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Melanie's Tips & Ideas
This page is full of tips and ideas I have come up with or been taught. I hope you find them useful. If you have any hints, tips or ideas you would like to share, please use the feedback form at the bottom of this page. I will post them as soon as possible. Of course, you (and your web site if applicable) will be given credit for any tips you submit. Please check back frequently to see what's new.
Using supplies from your memory book store...
The following ideas were submitted by one of my site visitors; Sue, using the form below. Thank you for your contribution!
Some of the papers used in the memory albums are perfect for wall paper and usually run between 50¢ to $1.00 a sheet. Also computer parchment paper looks just like the new wall treatments that are popular. They also carry a wide variety of stickers that would be perfect for bed pillows.
This is a fun way to give a cracked stucco look to a Wester, Southwestern, or Italian building. Buy plastic bricking at your local miniature store. Apply to structure according to directions. After the glue has dried completely, apply stucco as described below, completely covering bricking. Allow to dry overnight. Paint or stain stucco as desired. Allow paint to dry. Now cracks can be gently carved into the stucco, being careful not to puncture the brick underneath. The stucco is fairly soft. Once you have carved a few cracks into the stucco, you can make some of them into holes by chipping away small bits of stucco until you get the desired effect. Mistakes can be easily fixed by adding a bit of stucco to the area and repainting or restaining. I have used this technique on one wall of my Sushi bar/Tattoo parlor. Although the picture of that particular wall is not available yet, I hope to have it up shortly.
This is an inexpensive way to stucco your building. It also allows you to make it look exactly the way you want. You can use it on wood or foam core structures. Buy a small tub of joint compound at your local hardware store. Spread joint compound over structure to desired thickness. Use a craft stick for a smooth even look. Use your fingers for a rougher texture. Combine both techniques for another look. Experiment until you get the texture you like. You can also vary the thickness to achieve different effects. When using on corners, you can easily make them rounded by sculpting the joint compound around the area. Allow to dry overnight. Stucco may be sanded once it is dry to achieve a more finished look. You can paint the stucco once it's dry with any acrylic paint, or use an oil-based wood stain to give it a more natural or adobe look. I used this technique for my 1/2" Southwestern House, coloring the stucco with wood stain and sculpting curves around corners. I also used this for the bottom floor of my Sushi bar/Tattoo parlor.
Don't forget to use your computer for miniatures...
Your computer can be an invaluable tool for creating unique items for your miniature projects. 1. Get yourself any good clip art and image software. The images will cover just about any topic you might want to utilize for miniatures. Some contain photographs and fine art images as well as drawn images. The images are easy to reduce to whatever size you might need with Paint Shop Pro, Photo Shop or other graphics manipulation software packages. 2. Scan your own photos, reduce them in your graphics manipulation software packages and print them out for custom made portraits. With Photo Shop you can also add textures and effects to the photos in order to more easily blend in with whatever style or period your project is. 3. If you're making a modern shop of some sort, use your clip art images to create painted windows. For this one you need to have a very high quality printer. If your printer can handle transparencies, print out a reduced sale advertisement or holiday decorations on the transparency, then cut to fit any window and use it instead of the plastic that came with the window. 4. For a haunted house, print out reduced images of spider webs and spiders on a transparency. Cut the transparency to fit the image and hang from the corners of your rooms, doors, fireplaces, mirrors and furniture. You could also use this method with pictures of bees or butterflies in a garden scene. To make them seem like they are flying above the garden, attach them to a strand of hair (preferably blonde or grey) and hang them from the top of your roombox, dome or display case. 5. Try printing butterfly wings on a transparency and attaching them to a doll for a beautiful fairy. 6. If you have trouble writing small enough for miniatures, use a word processor to write whatever you want using a small font, print it out, cut it out and glue it where you want it. If it's still not small enough, scan it, reduce it and print it again. 6. You can purchase fabric made to go in your printer and using a graphic of your choice, you can customize printed linens, faux quilts, wall hangings or any of a number of items. Sue suggests using it to create floor cloths.
Make objects look like earthenware...
This technique can be used on just about any surface including wood, plastic, glass, or the vinyl suction cups mentioned below for making Japanese bowls. First paint the object the desired color. Before the paint dries, roll the object in super fine sandblasting sand. After the paint has dried, brush lightly to get rid of any loose or extra sand. This will give the object that earthenware texture. If you have used an earth tone to paint the object, you may choose not to repaint the object, otherwise paint with a second coat of your color after the first coat has dried completely. It is important that you let the first coat dry completely in order to avoid getting sand in your paintbrush. Regular beach sand will not do for this technique. You need to find someone who has access to sandblasting sand as it is only available in very large quantities. I may be able to get small amounts for those interested, if you write me at Tips Central I will see what I can do.
Something to make cutting wood easier...
When using a German made miter cutter on bass or strip wood, lay a piece of masking tape over the line that is to be cut. This makes the cut easier and cleaner. If you don't already have a German made miter cutter you absolutely must get one. I have found this to be the single most valuable tool in my whole tool box. It is a scissor like cutter, with a flat surface on the bottom which includes lines to set a miter cut with.
Use cardboard tack strips which can be found at an upholstery supply store. They are about 3 feet long and cost only pennies so you completely cover any house for just a few cents. Since there are actually two different widths in which the tackstrips come, I have cut a piece of one that's a few inches long and the particular width I want my siding to be. I use this piece as a guide throughout the entire siding process rather than marking the building ahead of time. You can use Tacky glue or your favorite glue. Generally, if you use a thin coat of glue, it will give you just the right amount of time to position the strip before it sets. These strips also take paint well. This technique may take some time but it can save you a lot of money. I have used this technique on the second floor of my Sushi bar/Tattoo parlor, although the pictures that show that part of it are not available yet, they will be soon.
Another great use for cardboard tackstrips...
You can make putting shingles on your buildings much easier by using the cardboard tack strips, that I've mentioned above for siding, as a gluing surface/level guide. Just make sure that you find enough tackstrips of the same width to cover your entire roof. Glue one horizontally onto the roof. Glue the shingles onto the tack strip so that they are flush with the top of the strip. Repeat this all the way up your roof. Your shingles will all be straight and evenly spaced.
A nifty way to add texture to your polymer clay items...
Add a bit of salt to your clay before you shape it. Then, rather than baking the clay, drop the item into a small amount of boiling water. Once the water has cooled you will have a finished item with small holes where the salt had been and then dissolved out. Be sure to use fresh changes of water when using this method. The resultant texture is great for coarse stone or concrete looks. While you're at it, why not try using coarse or Kosher salt for a slightly different texture.
Easy Japanese or modern style bowls...
In order to make Japanese style platters and shallow bowls. Use suction cups found at any craft or hardware store. Choose a suction cup in the appropriate size(there are about 3 different sizes that would work for miniature items), remove the metal hook and cut off the extra rubber that held the hook as well as any tabs or mold marks. Paint any color or design you like using nail polish. I suggest using a basecoat of opaque white if you plan to use a sheer color. Most nail polishes will leave a shiny finish if allowed to dry properly, so sealer should not be necessary.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT WARNING ABOUT REPOSITIONABLE MINIATURE GLUE...
If you've recently purchased the new repositionable miniature glues out on the market but haven't used them yet, I urge you to TEST, TEST, TEST anything you want to use them on! I had to learn the hard way. I know for certain that they will work better if you do allow the glue to dry completely between coats and before adhering to your chosen surface (I've never been known for my patience). I also know that they stick too well to non-sealed paper surfaces, so if you are gluing something down to a paper hardwood floor you absolutely must seal the floor if you ever want to be able to move your items.
