Pirate's Pub: Hubby had some great ideas...how about a Jolly Roger banner? And maybe a ships wheel? A bust of a mermaid off a ship's front? Not to mention shells,nets, and wenches...

Crystal

Project Ideas for Hospital Stay: I don't remember who recently asked for ideas for her minis to do during her hospital stay but I think this might work for many people. I have health problems and sometimes end up in bed for a couple of days. Also when I travel these are great.... I make my own kits. As I go through magazines or read ideas, or occasionally come up with my own I jot them down. Then as I buy the fabric or whatever I cut it out put a copy of the pattern and or instructions in and any thread or whatever. I put all this into a plastic Ziploc bag. I've done pillows, nightgowns, a quilt. I find sewing projects good for this but you could also have punched flowers and cut bits of wire and then take some markers to decorate the paper flowers. When you get ready to go just make sure you have a separate bag or pencil box for the basic tools: glue, tweezers, scissors, pencil, markers, needles, whatever you need. I also have a small round cutting block that is handy to work on. Other projects could be cutouts, books, printables, If you keep them made and have a bad memory like me you might even surprise yourself with a new project.

Rita

Project for child visitor to take home: The idea that popped into my head after reading your post was; a contemporary American room...maybe a kitchen, if you will be spending a lot of time there, or a family room. You could have a TV, a CD player, stuff like that, pizza, (if she will be having any, or hamburgers, etc.) Something so that she can remember her time in the U.S. How about making it out of cardboard, or foam core. Light weight, so she can bring it home with her. Actually, to carry the thought further...how about one of your own rooms? She could help, and even learn the words for things like couches, chairs, tables, etc.

Kaye in L.A.

Project for child visitor to take home: How about a medium sized doll trunk,easy to carry, sturdy and easy to put shelves in to make rooms. furniture could be sturdy wood "child's kits that she could paint or upholster. You could teach her papier-mâché with flour and water paste or show her clay and perhaps send her home with a supply of fimo. show her how to make twig furniture and how to use dried materials to create a fairy house. Help her learn to SEE in scale so that she can use found items.

Susan in OR

Project for child visitor to take home: If you choose to help her build a miniature of HER ROOM in your home, Start taking pictures through the window of HER ROOM to use as backdrops in the mini. You can take frequent pictures as seasons change so that she can enjoy the changing view as you correspond in the future. If Russian/English is a difficult translation, a picture for her mini can say 1000 words.

Mel K.

Project for child visitor to take home: How about creating a scene in a child's tin lunchbox? That would be highly portable, and she could even take it out and play with it on that long plane ride home. As for the insides, schoolrooms are somewhat universal and fun to create.

Geo. Held

Project for child visitor to take home: I don't know if you can sew but there have been several patterns over the years in the pattern books for folding dollhouses of fabric that would be very lightweight to carry back on a plane, including dolls, furniture, clothes etc.

Ana Gerard

Crèche Scene: I think this is a lovely crèche .... http://www.crechemania.com/print/guggenberger/print.html

Theresa Thomas

Chinese/Japanese: I've been reading with interest the discussion of Chinese/Japanese, and a solution to that problem, (for those who have both kinds of pieces which they want to use) would be to do an "Oriental Arts Shop".

Alice Zinn

Chinese Room: To the person who is interested in making a Chinese room... If you are going to make a distinctly Chinese room, which is going to be in China, it will definitely be different from a Chinese room in a more western surrounding. The latter would have meant that the Chinese room will have details which would have been influenced by Chinese stuff or culture and other details of the more western sort of decoration. In there earlier eras, the Tang, Song, Ming and etc Dynasties, they are ruled by the ethnic Han people in China. These dynasties spanned from AD 618 to AD 1644. Then comes along the Manchu people, who conquered China and ruled till Dr Sun Yat Sen set up the Republic of China at 1911. Then comes along the communists. For a Chinese room in the Manchu era(In this latter part of China history, which is also when the European countries started to take advantage of the weak emperors and government in China, which also resulted in lots of foreigners entering China(whether it were missionaries, opium traders or travelers)) in China, it is definitely not as flamboyant or and richly decorated as the Victorian era. You should be doing up a bedroom, right? You could divide the room into two parts, if it is possible, separated by a pink drape hung on a semi circle oriental looking wooden frame for those richer young ladies. It would surely consisted of a kang (a sort of a Chinese bed) and a dressing table in the inner chamber. In the outer chamber, a round mahogany table with round stools and display cabinet of some sort. Some scrolls with Chinese calligraphy would help. And don't forget the red seal mark on the bottom right hand corner of the scroll. The walls should be rather bare, not pink, or wallpapered, but again, the effect would not be nice. For ladies' shoes, if the lady living in that room is a Han, then the shoes could be small(in actual size, it is only three-inches so you scaled that down!) However, the cruel practice is not fashionable with the ruling Manchus. The men in that area would have shaved half of their hair away, leaving only a pigtail hanging down to show allegiance for the Manchu emperor. The richer males would have round caps that fitted the scalp perfectly with a piece of rectangular jade on the front of the cap. For clothes, never imperial yellow(bright yellow) as it is truly reserved the emperor only. Perhaps a demure pink or pale green for the young lady. Only women in imperial Manchu court(the Forbidden City in Beijing) wear headdresses so it would not be relevant for the typical room. For make-up on the dressing table, the lipstick would have been just a piece of red paper folded in half, which the young lady would applied by pressing her lips onto the paper. other powders are arranged neatly on the dressing table by the maid in small boxes. Since you are doing late Manchu era, then maybe you could included some western stuff lying about. Round, gold spectacles would be useful for poor-sighted Han or Manchu courtiers. They could be bestowed upon by the ruling emperor, in an act of reward. The official would have been mighty pleased!! For Japanese, tables are low, with no chairs, merely cushions. Lots of bamboo mats. They sleep on a futon. They have sliding doors. Chinese houses have double doors that opened. Women wear kimonos, a big difference with Chinese ladies. Japanese words may look similar to Chinese characters but Chinese calligraphy will appear more complicated while Japanese consists of some Chinese characters with other Jap. characters with simpler, concise strokes. I love Chinese furniture too, and I got a few in miniature, though I do not even know where to put it!!!!!! Bought some really exquisite mini Chinese vases and urns, plus a couple of the blue porcelain barrel-shaped stools! They come up to quite of money but I think the workmanship is great! All these are quite distinctly Chinese, so for a Chinoiserie effect, I think you can still keep the display cabinets with the array of vases and books, wallpaper the walls and maybe add in some other western influence.

Jaclyn, Singapore

Chinese Musical instruments: My mother has some Christmas ornaments that are close to 1" scale. They are really beautiful, made from real wood and strung just like the real thing. I don't know the names of the instruments in English, but there is one that looks like a mandolin, one that looks like a banjo, a sort of fiddle with two long strings and the bow UNDER the strings, and a "Chinese Piano" (a kind of stringed instrument that lies on a table, with many strings). (I have often been tempted to take them for my own miniature uses, but have resisted successfully for the past 15 years.) She also has some wall decorations, with similar miniature instruments mounted on a small scroll in a frame for hanging.

Celeste in Boston

Musical Instruments: I don't know where you can get the instruments but a mini Chinese zither would be perfect for the accomplished lady!:)

Jaclyn, Singapore

Chicken Shop: Great chicken stuff here http://wingsnthings.tripod.com/chicken.htm.

Marilyn, MI

Lighthouse:   I have the Real Good Toys lighthouse decorated as a residence. The lower floor is the kitchen/ dining room, the middle floor is the bedroom, and the top floor is the study/ sitting room. I've thought about building the Keeper's Cottage, but I really like the lighthouse the way it is and don't want to take anything out (besides, I have so many other projects lined up, I may never get to it!)

Lauren in Abingdon

Biblical Themed Minis for Children: Treasure chests: In Matthew 6:21 it says "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." So why not fill the little chests with items representing spiritual gifts, or daily blessings, like: photos of parents or other family members, favorite food item (to represent thankfulness for plenty), a pillow or blanket in favorite color (to represent thankfulness for home and comforts like bed), toys, animal to represent pet, cross, flower, star, book; any item that might represent something special.

Paulette in IN

Minis for mentally challenged:  What a nice project! Try polar fleece for blankets, curtains, etc as the edges don't have to be finished so she can make them herself.  Michaels has lots of cheap hutches, etc for a buck or 2 that she can paint, she could even try decoupage.  Don't forget childhood standbys like matchbox beds, thread spool chairs.  Try populating it with teddy bears and troll dolls instead of people.  You might consider real wallpaper instead of printies as it is more durable and can survive rough handling during cutting. Don't forget the little end tables that come with your pizza.  Popsicle sticks have lots of uses.   Try cutting pictures out of magazines for paintings and framing with fabric trim.  Tearing apart old clothes from Goodwill for laces, etc can be fun.

Gyelle

Dickens Pubs and alleyways: A while ago the DH brought in a piece of an old wooden toolbox, replete with scum and oil.  About the same time, I bought an antique bar back.  Found a half price Dickens looking doll with top hat, and voila! an idea is born.

So!   Along the way I have collected antique Scotch bottles (mini, I mean), and I had one of the Durham cash register's.   Yesterday I: Sat the toolbox up on end, what a perfect alley!  Put an old box beside  it- A pub is born!  Hung a gaslight over the balcony in the alley, wired a  Victorian streetlamp in the alley, and hung 2 gas lamps in the pub.  You  know, my things always look better in dim light, but I must remember to turn the studio lights on so I can see to work!   Anyway- some broken chairs from the box under the bed make great seats, a 10.00 antique Biedermeir table with warped top is just perfect, and I bought 3 antique beer steins, a little larger scale, but it makes for that old feel.   The guy in the hat is drinking, since he has a jacket on... a pub keeper will have to wait.

As always, though, I start to ask myself questions, and get flummoxed.   If I put "Scrooge & Marley" signs up in the alley, what is the year?  Do gaslights not work, then?  If it is, say, 1875, what kind of heat would the pub have?  A brick fireplace?   If brick, would it have food boiling over the fire?  When did dart boards come?   And, if no 'games', what else in the pub?   For that matter, can I put stacks of old newspapers in the alley?  Should I have a horse tie-up thing out front of the pub?  This is a town pub, so I suppose so.  Thoughts, anyone?

I know the answers, of course; I can do what I want.   I have a wonderful tin crank telephone, from early 20th century, so I put it in the pub.   Now the timing is all shot- oh dear.   I went to my local antique dollhouse person for a deck of cards, but sadly, they were $125.00, so that game is out.

When we talked pubs a few weeks back, mostly we were talking now- what about 100 years ago?  or 200?

Beth in Maine

Sewing accessories:  check out http://www.btinternet.com/%7Ebertiesbazaar/jess/   then click on Printies in the left column and click on Haberdashery to find printable sewing accessories like button, ribbon, and elastic cards, needle cases.   For contemporary patterns, get on the mailing list for whatever is your local fabric shop (e.g., Hancocks, Joann's, Hobby Lobby), you'll get flyers and can clip out the ad illustrations and glue to a mini envelope (adapt stationery patterns on Jim's www.printmini.com site).  Should also be able to use ad clips as a pattern catalog cover -- glue over a section cut from the spine of an old magazine, cover with glossy clear nail polish or packing tape to get the laminated look of the real thing.   Don't forget a rack of crafts magazines/books -- find covers in book club ads   as well as in store flyers.

Items for hanging racks:  Tape measures (3 inch lengths of yellow paper, marked with black pen, folded up and tacked onto cards).   Scissors:   flattened hooks of hooks and eyes tacked onto cards -- use several sizes for shears and embroidery scissors; paint loops orange to make Fiskars.   Buttons:  seed beads glued on cards, or tiny blobs of dimensional fabric paint). Zippers:   two lengths of metallic thread glued down center of narrowest grosgrain ribbon you can find, tiny bar of metallic paint as stop on bottom and pull tab cut from bit of metallic card at top.  Quick strawberry pincushions and rust-removers:  Cut one medium and one small green star from craft felt, string on a bit of green floss and glue to medium and large pompons.  Cutting boards:  4 by 4 inch cardboard; cover both sides with graph paper (or back with decorative paper), add string ties at middle of two opposite sides, fold in fourths, tie, and stack or lean in display area.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Hagatha's Hut is all but finished.   I know that the old wise woman would have lots of little accessories.   I have a metal cauldron and the fireplace does draw.  I saw a post about using incense, so I tried it.  All my teenage sons oohed and aahed, so I got to puff out my chest, don't you love it, lol.  I wouldn't do this without supervision, but it is a cool effect.

I think I should put a table, two chairs, a rocking chair and a cupboard roughly made and hanging on the wall.   I know I should have plants hanging from the rafters, and probably onions and garlic and sausages and things like that hanging there too.  I know she should have herbs in jars and not things like eye of newt, this is a wise woman, not a witch.   She is ready for winter, just settling in for the long cold, so she should be well stocked.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

Eileen in St. Louis

Hagatha accessories:   mortar and pestle for mixing dry ingredients for her cures and potions, jugs for the liquid infusions, sacks of potatoes and turnips, maybe an old-time dresser with a chicken coop in the base for fresh eggs year-round, a rustic pine-needle and twig broom. Gardening tools and trugs or baskets for harvesting herbs.  Wash-stand and chamber pot set, candlestick and stand upstairs.  If she is literate, a volume of receipts/ formulas for her herbal medications.   A secret floorboard or loose hearthstone beneath which to hide cash payments for her treatments.

Loretta.Sniarowski