Here's one of two dioramas I entered in the 2001 National Barbie Convention competition.  This entry was placed in the category 'Getting Ready for the Prom.'  I entered a split bathroom scene so that you could see both Barbie and Ken getting ready in their own space.  One thing I have learned from entering the competition room is to enter the unexpected to set yourself apart from the other entries.  I surmised that most people would enter a bedroom scene and I think there were 9 entries featuring a bedroom diorama.  One garage and my split bathroom. I was thrilled to earn second place.  The garage, which was phenomenal, took first place.

Barbie's bathroom is decidedly feminine.  I placed two fluffy bathrobes on hooks, which really were t-pins that I pushed underneath the collars into the foam core walls.  The t-pins were hidden well  I used a Mattel sink/counter unit, a chair and toilet to furnish the room.

The walls were constructed of thin foam core board.  I spray painted the walls with a green fleckstone tone. The floor was constructed from two pieces of peel and stick laminate in a light grey marble tone.  The chair is loaded with a petticoat/slip, lingerie, a towel, pajamas, and a makeup case.  The rug was cut from a summer placemat.  The trash can is a clear 35 mm film canister that I trimmed with lace and filled with mini pink cotton balls and other tissue trash.

The shelving unit on the left wall was constructed from two 1:12 scale shelves I glued together.  I filled the shelves with rolled towels I cut and hemmed from inexpensive pastel colored wash cloths.  Other bath potion bottles came from various Mattel accessory sets.  The slippers on the floor accompanied the Fashion Avenue robe hanging on the wall.  The pink floor scale is a vintage Mattel accessory.

The shower curtain was suspended from a drawer pull that is screwed into the wall from the back of the foam core board.  The floral polished cotton shower curtain was cut and hemmed. To give it additional dimension, a plastic shower liner was cut to the same size as the curtain and has holes punched through the top.  The grommets match up to the shower curtain liner.  Both pieces were suspended from the rod with plastic shoelace cording.  Barbie's dress was hung from one of the shower curtain ties.  A pink washcloth was cut into several 'towel' and 'washcloth' size pieces, which were trimmed with white ric rac trim.  Barely visible is a metal Band-Aid box, which I spray painted and covered with stickers.  It was turned into a hamper and has clothing and towels coming out of the top.  It sits between the chair and the shower curtain.

The sink top is filled with great accessories which include a vase of flowers, eyeglasses, a powder puff, a makeup compact, bottles constructed from beads, and a soap dish with little mini soaps. I used polymer clay tools and cut out heart, oval, and shamrock shapes. Then I sliced the tubes into mini soaps. I added a real piece of tissue to the tissue box on the top shelf.

See Ken's side of the split bathroom NEXT.