BOOKS

Making Miniature Villages in Polymer Clay, a book by Gail Ritchey http://www.cottagefever.com/
.....has "blueprints" for 12, hand-sized structures --from cottages to fancy manors, churches, grocery stores, lighthouses and more
.....how to landscape with trees, flowers, fences, stone paths, and other special touches
.. just got Gail Ritchey's book and cannot wait to try it!... Wonderful little cottages, a church to die for, so beautiful! It's even got my mother considering trying claying with me. The pictures are so drool-able (is that a word?) and the directions look pretty clear. Don't think I'll be able to think about any other claying until I try it. They are so nice! The detail! OOOOOH! Dawndove
...I have a copy of Gail's book, too and I love it! You know, she took the pictures herself! By the way, she's a great person, too. Donna Kato

My favorite part of all (in the book Weekend Crafter - Polymer Clay, by Irene Semanchuk Dean) is the project where we make boxes with metal cookie cutters! It gives me just a million ideas! I highly recommend this book to anyone :) Ronda

(look also for books on making miniatures... miniature houses... and model railroad scenery at libraries, book stores, and hobby shops)
...books on ceramics can give tons of ideas and inspiration for making these ... I especially love one I have called "Handbuilt Ceramics." . DottyinCA

polymer clays:
....Sculpey or SuperSculpey (cheaper) or any brand of regular polymer clay could be used as a permanent armature, covered with a decorative layer of strong clay after baking (...the baked sheets can be glued together in various ways to create structures which can then be covered, or the individual covered sheets could be glued together from the inside --or even outside if gingerbread house with simulated "frosting" at the wall joins, etc.)
.......Sculpey's UltraLight polymer clay can be used for a lighter-weight armature, which could also be covered with a decorative layer of strong clay after baking
(to use polymer clay alone, not as an interior armature, see just below in Patterns & Baked Clay Pieces)

wire mesh (also WireForm Mesh from hobby/craft store) ....under or inside the clay
... it's fantastic for bending right angles so it should work well also for making miniature houses as well as for boxes
...cover a length of mesh with slabs of clay ....and decorate it while flat
...... I also underline the mesh with another slab of clay, embedding the mesh
....you can then bend the piece (over a right angle edge) into a box shape.
....or you can create the form in one piece, and then fold it together into a cube
various uses .... tunnel, miniature landscaping, as well as a face
http://www.catsgroup.co.uk/wireform.html
...Paragona's WireForm mesh (available in sheets or rolls... "Sparkle" WireForm mesh is the smallest diamond grid, so can be formed with more detail)
http://polymerclayexpress.com/additions.html
http://store.yahoo.com/fimo/tools--blades-and-accessories-armature.html (or buy at a hobby or crafts store)
... wire mesh comes in a box of 3 16x20 sheets and retails for $9.95
...mesh can be cut with scissors or a (old) tissue blade! ..... quite rigid when baked with the clay. Barbara A. McGuire.
(for much more on using mesh this way, see Vessels)

papier mache forms......i.e., Salt Box-type houses, gazebos, lighthouses, etc
...at hobby or craft stores

Flo used hardback books (pages removed) for the roofs of some of her houses
... and fronts or backs of books (connected) for sides?
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=11096896&uid=155794

mini unfinished wood houses and shapes (craft and hobby stores)

using plaster gauze over joined boxes, etc. (not polymer covered, but could be? would crack?)
http://www.pekin.net/pekin108/wash/architec2.html

to make a 12" tall house (x 8"...2 storeys), I first made a frame primarily with popscicle sticks and white glue ...I used toenail clippers to cut the ends off of the sticks.
...I then used cardboard for the main structure... I cut and glued the popsicle sticks to the cardboard (except along the corners, which i left empty so I could use card stock to glue the corners together) ...then I finished putting the popsicle sticks to cover the corners
...inside I used a row of popsicle sticks around the center for the second floor to sit on, then another row over that to hold the second floor in place
...the windows were cut out before I started putting the sticks on ( i used cellophane for the glass). Budster2023

terra cotta
...lighthouse... these could be solid or hollow, probably mostly depending on the size
... I used 3 small terracotta flower pots (stacked) (terra cotta or ceramic?...they were slick) of graduated sizes--smallest on the top.... for the armature, a 4" wood disk and a ball of foil for the base armature, and the rest is all clay (it stands 9" tall and 4-1/2" at the bottom of the base.
...... I did cover it with Sobo (white glue) after my husband had put the pots together with epoxy
.......I baked it in sections -- did the body first, then the rings, then the base, top light and roof.
.......(for the light room at the top) I folded a strip of foil to about 3/4 inch, and wrapped it around a pill bottle so that it would stay the right size, then fastened it with Scotch tape. I then wrapped glow-in-the-dark clay around it while it was still on the pill bottle. I removed it from the bottle, but left the foil in it for structure. It's pretty cute when the lights are out..
......I pasted small pieces of a tiny snake for the "window hardware" on the top light, then put a little larger snake around the top and bottom so that I could have a clay edge to stick to the top body and the roof.
.......I tried putting a walkway around it, but i just couldn't get it level, so I bagged that idea.
.......the scrap clay I used to cover the base turned out to look like a cliff, so I used that in the back.
......I spent about an hour in my husband's workshop with his level before I baked it to make sure it was sitting straight up -- didn't want it to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. BJ (Bev K.) (website gone)
OR....for a hollow center, you could use a (truncated) cone made from a manila folder (possibly covering with alum. foil), cover cone with clay , then remove after baking. Laurel
...or you might try using double poster board to construct a (tapered) cylinder for a tower... (it's cheap) and rolls easier in one direction than in the other... use masking tape (or white glue) to hold it together. Patty B.
.. LEDs also work well with polyclay, generally using batteries as their power sources for portability (in lit-up jewellery) or for convenience (in miniature polyclay lamps) Alan V.
...of course, there's always Gail Ritchey's book on making polymer structures, lighthouses, cottages, landscaping, etc. ...the book is a wealth of fabulous information. Judy (....see very top of page for details on book)

removable forms ....or could be permanent armatures

blocks of wood
(removable if unfinished, or covered with aluminum foil... will bond with clay if painted with acrylic paint or clear finish)

polystyrene blocks or shapes (compressed foam packing materials, or "Styrofoam")
....can create hollow structures (partly hollow or completely hollow )
....can create open-sided structures (be sure to cover foam with alum. foil first)
http://www.styrofoam-crafts.com/projects/gbhouse.htm
Els' lesson on using a cube of "packing" foam to make a one-side-open house ( "haunted")
http://fimo-dreams.hobbysite.info/haunted_house.html
...could foamcore board be used to create a coverable base or structure (foamcore board is extruded polystyrene with 2 clay-covered sheets of paper on both sides (or another laminate), or would they shrink too much or too quickly?
http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/customer/gallery/2_homegardfr.htm
mission made from polystyrene foam
http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/customer/gallery/patmission1.htm
.....for much more on using polystyrene foams, see Covering > Plastics > Polystyrene Foam...also for more details on shrinking or melting rates, and "fumes")

expanding foam ... "Great Stuff" is used for insulating and sealing for pipes which can work well as an armature
(see Armatures > Wire & Other Materials for details)
http://www.dow.com/greatstuff/index.htm (info and many uses!)

heavy card stock.... Carol Duvall created a Holiday Village from heavy cardstock (in her case, she first covered with fabric or felt , then) she folded to create the house shapes
...then she created little people & trees with clays of various kinds, including her favorite cornstarch clay recipe
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,1789,HGTV_3352_1382824,00.html (click also on the pdf link for pattern)
...she also now has a rubberstamp set for creating the house patterns (Carol Duvall's Christmas Village rubber stamp kit - Hot Potatoes ...Model #: SPCDVIL ..no longer available?)

boxes (some are houses) created by disabled children around the world to express their hopes and dreams --non-polymer, but inspirational)
http://www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/cbborders/cbb01.html (keep clicking NEXT)
for example: http://www.vsarts.org/prebuilt/showcase/gallery/exhibits/cbborders/individuals/doatchcbb.html

for more making boxes and getting more ideas for them, look in Vessels ......and also in Gift Boxes

Bake clay sheets for sides, roof, etc., of structures on a very flat surface (and weight during cooling)
... then attach the rigid parts together after baking with soft clay ropes, or with glues

Gail Ritchey's lesson on making a little house with armature left underneath
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay_other/article/0,,HGTV_3239_1389273,00.html
Gail Ritchey's villages, landscapes... & how to make a house base (see above for a review of her how-to book)
http://www.cottagefever.com/ (click on polymer clay, then Sample Page & Entire Village)
Shirley's little houses... based on Gail's book
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4307969&a=31773093&f=
Frank's little house for a "Christmas village"... based on Gail's book?
http://www.born2haunt.com/xmasvillage001.html

Grannie's lesson on freestanding stone cottage (approx. 3"x4") ....paper pattern for pieces
...pieces are pre-decorated sheets of clay, baked ... sides are held together with a tapered pine treeat each of the 4 corners
...also thatched roof lesson... stone work with bobbypin impressions... trees ... window box
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/pcc/featured/cottage.html

Kim K and Tom's lesson on making a freestanding, multi-level house with two roofs (Halloween) http://pcpolyzine.com/0310october/haunted.html
... they use a paper pattern (like making a gingerbread house) to cut the 4 sides and 7 roof parts on a non-glazed tile (one roof is tall flat pyramid) and the base (making sure lines are straight) .... they texture the exteriors, and cut out the openings for windows/doors, and lastly darken the textured clay with thinned black acrylic paint before baking (and cooling under weights)... they then take slices from various translucent and white (or black) canes (spider webs, skull face, bats) and attach to the inside of each wall with dots of liquid clay and bake 20 min...shutters, ghosts, etc., are made and attached to the outside of each wall with liquid clay (and baked again?)....the 4 walls are then joined in sections with superglue, (sanding or beveling if necessary to make them meet well), then the walls-unit is glued to the clay base piece (the forward wall last, and pressed out if slightly bowed to meet the edge)... a final small strip of wall is glued between the extending areas of the taller walls, which helps stabilize the structure...roofs and porch extensions are glued on

(see many more templates for houses below, in Gingerbread ... mostly simple house shapes)

(cardstock) templates ... patterns as-you-go
Frank's lesson on constructing a small but complex "Munster House" (about 1ft wide) with clay
... uses cardstock and tape to create four basic walls ...(he works on a large tile, or bakes pieces separately?)
...(then removes tape? and) makes 1/8"-thick (thickest pasta machine setting) clay piece for each cardstock template
...he (bakes each piece?) and cools... then holds the pieces together with clay at the seams (and bakes again?)
....then (or after house completed?) he goes over the seams (inside and out) with more clay to give the joint more support and make it look neater
...he continues to add new pieces of cardstock held with tape to decide on the next parts to make (porch, turrets, roof, etc.)
...he adds construction details like windows, and rock walls (...some are cutout areas, some are onlays with cutouts and more onlay for details)
...(at some point he adds a 1/4" thick layer of clay around the house as "ground"... and will eventually add wire-armature trees & a tombstone)
...he uses SuperSculpey, and will paint over it later
http://www.born2haunt.com/CmyhauntedH01.html ...http://www.born2haunt.com/Cmunsterhouse01.html

Use patterns intended for real gingerbread houses, but use clay instead
(see Gingerbread below)
printable patterns-templates for 5 Christmas Village houses & church
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Christmas/chrvillage.htm
some printable templates for "doll" houses (can select size)
http://www.printmini.com/printables/dollhouse/index.shtml

general tips & info

multiple bakings -- you don't have to do everything all in one baking, where handling things usually smooshes something
....you can bake bases (like a porch)... then later drill holes and add details with glue (like porch railings)

Remember that details can sometimes be baked separately... then glued on or bonded in place later.

Several ways to prevent curling of thin flat clay when baking. One is to place something heavy on top of the piece while baking. However, if the weight will harm the surface technique, then wait until the pieces comes out of the oven and while it is still somewhat hot, place heavy books on top of it until cool. . . . Or, while it is still hot but not so much so that you can't handle it, fill the sink with cold water and then lay the piece down on the bottom of the sink and hold it flat until it is cool. Dotty in CA

It's convenient to cut windows, doors, etc. before baking,
. . . and also easier then to add most of the decorations around windows and doors, e.g.

Can use a mold for the front/sides/roof ...(or make a mold)
http://www.sugarcraft.com/ (on left, look down under Food Related/Gingerbread) --metal mold for ~5" gingerbread house or brick house

cutters ... molds & textures for house parts ... fences http://www.sweetc.com/ (look in the "Catalog")
....molds for cottage (front, walls, back, etc.) .... fences, textures for roofing, etc., in candy molding section
... p. 21 for tiny snowman, tree,snowlake,etc., cutters

try making houses only 3- sided, with a mock roof
.... and also putting a nightlight inside to light up the windows (use translucent clay so light will come through)

stained glass windows . . . make with translucent canes
....I made a stained glass window for a dollhouse using black clay ropes & tinted TLS. It's really nice! Gillian
(see Liquid Clay > Stained Glass and/or Films for several ways to make stained glass)

lots of info re architectural styles & parts (gables/roofs, moldings, windows, etc.)
http://ah.bfn.org/a/DCTNRY/vocab.html

huge number of (gingerbread houses and buildings, etc.) all at one place
http://www.frankysattic.com
....AND diagrams of many types of buildings http://www.frankysattic.com/patterns.html#elfhouse
Dept. 56 villages, buildings, people, landscape items, etc., for inspiration
http://www.department56.com/frameset.asp?sel=7
(+ many more buildings, unusual structures and scenes, below in Gingerbread)

few more particular structure types

Rod Wicks' fabulous structures
... forest structures (moss-encrusted), minaret, old ship (galleon?), fantastical houses, ship, + whimsical old "castles"
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/rodwicks_gallery.html (click on each!)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/rodwicks.html & .......http://www.geocities.com/solidmud/solidmud1.html (gone)

adobe house, wigwam, treehouses, etc. (not clay but inspirational)
http://purefantasy.centramedia.com

Dar's bas relief onlay on gourd with pueblo, Indian women, cactuses
http://www.afamilyjournal.com/gourdindianbowl45.jpg
Crealand's onlaid polymer scenes (on vases) with city buildings (brick, etc.) and Chinese pagoda
http://crealand.free.fr/vaseal1.JPG

HOUSE Parts

I am using my daughter's Fisher Price discontinued dollhouse to make molds of fencing, window panes, etc. This was from a set called Precious Places that has miniature houses---victorial, colonial, etc. I get some amazing archetectural details because most of the little houses were about 6 to 10 inches tall.
…Depending on scale, various things could be impressed into the clay for textures like brick or clapboard or whatever ... even the plastic parts made FOR model railroads would make good molds/texturizers. (Remember to dust with talc.) (see Molds & http://sweetc.com for more house molds)

thatch & roofing: Donna Kato pulls the clay out of the screen of the clay gun screen. Makes nicely tapered points on the strands that way.
I recently made a miniature English Cottage, and I used the (noodle) spaghetti attachment of my pasta macine to roll out sheets of "thatch" then pulled them apart for the tapered look.
Sue. . . marble together ochre, champagne and caramel clay until it is very thinly streaked. Then I shape it into a thick log and cut a section to shape into a thatch so that the streaks all run down the roof. Press onto the top of the cottage. Then I make lots of cuts with my knife to add texture. A Klay gun or garlic press would not be fine enough at this tiny scale of 1:144.
…something new to do with the Elasticlay. You make a reverse plaster mold of roof thatching and when that is dry you make sections of roofing. This is then glued to the roof. Why do this you ask? so you can make a cottage with a thatched roof that doesent break or shed whenever you move the (regular) doll house. Lysle.

Linda Hess' house front, bricks, roof, simple windows/doors, flowers, picket fence... all as parts of a business card "couch"
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_jun05.html

hirstart's printable templates for doors... windows... stained glass windows... castles... space ship control panels.. etc.
http://www.hirstarts.com/plans/plans.html

other ways to make windows
....(to search for examples on this page, use Ctrl + F with the word "window")
....cut-outs only
....cut-outs with translucent or transparent shapes put in them to simulate lit windows or stained glass windows
......e.g., cellophane or colored cellophane... tinted liquid clay... slices from "stained glass" canes (translucent or not)... decoupage of tissue-paper (freestanding or built on a piece of transparency sheet, etc)... or others
(see also Liquid Clays > Stained Glass, and/or Films)
(see also Covering > Glass > Light Shining Through)

Tiles ... Rock & Stone (walls, paths, etc.) ... Wood planks

If you are doing roof tiles, try making a couple of different shades as you are mixing
---bricks, rocks, tiles, all generally have just a little difference. ....I usually mix some of my color and cut tiles, then mix in just a little more black or white with the scraps, work it all together, roll out, and cut out some more...Makes a nice variety that are still VERY close. Sarajane
....a good range of terra cotta colors can be made with cadmium red and black... keep mixing in more black till you get what you want...can add a little white too Sarajane (see more recipes for terra cotta in Colors)

my Delft canes could be used as 1/12 scale tiles for kitchens or fireplaces. Alan
http://groups.msn.com/ALANMARY/delftworkinpolyclay.msnw (tiles... and covered jar, lid)
.......Alan's lesson: http://pcpolyzine.com/0210october/delft0210.html
..Shane's delft beads and eggs ...she uses Skinner blend canes as well for some.... and simple blue-lines delft for others
http://www.shanesangels.com/001/blbeads001b.jpg .....and http://www.shanesangels.com/001/6eggswap.jpg

Alexandra's wishing well with bricks, and mossy tiles .....also stone wall & stone pavers
http://www.alexandrablythe.co.uk/photogallery/halloween/halloween-pics/eWishing-Well.jpg
http://www.alexandrablythe.co.uk/photogallery/halloween/halloween-pics/qGrass.jpg

lesson on making polymer bricks in sheets ... can pop apart in various places if want... texture all over with nail brush
http://www.thomasopenhouse.com/tips_fimo.html

Alexandra's yellow-orange stone for garden-wall fountain, with climbing plants, etc.
http://www.alexandrablythe.co.uk/photogallery/commissions/commissions-pics/Wallfountain.jpg

Painted House's lesson on making faux brick/stone wall with a layer of joint compound, indented with a baking sheet, then gone over with a spatula to deepen/widen, then antiqued (could easily be adapted to polymer clay)
http://www.painted-house.com/mainframes/About_each_show/show_list/Medieval_Hallway/Fauxston/fauxston.htm

Grannie suggests creating faux stone walls by texturing the raw clay in rows with the curved end of a bobby pin or paper clip (beginning at top).
Valerie's high relief stone wall and stone ovens in a clay "painting" created by impressing lines into clay sheets (which could have inclusions, or antiquing, etc., too)
http://www.vaharoni.com/wp-content/fgallery/paintings/kever_detail.jpg ...and http://www.vaharoni.com ( Paintings)

Miniland's lesson on making a bumpy texture stone wall or floor from inside surface of torn egg cartons, or some multiple-drink take-out holders (cardboard, not foam)
...prepare a flat base (cardboard, etc.) with acrylic paint to match grouting you'll use (...or use colored clay sheet)
...color inside/bumpy surface of cartons by applying chalks here and there... rub chalks with soft cloth or a brush... apply to cartons, letting natural gray or brown show through
.......can also apply acrylic paints lightly here and there with a dry brush tamped on paper towel first ... let dry
...tear (or cut) colored cartons into small irregular shaped "stones," trying to get relatively flat areas of cardboard for each stone
...beginning with a bottom "row," add stones to one area at a time over a layer of tacky glue (very tacky is best), staggering and using different size stones .......if building a structure with 2 or more sides, apply some stones around each corner (will show on both sides, like "cornerstones")
http://www.miniland.ca/EggClass1.html

Lapis (Fimo) makes cool stones for a castle wall or rocks for a pathway. Kim2

hisart's mini-lesson on making large stone stairs in dungeon (could use polymer thick tiles instead)
http://www.hirstarts.com/goth/basicgoth.html (near bottom

(also see Hisart's many stone buildings at http://www.hirstarts.com/projects.html --could translate to polymer
....Gothic, Roman, Egyptian structures....castles & dungeons...villages...fieldstone....sci-fi & futuristic buildings )

miniature "fairy door" by FairyWings has a rounded frame made from real rocks embedded in faux gray mortar
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/bloodymoon/clay/100_0759.jpg

construction of wood planks for greenhouse front and floor (prob.balsa, cut could be clay)
http://www.alexandrablythe.co.uk/photogallery/halloween/halloween-pics/lGreenhouse-Kit.jpg

Garie's "Haunted Toilet" scene with ghost . . lessons on making a wood wall... tile floor... toilet, and ghost (for a waterglobe, but wouldn't have to be)
http://pcpolyzine.com/0209september/toilet01.html (click on all 3 parts!)
http://pcpolyzine.com/0209september/plan.html (plans)

there are more rocks, paths, stone walls, etc., below in various websites

WHOLE Strucutures ...& SCENES

Elizabeth's burrows or cave dwellings....
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=640954&uid=488109
(..because she had many of these to make, she made then used a mold ---but not necessary for just one)
......I made a mold for the outside of the house, dusted it liberally with cornstarch, pressed in a layer of scrappy brown clay (sheet rolled at the thickest setting on the pasta machine.)
....I smoothed the interior walls of this shell, cured the shell in the mold. I removed the shell from the mold, dusted it again, then replaced it in the mold and dusted the inside of the shell with cornstarch. I rolled a large blob of scrap in cornstarch then pressed it into the shell. I removed it and cured it for a couple of hours. I then had a mold for the outside of the house which contained details of the thatched roof, textured walls, etc, and a mold for the interior walls so that I could more quickly smooth and even the walls of the little houses. I would press the shell, then remove it from the mold to: add more texture to the outside
....I also then built rock "steps" up to the front door, put in a "stone" floor and hearth, a stove and stovepipe, curtains, shelves, and door on the wall and pushed the bedstead back into the wall before curing ...propped the front open with aluminum foil, I believe)
....floor is wood-grained on top.... but on the underside it's "speckled" white (for the ceiling of the first floor)
(see more on faux wood & planks, etc., in Faux-Turq.& Wood)
(see more lessons on items in these scenes in Miniatures > Furniture & also Furnishings)

Els makes open-sided dwellings by using clay over polystyrene (no aluminum foil on top so that it shrinks during baking)
http://fimo-dreams.hobbysite.info/sun_and_flower.html .. http://fimo-dreams.hobbysite.info/hollow_forms.html

Elizabeth's heart-themed house has some similar items and some different (DB add to Valentine & dragged lines)
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=644965&uid=488109
...uses a heart box ...lid (turned upside-down) to create a platform-base into which the point of the heart box bottom (with furniture, etc.) will fit
..... base/lid is filled with scrap clay ...then covered with sheet of landscaping colors...surface then sculpted to create grasses, flowers, stones, etc.
..both the ground and upper floors slide out for separate storage, viewing, or maintenance
....the back of the base was fronted with brown clay to indicate a steep bank or wall.
...stony path leading up to the door is made from thick slices of a tiny cane of assorted browns and ecru
.......each step is embedded into the side of the hill ... "moss" put in crevices between steps

Jeanne R's wood dome fairy hut ...stone path... flowers,mushroom, chalkboard, etc. "Fairy Class on painting fireflies glow-in-the dark"
http://www.heartofclay.com/page7.htm
little round bunny house with many flowers,etc.
http://it.dada.net/freeweb/bussola/italyclay/book/foto/mia2.jpg
Garie's tiny Smurf house and yard
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/smurf_home.htm
Oscelyn's tiny embellished house
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_aug99a.html
more houses, castle, treehouse, etc. at PCC
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_jul99a.html
Treebelly's egg houses & birdhouses and others? made with blown eggs... and teapot scene
http://www.treebelly.com/art/eggs/eggs.html
many different scenes ....each as part of a "shoe"
http://www.polymercafe.com/feat_of_clay/feat_of_clay.html
Bernie's bookends with scenes (suspension bridge with tall buildings; water, fish, dock; etc.), or theme items
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1972493&uid=1050390

Ladybug's scenes in trees, caves, teapots, etc., natural materials
http://www.ladybug-fairies.com/scenes.htm
fairy houses made with natural materials (not polymer, but inspirational)
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_artists/article/0,1789,HGTV_3228_2251271,00.html
Northwest Naturals' mossy house...and house in log ...have all kinds of natural furniture & accessories
http://anniesminis.com/my_dollhouses.htm ....http://anniesminis.com/mossy.htm
...also wonderful minis (cradle, bed, swing, etc.) made with natural materials (the babies & fairies and some others have a bit of polymer)
http://anniesminis.com/northwest.htm ... also lesson on making a tiny baby on a leaf

"doors" and/or windows for fairies, critters, etc.-- for outside, or for inside
...flat small clay "doors" and or windows, etc., could be made freestanding or with bases or hung, then placed in front of tree trunks, house foundations, dirt mounds, rock piles, or other places outdoors
... or placed indoors, in front of baseboards (like mouse holes) or even boxes or other places
...might want to make these from strong brands of polymer clay since they're thin, or perhaps make the door/etc over an armature of some kind for more strength if using a weaker clay
...lariarocket's round-top doors with faux hinges and doorknobs, and faux "head" doorknocker, window
http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a124/lariarocket/Scrappy%20Stuff/Clay
...door made of faux wood by drawing grain lines with a pin/etc in raw clay, then antiquing with after baking ( by FairyWings)...she actually painted the door before antiquing with a lighter brown rather than using a light brown clay... see more on ways to create faux wood in Faux-Turq,Wood ... "frame" for round-top door is made from real rocks embedded in faux gray mortar
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/bloodymoon/clay/100_0759.jpg
...lots of ideas for mini doors and window, etc.
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLC,GGLC:1969-53,GGLC:en&q=fairy+doors

Shirl's various scenes (garden with shed, etc.... Halloween... "winery" scene made in wine box ...castle, dungeon, etc.)
http://members.shaw.ca/shirl.rose/Shirls%20Page/otherprojects.htm
http://members.shaw.ca/shirl.rose/Shirls%20Page/grandkids.htm

Flo's mini-scene in a paper "bag", with a cellophane window?
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=297872&uid=155794

see Rod Wicks' larger moss-encrusted & forest structures
ALSO:... dragon in forest scene... scenes with mouse "pirates?" on ship ... minaret... old ship (galleon?)... fantastical houses, many with humor)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/rodwicks_gallery.html (click on each!)

Tamara's lesson on making a tiny (gingerbread) Christmas house (2-storey) with decorations
... and scene, with yard, plus tree etc, on a base mostly with slices from tiny canes
... she cuts two thick sheets of clay into simple house shapes (like Monopoly houses) (one is smaller and thinner than the other, with an upsidedown V cut out at bottom)
... lays a sheet of white clay on roof of each for snow ...puts the smaller one on top of the larger one as a 2nd floor
...adds cane slice decorations .......places house on disk of white clay and adds a tree, bushes, etc. in "yard"
http://www.designcanes.com/christmas.htm (pattern included)

tiny walnut shell house...hinged double-doors, which open to reveal a tiny-tiny fake xmas tree decorated with many tiny-tiny (probably) polymer candy canes, etc.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_3313725,00.html

Barb Lewis' large dollhouse ornament ....house and interior, complete with furnishings
http://pcpolyzine.com/0212dec/0212whitehouse.html

a covered glass ball would be cute as a tiny house (with the hole in top used as door, chimney, window, or vent pipe, etc.)
. . . fantasy type, even themed as for Halloween...

futuristic city, complete with domes and a golf course.
..... I decided to build the little city out of polymer clay, and then I put it under a clear cake dome... Julia S.

Eni's student galleries of fantasy structures (interior & exterior) and critters (not polymer, but lots of inspiration) http://www.3dworkshops.com

hirstart's silicone molds for making bricks to stack and build structures with
.....also lesson on making castle with them (could be clay instead of plaster) ... his are glued together (like Lego's) and painted with exterior latex house paint or acrylics
http://www.hirstarts.com/how/how.html
.... for large flat areas like walls and floors of buildings, he suggests using foam core board, etc., then covering them or decorating areas of them with the blocks rather than using only bricks

(Hisart's many stone buildings + bridges ... tables .... fireplaces, etc. (from his plaster bricks)
....Gothic, Roman, Egyptian structures....castles & dungeons...villages...fieldstone....sci-fi & futuristic buildings
http://www.hirstarts.com/projects.html --could translate to polymer )

structure ideas for all kinds of structures, including pyramids (hisart)
http://www.hirstarts.com/molds/molds.html

.....for many more miniature scenes.... see Miniatures ... and Sculpting ....and Kids

mini habitats
for real critters (or for figures, etc)

AntVironments (ant farms, ant condos, etc) by Garie Sim...also in PolymerCafe mag, 2005?
photos of several variations of ant environments made by Garie inside closed plastic containers
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/antvironment2.htm
lesson for 3 ant environments...CaveVironment(pg2), ComtemVironment (pg8), NaturaVironment(pg9) http://www.polymercafe.com/images/antvironment.pdf (requires Acrobat Reader)

attempt at summary of lesson for Garie's cave & cavern habitat:
--Find a suitable clear, rigid, plastic container with tight-fitting lid (Garie used cake-slice containers and chocolate? containers)
--Drill air holes (every inch or so?) into container's plastic lid
(NOTE... since the clay structure will be built freestanding, and only later be put into the plastic container, it's important to check periodically during construction to make sure clay will still fit inside it!!)
LAYERS and CONTENTS (from bottom up):
...piece of thin cardboard on bottom of plastic container (use bottom of box as template, but cut a bit smaller)
...two layers of clay with columns, etc.,between them (creating bottom floor, or "cavern")
......bottom layer has a number of flattened balls and bits of clay to simulate large rocky areas... also with a bite cut out of one side ("opening"), and a few random round holes nearer the other end, as access areas to lower layer
.....top layer has tall shapes pointing upward which will be stalagmites; and tall lumpy rod shapes which will be columns ...(could also make stalactites which point downward, and/or add "drapery formations, pools of water, terraces, cavelets, paths, etc.)
......texture both layers and their add-ons with a wire brush
......bake top layer (with columns, etc) ...cool ...invert and line up with bottom layer... impress onto bottom and remove
......add small pebbles to bottom with superglue (real or clay), but not to areas where columns have impressed
......add superglue to impressed areas
......invert top layer over bottom layer, and seat together well ... bake all
...partial upper floor ("cave") on side of structure with bite ...add raw clay (with superglue) to top layer around areas of the bite so it's no longer flat ........then add to top of top layer (with superglue) random rocky areas, real or clay pebbles, and a few columns (or whatever you want)
...large rocky area forming a stairway ("breech") ...between the (cave and cavern) bottom layer and the top layer next to the bite, and all the way to the edge ...create a large rock formation which is angled (on the side next to the bite) to function as a connecting stairway between the two floors
....upper floor's roof ... add sheet of raw clay as covering over any parts of the upper floor/cave to which rocky areas, columns, or regular rocks were added ... bake if not already baked (or use use glue and pre-baked parts???)
...glitter "minerals"... can add glitter to any rocky areas (with superglue? or other glue?)) to simulate minerals glinting in the rocks, esp. on side of stairway which is most visible ...now or earlier
....sinkhole formation ..glue (pre-baked?) clay pieces (like a volcano shape with large opening) over holes which weren't covered with roof (holes in them could be left lightly covered with vegetation to let light shine through a bit)
--Place cavern structure into plastic container
--To the roof of cavern, add soil (from ant's natural environment), plus mini mosses and plants, pebbles, gravel and a bit of sand
.....leave 1 1/2" of empty space over soil/pebbles area so ants can't escape...spritz all with bit of water
.....also leave a small bit of water in the vegetation in a non-porous container or baked clay "mini pond"?
--Put ants in container and close lid (will take ants a day or two to get down into cavern's layers)
(...put in secure area so won't get knocked over!)
FEEDING... Garie says," You must feed your ants. Place food scraps on top of the dirt. Try offering sugar water, dry pet food, and pieces of fruit. Or use other insects, worms, etc., after you know what habitat they like and how to feed them. Sometimes you can observe them feeding, and you can discover what they like to eat the most."

OR could make a similar habitat for worms or other bugs, maybe with real plants or whatever food they need, and use only a screen-type lid
OR could make the environment for small clay or non-clay figures, invisible fairies, etc.

more on ant farms in particular
http://tinyurl.com/yt5ftj
purchase ants in sealed, gel environment at thinkgeek.com
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/6fd6

Scenery ---Landscaping...Backgrounds ...Bases

One good way to make lumpy ground .....or hills ...rocky outcroppings ...canyons ...mountains, etc.
...first create the underlying structure you want from rocks, pieces of wood, scrunched aluminum foil or newspaper, cardboard or carstock shapes (can be taped together with masking tape), wood bark chips, or anything else bakable (pieces of polystyrene will shrink but hold shape long enough)
...then lay on a sheet or sheets of clay (marbled-colors maybe, or with stonelike inclusions) and press the clay down around the underlying structure
...could then add more rocks, etc. if wanted

(if the items aren't bakable or just to make another layer, a heavy covering of aluminum foil or papier mache can often protect the forms underneath from heat a bit ....then the outer shell of clay could be stiffened a bit with a heat gun...and the forms carefully removed and replaced with wadded paper, cloth, etc., for the real bake)

Linda WP's lesson on making lumpy ground from (10 to 12) balls of clay (1-2" in diam.) which are kind of piled together on a flat surface then pressed together and seams smoothed with toothpick (... or from scrap clay later covered with a thin sheet of ground-colored clay--after baking?) .....she adds a purchased mini-fence and some clay tomatoes before adding her figures
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,,HGTV_3352_1915128,00.html

mini-lessons on making mountains... lakes...roads...trees, etc.
http://xmasdecorating.homestead.com/Landscaping101.html

tips and mini-lessons on making
....layers of ground using plaster cloth over taped-together cardboard, etc.... then a layer of diluted glue is painted over it and sand or fake grass, dirt is sprinkled over it
...trees (lichen on a twig) ...and other things (click on links from that page)
...using a piece of poster board (painted with a scene) then curved into the back of a diorama box as backdrop
http://www.michtoy.com/MTSCnewSite/reference_folder/school_project_folder/school_project.html

examples & lessons of various types of terrain created with polystyrene foams (& hot cutter tools)
http://hotwirefoamfactory.com/products/customer/gallery/2_gaming.htm
(for much more on using polystyrene foams, see Covering > Plastics > polystyrenes, Styrofoam, etc.)

many more tips on miniature landscaping
Nicki's tips (plus plants, etc.) http://miniatures.about.com/cs/seasonal/a/landscaping.htm
http://smallstuff-digest.com/cgi-bin/archives.cgi?category=cat_landsplants
http://tetrad.stanford.edu/newfiles/MiniaturesTerrainSceneryFA.html
(.... for more on plants, trees, rocks, landscaping, see also above in many of the websites)
( ....for more landscaping, see also Sculpting > Bas Relief )
(DB...find more and look in my model builder's book)

tips and mini lessons on trees, water, etc.
http://smallstuff-digest.com/cgi-bin/archives.cgi?category=cat_landsplants

bases and scenery, roads, snow/ice, etc. (mini-lessons and tips)
http://www.devotedtolemax.com/ (click on Tips)

scenery, snow, trees, etc.... much more ... also ideas for displaying scenes
http://elbourne.org/village/displayguide.hts (ideas) and http://elbourne.org/village/gallery.mv (lessons, photos)

Ladybug's various terrains in scenes of many types http://www.ladybug-fairies.com/scenes.htm

Wanna's lessons on making plants and terrains... (as well as other stuff for scenes)
http://wannainelpaso.com/tutorials/index.shtml (look all around)
http://wannainelpaso.com/cheapthrills/real_and_fake_plants.shtml

hisart's lesson on making a large craggy rock hill (with a wide road or path up it), using polystyrene foam insulating board (for sheeting on houses) from lumber yard,etc. ...pink or blue... 1/2", 1", 2" or 3" thick... shaped with a hot foam cutter and craft knife
(top layer is a thin donut, with cutout space for road... gluee to flat bottom layer which is also cut into crags around... all covered with tacky glue, then dirt ...and painted, etc.)
http://www.hirstarts.com/tips6/tips6.html#form

Frank's stone and "wrought iron" (wire) gate, for front of one of his houses... spikes on stone wall too
...7 1/2" long, 5" high and 3" wide... wadded alum. foil under stone walls ....spikes and gate are made of wire painted black
http://www.born2haunt.com/hcvgate01.html

trees . . . one way to make faux leaf masses on trees would be to use finely ground clay bits on the limbs. . . these could be in clumps (small or large), or on some kind of form; if the bits were raw, they could be slightly compressed before adding to limbs sort of like tuquoise "nuggets" ...see Faux--Turq (think of a tiny version of broccoli), or they could be held in a matrix of translucent or dark clay. A bundle of wires which are separated more and more the higher up tree you go (as with some other faux trees), or forms of various kinds could be used to make the shape.
http://www.afae.org/html/treeshapes.html

Kathy's logs,.bushes,.fences,. rocks,. ground effects,.stone pagoda, etc., on flat-base scenes
+ wondeful bonsai trees, other trees
http://www.bonsaikathy.com/bonsai.html

Miniland's lesson on making bonsai tree (or other trees) by twisting 12 green floral (cloth covered) wires into a bundle at one end, then twisting 2-4 wires together at a time, separating them into 1 or 2 branches, twisting or bending in different directions... painting with brown paint ... adding a bit of tacky glue or other white glue to ends or branches where want "leaves" and dipping into a pile of green "Woodland Scenics Turf" (or other material) or sprinkling it on... dry... shake off excess (can use hair spray or acrylic sealer to 'set' the turf, but not usually nec.)
http://www.miniland.ca/BonsaiClass.html
...CraftyBit's's mini-lesson on making a bonsai tree made by wrapping paper toweling around 18g wire for extra thickness, then wrapping that with brown floral tape (plus few flowers on tree)
http://www.planetjune.com/blog/easy-care-bonsai

(see also bare dead trees in Halloween > Scenes, Dioramas, Houses )

trees (freestanding) . . . I take a bundle of 16 or 18 ga wires( mostly stuff I've gleaned from building sites).
....trunk...I pick up 3-4 wires and, about 1/3 up from one end, twist them together (I make the twisted section as long as I want the trunk).
... I add 1-2 wires at a time, by twisting them around the starter trunk, leaving the same amount for the roots as the original wires.
....When the trunk is as thick as desired, I bend the root wires out, and randomly grab a number of wires to twist together I snip wire as I twist down the length to make the root narrower. When the roots are all twisted, I shape them.
....Next I move to the branches. They're done similar to the roots but no snipping.
..... Where the roots were snipped, the branches are merely bent out to start a smaller branch.
.....Begin with three bundles of twisted wire off the trunk and then three bunches off each bundle and so on.
.... When you have all the branches you want, bend and crook them to resemble an oak.
Then wrap the entire tree -- each root, the trunk and each branch with florist wire or masking tape (and finally cover with clay). Sunni

(...see more trees above in A Few Particular Structure Types --treehouses)

trees, shrubs, greenery...landscaping (made for gingerbread houses, but inspirational)
http://www.frankysattic.com/pictures.html (click on any of the Anderson photos)

Ladybug's various "outdoor" items ...a wishing well... birdbath... mushroom swing, etc.
http://www.ladybug-fairies.com/garden.htm

reduce some flower canes really tiny... slice
... apply as flowers around the base of a house ...or as an ambling rose over the door or on a trellis

Linda Hess' flower masses (sculpted) around the bottom of a "house" (a bus.card couch)
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/chall_jun05.html

Kathy Davis' realistic bas relief topographical map of ocean and islands (geography project?)
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1180023&uid=487483

I am wondering if there are any problems associated with casting polymer clay into clear acrylic resin?. . . paperweights or whatever.
....I have done a lot of this, (as have many others in the miniatures world, I am sure), and it is absolutely fine.
.... I've baked polymer clay fish in clear casting resin ponds... mermaids, turtles etc in polymer clay rock pools... some are 10 years old and absolutely fine still. Sue Heaser
(see much more on resins in Other Materials > Resins)
(see more on simulating water of all kinds in Faux Many > Water )

Wayne's 4 hrs of video on making bases for sculptures
(stumps, vines, plants, moss, rocks, water, skulls, lizzards, snakes and insects)
http://www.waynethedane.bizland.com/tape15.htm

make a THEMED house for yourself or anyone:

It's fun to make a house, furnishings, figures, & scenery, etc., that all relate to one theme.
.... there are of course doll houses and Halloween houses, but why not other seasons or holidays... or hobbies or interests (quilt scene, spots scene, Goth room, etc)..., or some place special to someone else (their current house or cabin, someplace they grew up or miss, favorite vacation spot, etc.)?
....or re-create your own house or cabin, school, workplace, etc, using items relevant to you

Hanukkah & *autumn theme house and yard
*lesson for autumn house & stencils and painting, etc.)
winter house and large scene
(all websites gone --DB find more)
for houses with the following themes, see their particular pages:
Xmas-Winter-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa ... see Christmas
Halloween or Spring-Easter or Valentine ...see Halloween
egg houses ...see Eggs

(various) fantasy domiciles ... http://community.webshots.com/user/rikpierce
Harry Potter ...at Hogwarts ...http://post.queensu.ca/~readel/Pictures/AtHogwarts.jpg

fishing on dock http://post.queensu.ca/~readel/Pictures/threespace/Daydreaming03.jpg

Shirl's themed room dioramas
...Asian room ...musical instruments room ... art gallery-museum (paintings on walls) ...artist studio room
..quilts & country store ...pet store ... city "park" ....general store... Christmas...+ many more
..fishing & tackle (bamboo skewer fishing rods, flies, brass spoons) ...waders made latex glove finger stuck into fimo boots, then all painted
http://members.shaw.ca/shirl.rose/Shirls%20Page/shops1.htm (not polymer)

Chinese room diorama (Getting Ready for New Year's)
http://post.queensu.ca/~readel/Pictures/celebrations/ChineseNewYear.jpg

nice houses, teapot house, etc. (click on each for larger image)
http://www.wco.com/acash/gbread/prof/reallygood.htm
see other teapot houses at Ladybug's page
http://www.ladybug-fairies.com/scenes.htm
Treebelly's teapot and scene inside made with blown egg
http://www.treebelly.com/art/eggs/eggs.html
*claymates' bird house fronts --relief (gone)

Dotty's "shoe" house http://www.polymercafe.com/feat_of_clay/mcmillan.html
Debbie Jackson 's scene ...tiny hut under a tree with flowers/leaves as part of a "shoe"
http://www.polymercafe.com/feat_of_clay/jackson.html

houses with other themes (click on each for larger image)
http://www.wco.com/acash/gbread/1997/prefab97.htm (gone?)

MISCELLANEOUS re houses

(.....for furniture, furnishings, and other accessories to make for houses.... see Miniatures )

Gingerbread HOUSES... Gingerbread PEOPLE, etc
(see all above too)

"Gingerbread has been a holiday tradition for thousands of years. It was originally eaten during Winter Solstice Festivals. The tradition of the house made of Gingerbread originated in Germany. It is believed that in the early 1800s, Germans began shaping their Gingerbread into festive holiday creations. Gingerbread Houses soon became popular, and remain so today. The Gingerbread House has now become a favorite Christmas tradition all over the world."
http://wwwiz.com/issue04/wiz_d04.html (more than you wanted to know about gingerbread history…)

mostly people

Jan's small gingerbread house & "dressed" people
http://drumdiver.com/janmade/fall.htm
Adorables' gingerbread figure, with red & white striped scarf and hat
http://www.lavendera.com/Adorables/6Page5.htm
ilovetobead's rounded dimensional gingerbread boy and girl made with shapes (body,arms and head round)...flat-backed... + red and green buttons on front, holly sprig in hair.. black seed beads for eyes (made with Sculpey III Gold clay--not much mica in this gold)
http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r97/babynames/gingerbreadmenbracelet.jpg
Amy's 3D gingerbread boy figure with scarf, holding gift
http://pic14.picturetrail.com/VOL526/531344/4530485/76589051.jpg
Linda W's gingerbread boy http://www.polymerclaycentral.com/claypen_holidaydecor.html
Dianne C's gingerbread men http://www.pbase.com/artintheattic/christmas_year_round
Marilyn's 3-D figure and flat gingerbread people http://members.tripod.com/~mmholbrook/gb.html
*Elizabeth's minatures (more of a lesson to come): gingerbread people cookies with faux icing and raisins
....also, hot chocolate and mini marshmallows (plus cups, saucers, mixing bowl, cookie sheet, wooden rolling pin,wooden spoon, dough)
http://thepolyparrot.com/cookies.html
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=640954&uid=488109
Amy K's lesson on making a mini gingerbread man with 5 teardrop shapes of copper clay (points to middle) plus embellishments
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_Nickjr_DecemberGingerbreadCanes.htm
Karen Robbins' cookie cutter size gingerbread man, 2 sheets of #1 clay thick... with neck bow, heart, zigzag trim, eyes painted with dots
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_occasions_december/article/0,1789,HGTV_3270_3366832,00.html
Lisa Pavelka's lessons on a gingerbread figure cutout for the front of a card, embellished with zig-zag strip of white clay (decorative or pinking scissors, or wavy blade, etc) onlaid all around the perimeter of the figure as icing... and also red and green facial onlays, buttons, and gift in hand... for card or ornament
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_holidaycards.htm
Marie R's lesson on making gingerbread family scented with cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon or more in one block of clay), with embellishments
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_ScentedGingerbreadFamily.htm
Kathy W's cute flat gingerbread man ...with zigzags of white clay for cuffs (wrists & ankles) , hearts for cheeks, and cane slices for buttons
http://www.kathyweinberg.com/s_jewelry.html (gone?)
Faun's tiny winter houses (gingerbread & choc. log cabin?) (website gone)
trees, bench, etc. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/8767/candy1.htm

Amy turned regular little stick figures (arms and legs rounded at ends) made with brown clay into gingerbread figures by adding whrop of white clay around wrists, wavey rope around feet, and couple of loops on top of head...one on she added a scarf around neck and a gift in one hand
http://www.geocities.com/babybrella/gingerbreadpresent.jpg

mostly houses

There are a few browns from various brands which seem to look like gingerbread right out of the package... for Premo, try Raw Sienna for a lighter gingerbread color and Burnt Umber for a darker one.
....one of Fimo's is good too (Caramel?) for a light gingerbread.
....I've gotten a nice gingerbread color by adding copper (to a brown), not too much to keep down the shine. Trina

video on making a gingerbread house, etc. ("Gingerbread House and Christmas Ornaments"), Maureen Carlson's
http://www.weefolk.com//xmashse.jpg (photo of house and candies)
http://www.weefolk.com//videos.htm (description of video)

*Elizabeth's lesson on making mini-gingerbread house fronts, and many candies (LS and TLS)
http://polymerclayexpress.net/dece2002.html (be sure and click on Templates, and the last houses photo for a larger version)
.....I think I'll print out that lesson and send it with some clay to my daughter-in-law who likes crafts and has 5 small ones at home. Maybe she could do this with them for next christmas .
. . I think that they could also attatch them to wreaths for decorating the door, as well as ornaments for the tree.
........Could even put one tied onto the bow for that special touch on a christmas present. Amanda
... I'm going to make this one up and then send the pieces to my mom who is in her 80's and doesn't cook now.

Flo's tiny gingerbread houses, path, and tree
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=297873&uid=15579

decorated gingerbread houses as ornaments (...not clay, but easily dould be)
http://www.sugarcubes.ca/ornaments.htm

can also use cookie or canape cutters to create snowmen, people, Santas, reindeer, xmas trees, stars, candles, little trains (dolls or other toys) to stand in the yard of your gingerbread house, etc., etc.

Nora Jean's mini gingerbread house, scene, and bikini-wearing gingerbread girl
http://www.norajean.com/New_Projects/Candy/GingerbreadHouse/3-Bikini-Index.htm
OR? http://www.norajean.com ( click on Mini Food near top.... then, on left, click on Gingerbread House ... and Gingerbread 3)

*Tamila's complete lesson for covering a small papier mache birdhouse (from Michaels, etc.) to create a gingerbread house. It uses paper patterns to create the veneer panels for the sides, decorates them, then adheres them with tacky glue & TLS.
....the lessons also include Skinnered starlight candies, candy canes, a snow base, etc.
http://www.sculpey.com/Projects/projects_GingerbreadCandyHouse.htm
Sharon V -- cover papier mache birdhouses & decorate as gingerbread houses (website gone)

my 6" all-clay gingerbread house (3-D) based on Maureen Carlson's video + candies for decorating house
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/dianeatglassattic/album/576460762318281608 (DB, add new URL)

gingerbread house n (made over? Sculpey UltraLight clay, or with it?) and gingerbread person
http://www.sculpey.com/Products/products_poly_ultralight.htm

Oscelyn's various fancy gingerbread houses ...small and medium
http://stores.whimsicalclaycreations.com/Categories.bok?category=Autumn+Creations
http://www.oscelyn.homestead.com (click on Ginger"clay" Houses)

Suzanne I's various heavily embellished gingerbread houses
... one is a wood house (removable from base to insert cone incense)... one is all clay except for loopy pipe cleaners bordering roof as snow
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=286292&uid=149408 (middle of page)

Carol Beebe made wonderful, tiny 3" gingerbread houses, which she lighted from the inside with a string of mini-lights (one bulb under each house)
....they were then displayed across her mantle on angel hair snow.
....each house had translucent yellow clay in the windows so that the light shone through, making them look warm and inviting.
....she first glued together the walls and, then decorated with white (dimensional) fabric paint --scallops on the top and edge of the roof, and windows outlined. DB

Dorothy's lesson on making a small gingerbread house (solid, but could have scrunched alum.foil armature), with snow roof (cut out with scalloped cutter) on snow yard, with decorated trees (cones ruffled/spiraled with toothpick then tiny colored balls added, etc. (made from air-dry clay, but principles the same)
http://www.makinsclay.com/US/eng/project_gallery/seasonal/xmas04.htm

For one gingerbread house I used Frosted Mini Wheats (cereal) as a neat thatched roof

inspiration for many cute decoration ideas for many gingerbread houses and scenes
.....also train, & candies, cookies ...also lessons (not polymer, but could be)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/search?keywords=gingerbread&page=1&type=4&channel=0

Tamara's lesson on making a tiny gingerbread house shape with decorations on house and in the "yard" base (could be any size though)
http://www.designcanes.com/christmas.htm
Faun's tiny gingerbread houses (website gone)
Laura's tiny gingerbread houses (painted metal) (website gone)
Wenzel's tiny gingerbread house(s?) & food, tables, etc.
http://www.cernit.com/minifram.htm (click on Misc. for house... now gone from site though? or just under construc?)

Cathi's tiny gingerbread house scene inside glass ball ornament (or coming soon)
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=3208040&uid=820896
Bas relief sculptures of bears, snowmen, gingerbread houses, etc. for ornaments
http://www.personalizedfree.com/
http://www.personalizedfree.com/Pages/ornaments/fo_f2_sh.html

for polymer clay gingerbread cookies, try using real spices...esp. cinnamon and ginger powder. kishcrafts

About the faux icing, I did in fact use cake decorating tips to get the effect..... I used a mixture of Premo for strength and Sculpey, the old white stuff because it's so soft. Oscelyn
....Elizabeth's fluted faux icing (around the edges of a faux gingerbread cookie pin .. a single small clay rose placed in the center of the cookie
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=646448&uid=488109
...also see the icing tip connectors which are now available for clay guns, to "pipe" all kinds of icing-like trim to your gingerbread house, to add icing flowers, etc., or to make small slices of the extrusions (after cooling or baking) to use as decorations
.......I'd like to have more than one connector (I have more than one gun), so that I could have several colors going at the same time. Then I could change the tips all around, just like when decorating a cake, cookies, or gingerbread house, etc.. Diane B.
(...see more on making faux icing, etc., in Clay Guns > Icing Tips)

templates for gingerbread houses
http://www.pastrychef.com/htmlpages/recipes/gingerbread_house_template.html
"pre-candied" gingerbread house template
http://www.janbrett.com/gingerbread_baby_house.htm
http://www.debbiemumm.com/potm/november/quilting/novemberpotmquilting.asp
http://www.gingerbreadlane.com/pattern.html
templates for small and tiny? simple gingerread houses
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/et_hd_christmas/article/0,1972,FOOD_9832_1746157,00.html
loads of more complex gingerbread houses
http://frankysattic.home.comcast.net/members/patternsmember.html

many patterns for making small houses (use clay instead, or cover the ones you make with clay, or paint brown then just glue on candies, etc.)
http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson55.html
http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/paperhouse.html

paper modeling or "card modeling" - the art of creating scale models with paper (or cardstock, cardboard, or foamcore?)
....models for structures (or other things) are built up from plain, or drawn and colored pieces of paper (or pre-printed with colored details), which have been cut to shape... often with tabs which are glued to the inside of the model to adjacent pieces
http://www.pixelpuddle.com/ken/house (various houses)
http://www.cardfaq.org (info) and http://www.cardfaq.org/faq/#s2 (resources)
Carol Duvall created a Holiday Village from heavy card stock which she covered with fabric or felt , then folded to create the houses...
...then she created little people & trees with clays of various kinds, including her favorite cornstarch clay recipe
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/crafting/article/0,1789,HGTV_3352_1382824,00.html (click also on the pdf link for pattern)
templates for card modeling are available in books or online... or you can draft your own pieces
.....Dover publishes a line of architectural models, mostly in HO scale, and a few others
.....they have simpler models in their pre-printed "Easy to make..." series
http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-children-easy-to-make.html
... large bookstores often have Dover and Usborne books ...also look at hobby shops catering to model railroading
printable patterns-templates for 5 Christmas Village houses & church
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Christmas/chrvillage.htm
some printable templates for "doll" houses (can select size)
http://www.printmini.com/printables/dollhouse/index.shtml
...could use patterns intended for real gingerbread houses

canes

Tamara makes tiny canes .....of gingerbread house, Santas, snowman, gingerbread person)
... these are caned images made without a surrounding background which would have made them round, then baked and sliced afterwards with single-edge razor blade (while warm or not)... can use as onlays or stand-ups in scenes, etc
http://www.designcanes.com/xmasstuff.htm ...http://www.designcanes.com/sweetchristmas.htm

Linc's pre-made, baked (silhouette-type, non-round) canes of tiny gingerbread people, stars, snowman, few animals, etc. (no background, just figure itself... cane lengths for sale; must be warmed before cutting )
http://lincsminiworld.bizland.com/USAGEpics.chtml (gallery 3-4 pages)
http://lincsminiworld.bizland.com/store/page1.html (order page:
http://lincsminiworld.bizland.com/store/page1.html
(see also Darlin' Designs new disks for clay gun which will extrude some of these same shapes
http://www.simplydarling.com/SDCPages/SDCDDDisks/ThemeKits/ThemeKits.htm )

misc.

(see also Miniatures, for mini foods and other items)

Other seasons or themes can be used to make a house as well:
...Halloween house... http://holidayorganizer.com/food/gingerharvest.html

Real Gingerbread
(more houses, patterns, books, techniques, etc.)

*great gingerbread house, with pattern, and some visual instructions
http://w3.one.net/~proicer/cakepict/gb/fairytail.htm
*many great gingerbread houses (....also click on Patterns for more ... other tips & info there as well)
http://www.frankysattic.com/pictures.html
.......trees, shrubs, greenery... also click on any of the Anderson photos (for many & lots of landscaping)
*many great gingerbread houses and scenes (skyscrapers & brownstone shops, igloo, castle, village, stadium, adobe, Victorian, etc.) at Gingerbread Lane
http://homecooking.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.gingerbreadlane.com
many gingerbread buildings and trees in scenes
http://homecooking.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.gingerbreadlane.com
lessons & (inspiration) for many cute decoration ideas for many gingerbread houses and scenes & train, & candies, cookies (but not polymer)
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/search?keywords=gingerbread&page=1&type=4&channel=0
*showing gingerbread decorated in flat pieces, and nice exterior
http://www.gingerbreadlane.com/recipe.html (bottom of page)
*Barb's 3-sided "log" house, with tree, benches & fireplace inside (website gone) (gone? wrote to)
small houses, some patterns
http://w3.one.net/~proicer/cakepict/gb/sm-gbhouses.htm
pattern
http://www.gingerbreadlane.com/pattern.html
pattern for house with many windows
http://homecooking.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.gingerbreadlane.com
*gingerbread patterns, picture gallery, discussion group, instructions for some items, etc.
http://www.sover.net/~mck/gingerbread.htm
I-shaped pattern for making (ornament) house...cut from cereal box & folded, then covered with pieces of foam meat tray and painted
http://www.kid-at-art.com/htdoc/lesson55.html
pattern for graham cracker-size house... decorated while flat, then joined
http://holidayorganizer.com/food/gingerhouse2.html
some real gingerbread houses on Carol Duvall show, decorated with candy
http://www.hgtv.com/HGTV/project/0,1158,CRHO_project_31651,00.html
real gingerbread recipes (architectural dough)
http://www.gingerbreadhouse.com/gingerbreadrecipes.html
some gingerbread books
http://www.kitchenlink.com/holiday/gingerbread.html
http://www.gingerbreadhouse.com/gingerbreadbooks.html
gingerbread train cars and track
http://homecooking.miningco.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.gingerbreadlane.com

Many of these candies can be made in multiples by making a mold for them.
Either make one perfect candy, bake it and make a mold from it for the others,
or find something that's the right shape for the mold you want and use that.

Kathy's lessons on pies, cakes, bread and cookie trays
http://post.queensu.ca/~readel/MEKA/MEKABase.html

sugar cookies (Thumbprint Cookies, Round Sugar-Dusted Cookies, Jam-Filled Ruggala)
http://miniatures.about.com/library/clay/blrecipe100100a.htm
...... I used either a salt and apple cider mix, or teeny tiny holeless beads for sprinkles. Jeanne

chocolate chip cookies
...first I prebake some little chocolate chip shapes.... to embed a few chips in the surface of the clay cookie, i use the tip of my xacto to sort of make a little pocket for the chip, going in at an angle-- tuck the chip inside, covering it slightly with the clay... or you could go straight down, make kind of a deep hole, and make it so that most of the chip is enclosed in the cookie....try to keep it pretty random.
.....for surface texture on the cookie, i really like the a cheap stiff black paintbrush that's sold in kids' kits poked straight down at the clay for hundreds of teeny pock marks
.......then add bigger details. like making a few cracks, and some deeper indentations (i used a broken toothpick). SuperNova
many more cookies
http://miniatures.about.com/library/clay/blrecipe013000a.htm (gone now?)
...Mossy Owls' choc chip cookies, or with M&M's http://www.flickr.com/photos/mossyowls/388368710/


Katie's lesson for simple choc. chip cookies
http://tutorials.theclaystore.com/miniature-food/polymer-clay-cookies

frosted, decorated cookies
...cookies can be iced thinly or frosted... various materials can be used, and they can be created thin to thick.
...Thin white clay with liquid clay (or with Diluent, veg.oil, glycerin, or other thinners), mixing until it peaks like meringue for a fluffy frosting.
...Tint liquid clay (with oil paints --white or other--- or eyeshadow powders, for example)
....... then use as icing on a mini cake... chocolate sauce for ice cream... drizzle for cinnamon buns... pie filling. Kathy
....I use a lot of liquid clay (white LS & clear TLS) with colorants for my icings. Jeanne
...that flat, thin icing looks like iced animal crackers...specially the ones with green and red vests. SqueakieCat
...cookies with thin icing http://www.angelfire.com/art2/smallstuff/page8.html
...liquid clay and artists pastels' shavings. I used white pastel for the white, schmeared it on and baked it
......... then used the colors over it once it was cured. nae
.....I shave the color off the pastel into a glop of liquid clay, then smush it up with a toothpick. Hadn't ever added white to the glops before, will have to try that as icing on chocolate cakes. SqueakieCat
....Use the new icing tip connector on your clay gun to extrude drop chocolates, or other candies
....PineStudio's ."twisted" cookies (clever "icing tip" made from tiny cylinder of serrated metal strip fr.plastic-wrap box + trans.tape as"icing bag")
(to view English translation through AltaVista's Babel Fish: go to: http://babelfish.altavista.com
.... enter this url in the Translate Page window:
http://park2.wakwak.com/~pine/studio/howto/index.htm ...then select Japanese to English )
( for much more info on making icings and frostings, see Miniatures > > Frostings & Icings, etc.)
( for making round or other shapes of ropes of frosting, see Clay Gun > using Icing Tips)
( for making drizzled ropes, etc, of icing, see Liquid Clay > Drizzling)

edible candy dough is simple to make ...or can be purchased
... it can be "sculpted" into little figures or items, or molded, or even caned... then eaten
[see