Wow it is good to know people are sharing what works and what does not work. Keep it up people. Nice sharing, nice community.

From experience, I suggest a paint-on sealer/glaze to one in a spray can. I'm not sure about some certain sealers, but the ones I've been using in a can, even if I shake them well before use and only spray a light coat, seem to result in sticky pinky pieces down the road. This is really another area where you get what you pay for. Don't buy a cheap product to finish/seal the paint on your pinkys. (I have a few pieces now that I have to sand down a bit and repaint. @.@)

save plastic trays and containers (like when you buy pre-packaged food, fruit and veggies) to use them later for dispensing paint onto. I use them and then throw away, rather than wasting paint remover/nail polish remover to clean  your palette. If you're especially thrifty, a bigger tray can last you for a while as the area is big and you usually don't use much paint at a time 

I also save dish-washing sponges and toothbrushes. You can cut up the sponge (just make sure to rinse it well before using) into smaller bits and use it to apply paint effects, or even paint bigger areas with. And toothbrush comes handy when washing your Pinky kits 

finally i have a photo of my eyepatch! i mentioned it before, in this thread and a couple others, but i took out the elastic and put in new elastic string so that it runs across the top and bottom of the patch instead of the sides. here's akito modelling it:

If you're a begginer with hot glue guns WEAR RUBBER GLOVES TO PROTECT YOUR HANDS!!! *whimpers at her burns *

And if you're following a tutorial, make sure youcompletely understand EVERY SINGLE ASPECT of the instrucions.

furubafan3: Measure thrice cut once.

Instead of mangling wrapping paper for walls and such for pinky houses/rooms use scrapbooking paper.

If there's an easier way, do it! (Like instead of paneling somthing with popsicle sticks for a floor use a printout of wood instead.)

But sometimes things that take more time look much better. ^.^ Put into your custom what you expect to take out of it. Spending time on the popsicle stick floor might be harder and take longer, but it'll be sturdier and may look a lot better in the end.

Ah, that's true. Maybe if you don't have those things at hand perhaps? (No money to buy the sticks maybe  )

To strip paint from Pinky pieces, I use 100% acetone nailpolish remover. Mine's from Shopper's Drug Mart's Life Brand. At first I tried using the weaker stuff but it took a lot of nailpolish remover and a lot of rubbing to just get the paint off one little tiny area. Make sure that the label says 100% acetone! 

3 Quick Tips for Cutting Illustration Board and Other Thicker Papers:
1. When cutting out pieces for Pinky rooms or for anything out of illustration board, check the grain of the board before cutting. All paper products have a grain, and along the grain will be the easiest places to cut and fold without bending, breaking, or ripping the paper/illustration board. If you go against the grain, you run the risk of getting ugly wrinkles in your paper or causing a bad bend in the illustration board. Every company is different so test a small area to see which is the easiest to cut through.
2. Once you've drawn your plans, take your x-acto or utility knife (I recommend a utility knife with a firm grip when cutting illlustration board) and score the lines, meaning that you make light cuts into the lines you will be cutting. This breaks the fibres holding the illustration board/paper and also makes a guide that your blade will naturally want to follow.
3. If you make a mistake and the illustration board gets frayed or looses some layers on the edgers, use light grain sandpaper to sand it down, going at an angle so as not to rip the paper any further.

*last min submissions for the contest!!*

To add to the previous post...

1.) It's advisable to invest in a cutting mat for cutting or trimming work, especially the self-healing types (er, I think that's what they're called?). They work tons better than your desk and you'll avoid getting yelled at for destroying your desktop/floor/whatever you end up cutting on. IF you're on a budget or can't find a cutting-mat, heavy duty cardboard will work as well, just be careful to secure it down as cardboard tends to slide around. If you don't even have access to that...you can try stacking some flattened cereal boxes to protect your cutting surface.

2.) When cutting thick materials like illustration boards or foam core, etc, it's best to do multiple light but firm and even swipes with the knife and ruler, rather than trying to press down hard and cutting it all in one go. If you try to cut it all in one go, especially with thick material like foam-core, then you will end up with jagged edges, as you are ripping the material rather than cutting especially if your knife is not particularly super-sharp. I promise, half a dozen light even glides with the knife will ensure better results.

To build on Kumoko's tip about the acetone nail polish remover - this also works GREAT for cleaning certain paints off of brushes. Seriously, it's the only thing I've found that'll clean my brush after a good paint session involving Mr. Color or Gundam Markers. Water, on the other hand, will cause the paint to solidify almost instantly, and stick to the brush bristles! As for getting paint off your hands... it's probably a good idea to just use soap and scrub with a washcloth. Don't use the nail polish remover for that. 

Before applying a new product (Like nailpolish remover, or any kind of chemical) to your pinky that you got no feedback about, test it on a small area or a spare part first. That way, if something horrible happens, it won't be a problem.

To add on to the cutting tips I gave before:
1. A silver talon utility glove can be your best friend if you have an unsteady hand or are not used to working with a utility knife. Put the glove on the hand you are using to hold down your paper and/or ruler.  If you slip up and move towards your hand, the silver talon glove with not let the blade penetrate the material, saving you blood and bandaids and fingertips.
2. Always cut with the blade to the outside of the line you are cutting. It's better to have a little extra that you can cut away later than to have to little and to have wasted paper.