Boarding House: For your boarding house I would have some really seedy characters sprinkled among some 'normal' ones. Start with an alcoholic in Apartment 1, he could live in squalor with his room full or empty bottles. Next door to him an old lady pensioner. Nothing too scruffy or destitute, but a pensioner doing it tough. Across the hall, a trashy peroxide blonde floozy with long red nails and lots of men's phone numbers next to the phone. Next to her a middle aged man, perhaps an accountant who lives with his mother and has no life of his own. A biker could live upstairs and a drummer from a rock band who practices all night. Down the hall from them there could be a family cramped into an apartment with six screaming kids, a mad woman who lives with 200 cats, or a pair of prim spinsters, twins, who live a quiet and secluded life and venture out to help in the Charity shop. Perhaps if you get really stuck you could have had a fire in one apartment and just blacken the walls and outside the windows on the bricks so it looks like smoke and fire damage. There could be a dazed smoker asleep on the couch oblivious to the fact he has burnt out his apartment but lived to tell the tale. What about a truck driver who is a really big bloke, scary sorta guy? A reptile fanatic with aquariums full of snakes? A 'gothic' couple? A spiffy professional couple or an architect whose apartments are really trendy and chic? A really rich dame on the top floor with a really sumptuous apartment? A gambler who holds illegal card games long into the night with all sorts of seedy underworld characters? If I made an apartment block the Department of Health would condemn it. Would there be communal bathrooms?? You could have fun with overflowing toilets, people being caught in the shower. What about the laundry room? Dirty underpants hanging around, clothes hanging from the clothes rail from the ceiling. Whatever you decide to do a good hint is to plan your house and then construct it out of foam core board first so that you know where doors and windows should go in relation to your plan and whether they work with other rooms and landings etc. (A tip I picked up from Small Stuff!)

Trace, Melbourne, Australia

Prairie wagon: The prairie wagon or schooner was basically a covered wagon used to transport household goods so almost anything that you would find in a home could be found in a wagon including upright pianos. They had to plan and pack the wagon very carefully to leave the things that they would be using accessible during the trip. Things such as trunks with their clothing, cooking utensils, etc., would be near the rear of the wagon. Also, their bedding would be rolled and near the rear. Often they would be spread under the wagon at night to sleep.

Rusty in Ky

Prairie Wagon: My husband used to work at a place called Homestead National Monument, which is dedicated to people who settled the West under the Homestead Act of 1863. The Homestead Act was in 1863, but not much land was settled until after the Civil War was over in 1865. By the early 1870s most of the good land was taken, so that was the period of heaviest migration, although people used covered wagons for travel until the turn of the century. If you like the Danish immigrant idea, the 1860s-1880s would be the period most immigrants traveled. Other settlers had started before that, though, but the land was free after the Homestead Act. Anyway, I asked him and he rattled these things off the top of his head.

Farmers crossed the prairie in canvas covered farm wagons called Prairie Schooners. These were smaller than Conestogas (freight wagons) so there wasn't room for much. In general you would take only necessities that you would need along the way or could not find once you got to where you were going. Flour barrel, water barrel, basic cooking gear, dried food such as jerky, bacon, salt pork (Preserved meats), hardtack some livestock feed, tools for farming and cabin building, but real basic like shovel, ax, saw. Rifle and or shotgun,Bible, quilt, blankets, guide book if your were smart, patent medicines, rope. Sometimes there would be "luxuries" like a trunk full of clothes, and possibly but not likely a sewing machine, heirlooms, maybe a few pieces of furniture but these things were often dumped along the way, especially when they reached the Rocky Mountains. Musical instruments were popular, but it would be realistic to have smaller, lighter instruments like a fiddle or accordion. Some tried to bring organs or harpsichords, but as I mentioned few large heavy items made it past the mountains unless they were necessities. A grease bucket and water bucket may be hanging underneath the wagon. Mostly simple and basic items, because these were poor people. Many immigrants traveled along the trails, so it would be quite proper to make this a Danish immigrant family from the 1840s to 1880s. One good book you can use as a reference is the Prairie Traveler by Randolph Marcy. This was the guidebook many immigrants used and contains a list of suggested supplies. It was the best. It's available in reprint and you can order it from Amazon.com for less than $9.00. Everett Dick's Conquering the Great American Desert would also be a good reference. Amazon.com lists this at $10.95.

Jeri Moriarty

Prairie Wagon: are you talking about a Conestoga wagon? What you put into your wagon depends on whether you want to depict the wagon before the pioneers tried to get over the mountains or after. I grew up in Colorado, and read about how the families from back East would load up all their family's best furniture to take to their new homes, but once they got on the mountain passes, the strain of trying to pull those heavy wagons up over the Rocky Mountains was too hard on the oxen. Many a beautiful chest of drawers, desk or heavy table were jettisoned along the road, because the load was too heavy to pull over the mountain. I think a lot of the contents would have been utilitarian. You would have found suitcases or trunks, some bedding (blankets and pillows), sacks of flour and sugar, tins of lard, spare rope, cooking utensils, a washtub and washboard, a kerosene lamp or two, candles, some stools or chairs, and perhaps a light-weight table. Usually a large barrel of water was attached to the wagon, too.

George Held

Prairie Wagon: I'm not a world-class expert but I would think that first you have to decide how far they were traveling. If the people were going to the Ohio-Illinois, Indiana area they could carry more "personal" items than if they were crossing the Rocky Mountains. I'm currently building a log cabin that will be in the Midwest somewhere, so they'd have room for a few favorite pieces of furniture. Crossing the mountains usually meant leaving behind all the "extras" that took up space & weight. The trails over the mountains were littered with goodies left behind to lighten the load. (I'm an antique dealer and the very thought makes me drool!!) They'd have lots of good sturdy boxes & barrels, essential tools & metal objects, coffee pot, pots & pans, etc. as these things would be hard to make in the wilderness, blacksmiths were few & far between, but most men could handle basic repairs.

I've also read about them carrying entire trees strapped to the outside of the prairie wagons, as crossing the great plains, the only other option for fuel was buffalo chips. (Side note: My mom was raised on the Colorado plains, & gathering buffalo chips was one of her daily chores. They were still plentiful in the 1920's, long after the buffalo had all but disappeared.)They would have to carry seed for crops with them, enough food to make it through a winter if crossing the Rockies, possibly a spinning wheel, (although wool can be spun from a weight). One or two books would be tucked away, definitely a Bible & possibly one or two others. Blankets would be needed for travel, as well as arrival, and plenty of sturdy clothing. Depending on the time frame, possibly a photo of loved ones left behind. The essential cow tied on behind the wagon, and possibly chickens in wooden coops on the back tail of the wagon.

It's a fun exercise, to figure out how many skills they'd have to have to make it in the wilderness, shoe-maker, candlemaker, builder, blacksmith, woodcarver, soapmaker, weaver, spinner, seamstress. How many of us would have "what it takes" these days? I know I'd be standing on a porch in St. Louis, waving goodbye, and shouting "So long, suckers!!"

SBEGLEY

Mystery Box: I see a church with maybe Sunday service going on, or a wedding, Easter service, etc. The larger round windows would be *themed* stained glass, with the smaller ones at the top being abstract designs. I would cover up the ones on the ceiling and put in wooden beams. The altar goes at the back of course, and the pipes from the organ go up the walls in the back. The pews go on either side (duh) and you could put little candles all along the walls up to the altar. Think of how many mini flowers you could use! Not to mention the variety of dolls that could go in there...everyone in their Sunday finest! Don't forget the person sleeping in the last row.

Lynn in Gainesville

Charlotte's Web: Chris asked for ideas for a *Some Pig* cobweb. I have had a Charlotte's Web scene on my mini to-do list for years! LOL So, here is my idea of how it might be done:
Sketch out the web as you want it to look for your pattern. Place this under a piece of waxed paper. Moisten fine silk thread with fabric stiffener and lay on top of paper, following the pattern. Allow it to dry, and then tack at *joints* with tacky glue.

Cheri Stewart

Charlotte's Web: Could you use gray or black puff paint ( for fabrics) and put it on wax paper or cling wrap and then peel it off the backing when dry? I also thought of thread soaked with glue of some kind and peeled off the wax paper, but the paint seems easier. Or even Elmer's or Tacky glue and sprinkle glitter or dirt over it? Or ashes?

Peggy in Madison

Charlottes Web: I made a book scene of Charlottes Web quite a few years ago. After fiddling with many items to make a web I finally did the following: cut a piece of this acrylic (in the shape of a triangle) and etched a web into it and then ran a light coat of white paint over it, just to fill in the etchings. Trim the piece closely to the web and you can hardly tell. The only regret I have with my room which is all mine is that they didn't have the cute stone critters then and I had to use the china Hagen Reneker. (By the way you can't glue thread to make a web.

Kathleen

Charlottes Web: Kathleen wrote,*you can't glue thread to make a web* I hate to disagree, but I've done it, it just takes patience! Using regular sewing thread (poly/cotton) I've made lovely webs! Sketch out the configuration of your web. Place the paper *pattern* on top of a block of styrofoam. You need to work on top of a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper which you have anchored with tape around the block of styrofoam with scotch tape.

Then place straight pins into the styrofoam where the ends of your threads would be. Then tie the ends of individual pieces of thread into the proper pattern. Now, the tricky part. put a tiny drop of tacky or Fabritac glue on the intersection of each piece of thread. Let dry. Remove pins. Now...you have a web! I've never used silk thread or 100% cotton, but if you have any, it should work even better as it glues more easily

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie-FL

Anne of Green Gables: Here is the official site, which shows a floor plan of the house: http://www.gov.pe.ca/greengables/index.php3

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie-FL

Purple Gift Bag: the first thing that came to my mind was a disco scene. You could make the ubiquitous mirror ball out of a ping-pong ball covered with squares you cut from one of those laminated dimensional sheets from the art supply store. A small table and a few chairs, and one of the rails they used to separate the dance floor. Lots o' glittery stuff, too!

Molly/StormBorn in Prescott, AZ

Purple Gift Bag: For your purple bag. why not something based on the movie/book The Color Purple. I think that would be wonderful and very apropos. Another thought is the poem 'when I'm an old lady is shall wear purple'. I have made many custom order dolls based on that poem. Just a couple of weeks ago, at the Gulf South show in New Orleans, a bunch of ladies dressed accordingly. lots of purple clothing and red hats for the costume party. They got 2nd prize!

Pearl Jordan

Purple Gift Bag: I SHALL WEAR PURPLE! For anyone looking for a copy of that wonderful poem 'When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple...' - here is a link to it: http://www.vicky.com/quotes/purple.htm

dollladie

More About Purple: 'When I am old, I shall wear purple'. For lots of information and fun about this poem and more, visit http://www.redhatsociety.org/index.html

Fran in Melbourne

Ghost: Scan or find a suitable figure in clip art. Open it into a graphics program to size it or trim it. Print it out on Transparency suitable for your printer. (available for inkjet or laser at office supply stores) Cut it out with sharp scissors and place in desired position in your scene.

Judie

TV Cabinet Ideas: - how about Ariel's treasure trove of "human things" from Disney's Little Mermaid? "Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you say my collection's complete.... Look at this trove, treasures untold; how many wonders can one cavern hold?

I've got gizmos and gadgets aplenty I've got whozits and whatsits galore You want thingamabobs?- I got twenty....... I remember a music box with dancing figures, and tankards, and forks... You might want to make the statue of Eric and show the whole cave before her daddy finds it, and fill handy rocky shelves with anything you have that may have "fallen off the back of a lorry"- well container ship... Actually, I've always wanted to make this roombox myself; even bought a small Ariel bath toy (for my daughter when she was about 6, she's now 16) with just this in the back of my mind....not enough days in the hour...

Donna from Devon

Pirates Plunder: First, you have to decide on a period in history. I mean, if you want a modern pirate then he should be plundering computers (laptops!) and dvd players! If he's from the 1500's say, (with swash-buckling boots and yo-ho-ho hat etc) then some of the most valuable items are things we take for granted today: velvet fabrics in rich colours, satin brocades, fine linen, Belgian lace, well honed knives, Chinese pottery, sugar, salt & pepper - in fact spices of all sorts were terribly valuable. They are what led to the discovery of North America by the Europeans after all!

Linda, Cardiff, Wales

Pirates Plunder: I have some suggestions for pirate booty! In pirate days, anything of value would have been sent by ship as the cheapest and fastest method of transport. Here's a list of possibilities: - From China, there would have been porcelain, gold, tea, tobacco, pearls and silk (!EXTREMELY valuable - people were put to death for trying to smuggle out silkworms; it is said that a Chinese woman (who I think married an Italian guy) finally succeeded in smuggling a few worms out in her hair, and thus silk production was brought to Italy, where it was jealously guarded for many more years). - From India and the middle east, spices of all kinds (so valuable in the middle ages that a housewife guarded her spices in a locked cabinet) and fabrics (cotton?). Beautiful carpets from the middle east and western Asia. Fine horses from Arabia. - From the Mediterranean region, casks of olive oil and of wine, grain, figs, dates, iron. - From the northern regions, lumber, tin, furs, beer and wool cloth (felted wool cloth was also valuable, thus the rise of the Flemish and English wool industries). - Books were also valuable - religious volumes were often bound in wood or metal covers, embellished with gold and gems. And while we're at it, any other religious items, as the Church was the greatest source of wealth of all - gold crosses, chalices, books, paintings, embroidered altar cloths, etc. - Pillaged statuary from anywhere - Asia, Egypt, Greece, Rome. - And of course, weapons and ammo from everywhere to everywhere!

Graceanne

Pirates Plunder: I think any self respecting pirate would steal lots of Jewelry (big and gaudy), gold and jewel encrusted goblets and statues, fancy paintings and even fancier silk clothing - I always picture pirates as either patch scary or peacock dandy. With ruffled shirts and great big hats with feathers a-la Captain Hook. Don't forget the casks and bottles of Rum - the favored drink of the pirate.

Suzy, Chicago, IL