a sense of accomplishment you'll have.

Lorri in Manassas, VA

144th Scale Tips

I wanted to use a finish other than acrylic paint on one of the little metal miniature clocks, so (after washing in dish detergent) and drying, I used one of those gold pens to highlight the clock face. It doesn't really "color" the lead, just has a nice golden glow effect.

Also, I wanted to replace wallpaper in one of the rooms. Such a teeny area - 1 inch square. I always use YES glue (Grandmother Stover's), slightly watered down, as the paste to apply wallpaper. To remove it, I did the same thing, just smeared the same paste over it, let it set for just a little while and the paper simply peeled right off w/ long tweezers. I know there has been discussion about how to remove old wallpaper. This is the easiest way I have found yet and should work for any kind of (wall)paper.

Headboards can be made from a piece cut (very carefully) from an oriental fan, stained w/ a MinWax pen and sealed, and the bed covered w/ a bit of lace. A piece of the fan can also be glued onto the metal dresser to match the headboard. Samples from Lowe's and Home Depot can be used for flooring - I particularly like the crackle effect samples - they come in pink, dark blue, mustard and green. The dark blue/white goes really nice w/ a white "tiled" wall.

Theresa

3/4" Scale Sink: I just made a sink that's about 3/4" scale out of odds and ends. Pried the lid off an Altoids container and found some plastic bubble pack that fit inside one half for the basin, glued some more bubble pack acetate to the other half and topped by it with a rectangle of plastic canvas for the drain board. Four shaker pegs from Joann's for legs and a piece of egg carton for the splashboard. A couple of coats of white acrylic, a few spritzes of clear gloss acrylic, a snap drain inside basin, silver-painted grommet and bendy straw drainpipe underneath, and I had a nice early 20th century sink that fits where needed better than the longer commercial versions. Plan to rag-paint the Altoids lid and glue on four more peg legs for a tin-top work table. I love making things out of junk; I want to be Joann Swanson when I grow up! You can make old-fashioned stoves from various bits and pieces, too (jewelry findings, covered button pieces, band-aid or tea cans. Use your imagination..

Loretta Sniarowski

Acorn caps: Freeze them before putting in with miniatures as some tiny critters may decide they like minis better than acorns to munch.

Method: Place items in Ziploc bag into freezer for a couple days. To test: place items on a sheet of paper with a clear jar upside down on top of it. If after another day there are no tiny dustlike items on the paper, you are probably clear. To be sure, take the items outside and spray with sealer.