PaperDoll

So...I ordered a few things from Mott's Miniatures. Two were defective. No big deal, right? I worked in retail for years; I know it happens sometimes. I requested return authorization. I was told they'd send the paperwork. Three weeks later - still no paperwork! I've emailed them a few more times to request authorization (again) - they never respond. There is no customer service phone number; it's email only because Mott's is now mail-order/online only; they don't have a storefront anymore. If I were to request a chargeback, they'd charge me $50 (which is more than the cost of the defective items). Anyone know of a way to actually get a response from this company? I certainly won't order from them again if they're going to be this irresponsible.

Perhaps a slightly angled, library-style ladder? I've seen them used in very small real-life homes.

How about sidewalks? Would scoring the base and using limestone paint (or similar) create a realistic effect?

I'm halfway through assembling the shell of my scratch-built maison de ville, and it's going a bit slowly because the nail gun keeps sticking. The grooves for lighting wires are all cut - this is my first electrified build.

Re: zippers - Check your wardrobe for bulky separating zippers, preferably coated metal, such as might be on a winter coat. With a separating zipper, you'll get a deeper tread, and it'll be easier to re-position just one side to get the width between treads that you want.

Thank you, Holly! Now I just need to get the hang of clay...

If anyone finds peg dolls that look like the dolls in Doctor Who's "Night Terrors" episode, please let me know. I just might do a creepy old mansion next...

Thanks, that sounds easy enough!

I just got the lights and fire boxes for the scratch build...the lights all have plugs (this will be my first time wiring a dollhouse, so I REALLY don't want to mess with copper tape - I am disaster-prone and have accidentally set things on fire before). The fire boxes don't. They each come with a (separate) bulb on two wires...can they be fixed into a plug, or are there bulbs that come on plugs, or what? (Plug-in flicker bulbs would be awesome but are not absolutely necessary.) The fire boxes are FP G017 by Glow Well.

Check out this short film about a miniature library (Dutch with English subtitles; can't remember where I found the link): http://preview.instantcinema.org/DavidseFilms/1073

The Spring Fling is my first build. I had it dry-fitted with painter's tape in 10 minutes, and had the whole thing painted and assembled within two days, including the optional skylight roof (I was experimenting with a few different finishes, otherwise it could have been done in half the time). It's VERY easy to do, since the laser-cut pieces are so precise.

Wow...I have a LOT more searching to do. Thanks everyone!

I'd like to have a very fancy painted ceiling in the living room of my French house. I am not good at painting - in ANY scale. I've been going over art books and Google Image Search trying to find good pictures of painted ceilings, ideally Baroque or Rococo. I'm having a hard time finding clear images taken straight on, rather than at an angle (the idea is to print them onto Bristol board, touch up where necessary, seal, and glue in place). Any ideas? I'm also willing to use scrapbook paper, fabric, etc. if I can get the right motif in the right size (I especially like cherubs with fluffy clouds - no luck so far).

Have you ever seen Call of the Small? It's more mid-century than contemporary, but there are always a few things that could work in a newer setting, and the blogger lists her sources for everything, so it may be worth a look.

The railings aren't an issue anymore...but the windows, argh! The links should show working French windows in two sizes - which I can't seem to find in the States.