First of all, let's not be Nazis about this.  We are supposed to be having fun, people!
Recently my daughter was helping me straighten up my doll room.  I was working on something and turned to see her sitting at the table, playing with a tiny paper doll kitten.  I said, " What are you doing?  Quit goofing around.  We've got to get this done!"  She looked up at me and said, "But, Mom, we're in a room full of toys!"
We've laughed about that ever since.  She was absolutely right!  We do this to have fun, so whatever adds to the fun is fine with me.

That being said, there are things I have observed that work better than others when doing dioramas.  So here are my suggestions for improving your dioramas.  I apologize in advance to anyone who has done any of the "don'ts" because I have seen most of these "rules" broken by someone and it worked.  But most of the time it doesn't, so that's why they were included. But remember: THESE ARE ALL JUST MY OPINION, SO DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!!

If anyone can think of any other dos and don'ts that would be helpful, please let me know and I will publish them!

DO check you rooms and dioramas frequently from your doll's eye view as you are building.  This helps you see sizes better and make the arrangements look more realistic.

DON'T overcrowd your rooms.  This is one of the most frequent mistakes I see.  Even if you have a fabulous collection of minis and furniture, resist the urge to use them all in one scene.  Otherwise, it will look like your doll may end up on an episode of "Hoarders!"

DO Share your pictures on the internet.  Nothing will give you a bigger boost in confidence than sharing what you are doing with the rest of the doll community and getting some positive feedback.  Don't worry if it's not perfect.  We all start there, and none of mine have been perfect yet!! :-)

DON'T be afraid to use crazy colors schemes.  Try creating some rooms using bright colors you've always loved, but been afraid to try in your real living room.  Who knows, if you like it in Barbie size, you may end up painting your kitchen hot pink!

DO use "test" photos all through your building process.  This lets you see how things will look in the end and may cause you to move things or change backgrounds, etc. because it will all look a little different in photos than in real life.

DON'T use oversized items in your diorama.  Although we've all seen a designer use a huge vase or lamp, or put a giant pair of wooden scissors over a fireplace in a human scale room, in a diorama it can just look like you got the size wrong!

DO consider using natural light instead of flash when photographing your rooms.  Flash can sometimes "flatten" a picture and leave nasty shadows, or wash out closer objects, while leaving the background too dark.  Natural light is free and easy to use  (I will shortly be putting up a page in my Diorama 101 course to give you more information on this.)

DON'T use "busy" wallpaper in a room unless you are going to keep the room very simple.  Look for small, subtle patterns.

DO include your family and friends in the diorama process if they are willing.  Not only will they give you fresh ideas and perspective, but it will give them them an feeling for why you are doing what you are doing.  They may never fall in love with the dolls the way you have, but they may become interested in some parts of the process and come to understand your joy in it.

DO carry a tiny tape measure everywhere you go.  This helps you decide if those objects in the gift shop, junk store, garage sale, etc. really are the right scale.  This will save you a lot of money spent on things that don't quite work when you get them home.

DON'T use heavy fabrics for draperies and curtains.  They never hang quite right and that throws off the look of your room.  Always use the thinnest fabric you can find that matches your decor.

DO have fun with it!  Remember that all rules- including the ones I've listed above- have exceptions and, if it works for you- go for it!!!