Dental
tools found at flea markets are invaluable. The spatula type is great for
spreading glue and the picks also come in handy for removing tiny splinters and
dried glue over runs.
Any hint we can elaborate on please feel free to E-Mail us.
Dental
tools found at flea markets are invaluable. The spatula type is great for
spreading glue and the picks also come in handy for removing tiny splinters and
dried glue over runs.
Spring type clothespins make handy clamps for holding small pieces when gluing.
Rocking horse
knick-knacks can be found it many $1.00 stores, They can be elegant or
antique looking and go well in a child's room. 
We saw the third horse in a miniature shop for $5.00.
Pierced earring backs make terrific salt and pepper shakers.
Check buttons. Especially those in sale bins. We have found some that can be used for bedside lamp shades, others for bathroom fixtures along side of mirrors, and others for serving dishes.
Cameos found in many craft departments make lovely wall sculptures.
Insert a bent straight
pin 
into a bead opening for a soap or lotion
bottle.
Large crystal drops
(like are used for angel bodies) make drop lighting over a dining room or
kitchen table. 
In a Christmas shop we
found rattan looking chairs that work on a porch or family room. I added
the cushions.
Fan pulls work well as
swag lamps over a reading chair. 
There are food pick
swords, available in party stores, that when painted and crossed make nice wall
decorations. 
We have found many
refrigerator magnets they were very serviceable; a wagon, a water cooler, and a
lawnmower. 
In the brass department of large pottery stores we found several miniatures, including a chair and an old-fashioned wash stand.
We glue our wall-to-wall carpeting with a thin layer of white glue. We squeeze a squiggle over the surface and spread an even coat with our fingers.
Ruffled trims make simple valances. Four inch ruffled lace also works for curtain panels.
Blue saran wrap makes very believable ponds, streams, etc.
We have found in the $1.00 Stores packages of children playground equipment. Each package contains several items like a slide, a teeter totter, a sandbox etc.
In this
assortment there was also a little doll. We took some liberties with
her. We garbed her and gave her hair and here she is. 
We also came across some people in a second hand store. They were really ragged and dirty. We soaked them in a little bleach water, allowed them to dry, painted their faces, added hair, garbed them and are quite pleased with the result. They cost us $5.00.
I'll be using the older couple in my Harrison. Valerie will by using the first three in her yard sale house. He is in pajamas and the females are in robes. They will be used in the kitchen where a breakfast of pancakes and coffee will be served the adults and pancakes and milk will feed the young girl.
In the cake decorating departments, we have found gazebo's, statuary, and pillars. These can be Flex-stoned to look like granite or they may be painted. They work very well in landscape settings
Paint and Tex (a paint department product) makes wonderful stucco. We have also used Flex-Stone to stucco some of our houses. This seems to work better on straight sided houses.
The blister packs that furniture and other items comes in sometimes have a large flat area of clear plastic that covers the packaged item. These can be cut to size for glass in picture frames or cabinet fronts.
Cut a large birthday candles in half, insert it into a pony bead, glue to a small woodsie, add dried flowers and greenery and you have a chunky candle centerpiece.
Bath towels and wash cloths can be made from thin new wash cloths. Simply pink the edges.
We periodically check the miss matched paints in the paint departments. We like semi-gloss interior paint for the exterior and interior of our houses. We find it covers beautifully and dries to a nice luster. We have found many colors we can use and they are always discounted.
Magazines can be made by taking several strips of catalog pages, sew them with the sewing machine (down the center) fold on sewn line. Download magazine covers and much more from Jim Collins home page http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/1832 Glue covers to outside of sewn strip. Trim to cover size.
Clear contact paper can be used to give stability to posters, calendars and in my case hairstyles for my beauty shop.
Toy stores are a great source of dog and cat figures. We picked up some at our local toy store. There were about 5 dogs in a blister pack for $2.99.
Glasses are made by simply cutting a straw to size. They can be clear or patterned.
The tops of glue bottles, fray check bottles and other little types also make perfect little glasses for a bathroom sink.
We know many of you use the wallpaper sample books, as do we. Did you ever use the heavy vinyl looks for bathroom and kitchen floor coverings? Works great.
