tips

Members Tips

This booklet contains the results of the Y2K Contest for tips from the
MSAT Mini Findings group. They are listed in no particular order, and
hopefully multiple tips from one person will be grouped together.

FINDING LOST BEADS - When working with small beads,
and they roll onto the floor, lay a flashlight on the
floor and shine it around. Any shiny beads lying on the
floor will reflect the light and you will be able to spot
them easier. This will also flush out any lurking dust
bunnies so you can re-locate them. Em

SEA SHELLS - Use sea shells to make little water ponds for 1/4"
miniatures. Melt a wee bit of jello candle wax, pour it in the shell,
let it set up and put gallery glass over it, and let it dry. Add rocks
around it with some greenery and flowers. - Sharon in KY

Larger shells can be used for bathroom sinks, smaller ones for soap
dishes, ash trays, cand dishes, flower arranging, small ponds and they
also make beautiful flowers.

TARNISH - If you spray the metal findings with an acrylic spray, it will
help keep the findings from tarnishing.

Jewelry cleaner also helps to clean up those tarnished findings. -
Bettie in Washington State

GOBLETS - To make a goblet from a pill blister, 2 sequins, and a 1/4"
bugle bead, cut the blister from the surrounding material so all you
have is the "bowl" that held the pill. Glue the bugle bead to a sequin
with the bowl curve up for the bottom, glue another sequin on the top of
the bugle bead bowl with the bowl curve down. Glue the blister into the
bowl of the top bead. - Carol J. Shea

SEEDS - Use seeds, coated with sealer to prevent bugs, from ethnic
necklaces for vases. The castor oil seed is like a heavy clay pot,
creamy with dark markings.

FINDINGS - Cut Small filigree bead caps and add minute beads to make
brooches and earrings for display.

Use filigree fastenings that can be pried open as mini jewellery cases
or card cases.

Take clip earrings and remove the stone, etc. Open out and add a
flattish round bead on the flat side and a small round bead on top and
make a mini oil lamp.

Use several fancy beads and string on wire to make fancy table legs or
ornate bed posts.

The stick on patches worn by Hindi married women between the eyes to
signify their married status contain tiny jewels and can be taken apart.

Soak metal findings in bleach for the "old and rusty" effect.

SHELLS - Tiny open clam or mussel shells can be lined to make jewellery
cases.

Minute shells can be stuck to fine wire and put in a fancy bead vase to
make a Victorian style shell flower arrangement.

GRAPES - For grapes, use a piece of button thread (heavy sewing thread)
and make a pool of white glue on a piece of waxed paper. Put the thread
in it and then use either holeless beads or mustard seeds piled around
the thread to make the grapes. Additional seeds or beads may be added
to make a fatter bunch, then painted or coloured with glass stain. Peel
off the paper when dry. - Roberta Pijper

SPILLED BEADS - Wrap scotch tape around your hand, sticky side out, and
pat on floor or table to pick up beads. Rub gently on side of dish to
remove from tape. - Addie

PAINT - If you cannot get paint to stick on your metal or plastic
findings, coat them with Gesso* and the paint will stick. * Gesso is
a preparation artists use to treat their canvases before painting, and
comes either in liquid form or in a spray can. Valerye

1/4 INCH SCALE - There are beads that look like everything in 1/4 inch.
They make kitchen canisters, large flower vases, small flower pots,
vases bathroom fixtures (gold wire and two small gold sequins make a
great towel rack!), and tiny square beads made wonderful african violet
pots for the window sills. Cut-off earring posts make bowls, crystal
beads make wonderful oil lamps, there are flat findings for trays, small
beads for pepper and salt shakers, perfume bottles, and pantry jars. A
lot of the Christmas beads make great Christmas decorations for a 1/2
inch scale scene. - Pat in Phoenix

1/4 INCH SCALE - For a great looking brass flower pot use a rivet ( the
kind you punch into leather for lacing). Find some dry flower material
(green) and make a fern. - Kim in Sarasota

FINDINGS - Before you try to bend a fancy finding, run it under HOT
water. You have less of a chance of breaking it. Also, order catalogs
from eggery supply persons for findings for minis.

CLEAN UP - Keep an old white sheet on hand to put down on the floor when
working with small findings, beads, etc. This also comes in handy when
someone needs a hair cut.- Billie Joy Eller

CHANDELIER - Use a 3 pronged fish hook to make a chandelier, by adding
gold beads and placed mini candles on the tips.

SHELL - Use a cone shaped shell as a Christmas tree for a shell scene.
Paint the entire shell green, then paint the "bumps" coming out of it
like Christmas balls. Place in a little pot decorated with ribbon so it
will stand up. - Kasey Simmons

SEQUINS - Use sequins for plates in the smaller scales and as trays for
cosmetics. - Mary

FURNITURE HANDLES - Use little rings for handles on the doors of the
furniture. Use different sizes depending on the size of the handle you
want.

END TABLES - The long brass conical findings you see on some Native
American necklaces can be used to make end tables. Glue either a button
or a small piece of wood on the top (narrow end) a smaller piece of wood
on the bottom, put a doily on top, and you have an end table. - Lorrie
Harvey

MIRRORS - Use the mirror from a powder compact and decorate the outer
edge with findings.

Use the "egg" stands as table bases and a mirror for the table top.

WATCH PARTS - Watch components can be used as "brooches", buckles, and
hair ornaments, with stones added.

The glass out of the watch can be used as a fruit bowl.

Put dried flowers on an index card, and use the glass from the watch to
"frame" them. - Hazel Dowd

SERVING TRAYS - Some of the jewelry findings that are made to glue large
flat stones to them will make excellent serving trays in a dollhouse.
Just snip the loop that the chain goes through off.

WREATH - Decorate thin metal hoops with little flowers and ribbon to
make wreaths for the doors.

VASES - Some beads make perfect vases just the way they are,
particularly ones that are unappealing to wear.

BIRD NESTS - Tiny little wood hoops can have some "grass" glued to them
to make tiny bird nests.

MARBLES - Little glass beads make cute marbles for the kid dolls or in
glass bottles for neat vases, or use for fish tank designs.

SUGAR CUBES - Clear or white, square, tiny beads either dipped in glue
and rolled in a very fine clear grit will make sugar cubes. Also,
plastic ones rubbed with sand paper would work, too. - Meowy

DOLL JEWELRY - When making a Cleopatra doll, and needed a necklace and
crown, I used a large crescent shaped finding for both. For the
necklace, I attatched a chain to the ends, and slightly bent it to fit
her neck. The other crescent shaped finding was bent to fit the head
for a crown. Add tiny rhinestones on both and they are rich looking.

EPOXY - If you use epoxy glue with your findings, and get it where you
don't want it, or on your fingers, you can use baby wipes to remove it,
but only if the epoxy is still wet. After it dries, the epoxy will have
to wear off your fingers. On your findings, you will have to scrape it
off with an Xacto or something similar. - Gabrielle in NC

LAMP - Take a round wooden disk, painted the color of choice, glue a
small figurine to the front, glue a lollypop stick to the back, and put
a toothpaste cap on the stick for a lamp shade. This maked a very cute
lamp for a child's room.

The small individual serving size creamers used in restraunts make
excellent lamp shades, also. - Shirley K

FRUIT BOWL - If you need fruit for in a fruit bowl, take some round
wooden beads and some beads shaped like a banana, and fill the holes
with some wood putty. When they dry, sand them lightly. Paint some
orange, dabbing with a sponge to give a rough appearance. Paint another
dark red and put a small piece of toothpick painted brown in one hole.
(You might want to do this before the wood putty is dry, or leave one of
the holes open.) Paint the banana shaped beads yellow. To make
painting easier, stick the beads on a toothpick, and stick the toothpick
into a scrap piece of stryofoam. When dry, just dab a little paint into
the toothpick hole. - Hope

KNITTING BASKET - Take acorn caps, and cut or sand the litte nub off the
top, stain, paint, or use as is. Take embroidery thread or a thin
thread and wind it into 2 or 3 balls preferably different colors, put
into upside down acorn cap, add 2 straight pins stuck into the balls
like knitting needles, and touch a small drop of paint to just touch the
ends of the pins. - Dorothymae

BOTTLE CAPS - The little screw knobs on old screw type earrings make
great little lids for bottles and jars made from beads. - Erma

DECORATIVE HAIR PINS - Dip a wire in tacky glue, and run through a
flower-like cup finding (found in Kathy"s #2, Kit). Then glue a tiny
gold, or what ever color you want, bead into the cup, and you have a
fancy hair pin.

FIRE PLACE DECORATION - At Michaels, a craft store, I obtained a small
cherub which I glued to the fireplace of my dollhouse. I then painted
the fireplace and cherub white. It looks like it was carved into the
fireplace. - Sandy in NC

BIRD CAGE - Using flat filigree findings, tiny wire, safety pins, and
tiny beads, you can make an elegant looking birdcage. String the beads
on the pins, and connect the pins to the findings with the tiny wire.
Put cotton in the bottom and glue one of the little birds used on the
ceramic Christmas trees in it. - Alberta

ICE CREAM DESSERTS - Take a flat earring post, put 2 small gold beads on
it. For the "dish" part, use an earring back with a small clear plastic
disc attatched to it. When it was almost dry, glue on 3 white beads for
the "ice cream". Use brown puff paint for "chocolate syrup" and place a
tiny red seed bead on top for the "cherry". Tacky glue was used and
held up well. - Sherrydon Turner

FANCY BOX - Take a square clasp and connect it to a small box using a
piano hinge. This wil make a box to protect the family Bible. In past
times, the Bible was where the records of births, marriages, and deaths
were kept. - Jolene Luther

RED APPLES OR TOMATOES - Using beads from an old red bead necklace,
which are the perfect size for juicy red apples, I would make the stem
and leaves at the hole on one side. On the bottom, use some Fimo or
other clay, and put a bit of brownish color on it. You could use some
brown, light yellow, or green and shade the colors so they aren't so
perfectly red. - Cindy from Massachusetts

JUMP RINGS - Stack and glue jump rings on top of each other for vases,
umbrella stands, pencil cans. - Sandy Medndiola

DOORWAY DECORATION - Use one of the hat pins in the shape of a flying
eagle and put above the doorway of your house as in colonial times.

FLAG POLE - Use a hat pin or a charm of an eagle at the tp of a flag
pole. - Tracey Kellough

PASTRIES - Use findings with buttons to make great bakery items. Use
easy caulk for the whipped topping, fillings, etc. A little paint here
and there and you have cakes, pies, cookies, all with no calories. Katy
- from Ark

BALL BEARINGS - Use for holeless bead tops for bottles, and what not.

GLASS PLATES - The domed plastic watch faces make convincing glass
plates and bowls for mini foods. If the face has a date magnifier,
spray paint both sides.

POST - If you want to make a post, use a head pin and a bead cap. Add a
tiny bit of glue to the head of the pin, and add the bead cap upside
down. Kathy Bracken

FANCY BOWL - A bell cap has a hook for a chain to be attatched on one
end. Cut the hook off even with the base and when it is upended it
can be glued to another round or flat finding, bead or post. - Lenora

VALENTINE CHOCOLATE BOX - You will need 2 to 4 Valentine heart stickers
of your choice or size (Fuzzy ones are nice or the traditional ones
work great.) and Card Stock, (index cards). Place the stickers on the
card stock and cut out. Cut 2 thin strips of card stock, maybe 1/8"
wide. On the top of the box, glue the strip on the back of the heart
following the shape of the heart. Sart at the top inside point of the
heart and follow the curve down to the bottom point, pinch in a good
fold and continue up the other side of the ending back in the middle of
the heart. This strip on the top section should be almost at the edge
of the heart. Repeat the process for the bottom section using either
red stickered card stock or just the white card stock for the hearts.
Just inset the strip a tiny bit more then the top so that the list will
fit over the bottom. Now make and fill with candies from fimo, candy
wrappers or what ever works for you.

GRAPES - Take a piece of green florist wire, dip the end and 1/4" the
way up in tacky glue and then roll in puirple or light green no hole
beads or small balls of fimo. - Debbie Laue

DRAWER PULLS - Drill a small hole in the wood where you want the drawer
pull and push an earring post into it that has a little "cup". Then take
a little gold jump ring and open it enough to attach a little gold bead.
Crimp the jump ring so that the gold bead is secure. Then glue the bead
to the earring post cup making sure the jump ring hangs down for the
"handle". - MaryBear Aycock

BELT BUCKLES - Square necklace clasps make perfect western belt buckles,
on a strip of leather add a small gold loop, put in holes with a stick
pin, and you have a belt.

HANGING TIFFANY LAMP - Cut a ping pong ball in half, add a fancy trim to
the bottom, paint on lines with liquid led, paint on flowers with nail
polish or glass paint. The paint needs to be one that you can see
through. Put a small hole at the top and run an electric light on a
cord up through it, put 2 jewelry caps, one facing down and one facing
up, add a small chain, attatch to ceiling. If you like hanging
crystals. put small holes around the bottom with a stick pin to hand
them in. Attatch to ceiling, and connect to electric source.

HIBACHI GRILL - Take off the back outside lens frames from the
disposable panoramic cameras, and glue two together as an open box. Put
a piece of cardboard in top and bottom, add a couple of findings for
handles on each end. Spray paint black. On bottom of inside put a few
navy beans that you have painted black, rolled in some kind of ashes
while the paint is still wet for charcoal, add a grate, and you have a
hibachi. Serena

ORNAMENTAL WALL PLATE - Spray both sides of a glass watch face with matt
white enamel, then decoupage a tiny plate cutout onto it as an
ornamental plate.

WATCH WINDERS - Use for tops for bottles or in making mini oil lamps.

PIE DISH - The back of an old watch can be used as a tiny pie or cake
dish.

PIE CUTTER - Use the tiny silver cogs combined with heavy fuse wire to
make pie cutters.

MANTLE CLOCK - Use the watch face itself to make a mantle or wall clok.

STRAP - Links can be cut and trimmed to make handles, leather can be
used to make tiny sandals, belts, purses, and wallets.

CAKE STAND - Flat glass faces can be turned into cake stands by gluing a
metal finding underneath as a pillar, or by making a pillar using scroll
findings from egg catalogs.
Omit the pilar underneath, glue tiny handles on the sides and you have a
glass tray. - Karin

LAMP - To make a tall lamp, use beads glued together and then run your
light wire down through the bead holes to the bottom and to your plug.
You can use a bead or button for the bottom and hollow out a place for
the wires to go so that it will stand straight.

PAINT - Modern Options paint will make things like like bronze, silver,
or gold and will work on everything, i.e. glass, paper, leather,
plastic.

CLEAN UP - Cover the end of the hose of the vacuum cleaner with a
knee-hi and pick up spilled or drooped beads. Use a very strong rubber
band to hold it in place and lift the tube in the air before shutting
off the vacuum. All of your little goodies will be in a bag.

ACETONE - Get some acetone at the paint store. This will remove the
glue from your fingers. This is what is in nail polish remover that
makes it work. - Charlean

CROWNS - Use the adjustable fake wedding rings to make crowns. You can
stack them to make the crown taller, they cut easily, and you can glue
beads and stones on them. They could also be used as belts, purse
handles, etc.

LAMP - Use the little aplicator from your bottle of White-Out to make a
lamp shade and center post. Just cut the bush part off, and glue it to
a flat disk. A bead cap could also be put on the center post before it
is glued to the base. - Dolly Osman

NECKLACE - Take one of the long posts with heads for beading, cut off
the head, then cut off a piece long enough to go around a doll's neck.
Bend around a felt magic marker pin for a choker necklace. You can add
beads around it or glue on one rhinestone in the middle. This could
also be used for a CROWN with lots of rhinestones.

Using a tiny chain, glue a processed tiny polished stone to the chain
for a bracelet or necklace pendant.

HANGING BASKET HOOK - Using a filigree round finding, slip one of the
long posts through the finding with the head of the post on top and
glue. Cut the post to the size you want the hook and bend over with
needle nose pliers. Suzanne

LIGHT BAR - Using a 4" X 1/2" X 1/16" piece of wood, stain to color of
choice. Drill 3 holes in it at 1/2", 2" and 3 1/2" from one end. Glue
earring backings in the holes and cut off the excess. Using a small
"tulip" looking plastic piece, attach them to the backings at an angle,
being sure to keep all of them at the same angle. Add big pearls to the
inside of each of them for lightbulbs. Attach to the wall of your doll
house bathroom. MaryBear

MINI PURSE CLASPS - The metal corner edging on leather bound books,
(i.e. journals, diaries) make nice clasps for mini purses or as corners
on mini luggage. Helen in New Jersey

FINDINGS CAN BE - Large bead caps with a BB glued to the top. Tooth
paste lids make great 1/2" scale lamp shades. Cupped bead caps make
great stands. Bezel cups make great trays. Metal beading cones and
bolo tips makes great legs for a table. Some jewelry clasps are great
jewelry boxes. Cord caps are used for goblets. Comfort clutch earring
backs make a great base for a lamp shade. Glass tubes make a great lamp
part. Ball post earsubs make a great door nob. Many glass beads make
great flower vases. Kathy Bracken

FIRE PLACE FIRE - Using a purchased grate, add some twigs, dab them with
glue and add some red glitter to it to make it look like the wood is on
fire. Add flames at the back by gluing on small twists of red
cellophane and gold paper. One of each will probably be enough. Allow
the glue to dry and then give the fire a tap to shake loose any glitter
before placing it on the grate.

PRESERVING SHELLS - To preserve sea shells, first soak in bleach, then
baby oil which will return the new glossy look and make the colors come
out brighter. Be sure to rinse in hot water after putting the baby oil
on so it will not collect dust. Hope Hallmark

BATHROOM PLUNGER - Using the green flexible suction cups found inside of
computer keyboards, attach to dowel rod fitting into the hole at the
top. Once attached, this becomes a plunger and can be painted to match
the bathroom color scheme.

SPEAKERS - For a surround sound speaker, get a wood cube and drill a
hole to fit the cup and add a piece of black net to cover the cup and
this looks like a speaker. For a wall speaker, do the same as the
surround speaker but the hole would be done in the wall of the house if
the wood of the wall is thick enough. Pearl in NYC

BIRDBATH - Using a pushpin, cut the metal part off and paint it white.
Add invotex to the top for water after the top is painted blue. Janice
Brown

CHANDELIER - Using a size 14 three pronged fish hook, glue two tiny rid
beads on each prong. Dab a little bit of sparkle paint on the tops for
the lights. Pat McKinney

WISTERIA VINE - Cut 20" length of brown twisted paper for the main vine.
Use ming fern for the leaves. For the flowers, using seed beads,
thread 5 large seed beads (purple) and 6 petite glass beads, then run
the needle through the first larger bead. Threat 6 more petite seed
beads on the thread and run the needle through the first large seed
bead. Thread 6 more petite seed petite seed beads and thread it through
the larger one again. Tie the ends in a secure not. Make 7 of these
and attach them to the vine in a cluster. Use a variety of colors of
purple to make them look life like. Hope Hallmark

INK WELL - Using a pin back from a tack pin, one that looks like a tiny
bottle made of gold, using a small straight metal part from a watch
band for a pen. Use a bit of FIMO to make a pen casing, add a feather
to the end and you have a pen in an inkwell. A good place to find tiny
feathers is your down comforter or a down coat. Cindy (in Mass)

OIL LAMP - Using a fancy thumb tack (one of the ones with the funny
shaped tops), place a clear round bead on it, and an oil lamp shaped
bead on it and you have an oil lamp. Jane Ratcliffe

DOOR KNOCKER - Take a small silver or gold bead, put a slip ring in it
and it looks like a door knocker for your doll house door. Valerye

BOTTLE STOPPERS - Cheap small pierced earrings (9 pr on a card for
$2.00 Canadian) would make great stoppers for "bottles" when placed into
the top of a bead.

FABERGE EGG - Make a solid egg out of Model Magic. Shorten the post on
an earring cup and push the post into a tiny filigree finding and then
into the bottom of the egg so that it will stand up. Put tacky glue on
the egg and decorate it with thin gold cord, tiny beads and glitter.
Put another tiny filigree finding on top of the egg and hold it in place
with one of the stud earrings pushed through it into the egg. Maureen
Priem

PACKING BEADS - When packing tiny quantities of e-beads, seed beads, no
hole beads, glitter or glass sand, whether it's for kits, trades or
sale, use clear gelatine capsules, size 0, available through your
pharmacy. You can identify the product immediately and they stop
spillage or loss of tiny items. Karin Ashdown

CUP HANDLES - Cut oval jump rings on a slant to make tiny cup handles.
Charlean

BUTTON LAMP BASES - Buttons with a metal rim and plastic center can be
used for lamp or tray bases if the plastic is removed. Rusty in MN

ART SUPPLIES - Using the thin multi colored wires from a computer mouse,
cut to size, put into clear plastic and put a label on you made on your
p.c. and you have mini art supplies. Robin

PICTURE FRAMES - The wedding rings (found in the cake decorating section
at Wal-Mart) can also be unfolded and made into "brass" picture frames.
Elizabeth Guin

FINIALS - Bell caps "squished" with pliers to make one end pointed can
be put into the end of a dowel after a hole was made with a nail. Put
the rounded end on, glue and they make a very contemporary looking
finials.

BEAD HANDLER - Make a "finger tip" from some cotton material, apply
Aleene's Tack-It over and over on the tip. Use to "pick up" tiny beads
that are almost impossible to pick up with the fingers. Dahn Casselman

FINDING LOST BEADS - When working with small beads, and they roll onto
the floor, lay a flashlight on the floor and shine it around. Any
shiny beads lying on the floor will reflect the light and you will be
able to spot them easier. This will also flush out any lurking dust
bunnies so you can re-locate them. Em

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