Get Crafty & Creative! This Week We Dive Into Creating Your Own "Little Space"
Welcome back to another exciting Big Diaper Friday with ABUniverse! This week we are exploring the wonderful world of ABDL Little Spaces with ABU’s Head of Design, Brent! The ABDL community is amazing when it comes to custom creations. We’ve seen some awesome playrooms as well as nurseries so adorable they made us want to jump in our jammies and cozy up in the cuteness.
While work for Brent is a daily stroll in the world of ABDL aesthetics, he manages not to fill his babby quota in that time and enjoys creating ABDL themed playrooms. Over the years he has learnt a lot about what goes into making a cute, cozy nursery, and has a bajillion fun tips and tricks that will give you new ideas for your Play-Space. If nothing else, Brent has prepared an outline on how you could start your own awesome ABDL project. Without further ado, we’ll hand over to Brent, the keeper of the crayons, chief bab of arty things at ABU!
Hi there! I’m Brent (or Leems as most call me since I am a lemur furry) and I am SO EXCITED to have the opportunity to talk to all of you about one of my favourite spare time hobbies: creating a little space.
Go Ahead, Dip Your Toes In:
We start with a blank canvas, an idea: you want to make a “little space”. Just thinking of it is exciting, and it can be tempting to jump right in and start looking for things to fill it; but where do you start? A design fundamental I always turn to at the start of a project is to apply some rules and restrictions; it helps to narrow down your ideas so you can decide on something specific. Do you want a baby room with a crib and change table, or are you more of a car bed and video games kinda kiddo? Perhaps (like me) you have a partner so you are limited to more conventional bedding (no, he would not agree to sleeping on a twin car bed, even though I did prove it might *kinda* fit!). Maybe you want something themed after a favourite interestm, like dinos, or colours you like; there are some very cute colour themed rooms full of only pastel items.
You can make anything, but anything quickly becomes a daunting word; so while you have endless options to choose from, make sure you choose something you can focus on as a theme. I personally have chosen (through obsessive delight) to theme my office and current room space on Lightning McQueen. So cars, roadways, traffic lights and red items bring stylistic consistency; I always know what I might add to the space because I know its theme and colour scheme.
Part of the joy of making your little space is improving it over time; having a colour scheme and “theme” for your space means you can personalize and improve it with items that add to the space’s feeling instead of just adding clutter. It should be a project you can always build and improve upon, since building it is fun in the first place, why let it end!
I’m Ready, LETS START!
No doubt if you’ve been thinking of making a little space you already have a bunch of plushies, a cute lamp or a bed-set that’s just *perfect*. Things you have set aside that you just want to get into your space.
Many kids play spaces out in the real world, paint or add stickers and murals to their walls. Doing so in your space brings a feeling of reality and, depending on your life experience, can be a good source of nostalgic connection. Walls are not only an important part of designing the feeling your space evokes, they are often an inexpensive change that most anyone can do. A sticker can be taken off, cute clouds painted on can simply be covered in a fresh layer of paint, and my personal favourite is easily removed and re-applied (more on that below!).
Imagine: you visit a friend for a sleepover, after a night of games and snacks you wander into their magical space themed Little Space and as you drift away, snuggling your plushie under the glowing stars on the ceiling, you feel nothing could be cozier. The next morning you wake up to the horror of fluorescent light in your eyes, the soft dreamy magic is gone, you need a change and coffee; the light has assaulted your delicate comforts. It’s easy to forget the importance of light in your space, however it is one of the most important aspects to setting a mood. Soft orange light makes a space feel safe and warm, neat rainbow lights can make it feel future-y and cool, you can even have bright white light in a space if it matches the aesthetic you want, the important thing is that it is considered.
It is very easy these days to set up an entire room with light bulbs you can select the colour on and dim, as well as led light strips you can hide under a plushy hammock or behind a dresser to create a cozy glow, or make it look like Tron! Whatever your room style is, it can be improved with some investment and consideration in lighting.
You didn’t think I’d leave you hanging did ya?
Talking about toys on walls
This is another of my 3M sticky installations that is simply taking a common kids toy (wood block tracks, aka Brio) and applying them to the wall. Combining this with some stickers means you can make cute scenes that last for years and are easily removed if needed.
Click HERE to download the PreSchool Sticker set I made! They print on standard 8.5×11 pages. I often use ‘Avery Static Cling’ Full Page Labels and get crafty with some scissors to make custom wall stickers. The white borders barely register a thin line on the printer, meaning you can print the clouds and cut out consistent white borders like you can see with my stickers here.
Lighting - Go ahead, get a rainbow LED strip!
Part of the fun of making cute ABDL spaces is you can explore an explosion of color and it’s completely expected. Where others might find it tacky, all those colorful lights just bump up the kids-zone vibe; if you like it, use it! Here I installed some simple LED light strips behind my desks overhang to provide lighting to my collection of desk toys. Despite having a rather excessive amount of toys on display, the desk is still functional and has space for drinks, a charge station; basically all the desky things you need.
The clutter is organized so as to not detract from the functionality of the space and the lighting provides enough for me to work in (I am a touch nocturnal and enjoy working in low light with glow things).
It’s Time For… “The Happening”!
Now that you know a theme that brings you personal joy to work in, a colour scheme for your space/items and an idea of what to do with your walls and lights (all drawn out with artistic finesse in only the most colourful of crayons) you are ready to begin constructing your little space.
This stage can become a roller coaster ride of expectations so it’s best to be patient; which is like telling one of you to hold it when you’re in a diaper anyways but I promise it’s worth the wait! I find I have made the best playroom setups on a budget, because I had to consider every item carefully and looked over many options before buying.
Another important thing to note when planning out the furniture for your space is how functional you want it to be. Is this room actually your bedroom and needs to function as such? Or are you converting a walk-in closet that was spare, meaning you don’t need practical furniture as much as items to enjoy playing with. I usually make a bedroom; this means I require practical furniture as a base and build on it.
A final note on organization I think is important for a large swathe of the ABDL community is: plush hammocks. Do you have too many plushies? Ditto, but there is a way to display them and have them out of the way! I have a giant plush hammock in 3 of the 4 ceiling corners of my room, not only did they get the stuffy situation under control (they take up SO MUCH SPACE!) they look utterly adorable and were inexpensive to boot! Make sure you install them with good drywall anchors or into a stud; your stuffed animals weigh way more than you realize and having a hammock collapse, ripping out a large square of drywall, does not a happy baby make. There is a lot of space we don’t use on the ceiling and plush hammocks are a great way to create storage out of nothing. Be careful to not install too many or too low as they can make a space feel cramped if your ceiling is low; with that in mind they remain a fantastic and inexpensive way to bab up your room using your existing toy stash.
Ps: I have always wanted to stack 4 vertically in a corner, but have never gotten around to seeing if it’s as magical as I imagine; perhaps one of you will do it?!
Make It Yours
Folks who have a Little Space know that it is not a project you really finish; it is a joy you constantly improve and develop as you personally grow and develop. Once you have made it, you will not only have it, but you will be forever working on improving your space. Enjoy the process of building it and never fear changing something you have done.
Finally, be creative! You don’t need a super rare limited edition Paw Patrol desk that’s terribly unaffordable; many of the best ABDL items are custom made and crafty. Be willing to play with glue and construction paper; what’s the worst that can happen? I mean, your mommy or big bro might not pop it on the fridge; but that does it matter if it makes you and your space feel AWESOME? I think not!
Much Love,
Leems
