tips o thru z

PAINTINGS, OIL: To make a magazine picture look like a real painting, cut it out with a little extra around the edges. Pin it down to a piece of foam core or something that's been covered with saran wrap....then take an old brush and dab glue on it to imitate brush strokes, let dry. You might have to repeat the glue dabbing step to get it right. Cut it out. Frame or stand on easel. Granny Stover's "YES" glue is very, very thick and makes wonderful "paint swirls" to imitate an oil painting.

PHOTOS & PICTURES UNDER GLASS: Instead of covering a cutout picture with a clear spray varnish or similar product, cover it with clear contact paper. It gives it more support, doesn't curl up as much, protects it and is a lot less mess. No drying time either.

PILLOW ROLL: A no-sew project! Cotton rolls that dentists use and that you can purchase at a drug store are great for bolster pillow forms. Wrap a small thin piece of material around it, folding the unfinished hems in and glue with a thin bodied tacky glue. Tie ends with a ribbon. Decorate with lace, bunka, etc. Make a number of them and place on bed.

PLANTS, EUCALYPTUS: Add realism to your rooms with the natural fragrance of Eucalyptus. Punch mini leaves from "real" preserved Eucalyptus leaves with an inexpensive 1/8" circle punch. Use cloth-covered wire in brown or forest green (or paint it) to match the leaves. Glue the mini leaves alternately down the wire to look like a stem of Eucalyptus. Use a photo or a real stem as "model" to correctly place the leaves. Use heavy tacky glue and tweezers to place the leaves. Make a number of branches and place in a vase or bundle into a wall swag or wreath. If you have an enclosed roombox, the room will be scented with the smell of eucalyptus....it is great!

SHINGLES: Make a template of cardstock to resemble a row of shingles. Use this template to cut shingles out of sandpaper. They come in very realistic shades already so they need not be painted

SIGN LETTERING: You can buy bags of dried alphabet pasta (for making alphabet soup). These letters are just the right size to make signs with 3 dimensional letters. Glue to piece of wood and paint.

SLINKY TOY: Some very flexible springs in ink pens make excellent "Slinky" toys. Bend them in an arch and glue each end to a small piece of cardboard or onto the floor of the kid's room.

TABLES: Perfect size tables come in the pizza box to keep the lid from crushing the pizza! Cut a round piece of fabric larger than your table and rubber band or glue on your table for a skirt.

TINS For ROOM BOXES/SCENES: Making mini rooms out of tins isn't new. If you could careful but the front window out just on three sides, (top, bottom, and one side) so it could open, a cute little scene of a bakery could be made inside. To cover the sharp edges of the window cut out, use plastic tubing slit down one side and place on the sharp edge...a little hot glue will secure it. Stores are selling all of the tins half price after Christmas so thought I would post this so you might check to see if you can find any cheap that you could use for this kind of project. Wal-Mart, Target and grocery stores are the best source for these tins.

TOWELS: Have any worn out "footies" in your drawer - you know those foot socks that don't come past your shoe? Cut those into small squares for wash clothes and larger rectangles for hand and body
towels for your bathroom

WEARABLE MINIATURES: A long time ago I saw in a Nutshell News book that a half-inch scale door of any kind would make a great pin for a jacket or sweater, etc. They decorated the little door for the season with wreaths, etc. and then glued a clasp on the back. You know, it doesn't have to be a bought door. Scrap wood would do just fine. I am partial to the laser cut items and intend on finishing my door and wearing it.

WINDOW "GLASS": The clear plastic lids on boxes of Christmas cards (& other items) can be cut up to make window "glass" for your dollhouse. Plastic packing "bubbles" often have large, flat areas of rigid plastic that will also work for window "glass".