RGT windows: I am STILL building that same dh, though I can say, all windows are completed. You def want to paint the windows before you assemble. I put an unpainted one together and rubber banded it for a sample so I could take a look at it thru all steps. Then I put each window together, b4 painting and marked the glue part with an X so I wouldn't paint it! It really helped with the interruptions I received; phone, dogs, cats, rabbits, kids (who for some reason were hungry), doorbell, kids friends, car pooling laundry.... After the first time I was stopped dead in my tracks when I didn't want to be I tried it this way and it calmed me down considerably (or so my kids thought!).

The other thing I learned was to paint or wallpaper the inside rooms BEFORE you put the windows in! If you don't believe me, just come over to my house for an afternoon of painting/papering while the windows are in. I made real wood floors for mine, (b4 I put it together).

Lisa Lynn

Cutting Compact Disc-Holders: I've cut these holders with my Dremel Tool and the thinnest disk available. It worked well and now I have two pieces of 'glass' for my front door. I started gluing painters tape onto it and drew the necessary lines with pencil. I put the Dremel in its 'foot' and held the plastic with both hands (with the elbows fixed onto the table) at the underside till it touched the disk. Doing this you can see exactly where you are cutting.

Marjon de Haas (The Netherlands)

Replacement Windows - Timberbrook makes window sets for several Greenleaf houses. They include: "Pierce", "Westerville", "Garfield" and "Jefferson". Dee's Delights carries them so they are available through your local miniature shop.

Pleated Drapes: I wanted to make mini pleated drapes but couldn't find my old pleater. I thought and thought, and I came up with something very unusual. I once made those Victorian type fans you pleat out of wallpaper and hang them on the wall. I thought maybe I could make drapes out of paper so I tried it! I wish I could send a picture of my finished window treatment complete with valances on the side and a topper, it is so wonderful, and the pleats stay ridged and you can not tell they are paper unless you are a little person and go inside there and feel them. I made these out of white computer paper - that's the paper I had nearest me. I must say ladies these are beautiful, and I am overjoyed because my house has one set of very wonderful drapes. I hope some body will try this too, and tell me how yours comes out.

Sue in Arizona

Stained Glass Book: Dover Publications still carries the stain glass booklets.  They are presently putting in a web site and you can leave your email address for them to contact you when it's up and running.  Go to www.doverpublications.com

Billie (OK)

Stained Glass Windows: The book on leaded window designs from Dover is a great resource for all periods of stained glass - I found that very few of the designs were of the right size for commercially made windows but if you are doing custom windows it won't matter.  You can have these photocopied at Kinko's or a similar place on sheets of acetate which make it easier to work the designs with lead and coloring...and its also clear so the colors are brighter.  At Michael's (probably at other craft stores too) they have small bottles of fake leading (I find the nozzle top they give you is a bit too "heavy handed" with doling out the fine lines so I use a small tube injector thing I got with a bottle of Aleene's glue - it's like a syringe but with a bent tip).  It lays down a very nice 1"scale line.  When that is dry I color between the lines. I used a transparent color kit specially made for this type project...but I saw transparent paints formulated for doing "stained glass" projects located in the same area as the liquid leading (again at Michael's - more for less). I think the beads need to be done in an oven to melt the pellets so I don't think that would work for your dh.  If I remember right you sprinkled them in a form and when they were melted you ended up with a "stained glass ornament or what have you. The acetate deal really works out great - had a friend who was selling them at one time.

Ana Gerard

Stained Glass Windows: Yes, to owning the Dover publication, "Dollhouse Stained Glass Windows."  I used their designs on two of my Oakmont stained glass windows.  You can see pics of the finished window here: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/8157/journal.htm and click on any of the stained glass links. OR here to see a close up of the window plan I modified for the

dollhouse: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/8157/oakbath.htm

Dover Publications has several excellent books for "full size stained glass patterns."  The designs are almost in one inch scale in the books, they can easily be "reduced" to exact one inch scale on a copier or scanner.

Some of my favorite Dover stained glass pub's that work great in mini are:

* Decorative Doorways 151 patterns for sidelights, transoms etc.

* 162 Traditional and Contemporary Patterns

* Floral 96 designs

They are often available in public libraries and online at amazon and sometimes on eBay. Online you can just do a search for stained glass and Dover.

Wilma

Etching Plexiglass: I admit this is not my idea. It belongs to Barbara Knox. She found that if superglue was contained in a plexiglass enclosure it (the fumes)? etched or "hazed the plexiglass. Take this one step further and if you protect the portion of plexiglass that you do not want etched (with wax perhaps)then expose the plexiglass to the fumes of the superglue; the unprotected plexiglass will be etched. Remove the wax and WOW.

Bob in Hollywood, FL.

Cleaning Perspex - in Australia we have a pressure pack furniture polish called Mr. Sheen. It is great for cleaning the Perspex and it stops the dust sticking.

Robyn

Raindrops falling down the window: Just drip clear nail polish on the outside of the window in an arrangement that simulates the amount of rain you'd like.

Alice Zinn

Very Thin Glass: For those of you who have requested it. I now have the 6oz glass on my web site http://www.dollhouse-miniatures.com under Catalog>Bldg. Components>Windows and Door>Components. This is .027" thick (thinner that veneer). This is thin enough to use in the doors of your china hutch (in 1/12 scale). The next size up at about .040" is micro glass.

Tom Berkner

Quarter inch stained glass windows: For the leading in stained glass windows, try one strand of black embroidery floss and glue. Put the plastic ("glass") sheet over your pattern. (I reduce/photocopy from full-sized stained glass patterns to get quarter scale.) Then using a toothpick or needle-pointed scribe, put a thin line of glue down the black lines (lead lines) in the pattern. Start from the middle of the pattern and work out. When the thread lines dry, you can go in and paint the stain into the various blank spots. I do both sides this way which makes a very lifelike looking window.

Pat

Painting Windows: Many of the Housework's windows have removable panes to make it easier to paint them. If you look at the window, there will be a slot in the top and you can slide the 'glass' out through that slot, paint the window, then replace the pane. Some of the doors have the same type of slot. The mullions on the French doors are also removable so they can be painted separately from the rest of the door.

Dottie in Tucson

Leaded Glass: I believe that I first saw this method described in a Nutshell News several years ago: Use lead tape, which is used to weight golf clubs and can be found at any golf store. This tape can be cut into thin strips and stuck directly onto the Plexiglas. This gives a realistic effect since the lead in real leaded glass is not black, but rather a dark metallic gray. I used this method for my Victorian house and the effect is really amazing. Then, just paint in between the strips of paint. I have also heard of people using dark gray puffy paint, but have not tried this method myself.

Laurie from CA

Leaded Glass: The suggestion to use golf lead tape does work, but because it's real lead, if you're doing a dollhouse that children will be using, you could use Pilot or Permawriter Silver Microtip pens found in office supply stores to do the lead. These brands of pens can be purchased with micro fine tips, are permanent after dry, and will give a slightly raised edge so you can "paint" between the leading or even "frost" or make mini "chipped glass" look designs. When we originally built the Oakmont, the custom dollhouse we designed for the grand daughters, we put up a special page for dollhouse stained glass tips at this URL:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/8157/sghelp.htm

The pictures of the stained glass windows can be seen in our "construction journal" and the finished "tour the Oakmont" sections from the main dollhouse website.

Wilma Kinder

Leaded Glass: Using copper foiling tape can work too. Just slice down a length of tape to get long extra thin strips, stick it onto your glass in your desired pattern and then run a bead of solder along the lengths of tape. Hides the joins and creates a raised 'lead' - use a small soldering iron for the job if you're using thin glass though. My 80 watt soldering iron is too hot and cracks thin glass real easy. Then you can fill in the gaps with glass paint or Weldbond in a cross hatch pattern for clear textured glass or just plain straight strokes for antique smooth glass. I read in one of the last SS's someone said that lead is actually metallic grey - but it does go black with age - advanced age that is. When I am doing real life stained glass I buy a tub or carbon black powder, (insidious fine powder that is almost like photocopier toner to look at) and when the window is puttied and dry, I buff the entire window using a real hair brush and carbon black which creates a real black, satiny finish to the lead and makes the soldering blend in much more. It is designed to make the window look older than it is, so I guess with that in mind, black lead lines would be acceptable if the windows were supposed to be on old buildings?? If you decide to try Carbon Black though, do it outside and expect to be grey all over when you have done!!

Trace

Leaded Glass: another idea for the leaded glass comes from an old Nutshell News is to use the black draftsman tape. It comes in 1/8 and 1/4 and 1/2 inch sized and works very well for everything.. it lays very flat and sticks great. Available at Staples.

Stevenie Tremblay

Leaded glass: To cut the lead tape, use a very hard surface, such as ceramic tile or piece of window glass. The Xacto knife must be SHARP, use a new blade. Use scotch tape to attach the top of the lead tape to the surface, then start cutting about one eighth inch from the top. The tip of the blade dulls quickly, so change the blade often. Only the tip is dull, so use the dull blade for other uses. I use several different color Xacto handles, the black handle is new and fresh, when it starts to dull, I change that blade to a yellow handle, when it gets really dull, I put that blade in a red handle and use that one for cleaning metal castings that do not require a sharp blade.

I used to sell leaded glass supplies for dollhouse windows, and now the thin glass and leaded glass supplies are now available from George Wristley. Email me if you want his address. Rainbowdj@aol.com

Dean Jenson

Golfer's Lead Tape: the lead is a silvery colour just like lead usually is. If it appears black on full sized windows it has aged or been treated to make it seem black but in its natural state it is a steel colour. To use it for mini windows, remove backing from a piece of the lead tape and stick it onto a piece of scrap glass then use a steel cork-backed ruler and a X-acto knife to cut thin strips to use on the window. Put strips on both sides and then go over whole window with Weldbond glue. When it dries it is quite clear and makes the glass look like old hand-made glass.

June Simpson

Golfer's Lead Tape: I use the golf lead tape and have great results. You just lay your pattern under your piece of glass. I place the tapeside of the lead tape down to another small piece of heavy glass for easy cutting, and to see the cut easier. Use a straight edge as a guide and cut with a sharp exacto blade. You can cut extremely narrow strips that can be pulled up and retaped to the glass over the pattern. I use needle point tweezers and the tip of my exacto blade to achieve placement. I cut my strips to about 1/32" of an inch. A few practice times, and you will be surprised at how easy it is. I buy my tape from a miniature store, but I understand you can get it from any golf supply store. To get stained glass I simply paint with stained glass paint by dropping the paint within the pattern. Did you know that if you paint the outside edges of a piece of glass with black paint, you can use regular glass, and the thickness won't show in the finished project?

Carol Wagner