Garage sale: the small details- I was looking at the garage sale section of mom's memory box and it wasn't quite right. Then I realized - the garage sale items weren't priced! (A joke among all us sisters is "if it isn't priced, it must be free.")

Maureen in St. Albert AB Cda

Art Gallery: I have several bronzes by Jim Pounder (If you haven't seen his earlier works, you are missing some fabulous Western sculptures!), Robert Olszewski for Goebel, and Philip Konigsberg (sp?). They are all western/Native American themes and were purchased mostly in the 80's.. *(I have duplicates of 2 of the Pounder sculptures that I may be selling in the future, let me know if you are interested in being contacted - but be forewarned that these are not inexpensive items).

I built a very basic box using 3 picture frames and some leftover plywood as the basis. Joint compound was used for texturizing because that is what I had on hand. I figure this project cost me under $10 because I built everything including the window and door. The picture frames allowed for a see through top, and large side picture windows that you might see in a contemporary gallery. Mine is done in southwest style, but is relatively plain because I wanted the artwork within to be the focal point. You can see the finished results in my Epson albums, the pictures are in the "Mini Art/sculpture Gallery album. I welcome your questions and/or comments.
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumList?u=1655407

Feel free to visit my other albums too. I even have pictures of some finished Michael's hutches for those of you searching for ideas. (In the minis - individual items album)

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Efficiency Kitchen: Apartment stove/sink/reefer....I lived with such a device 45 years ago in my very first 'apartment'! Not a bad thing. Compact and useful for a single person. . . The only bothersome thing was that the two burner electric stovetop was within 6 inches of the dishpan sized sink. . . and no oven. . . many years later, my mom bought a similar unit from Sears for an efficiency apart she was building over the garage. It had an oven. About the size of a small bread box. . . Fascinating units to find in mini, I doubt there is one.

Also, anyone remember the small 'Hoover' Spin Washer/Dryer that was about the size of a dustbin and plugged the water into the kitchen faucet? Dumped into kitchen sink drain and tended to march around the room after one while spinning. The spin was just a glorified wringer. . . I think the washer part would only do one sheet at a time.

Judie-Daytona Beach, FL

Efficiency Kitchen: I had one of those little Hoover spin washer/drier sets in 1971.

It was supposed to run on 110, but kept blowing fuses in the little old apartment building we were in. And you're right - it only held one sheet at a time. Looking back now, I think it was more trouble than it was worth. I don't imagine anyone would want to do it in miniature, but if they did, it was just a rectangle box on wheels (ours was Harvest Gold in color) First you put your clothes in one side, filled it up with water from a hose connected to the kitchen sink, added soap and let it agitate. Then you drained it, and put the wet clothes over into the little spin basket section to spin out. Then you refilled the washer side and put your clothes back into it, to agitate for the rinsing. Then that side had to be drained again, and everything put back into the basket to be spun again. I think I could have done it all faster by hand. But we thought we had some kind of luxury appliance.

Paulette in IN

Detective's Apartment: Speaking of detectives, wouldn't Kinsey's new apartment make a really neat roombox. Does anyone remember which letter book she got her new apartment that had the really good description of the whole thing?

Rusty in Ky

"Borrowers" scene: A while back we were listing projects we were going to do someday - and I just thought of two more I forgot to add to my list - found a box of little household items for a "Borrowers" scene. One of the mini mags did an article some years back with scenes from the Borrowers story, and it was delightful. I've bought 2 movies on the Borrowers (Little people who live in walls and under floors in houses, and they "borrow" whatever they can find to use - they are about dollhouse size and actually use dollhouse furniture if they're lucky enough to live in a home that has a dollhouse) One of the movies was made in England, and the other here in the US with John Goodman in it. The grandkids love those movies, and it occurs to me that this is the perfect project for the grandchildren! - Because it's so imaginative and doesn't require special intricate work. Household items become mini goods. Ideas are endless.

Paulette in IN

The Borrowers: Paulette was talking about doing a 'Borrowers' scene, and I immediately thought of Joan Steiner's Look-Alikes books. If any of you have not seen these, they are worth a look, if not for anything else, just to see the ingenuity of this artist. They are actually children's books, and all of the scenes are made up of found objects. (for example, in one scene, she's used a disposable razor as a vacuum cleaner) While most of us might consider using "parts" of a household object (with much sanding, scraping, and painting), Ms. Steiner just puts the whole thing in there, and the results are really delightful. She does use miniatures in her scenes as well, but not very many, mostly she uses just things you might find around the house. I think she is the ultimate "Borrower"!

Deena in Miami

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe - I have a pair of old high top ladies' boots or shoes. I think it will need to be in 1/2" scale, to get a lot of children in it. But I do fully intend to do that scene one of these days. I'm going to mount the shoe on a piece of plywood, which will become the yard - and cut windows and door in the shoe and put frames around - and I'll have to have a roof with a chimney pipe. Wish I could work on it today, but I'm working on dolls for a July show coming up. Business first, fun later.

Paulette in IN

Psychic's Shop: I don't know yet if I'm going to do it in a particular period. I've got a crystal ball, mini tarot cards, an incense burner *remind me to tell you how I did the smoke*. I'm wondering if any of you have any particular knowledge of where to get mini printables of things like astrological charts and maybe a chart of the palmreading symbols. A dear mini friend gave me a kit of a beautiful brown-skinned doll, but I think I'll use her for some other project -- it would be too tempting to try to do a voodoo queen, and I know absolutely zilch about that. Any suggestions at all will be hugely appreciated.

Vicki Horiuchi

Egyptian: Fed Ex just delivered a package to my door (and on Saturday!). I had ordered King Tut in the sarcophagus from World Wide Store. I am truly impressed at the quality and the detail on this item. And for only $19.15 including shipping. They have a number of other Egyptian items, and if you go to their craft and/or toy aisles, they have a lot of dollhouse furniture and accessories. The site is http://www.worldwidestore.com Very easy to navigate and speedy delivery. Now I need an Egyptian room to put it in.

Diane in N.E. Ohio

Room box idea for Dad: your dad doesn't have to have hobbies for you to make a personalized roombox for him. As Juanita suggested, if he watches TV, have an easy chair, a TV, some books, newspaper, perhaps slippers, a replica of the family pet (if there is one), and add lots of family pictures. The pictures is what wows people the most about any giftbag I made them. "How did you get the pictures so small" is the first question people ask. If he reads particular mags or newspapers, include a mini copy of that -- or favorite books, crossword puzzle -- whatever you can think of that would have meaning for him - -- as Juanita suggested as something that represented where he worked.

Fay in St. Louis

Tacky Tourist Junk: some ideas from my childhood Michigan and Ontario vacations in the 1950s: use beige parchment paper or papertwist whipstitched together with tan buttonhole thread to fake souvenir "birchbark" items - Native American/First Nations doll canoes, long-houses with metal chimneys (burners for balsam-scented incense -- this was way before the Consumer Products Safety Commission, when this stuff was still called Indian souvenirs). Round, oval, or square birchbark boxes for cigarettes, cards, or jewelry, plain or decorated with porcupine quills or glass beadwork. Beadwork pins, necklaces, and zipper pulls. Burlap pillows the size of a pincushion stuffed with balsam needles, printed with "Souvenir of Traverse City or Niagara Falls." Deerskin moccasins. Pendleton blankets. Woolrich jackets (good use for a tatty old flannel shirt with small-scale plaid). Lamps with parchment shades and bases made from log sections, weathered old iron implements, fishing creels, or rusty moose or bear silhouettes.

Cellophane-wrapped birchbark-boxed nature-motif stationery. Beeswax candles painted to resemble birch tree trunks. On the extremely tacky side, plastic Indian dolls in plastic buckskin costumes with gaudy red, green and yellow feathers, painted (Taiwanese) totem poles, as solo knicknacks or nailed to a log section reamed out to hold a glass ashtray, plastic bead and safety-pin Indian war bonnets, and for a contemporary touch, some of those wiggling, singing fish plaques like "Bigmouth Billy Bass"

Loretta Sniarowski

Toyshop Names: I made a toy store and named it Toys for Tots. A number of friends have commented favorably on the name. You are welcome to use it. Used small wooden letters from Hobby Lobby.

Ruth Morey, Corpus Christi on Padre Island

Boop Mini Printables at http://www.geocities.com/boopmini40/

I used a table from the dollar store and painted it the right colours, backed a clock face of Jim's with a button of the right shape and colour, made a flag from a fabric cutout and a fancy toothpick, mitred a window frame from balsa, made coloured pencils from 1/2" nails with the heads cut off and painted, and everything else was paper. We even found a printable stone floor that looked pretty realistic behind the window frame! Boop Mini's had the critical snack food containers and bookcases, somewhere else had the ubiquitous tissue box, to which we added a real bit of tissue, Jim's TV, computer and dictionary (exactly the right one!) were perfect. We also found manila files and envelopes, graph paper, tiny word puzzles, books (including a Dr Seuss with inside pages), 12" and 36" rulers, a file box, maps and posters. Paper sample books rescued a while back from the garbage provided construction paper and even a blue rug. Finally, my daughters painted and drew miniature artwork for the classroom walls.

Wendy in Clinton, NJ

Egyptian Room: Several people have written in telling about their Egyptian roomboxes.   I seem to be odd man out as my Egyptian room is not a re-creation of a tomb,   but is the bedroom of a devoted Egyptophile.   His (her?) bed is like the one   used for mummification, with leopard shapes as the sides of the bed, flanked by two torchieres.   There is a bas relief of Numbis on the wall, and columns (of course).   There is a chair from the Take a Seat line (boo-hoo, they are going away) that is also a leopard theme.   Other items in the room are a brightly colored chest done in metallic paints, parchment prints on the walls, some canopic jars (great for storage), a wicker desk, brightly colored rugs depicting gods and more leopards, a mummy case in the corner, a statue of Bast, the cat goddess, guarding all . I've even made some games that were used in Ancient Egypt.   The walls are "stone" blocks and the door facings are brightly printed with colored hieroglyphics.

I am using 1/2" foamcore so the walls are thick enough to look like "stone" aka adobe.   There is a window in the back the overlooks the Pyramids with a palm tree between the picture of the Pyramids and the window (with hidden lighting back there).   The floor is Paperclay with some brightly colored tiles inlaid around the platform for the bed.

I keep a big shopping bag for my up-coming projects and as I get the needed items, I put them in the bag.   I got some canopic jars (which they used for the innards :-)) on eBay and they are wonderful.   The mummy case is built from basswood and covered with some terrific pictures of Tut's case.   The real challenge, I think, is going to be the columns.   I recorded "The Mummy" the other night and know what I want-- the challenge may be in artistic ability.   I love a challenge........When I get done, I will post pics.

Phyllis

Mice and dolls house story: One story that fits the bill is The Tale of Two Bad Mice by Beatrix Potter. If you go to http://www.tcom.ohiou.edu/books/kids.htm the whole story complete with pictures follows page by page.

Sue from Garstang, UK

Old Abandoned House Finished! An old house, pond, garden (copied Joann Swanson's scarecrow from a NN mag), cemetery, cellar, outhouse, clothes washing area, rabbit hutch complete with rabbits, treehouse...in the large size tree I made, old toys indicative to the era, old rusty mailbox...complete with bullet holes, and lots of other things here and there.

Rita Pierce

Vegas Wedding Chapel: The gaudier the better!!! Some have podiums, pews or chairs, an alter of sorts, depends on the chapel. The ones inside the major hotels are just like a church and very elaborate. There is music, sometimes canned, sometimes someone is playing. You need to make the "preacher" an Elvis impersonator - or are you duplicating where the couple got married?
If you do a search for Las Vegas wedding chapels I'm sure you'll come up with lots!

Marsha, Newark, CA

Vegas Wedding Chapel: I was married in the Candlelight Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The outside looked like a motel, very tacky with flickering neon candle flames. Just inside the door was a lobby where one could make selections -- like from a Chinese menu or at a fast food outlet. Did the Bridal Couple wish audio or video tape? Live music or taped? The small bouquet for $29.99 or the large for $49.99? Will the Couple need rings? Witnesses? There were a couple of nicely dressed folks sitting in the lobby, willing and able to be witnesses for a mere $25 each. The saleswoman prompted these decisions in a whispery rush, marking our choices on a form which she presented to the cashier. We paid in advance.
Oh, it was perfect! Anideal, romantic, little country church. The walls were paneled with dark, shining walnut. Lovely stained glass windows were recessed at intervals along the walls. The ceiling was vaulted with sturdy polished beams. Large bouquets of fresh flowers sprang from wicker baskets between the windows. On either side of the blue/grey carpeted aisle, were pews with gothic wood carvings. Behind the carved podium, instead of religious symbolism, the brass pipes of the organ were framed by a gothic arch. It was amazingly tasteful, really lovely...

Sally Cook-Thomas

Vegas Wedding Chapel: I had a friend actually get married in a chapel in Vegas in March. It was called The Chapel of Flowers I believe and the inside seemed to be pretty normal. It was white practically everywhere, and had only 3 pews on either side of the aisle that were also white. My friend had flowers at her wedding but it was very basic, maybe two or three small arrangements.... There was no organ there it was just a sound system that was piped through and you brought whatever music as a mix tape or cd to play during the ceremony.... I do remember though that for $100 extra she could have Elvis marry them!!! That could be a neat and fun thing to add to the traditional look of a chapel..... Hope this helps you some!!!

Julie