Keti Koti: Remembering a Painful Past

There are many holidays we create designs for, but this one is especially close to the heart. Keti Koti — which means Broken Chains in Creole — marks the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colonies. It’s a moment in history that holds deep significance, even though it’s a part of our past we’re not proud of.

The Netherlands has long struggled to face this history. In school, we’re rarely taught about the Dutch slave trade. Colonialism is often framed as a period that brought us prosperity and built the foundation of our economy. But the human cost — the pain, the generational trauma, the poverty, the chronic illness, is largely left out of the conversation. Even today, politicians continue to sidestep the topic, and Keti Koti is still not recognized as an official holiday.

Every year, I create and share artwork and illustrations for Keti Koti to keep the memory alive, to ensure this moment in history isn't forgotten. I’m grateful to live in a vibrant, multicultural city where more than 170 nationalities come together. Our city was built on the very history we’re trying to reckon with. And while I cherish the richness of our diverse cultures — the music, the food, the warmth of so many hearts — I can’t forget that we’re enjoying these gifts because of a dark and painful legacy. It’s bittersweet.
What saddens me most is seeing the extent to which our government still avoids taking real accountability. We must talk about these things. Make Keti Koti and official national holiday. We must learn from history, especially now, because oh boy, are we repeating ourselves in 2025.

If you are curious about our other Graphic Design work for your own business; please reach out and send us a message.

NEW Gymnastics Seamless Designs - Available for Licensing & on Fabric

Did you know as a little kid I used to be a pretty competitive gymnast? I actually did some serious competitions when I was little. But when my body changed I felt uncomfortable in those leotards and stopped gymnastics.

Never did I miss it, but when I was watching Queer Eye a couple of years ago I say Johnathan Van Ness, my spirit animal, doing some backflips. Then I realized I had never made and Gymnastics themed designs. I put it on my list to do, but over the years that list has become a multiple pages list of themes and ideas and Gymnastics was pushed back multiple times. Then Deanna, my girl at Carriage House Printery send me a request last week. "Do you have any Gymnast designs?" Well, uhm. I have made over 45.000 designs but no. I didn't make anything just yet. So I prioritized this one and squeezed this one in over the weekend.

I only created one design for now, which is available in 8 different color ways. On fabric, wallpaper and this seamless girls design is also available for commercial use. Send us a message if you're interested in using this design on your products!

If you are curious about our other Graphic Design work for your own business; please reach out and send us a message.

Flyers & Posters for Diana van Gelder Yoga - Celebrating 10 years of working together - Graphic Design work over the years

The new posters & flyers for Diana are here! We've been working for Diana van Gelder's Yoga studio for over 10 years. So it's time for a little overview of our most recent designs made for her Yoga & Meditation workshops and gettaways.

Over the years we've created numerous graphics for her studio. When we started working together only a simple logo existed. We updated and refreshed her brand and created a visual identity for her business. A mix of studio photography, retreat images, minimalist illustrations and typography.

If you are curious about our Graphic Design work for your own business; please reach out and send us a message.

Make Love 🖤 Not War - use our FREE love & peace design & make your own little mark

Some messages should be heard just a little louder. This one is available for licensing. Completely FREE of charge, one week only. I want to make it as easy as I can spreading this message. Can't believe how history is repeating over and over again. Somehow our history lessons didn't stick. I am safe. And what a luxery that is! I am grateful every day but it's hard watching what's happening from the sidelines. This is the least my creative heart can do. It's about the little wins this week.


This design is available for licensing and available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

Customer Spotlight: Bear & Moo - Designs for Cloth Diapers

Ever since I started the business in 2011 Little Smilemakers Studio has been working for cloth nappy brands all over the globe. This industry has been growing and more parents are choosing a more sustainable way of diapering. And a big plus: they are a lot cuter than disposable ones! The first brand we worked for was Milovia, for which we also did some branding. After Milovia we worked on a completely new print identity for Bambino Mio. And after all these years we are still creating designs for cloth diapers.  

For 6 years we've been making designs for Bear & Moo. We started working with Hannah back in early 2019. And as the global market got greener and more conscious. Bear & Moo became the award-winning nappy brand and every won the business of the year award. They became trailblazers creating baby products for the concious parent. How cool is that? We are so grateful to work together with many talented ladies who are truly making a difference. And as you can imagine we are beyond excited to have them on our list of clients.

This spring Hannah selected another bunch of our designs. Our green puppies & neutral hearts are now launched and part of they nappy & baby accessory collection. You can find these prints on cute bibs, wet bags and even re-usable sanitary pads I wish they sold on our Dutch market! We proudly present you the new products here on our blog.

Hannah licensed our designs non-eclusively but she does have an extended license with exclusivity to her branch. With the Premium license you can use our ready-made designs and keep them unique to your company without breaking the bank. Need some prints for your products too? You can find more info about using our designs and our licensing options on our website.

Finished Work: Knapsnoet - Logo Design & Branding

As a kid, I always picked the butterfly. I loved having my face painted. You can imagine how I enjoyed those colorful illustrations on my face! As I later turned out to be illustrating myself, I was excited to start this new branding project. Creating a visual ‘face’ for Snapsnoet. (translated: Pretty Face)

Knapsnoet was created by Mandy. Her passion in life has always been makeup. And she decided to turn her hobby into a business this year. With workshops for women who want to get skilled. And you can also hire her for theater grime, birthday parties. belly paint and business workshops.

Mandy wanted to create something she could see herself in. She had a clear understanding of what she wanted to say. Her brand should reflect her feminine self, soft and joyful. But her branding also needed show professionalism, she wanted it to reflect her skills and also attract other professionals, not only moms throwing Disney themed birthday parties. Nothing too cutesy. But cute enough. Something catchy. But also detailed. Creating a branding is about converting these contrasts into a coherent balance. Find that unique tone that makes a brand professional & personal. A lovely design problem to solve.

For her logo, we decided to create something neutral with a soft pink base. A minimalist catchy smiley is incorporated, reflecting the face painting, and a swoosh in the background as a shape to tie both the visual and typography together.

For her branding we also created some graphic designs. Flyers, business cards and for those we created a series of abstract painted illustrations. With all this, we set the base for future branding. With these designs, she can tell her story and attract her ideal clients. What do you think about this project?

Need a logo for your business too?
A logo is a visual symbol or graphic that represents a brand. It is the first point of contact between a business and its audience and serves as the foundation for the overall brand identity. If you are also looking for a logo designer who can create a strong visual identity? Reach out and send us a message. Let's get to know each other!

Carriage House printery: Sweet pastels and quirky prints for this year's Easter Fabric Collection by Little Smilemakers Studio

Next up is Easter! We love making prints for Holidays but quite frankly we don't sell too much of 'm business to business. But we do sell a ton of fabrics with every holiday. Come have a look at our Easter fabrics. We just added some last-minute prints for Easter to our carriage House Printery collection.


These designs are available for licensing. These designs are available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

Happy International Women’s Day

As a female business owner I've crossed paths with so many amazing women the past 13 years. We are proud to say the majority of our collabs is with Woman lead businesses. Role models who are breaking barriers. Re-write history and live their dreams. Goodness I am proud to be one amongst you all! 

During International Women’s Day we celebrate our achievements and support one another. A few years ago we celebrated International Women's Day with our 'Women making a Difference' series of illustrations. This illustration features Malala Yousafzai. One of 10 inspirational ladies that changed the course of history. Scientists, Influencers, Fighting for social justice. The true influencers of our time.

For those who don’t know this lady, she fought for girl’s education under the Taliban regime and was caught in a crossfire and shot by Taliban when she was driving home from school. She talks about why it’s important to educate women. And she has written a beautiful book about her own personal story that is a reflection of so many girls. If you haven’t read it: go do so. It’s truly inspiring.

I strongly believe everyone can add something beautiful to this planet, big or small, as long as you stay close to who you are. We want our children to grow up in a world filled with generosity right? Rather than fear and control we want to be let by freedom and joy? We should share the works of trailblazers, people who make the world a little kinder, more often. We’re all in this together. Today we celebrate the unity that is Womenhood. With Malala and all those amazing powerful ladies, making a difference.

If you want to use our designs or illustrations for your business you can find more info about using our designs commercially on our website.

Mixing Surface Patterns with Wall Art & Fashion Prints

For almost 14 years we've been creating prints designs. The past few years we've also created a lot of other graphic artworks. Last month we sent out our new Fruit Punch collection and next to our usual print designs we also created some wall art and fashion prints that immediately sold out.

For the warmer season we created a range or joyful summer visuals. These were all sold within a few days. One of our clients loved these series so much she wanted to create a range of visuals to use for her product rage next to the licensed surface designs she uses. Since we have a lot of illustrations ready-made in stock we'll be creating some more matching designs combining illustrations, print design, and cute typography quotes and funny sayings.

Licensing print designs
The designs featured have been licensed non-exclusively. That means it it still available for licensing for you if you want to use it for your production. If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

Finished Work: Mels-Vida - Logo Design for a Hair Salon

We love going back to our roots and get our teeth into a branding project. Melanie has been a hair stylist for almost 20 years and this year she opened her own salon. And we got to dig in and create a new identity for her business. A well-crafted logo and cohesive branding can significantly impact the success of a business. It builds brand recognition, and creates a sense of trust.

Logo design and branding are crucial elements of a business’s identity. They go hand in hand to create a cohesive, recognizable presence in the market and communicate the values, mission, and personality of a company. We created a brand new logo for her business and created various graphic designs. The inspiration for her logo came from her two biggest passions in life: travel & hair. We wanted to make a cute and inviting visual, complementing her radiant character. Fun, playful, and creative. We also created a surface pattern for her give-aways & business related product line.

Need a logo for your business too?
A logo is a visual symbol or graphic that represents a brand. It is the first point of contact between a business and its audience and serves as the foundation for the overall brand identity. If you are also looking for a logo designer who can create a strong visual identity? Reach out and send us a message. Let's get to know each other!

Finished Work: Thea Fashion for Kids / Boys Summer collection

We have some beautiful new pieces for Thea Fashion to show you. We've been working with Angela for a couple of years. Before the pandamic she already licensed designs of ours. Every month she selects some designs of ours.

Over the years she has launched numerous designs for her fabric collection. Her customers make the most wonderful creations. This spring she picked one of our surf themes for her boys collection. We also stated making visuals to apply on t-shirts and accessories. Usually she's all about color but for this launch she used more neutral colors and earthy tones. Our shaka design was part of our Sea & Salt collection and we're so excited it has founds a home at Angela's fabric store. And look what customers already created with our seamless print design and visuals.

Angela Loves pairing up her prints with neutral tones and basic textures. Stripes and checkers are easy to mix and match. All of those prints sure form a cute boys collection. Contrasting or color blocking.

Licensing print designs
This design was licensed non-exclusively. That means it it still available for licensing for you if you want to use it for your production. If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs.

The Big Archive Summer Sale is live! License our designs for €34 all summer long

Enjoy our first collection of discounted designs! View our Dropbox folder or join our Pinterest Page for the full collection of designs & stay in the loop for our weekly new batches of designs going into the archive summer sale.


Make sure to sign up to our newsletter to view our selection of seamless designs. We’ll be adding more themes and colors every week for as long as our archive needs organizing. I know a bunch of our followers are waiting for a sweet deal. So make sure to sign up to that list and get first dibs. Here’s a tiny peek already. We're including some oldies made during our first years. We are including tons of abstracts, animals, botanicals. Boho & Retro styles and many more.

Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs. You can find more info about licensing on our website.

The Big Archive Clean-Out Sale / License seamless designs for only €35 per print - all summer long

With over 34.000 designs and a bunch just waiting to be loved we needed a big spring clean! We are preparing to add new designs into our sale section and this Friday the first designs will be announced. These forgotten beauties will be available for €34 only.

Make sure to sign up to our newsletter to view our selection of seamless designs. We’ll be adding more themes and colors every week for as long as we need to organize things. I know a bunch of our followers are waiting for a sweet deal. So make sure to sign up to that list and get first dibs. Here’s a tiny peek already. We're including some oldies made during our first years. We are including tons of abstracts, animals, botanicals. Boho & Retro styles and many more.


Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs. You can find more info about licensing on our website.

The Lookbook - Aztec & Mudcloth / Abstract geometric print designs

Sometimes a client inspires us to do an entire collection. I traveled to Mexico 5 years ago already and created some Mexican traditional textile inspired designs after visiting this wonderful colorful place. I love the colorful woolen blankets. And when Libby (The Paws) asked us what we had available I just had to create a new series of Aztec designs.

Aztec designs & geometric prints are so much fun to make. Creating geometric shapes and putting them in a repeat creates very surprising designs. I never know how they turn our and I never plan on creating a certain shape up front. It’s something that just appears as out of no-where and unplanned. While playing with typical aztec shapes and details the most beautiful designs are created. We sure hope you love ‘m too. We already licensed some of this new collection but the ones featured here are available still to purchase if you’d like to use them.

Most of the designs shown her and on our socials too are available for licensing. That means you can pay a fee and in return we will send you the original files which you can use for your own production. This covers commercial usage too. Want some more info about licensing and costs involved? You can find more info about our rates on the website. We have a lot more boho & native inspired designs available. Just shoot us a message if you'd like to browse our full portfolio.

These designs are now available for licensing. And we also have some of these designs available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

Re-fresh your home with new wallpaper / Go for dopamine maximalist or choose a basic abstract or earthy boho neutral

You might know we sell fabric through Spoonflower. But did you know when Spoonflower was taken over last year the company's gotten more serious about wallpaper? There are more options to choose from and more discounts on swatches and rolls. Time to bring some attention to this beautiful product.  

We have over 30.000 designs in our Spoonflower shop. All these designs can also be ordered as wallpaper. We started working with Spoonflower when their main focus was on fabrics still. So most designs are uploaded with sewing projects in mind and have small scales fitting those creative jobs. But. All designs we have up, we can also make available in larger scales. By enlarging the scale of a design the image gets bolder and a little more balsy (that a word?) Or go for contrast. You can use smaller scales if you have large patterned upholstery and prints in your home already. A contrasting scale in pattern always is fun to play with. Making a scale bigger makes it a little less romantic and a little more modern. You can clearly see the difference in these images, right?

Personally I am super afraid to apply wallpaper myself. Not to have it on my wall, but to mount it. I am quite the perfectionist, so I love working with a professional installer myself to get wallpaper up. But if you're on a budget, the peel and stick option is a perfect way to re-fresh your home. In a short time you can totally transform your place with some wallpaper. And with so many designs we have a print for everyone. The dopamine decor lover, the country house girl, boho & abstract styles. You name it. We also have a ton of cute prints for the nursery and for your kids bedroom. And the beauty; they're always in stock. Spoonflower prints on demand. So every order is personally handled.

Not sure about your style? After Scandinavian earthy tones, Japandi designs we are slowly moving towards more gloomy colors and maximalist interiors. Anything goes. The beauty with wallpaper is you can easily re-fresh. You can also consult a home stylist or interior decorator to help you decide what feels right for you.

Come have a look at all wallpaper designs we have available. Need another scale for your home decor project or another color palette to fit the rest of your interior? Just reach out to us. We offer new versions, free of charge.

Customer Spotlight: Buckle Me Baby - Print designs for PJs

Over the years we worked with a couple of trailblazers but when we got an email from Dahlia explaining what kind of product she created we got so excited to jump in and create some prints for her.  

Her story all began while raising her three kids and struggling to get them into their car seats during the colder season. With their coats to be too puffy they were not safe to keep on. But those cold rides were no fun for her kids either. Safety shouldn’t be a struggle, and she created the perfect coat for kids that could be kept on safely in those car seats. From 2016 to 2020 she developed her product got it tested and approved. And in 2020 she appeared on Shark Tank giving her that boost to keep going and create some real magic.

We love her Buckle Me Baby Coats, and we are so honored to be part of her creative journey. It’s where solving a problem and making something easier truly is a form of art. My designer hearts sure loves what she makes! If only all products put on this planet made this much sense. In her shop she also has other pieces of clothing for little ones and for her Pyjama Collection she used some Little Smilemakers print designs we really want to show you. We love the finished pieces. They turned out cute right?

Dahlia licensed our designs non-eclusively but she does have an extended license with exclusivity to her branch. With the Premium license you can use our ready-made designs and keep them unique to your company without breaking the bank. Need some prints for your products too? You can find more info about using our designs and our licensing options on our website.

Typographic Dog Quotes - New Graphic Designs for The Paws

We've been working with The Paws for a couple of years already, and we made tons of surface pattern designs for their dog accessory range. This week we worked on some typography designs for a new range of products. And we couldn't be more pleased with the result.

Typography & Graphic Design was my mayor in Art School. While making logos for clients I can use that love for typography very often but somehow we've not been creating many typograhy designs lately. So it was wonderful creating a series of new designs for one of our favorite customers. We loved playing with type, styles and color. And adding a small illustration here are there.


If you like what you see and need some artwork for your hoodies, shirts or paper goods. if you need any print designs or illustrations for your business you can find more info on our website and get in touch with us there.

Pride designs - Queer inspired designs / Free for Commercial usages

Did you know our pride designs are free to use commercially? We make new designs around pride month each year. And all designs are available for licensing, completely free for commercial and personal use. We believe in supporting the causes that matter.

I grew up with a brother that was 11 years older and he loved dressing his full size Barbie doll (yup, me!). So it didn’t come as a surprise when he brought home a boyfriend. Growing up in a small town being gay was just not very accepted. My brother already moved to a city where obviously there’s a lot more diversity. But I was stuck on a school that was not very accepting of my ‘family’s choices.’ I loved my brother and thought it was the strangest thing that people would come up to me and spit in my face because they heard my brother was living with a man. So I was a lesbian then right? Oh those ignorant people. I met a lot of them.

When I travel I also visit places where this kind of LGBTQ+ diversity is hidden. Or just completely criminalized. I do visit these places because I think it’s good to open a conversation. I actually discuss my brother often when we’re talking to strangers abroad. They first meet me, I’m pretty all right, so they enter the conversation with an open mind. An invitation to talk openly.

This month we licensed some Pride designs to our dear customer Angela who’s the force behind The Fashion for Kids. She’ll be offering our designs on fabric and if you’re EU based you can order a piece on her website. We believe in making the world more colorful and fun. More inclusive and kind. And that means everyone’s welcome. If you resonate with our story. Please get in touch. We love working together with the warm hearted and like-open-minded.

I believe those small nudges matter. Talking about it, anywhere, matters. You want to meet half-way right? In order to see things from another perspective, you have to step out of your own comfort zone. And my experience is it’s not that filled with hate as we try to teach people. It’s just the lack of diversity growing up in a society where this kind of freedom just isn’t common that causes an unsafe atmosphere. So that’s why I don’t ban certain places from my travel list. I might agree, disagree, but it’s about connection. And you can do that with anyone as long as you’re open to it.

We live in a country that puts individuality above everything. Which I think isn’t the holy grail at all. We can’t live without each other. So I can understand why one of my friends accepted himself fully, but chose to live as a cis man with a women and kids. His culture & tradition’s wired like that. You choose the greater good: family above everything. And so everyone has a story. Hopefully our prints will trigger those conversations. We don’t fight for what’s right, but just kill ‘m with kindness. Open your eyes for all that diversity.

Most of the designs shown her and on our socials too are available for licensing. That means you can pay a fee and in return we will send you the original files which you can use for your own production. This covers commercial usage too. Want some more info about licensing and costs involved? You can find more info about our rates on the website. We have a lot more queer inspired designs available. Just shoot us a message if you'd like to browse our full portfolio.

These designs are now available for licensing. And we also have some of these designs available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

The Lookbook - Midnight Kitty / Print designs for cat lovers

Over the years we’ve been working together with tons of dog accessory businesses all over the globe. We created many dog designs but cats weren’t as represented in our portfolio that often. Probably because we don't need so much gear for these fluffy ones. We do have some cat accessory customers buying our fabric. But we don't focus on the cat target group very often. This year I decided it was time to dedicate some time to creating new cat designs.

Last summer we had to say goodbye to our 19-year-old black cat Duvel. And this collection is a little celebration of his spooky night shenanigans. We still miss our little Duvel and the past months we’ve seen him come to life on several of our client’s products. I am so happy he’s living on in our designs & fabrics now.

Last January we rescued a new kitty. She’s around 8 years old and brings us so many laughs. It’s truly amazing what these small creatures can do for us. Time to celebrate. Inspired by our oldie and with the joy of our new cat. Hope you like this new mini-collection! All designs are available for licensing. If you license our designs we will send you the original files which you can use for your own production. This covers commercial usage too. Want some more info? Shoot us a message.

These designs are now available for licensing. And we also have some of these designs available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

The Lookbook - The Simple Patriot / Celebrating the 4th of July in modern minimalist style

Meet out new minimalist retro style Patriotic designs. Over the years we created many patriot prints. American inspired designs in red and blues, perfect for National Holidays like the 4th of July. These last months we made some more simplistic design versions around this theme.

Our Patriot designs always have been quite busy. With lots of detailing and different elements in one print design. This year we wanted to make two new collections. One that's a little more on the trend with groovy seventies flower power influences. And one more minimalist style. We noticed we have two types of customers. One that go for the all maximalist kind of design for wallpaper, dog accessories and kids clothing. And one that is looking for a more mature and neutral tone for their items.

Hopefully with these new minimalist designs we can cater to our customers who are looking for a more boho & simplistic aesthetic. The designs featured here are available for licensing. We have more color options from each design available and we have some more designs not shown here. Want to see them al? Just shoot us a message.

These designs are now available for licensing. And we also have some of these designs available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.