Good afternoon, Divas and Divos!

For those who were expecting to see a bridal boutique for today's discussion, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is, although the idea is in the works, it has only just begun to take shape. The good news is, I do have something to show you today - a new diorama I created a few days ago. On that note, the topic for today's tutorial will be how to make the most of a small space.

We'll start with the teaser that I posted last week:



And now, for the full view shot:



If you have ever seen my 'Bathing Beauty' diorama discussion from last year, and are thinking the boutique has some familiar elements to it, you would be correct. After a lengthy diorama hiatus, this latest setting was inspired by some remodeling work that has been taking place in the garden style bathroom which started out looking like this:



Although I don't have extensive diorama experience, I've found that among other things, the key to making small spaces work is to keep a close eye on scale, add the illusion of a view beyond (such as through a large window or doorway) and if possible, add a second floor level or stairs.

The upper level of the boutique was created with four 2" x 4" pieces of wood which were covered with a removable contact paper floor overlay:



Since the wood sections are separate, I can create a variety of options for the room: a single level floor; a raised floor with stairs (as shown); a low level platform floor; or a bi-level display area which could also be used as a staircase leading to a doorway on the back wall.

Here's another small (and still unfinished) space I created a few years ago which got a lot of bang for the buck when I added a half wall, stairs and a photo I printed from the internet of a view to another part of the house:



In case your curious, to create that setting, I used the Barbie Fashion Fever Build-A-Room set as a starting point. The room dimensions are 12" deep by 18" long and about 13" high.



Getting back to the boutique, to keep the space as versitile as possible, my wall and floor coverings are always removable, and are tacked in place with a few glue dots. In the past, I have used foam core as a wall covering base (which allows me to insert windows and doors, hang art, etc), but mostly, I use thin posterboard.

For the front section of the walls, I used vine print scrapbook paper and for the back, vibrant, solid lime green scrapook paper.



For the artwork, I used 3-D stickers and mini photo frames.




The corner cabinets on the back wall are 1:12 scale dollhouse bookshelves. The lattice trellises are made from 1:12 scale dollhouse latice and wooden blocks. (When I first created them, I designed them with the intent to use them as decorative stands for some climbing vines in pots that I made last year.) I fashioned the matching lattice comumn topper with more of the dollhouse lattice, wooden blocks and pre-painted wooden cut-outs for embellishments. (Side note: Diorama Artist Genielinda suggested that if you want to make your own lattice from scratch, use coffee stirring sticks which are sold in packs at craft stores or online.)



The chair in the corner is from the Barbie Fashion Fever Furniture collection which came out a few years ago. The rolling rack is from the Barbie Fashion Model Collection.



The display cabinet in the front of the store is a an unfinished wood 1:12 scale dollhouse piece I bought at Michaels Crafts. It's amazing what a little paint and scrapbook paper can do, isn't it?



Here's a pic of the cabinet with the doors open. Shoes glorious shoes! (Translucent open toe mules by Dressmaker Details, other shoes by Mattel. Mirror is also by Mattel. Perfume bottles are by Diva Details.)



And finally, one last pic. Looks like someone spotted another goodie or two to buy on the way out:



Additional Prop/Fashion/Doll Credits:

Black/White Scarf w/scarf clip: La Boutique
Green Purse with strap: Joe Tai
White Sweater Dress: Randall Craig
Various Other Dresses: Mattel playline
Black/White Spotted Carryall: Barbie Silkstone collection
Green/Pink Clutch w/Matching Mules: Fashion Royalty La Petite Robe Noir Fashion
Necklaces: Diva Details (DivaDetails.com)
Pink Quilted Purse: Rement
Pink Potted Orchid: Ebay Seller: MiniOrient
Doll: FDQ Exclusive Dynamite Girl Rufus Blue
Rufus' Blouse & Capris: Barbie Fashion Fever
Rusus' Shoes and purse: Barbie Silkstone Collection
Shopping Bag: Martha Stewart Craft Collection
Black & Silver Lamp: Mattel My Scene Playset
Green spotted Scarf: Barbie Millicent Roberts 'Lime Time' accessory pack.
Aqua Handbag: Mattel Winx Club Fairy Cool Lounge
Black Sunglasses: Candi fashion
Other Sunglasses: Barbie playline

One final picture:

That wraps up the discussion. Many thanks to DeeInNJ, your Diorama Diva hostess with the mostess for inviting me to be your guest host for the day.