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.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 April 2018

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection of design or a series of illustrations for our clients. But with finished fabric designs it is even a bigger surprise to see what customers create. To see how final products evolve when people put their own creative energy in there is amazing.

If you browse around on Etsy or Instagram for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives that use our fabrics have a small home based businesses sell their projects via internet and tag us via Instagram. But there are also some bigger fish out their using our Spoonflower designs for their business. So we see some amazing things pop up in our feed every month. We love how Little Smilemakers creations are the foundation for other creatives all around the world to work with. So here is our monthly blog post that features some creative results from Latvia, Poland, the States and France. This month we selected a whole bunch of favorite fabrics turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories and home and interior decoration, so much to choose from! We have selected a cool cute abstract rompers, some on trend kids bedding and some other fashion items you’re going to love! Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. Have a look and enjoy our April selection.

1 // Wuf Kids // Baby Teethers & Fashion Accessories
This Latvian shop has some cool things to offer. We love their range of leggings and we adore their fun little hedgehog fabric teethers. So clever! But they have lot’s more cute things to choose from. And lot’s of Little Smilemakers designs! Triangles, flamingo’s, teepees, ice cream cones, grizzly bears, and our minty feathers of course. I bet we forgot to mention some other designs but take a look at their Facebook page and see them all!



2 // Milutka // Bedding & outdoor accessories
Milutka is a company specialized in kids cottons. From soft winter hats to mommy hand warmers, pillows, soft toys and stroller gear, if you'd like to have one print for your entire nursery and kids outdoor gear go visit their online shop. They have our cute little raccoon cactus print in their collection but also our colorful pirates, elephants, squirrels, dachshund puppy, plus sign and owl prints. And last but not least: They have a great selection of kids bedding in all those prints mentioned above. Take a look!

3 // Woodbean // Baby Rompers
If you are looking for some unique snuggle wear for your little one this shop is the place to be. Lisa, who is based in Minnesota, creates the most wonderful soft pieces for your little one and we love her style of mixing and matching prints and uni’s. Her style is like no other and we wanted to share one of her custom made orders with you for which she has used our Abstract Bubble design. These soft little rompers are just to die for. We love how Lisa mixed the print with the contrasting earth tones. Check out her Etsy shop where you can see her wonderful collection in a series of beautiful, soft photography. Check out all her wonderful handmade creations.

4 // Pistol & Arrow // Leotards
We just adore the ice cream leotard made by Brittany Kleiss who runs her small Pistol & Arrow Etsy shop from Fair Oaks. The ice cream print has been around for a while but we found this adorable baby girl in her leo a few weeks ago. Since we have a little bit of a girly theme this month this webshop is def worth a visit. She has some adorable items for your little girl. So go take a look.

5 // Ty Mom Studio // Kids Fashion
Charlene is based in Paris and has a great eye for thinking in collections. Her fabric choices have a steady ‘feel.’ She has a fun collection of on trend gender neutral fabrics and she is working on a big collection for her webshop launch. Even though her webshop is not quite open yet, we wanted to share some of her cute pineapple and cacti leggings and those gender neutral rompers with you. For now you will have to try and have a little more patience until she opens up her shop you can follow her on Instagram. I already have my eye on these cool cacti leggings. Click here is you want to follow this brand new small business.

New Collection available // Karla Cola Australia

A few months ago we licensed some of our monochrome designs to Karla who owns a fashion label in Adelaide, Australia. She creates beautiful, vibrant, unique original accessories as well as clothing pieces for woman. And we are so much in love with her tiny boutique we wanted to give her a little shout out.

Karla has a serious eye for style and her shop is filled with wonderful retro style fabric. Large organic shapes, popping colours and basic monochromes set the tone. All mixed with exquisite accessories, making her creations bold and unique. She mixes class and color with confidence and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of our prints in her future collections. I sure love what she has made with our designs so far; tunics, dresses and headscarfs. if you are curious to see all of her fashion pieces click on the link to her shop.

Shop Karla Cola Designs

Behind the scenes: Printmaking // New Under Water World summer fabric collection 2017

Last week we released a new series of designs we have been working on. Our new Under Water World collection with over 25 different prints is now available as fabric and wallpaper and we would love to show you a little sneak peak, a little behind the scenes of making this collection.

Yeah yeah, I know, you know. I love traveling and I adore being in and on the water. When I travel I try to make boat trips and look for places to go snorkeling and have a little peak into the colorful world of sea creatures and coral. I have seen quite some amazing things with my face in the water and my ass catching a nice sun burn. Tiny colorful fish, beautiful coral reefs, sharks, yeah, not my fave! And I love the textures and shapes. So very inspirational. Unfortunately I could never capture the beauty of all this n my prints but for these new ocean series I tried to make some joyful colorful designs.

We originally designed these series for our own production and shop in The Hague. But since we were partnering with someone that decided to step out of this process we are now releasing the entire series at Spoonflower as well. Our own production is on hold at the moments and these prints are too cute not to share right? For the print making process I started out making some a quick list of all sea life I have witnessed while traveling to tropical places. There were so many creatures but there were a few which I thought were most fascinating. The Octopus, turtles, the sea horse and the colorful corals. These were the base, the foundation of these new series.



Corals
From here I started making some sketches. For the first stage of sketching I use a fine pen with black ink, usually a sharpie or a micron. For this series I used both since I did not only draw outlines but texture as well. I started off making a whole bunch of different illustrations, a variety of corals, leaves, plants. And after filling several pages of my sketchbook with drawings I try to select the most interesting shapes. For the corals I choose three completely different shapes that make a wonderful series of abstracts by there own. I turned these into three different designs. These three designs all have a different quirky shape and texture, eventually these are put into the Under Water World color scheme so the prints are easy to mix and match with each other, or with some of the creatures. But not at this stage. I just focus on shape and how to get a strong repeat with basic elements. After that we started with the creatures.

Under Water Creatures
After sketching a whole bunch of ocean creatures we had to make our pick. We decided to skip the fish designs since we already have some cool dolphins, sharks and whales up in our Spoonflower shop. So after eliminating these three main characters stood out. The octopus, turtles and sea horse.

The Octopus, which I keep calling Jelly, stubborn as I am, since the characters are a little mix of both, has two variaties. The small ones; that are all slightly different and make a great print for kids fashion items and home textiles for the nursery. And then the large ones; for the older kids, these illustrations have a nice texture filling with dots and stripes and is also available as home pillow. Making the shape larger gives the illustration more character. The image looses a little of the cuteness that makes is more suitable for a slightly older audience. I wanted to make one illustration suitable for both babies and slightly older kids. But I could not figure it out. So instead of choosing one, there are two versions of these awesome creatures. Hope you like them.

The Ocean consists of so many amazing and colorful creatures. But most interesting are the shapes and textures down there. The Sea Horse has always fascinated me. Such a curious face and funny shape. We added some sea horse designs to the collection. I just couldn’t resist. I love the shape of these creatures. So beautiful! We could not leave them out. To complete these series we made one design with all corals and creatures combined. We are so curious to figure out which of these designs will pop up in our feed first. We are so curious to seeing what our customers will make from this fabric!

Home decorations & Paper art
Finishing up a series of prints means I can use them for all sorts of products. Our new series of designs has also been translated into a bunch of colorful posters and wrapping paper. For now these will only be available via our shop in The hague. We also added some pillow patterns to our Spoonflower portfolio so you can make your own cool jelly or sea horse pillow. I am looking forward seeing these babies pop up in nurseries and kids interiors! Hopefully you like our new summer series as much as I do. Click on the link to check out all our new designs over at Spoonflower. Select your favorite fabric or try out a swatch for some unique wallpaper.

SHOP NEW UNDER WATER COLLECTION

Sources of inspiration // Top 10 favorite world wide Modern Art Museums & Galleries

As an artist, I can find inspiration in everyday things — but traveling, that's a whole different creative source. Maybe it's the need to feel connected to the bigger picture, or a different culture; or to get more insight into who I am and explore things from another perspective. Maybe it's simply stepping away from my routine and overlooking things from a distance. But one thing is for sure: traveling provides an endless flow of inspiration, and there's an entire world to explore.

How often do you visit a gallery or museum? Holland has some great art galleries and museums and I love to see all these different artists and skills come to life. I often visit the Pulchri Studio close to my home in The Hague where they have new art up on the walls every few weeks. I try to visit museums during my travels. It is lovely to see cultural differences, there is a different way of expression in each part of the world. What museum would you recommend in your country/city? For this post I have selected a top 10 of personal faves. I have seen quite some Modern Art Museums and would like to share those with you. Some awesome gems of The Netherlands and some less obvious choices, places I have seen during my travels. Enjoy!

1 // MAXXI - Rome
Rome is not a typical place to visit if you love modern art. Also modern architecture is not really common in the city, but if you take a train out of the city center you can visit a few very interesting places if you stop at Euclide. The 'bugs' at the musical auditorium for instance are a architectural feast. The arena Palazzetto dello Sport built in 1960 for the summer Olympics is a very interesting piece, could use a fresh layer of paint though. But the real gem for me was discovering the MAXXI. The National Museum of contemporary art and architecture. The building itself is simple beautiful and only open for public for 6 years now. With it's sharp edges and overlaps it's a surprisingly pretty composition in a slightly neglected looking area of the city. The exhibits are surprisingly well set up and diverse. I was very happy to see a some Italian parents brought along their kids to explore this place. There is a nice library dedicated to the building and Roman modern architecture. Check out the website before you go. All exhibits are contemporary. The ones I visit were conceptual, highly political engaged and visually powerful. But of course every artist and every expo will be different. Enter a place like this without expectations and it will surprise you.

2 // Pulchri Studio - The Hague
This Art gallery is a place you can just walk in free of charge. Every few weeks there is something else to discover here. The short term exhibitions are great for a little break during a busy working day and I visit this gallery in the old part of The Hague frequently. You can also enjoy a good lunch in the restaurant area, or sit down and have a coffee.

3 // Brandhorst Museum - Munich
The museum itself is a great piece of architecture that is already worth a little glance. Inside of the museum you can find a collection of modern art with a large representation of work by American artists. My personal favorite is the collection of paintings by Twombly on the first floor. Unfortunately the Museum prohibits photography. Such a shame since I love to capture the amazing visual art to take them home to stash in my box of memories.

4 // Tate Modern - London
On the bankside of the river Thames you can find one of my favorites of all time. The very immense and industrial looking The Tate Modern is a place for modern and contemporary art. If you ever get the chance to fly in to this city do check what is happening here. There have has numerous amazing exhibitions in the part. Malevich, Kandinsky, Hodgkin, Hopper, to name just a few. You can easily spend an entire day at this place.



// Brooklyn Museum - New York
New York has so much to offer for the creative soul. There are many places worth visiting but on my last trip to the Big Apple I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the Ai Weiwei expo in the Brooklyn Museum. I am a big fan of modern art but this museum also shows a little bit about the history of Brooklyn and I was surprised about the variety and quality of art that was shown here. It is a gem and truly worth crossing the river for.

6 // Moderna Museet - Stockholm
Pay attention creative peeps! If you ever visit Stockholm: visit Skeppsholmen. You need to visit this little creative island. I was lucky enough to spend a truly magical summer night here with some live music and street food in the Moderna Museet garden during the Yayoi Kusamas exhibit. Surrounded by Picasso scultures I was enjoying a live performance of one of my fav sing and sing writers José González. You can visit the Moderna Museet but don’t forget to enjoy the outside sculptures by Calder and Jean Tingely and Niki de Saint Phalle. From the island you have a beautiful view over Stockholm. Walk around the island and check out the little harbor on the northern part with old steamships and fishing boats. A great place to enjoy the sunset. From the south side you can take a ferry to the Abba Museum or Nordiska Museet.

7 // Louisiana - Copenhagen
As a graphic designer I adore this amazing Danish museum of modern art. If you ever visit Copenhagen make sure to take the train to this museum. It will take you an hour traveling North but it is a lovely way through a beautiful area of Denmark. The museum is located in the most lush area near the seaside and the sculpture garden has a breathtaking view over the water. But trust me, you don’t need the water, there is so much to see inside alone. With over 3.500 pieces of art, a combination of American, European and Danish art from 1945 till now, there is enough to see to keep you busy for a day without noticing the surroundings. Warhol, Picasso, Kiefer, Kandinsky, they are all there. But if you visit the museum on a summer day, do take a stroll through the park and enjoy sculptures from Calder, Henry Moore and my personal favorite: Miró. A must see, beautiful museum. Definitely one of my all time favorites.

8 // FOAM - Amsterdam
My favorite museum for Photography is located in Amsterdam. I think it is the museum I visit most frequently in Holland. They have temporary exhibits and change their walls every few months. I have seen numerous great photographers here. Helmut Newton’s life work. Annie Leibovitz with her famous portraits. The Kate Moss Show. Vivian Maiers black and white, street photography and this winter there is another big name to add to the list: Weiwei. FOAM is a lovely place to pop in for a quick visit. You’ll be in and out in 2 hours so if you want to see something during you stay in Amsterdam but don’t want to wait in one of those crazy museum lines go visit this little photography gem.

9 // Blain Southern Gallery - Berlin
This contemporary art gallery is located in the old press building and offers a huge canvas to artists. This summer the gallery has an impressive exhibit of Morellet. You can see his paintings and also his later work: neon installations. His work was influenced by artists like Piet Mondriaan and Max Bill. You can see some similarities in the movement and the composition but using materials like neon, concrete, metal, and leaving out color were considered to be quite modern back then and still make his work very unique. What I love about the gallery itself is that it has a huge main area with one high sealing stretching up into the sky. The canvas for the work makes the art even more astonishing.

10 // MoMa - New York
New York, one of the most inspiring art museums are based here. With the Frick Collection, the wonderful Guggenheim with temporary exhibits and of course the Witney. All amazing places to go and check out but my fav: the MoMa will always be one of the greatest places to visit if you are an artist, I think this museum is a must see. Don’t get me wrong, there are other awesome places in New York, I will have to type down a top 10 for New York only some time… The MoMa has some iconic pieces every artists should see i real life. Monet’s Water Lilies for instance. Picasso, Matisse and our very own Piet Mondriaan and Willem de Kooning spreading our strong Dutch Design. The sculpture garden has some wonderful pieces too, don’t skip those. But I particularly like this place, not because of those great names but because there is a mix of so many different techniques, that really trigger my imagination. Why choose paper or why stick with ink? Sculptures, paintings, architecture, graphics. Very inspirational place!

Announcement for Shutterstock buyers // License designs // Contact our studio directly

Some of you have noticed already: We are no longer licensing our designs via Shutterstock. Due to a crazy sh*tload of misuse, and no proper sollution to prevent this in the future, we decided our designs were not getting protected as they should and we decided to delete our collection. We are very sorry for all you buyers it had to come this far since we worked with Shutterstock for almost 10 years, but things got.... unworkable.

We have removed our all our designs and we are working on a new library of non-exclusive artwork. You can now only license our designs by contacting us directly. If you would like to receive a link to view our online portfolio just send us an email and we are happy to send you a link to our work. We are still in the process of adding all designs to this library, not our entire collection has been uploaded yet but we are working on it! It will take a little while before all 5000+ designs are all up, processed and tagged. Please have some patience!

Freshtastic Little Smilemakers Fabric: Winter weather // November selection

Every month we upload new work to our Spoonflower shop and over the past 5 years our portfolio has grown from zero to over 3000 designs to choose from. Behind the scenes we can search within our portfolio but we noticed customers have a hard time finding what they want sometimes. With our monthly Freshtastic Fabric post we feature new fabric that was added to our shop. We include some direct links to these new designs and color versions. Hopefully we can filter on trend designs and make the process of selecting prints a little easier.

For our November post we selected some Winter Weather themes we wanted to give a little extra attention. We have made some fun abstract designs for our Inky Texture collection, and some more whimsical prints for fun winter home decoration or cute little kids fashion items.

Clouds
Sky themed designs have been trending for over three years now. We have made som fun monochrome versions, some abstracts and now we added some winter color schemes of this Inky Texture Cloud fabric to our shop. We created the Inky texture series a year ago, we made some exclusive designs for Hemmers/Itex. But these clouds did not make the cut. Hope you like these new blue, nude and mint colors.

Mittens
I personally love knitted clothes. I would probably not survive Dutch winter without those. My feet are stuck in woolen winter slippers as we speak. I like how I can make my winter mummy outfit a little more joyful by just adding some fun mittens or a colorful hat or scarf. We added these illustrated designs to our shop so you can turn them into something cosy. Check out these icy, wood, lilac and blue colors in our shop.

Raindrops
With the color season comes rain. Those rainy days make me all melancholic, and as usual I turn something I really don't like into something pretty: an abstract memphis inspired raindrop print. That is how I deal with these things. Just create something. These designs are ready for you to create something cute too. We already had some colorful summer schemes up in the shop, now you can also find some neutrals and more natural colors: wood, blue and lilac.

Snowmen
This print has been trending in our shop already. This snowmen design was part of our exclusive design series last year but it wasn't licensed up until now so we decided to add this design to our Spoonflower fabric shop. We just uploaded this winter print and it is already selling like mad. If you want to order here are the links to these featured colors: pink, blue and our favorite: teal.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // May 2016

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection or a series of illustrations for our clients. But with finished fabric designs it is even a bigger surprise to see what customers create. To see how final products evolve when people put their own creative energy in there is amazing.

If you browse around on Etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via internet and tag us via Instagram. So we see some amazing things pop up in our feed every month. We love how Little Smilemakers creations are the foundation for other creatives all around the world to work with. So here is our monthly blog post that features some creative results from the USA, UK, Holland and Sweden. This month we selected a whole bunch of summer fashion themes. We have some tropical birds and leaves, some watercolors. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. This is our May top 5.

Sew Kuddly Clothing
We are obsessed with this small UK kids shop. Not only because they have tons of products with our prints and we love their finished items but they also have some adorable photography, some cute tiny models that show off their headbands, leggings, headbands and other cool items they sell in their Etsy shop. For Hemmers/Itex we have made an exclusive series of designs and our new origami fabrics are turned into cute baby and toddler items. Our favorites: Birds and crocs are now available in their shop! So need anything for you boy or girl. Look no further. And support this super cool small business.

Yeti Feet & Co.
We love those cute and comfy moccs. They are perfect for our little ones tiny feet and these printed shoes made by McKayla Nelson are part of her new Arizona collection with cactuses, dreamcatchers and animals. She is a big fan of cactuses but she also has some of our other designs in her collection of soft soles. They make a perfect gift to a baby shower or kids birthday. These cactus shoes and more are available in her shop. Go check out her Etsy shop!



MommaMakes
By using mostly gender neutral prints for their range of clothes and accessories this small UK based shop is a great place for some one-of-a-kind pieces for your kids. Of course there are some boys and girls themes too but we love their eye for pure and simple gender neutral designs like the one they used for these cute parrot leggings. Check out the shop for more Little Smilemakers prints, they also have our mermaids and some cool abstracts.

Made4Ukkies
This Dutch company has some cool handmade new born and infant items. We licensed some designs to Hemmers/Itex and Staghorn this winter and now we see the finished results pop up on our feed. We love the colorful range of spring and summer clothes this small shop has to offer. They also have our cool bears up there and our feathers are also represented. Go check them out.

Lilla Busfro
This Swedish shop is run by Carin and we love her trendy collection of prints she uses for her handmade kids collection. She turned our feathers and plus sign fabric into some adorable leggings, t-shirts and hats that are available in her shop.

We love to see your finished results too. Even if you don't have a shop but make something gorgeous for yourself or as a gift, tag us via Facebook or Instagram and maybe you will be featured in our monthly "Made with" post.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // March 2016

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection or a series of illustrations for our clients. But with finished fabric designs it is even a bigger surprise to see what customers create. To see how final products evolve when people put their own creative energy in there is amazing.

If you browse around on Etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via internet and tag us via Instagram. So we see some amazing things in our feed every month. We love how Little Smilemakers creations are the foundation for other creatives all around the world to work with. So here is our monthly blog post that features some creative results from the USA, Holland and Poland. This is our new girly themed March selection. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too.

Kalamati
This winter we finalized a new series of designs for Kalamati, a Polish home decor brand for kids. The new range has some cute Scandinavian style hot air balloons in soft pastel colors, bubbles in gender neutral color schemes and also this cute abstract woodland garden theme. We love Kalamati's bedding, blankets and home decor items. If you would like to order one of these cute blankets or any other Little Smilemakers prints check out the Kalamati shop!

Ansje Handmade
A few weeks ago Anouck was part of a photo series for new borns with down syndrome. For the photo shoot she made outfits for these adorable new borns, for that she used some of our new prints from the Hemmers/Itex collection we launched end of January. Anouck runs a webshop with handmade nursery gifts and fun whimsical fashion. She also sells original Little Smilemakers patchwork blankets, made with our Spoonflower sample leftovers. If you are curious about her work and want to check out her shop go to her website or follow here at Instagram @ansjehandmade

Pistol & Arrow
We just adore the ice cream leotard made by Brittany Kleiss who runs her small
Pistol & Arrow Etsy shop from Fair Oaks. The ice cream print has been around for a while but we found this adorable baby girl in her leo a few weeks ago. Since we have a little bit of a girly theme this month this webshop is def worth a visit. She has some adorable items for your little girl. So go take a look.

Top Knot Bands
Headbands, bowbands, turbands for babies, women's accessories, leggings. This shop is the perfect place to look for some cool nursery gifts. We loved our matching cupcake fabric shorts and headband. Such a cute combo for summer. They also have some cute Little Smilemakers Penguin leggings available in the shop. So browse around and enjoy their colorful collection.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // January 2016

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection or a series of illustrations for our clients. But with finished fabric designs it is even a bigger surprise to see what customers create. To see how final products evolve when people put their own creative energy in there is amazing.

If you browse around on etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via Etsy. We love how Little Smilemakers creations are the foundation for other creatives all around the world to work with. So here is our monthly blog post that features some creative results from Australia, Sweden and Poland. This is our new January selection. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too.

Sprout Patterns // sewing inspiration
In 2015 Sprout Patterns launched their website and within a few months time have added numerous new patterns to their collection. On the website you can easily pick a pattern, then select a Spoonflower fabric, you will get just the right amount, and get those delivered to your doorstep. So if you need some sewing inspiration or would like to make something for your kid and don't want to end up with a pile of left over fabric this might be great for you. Sprout patterns has some fun creations up on their website to take a look at. Some patterns are fun to mix and match fabric with, they all have cute visuals so you can also check out the result and have a clear impression about the cut and shape. The cactus blouse was made with the biscayne blouse pattern designed by Hey June Handmade and contains our very popular cactus summer fabric that is available via Spoonflower. So, nothing to do this weekend? Go grab your sewing machine and start making new beautiful fashion and accessories with Sprout Patterns.

Kalamati // cosy home
For Kalamati we have been making some fun new hot air balloon and pastel woodland designs but we also created a cute penguin print a while ago. The new collection available online. You can find high quality blankets pillows and cute kids room decoration in their shop. Looking for a cute baby shower gift? Or decoration your babies nursery? Take a look!

Arli Barli // kids fashion
Our tribal feathers keep popping up all around the world. Our latest addition of feathered baby fashion was made by Arli Barli, a small handmade shop in Australia creating cool trendy kids fashion and accessories. Their collection contains little new born rompers, leggings, shorts, head wraps and bibs.

Milutka // home & outdoor accessories
Milutka is a company specialized in kids cottons. From soft winter hats to mommy hand warmers, pillows, soft toys and stroller gear, if you'd like to have one print for your entire nursery and kids outdoor gear go visit their online shop. They have our cute little raccoon cactus print in their collection but also our colorful pirates, elephants, squirrels, dachshund puppy, plus sign and owl prints. They have a great selection of kids bedding and they have a sale going on.

Stoj Design // dreamcatchers
Our Swedish Spoonflower shopper Tove has a cute online boutique with handmade organic cotton clothes only. She cares a lot about the environment and all her carefully picked fabrics are soft, comfortable and long lasting high quality. She had made a series of clothes with our Little Smilemakers dreamcatcher and water melon summer fabric. Beanies, bibs, harems and leggings are available in her shop. Take a look.

Wanna be featured on one of our "made with" posts? Make some fun visuals and send us the result.

Sources of inspiration: Getting exposed // An artist sketch book

I love designers sketch books. But I am always a little intimidated when artists are willing to open up their sketch books and show them to the world. To me a sketch is a very personal, and sometimes emotional even, piece of myself so the thought of someone grabbing my sketch book and take a look and wander through the pages feels like someone is reading my personal diary. But I have a visual profession so sharing my work, also my sketches and research is also part of the deal.

I try to take a moment each day to sit down with a piece of paper and draw. It is something I have been doing ever since I could hold a pencil (I did have a little break as a teen though) and even when I am traveling I carry a tiny little notebook for small 'visual notes.' But you will never see me draw in public, while drawing I feel exposed and I rather be making illustrations at home with a cup of coffee next to me. While I was in Art School I remember painting classes, where we had to sit down and paint for three hours straight. Those were impossible!



To sit down and draw I have to find some peace and quiet first. I do sketch almost every day, but to sit down and create an entire collection of new designs I have to feel completely in the zone. Depending on my mood I use ink or paint to sketch. Usually at night, when I sit down and sketch while watching a movie or documentary I use a micron pen. The best solution for creating and bad lighting. Even the weirdest sketches can turn out to be a fabric design or part of a new collection. They can be abstracts or every day items. Little moments of life. Anything can be a source of inspiration and part of my sketching ritual.



When I decide to share some sketches they are usually in the last stage of a process, when they are almost ready to go digital. These are usually the ink drawings I share via Instagram of via our Little Smilemakers Facebook page. Maybe one day I will have the guts to post an overview of the ones that did not make the final cut. The first drawings and sketches I messed up before I got to a point where I thought they were more easy on the eyes. I wonder if I will have the guts. But here are some sketches. The foundaton of many designs that are eventually used for fabric and home decoration. Hope you enjoy them! If you are curious about my workflow follow #littlesmilemakers on Instagram.

Exciting news // The Junior Design Awards

Great news! We work for some amazing clients all over the world. We make prints for young adult fabric collections. Home decor items and of course we make lot's of designs for little ones. We are very excited to see that Bambino Mio's miosolo all-in-one nappies have been shortlisted in UK's The Junior Design Awards!

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // October 2015

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection or a series of illustrations and surface patterns for our clients. But with finished fabric designs it is even a bigger surprise to see what customers create. To see how final products evolve when people put their own creative energy in there is amazing.

Here is our monthly blog post featuring some creative results from Canada, Australia and Russia. This is our new September selection. We love how Little Smilemakers creations are the foundation for other creatives all around the world to work with. If you browse around on Etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their finished fashion and home decor projects via Etsy. So take a look and see if there is something for your little one too and support these small business owners.

Meet the adorable Archie
Meet Archie, the newest member of the owl tribe. Don't you love this teepee cactus woodland print? This cuddly owl was made by Andrea who owns the All Things Owls Big Cartel shop where she sells her cute cuddly owls and fun kids fashion pieces. She also attends local markets so if you are living in Australia, I know, it is huge, check dates and locations where she will be selling her owls on her Facebook page. Take a look in her webshop, maybe you can find something for your little one! There are also some more Little Smilemakers prints on there.

Flamingo's and palm trees
We love to see how carefully picked fabrics are turned into pieces of fashion and home decor. These flamingo's we have never seen a finished item of so we were so happy to see Ollie & Mojo's cute Flamingo range of baby and toddler items and when we looked on their Facebook page we noticed another summer hot seller: Our cool palm tree print. Such a cute combo! Ollie & Mojo has a fun whimsical organic baby and kids range. A mixture of trendy, alternative clothing and accessories to make your Kids stand out from the crowd! So take a look in the shop!

Fun New York City and Penguin tea towels
Ryaabaa Kokoko is a Russian company run by Vika that creates the most adorable little long sleeved t-shirts, leggings, blankets, tea towels and PJ's from our less trending designs. She has an eye for colorful and fun and just-a-little-different prints and her shop is such a delight. These tea towels would throw a party in your kitchen when you're not looking! You can follow her Instagram account and watch all her creative projects.

Fresh geometrics and Scandinavian style kids fashion at Kewe Clothing
This Canadian company provides easy to style clothing and complementary accessories for the tiny trend setters in your life. Their soft, breathable organic and bamboo fabrics are printed in small batches with water based inks to ensure premium quality while leaving them safe against baby’s delicate skin and for the environment. Handcrafted in beautiful British Columbia Canada, each piece is as comfortable and functional as it is fashionable. We found some of Little Smilemakers geometric triangles and pink diamond fabric used in their new kids collection when a customer tagged us on Instagram. Roam around on their website and check out all cute t-shirts, leggings, bibs and more.



Whimsical foxes for your kids interior
You might know My Little Hands by now, an Australian based company we have created several designs for. The company is run by the gorgeous Emma. She has a heart for true designs and asked me to create a range of products for her shop. We started out with a series around the water colored foxes. A cute simple repeat of these yellow creatures is now available on cute blankets and other MLH items. Since the shop is growing rapidly Emma has taken a new approach to her business and rebranded her My Little Hands shop that is now named My Little Organics. With a new logo and new designs we wish here all the best!

About being an artist // Running your creative business and embracing who you are // 5 tips for the introvert

My work is obviously very visual and most people would think since my work gets a lot of exposure, I would adore the spotlight too. Nothing could be further from the truth though. I love to be by myself, on my own, but I have always known even as a kid, I had to push my boundaries to accomplish what I wanted to do in life and step out of that comfort zone. I am an introvert, that might come as a surprise. But sometimes things that are not necessary you are part of running a business.

To actually make a living as an artist it means I have to get together with clients, meet up with new people, network. I have never felt very comfortable in groups, let alone have financial negotiations with giant companies... It can be exhausting. But since I was a little girl, I always knew I had to do things I didn't like to get some place I would love to be. I pushed myself to sing on a stage, because I knew it would terrify me, and trust me, I am not a good singer. I have skills but singing is not one of them... I would always say yes to new things to get me out of my comfort zone. So yes, I do these interviews and yes, I welcome in a camera crew for a little 'day of an artist' shoot in the studio. I guess the friction also is a form of inspiration, reflecting on what I am doing. Without any tension being creative is hard. It is a love/hate relationship with that part of my creative career.

I know lot's of creative people, designers, architects, dancers, musicians that are passionate and great in what they do but really struggle to put their skills out there since part of their business is reaching out to potential clients. Here are 5 tips for all introverts that try to run there own business.

1 // Don't try to be an extravert
Being an introvert is good enough. Embrace who you are. Except the fact that you use your energy slightly different than your extravert friends. Surround yourself with people that understand your needs. Embrace your needs and don't feel bad about spending time alone to recharge. Trying to be someone you are not will exhaust you. Take your boundaries seriously. Think about what gives and takes your energy and find your personal balance.

2 // Meetings with clients
I like working together with people, but spontaneous meetings are not my thing. Find a way of working together that suits you best. Preparation is key. For me that means taking a step back and writing down all essentials. Researching the topic, finances, listing questions and then get a face to face. Preparation will get the introvert a long way. If I can not do any research or have a get together without a proper preparation my mind will drift off and never get to the point. In meetings other people will comment and I would never get my point across.

3 // Talking about finished projects & doing interviews
Introverts need some time to let things sink in. Take time to prepare yourself and be loyal to yourself. You will be much happier about the outcome. I once had an interview and was completely unprepared. I asked for the list of questions to prepare myself but never got them. Once we sat together and started the interview and the camera was rolling every question seemed completely irrelevant to who I was and what I created so the answers, oh dear god the answers…. I talked about all random things popping up in my head, i felt pressured to say some certain things and finished my interview with a speech about how awesome seed is. That was not a good interview!

4 // Personalize your workspace
Usually introverts are more sensitive for their surroundings so make a list of what you need in your direct work environment. I start each day with a clean slate, with a clean and empty desk. And since I have my own home studio I can surround myself with things I love, artwork that inspires me, photo's of loved ones. If I am researching I use the living room where I can create a mess of magazines, sketches and moodboards. That way my desk will always be organized. Create your own little bubble you feel comfortable in, where you can recharge your battery.

5 // I will get back to you on that
Introverts might have a little difficulty responding to a certain situation in the moment. While extraverts try to get an answer at the spot. When I visit trade shows and meet up with new potential clients there are so many things to discuss. Can we work together? Where can we see your portfolio, can you do this and that for us? What does it cost? I try to keep a first meeting a little superficial before making promises I can not keep. Negotiating finances and bringing structure in planning new projects needs a little maturing, having a good thought things before answering is more for filling than a quick agreement. Also your business partners will get the impression you take them seriously when you spend some time researching the matter. Just say: "I will get back to you on that."

Behind the scenes: Top 10 pro's & con's // having a home office

When starting Little Smilemakers Studio I knew one thing: to make a living as a creative artist I had to keep my expenses as low as possible. So I started working from my home office instead of renting an expensive office downtown. I thought: "If the cash-flow will get steady, I can look around for another place to work outside of my own home" Almost 4 years later I am typing this post on my dinner table with classical music playing in the background and a washing machine reminding me to hang my wet clothes.

Sometimes I wonder why not rent a place and keep my work a little more distant from home. But at the same time working at home makes me more creative, gives me more freedom and of course, I travel quite a lot, so why pay rent for a workspace that is empty four months a year? So yes, four years later I am still working from my home and I love it, wouldn't change it for the world. But then again I am single, don't have kids, so I have the place all by myself.

I always advise young start-ups to not spend money on rent if possible. Cut costs as much as you can. Start small. First and foremost you will have to earn a steady income to provide a living for yourself and maybe also for your family. I do not have the responsability for a kid, or have to be a girlfriend when my spouse is home, have food on the table at some certain time... Does it work for everyone? I am not sure, but I have made a little top 10 of things I love and things I do not love about working from my home. Here are my personal pro's & con's having a home office:

1 // It is cheap
Face it, starting your own business can be a huge struggle. Make end meet is hard being creative so cutting costs starting out is a must. I started working from my own dinner table simply because i could not afford a decent place somewhere else. After three years I turned one of the rooms into a proper office. Not worrying about paying the rent, that is a great luxury.

2 // Never stuck in morning traffic
The best thing about working from your own home office must be the fact that you have so many extra hours to spend on whatever you want to do. You won't have to worry about being stuck in traffic every morning and every night. You don't need to spend any money on a car or gas, cutting costs is a big must if you start your own business.

3 // The Healthy lunch
I remember working in a 9 to 5 business structure where my lunch time got planned by projects and deadlines. I had a very unhealthy diet since I did not have time to eat a proper lunch, sometimes I forgot all about it or the pile of work forced me to skip lunch all together. I love that I can make whatever I want, my kitchen and fridge are only a few steps away. I eat more frequently and a lot more healthy since I run my home studio because I have time to prepare something decent. It takes a little longer but it is also a nice break from work too.

4 // It is all yours
I thought about sharing a creative space but the thing I got attached to during the years i am working from my home is the fact that everything feels like me. To feel comfortable is so important for my creative process. Putting me in a clean cubicle or office space where I can not decorate my walls, add a personal touch or rearrange furniture will kill my creative flow. I need to be surrounded by good energy and my studio if filled with things I love. Inspiring artwork, little personal memorabilia, reminders of loved ones and travels.

5 // Flexibility
Oh I love the freedom. I can pack my laptop and work anywhere. Lot's of lunchrooms and coffee places have free wifi and working from a free spot like that will change your perspective a little and triggers creativity. I can do errands during the day and don't have to get into shops on rush hours. I can go to the beach on a hot summer day and work nights if I want to. Freedom is very dear to me. I love it.



6 // The daily mess
There are always things to do at home. Clean dishes, scrub the floor. A home can be a place of distraction. My home is always clean and tidy. If not, when I have a deadline and finish up work I find myself in the kitchen, cleaning. A messy home is a messy head so I can only focus when there is no random stuff laying around the house. These house chores can be a real distraction!

7 // Smelly food & meetings
Before meeting a client i made this amazing salmon, broccoli pie. Not a very good idea when you invite professional people over to have a chat.

8 // You never leave work
That is probably the hardest thing about working from your own home. Your work will never leave the building. It is there, so I work late hours and during winter nights I can be stuck at my desk round the clock. Closing the door to my home office doesn't seem to do the trick. Separating work and quality time can be hard. I love my work so it always draws me back in.

9 // My house is always clean and organized
I can not work in a mess. It will distract me from my deadlines and it really bothers me up until the point that I will do my dishes before finishing my deadlines. So my home is always tidy and clean. I can do my laundry while working and take little breaks to vacuum or clean the windows. Even though is is a distraction is a bad way, it is also quite healthy to stand up from your desk and move around a little.

10 // Unlimited Space
I have a studio in a separate room so I don't have to work on my dinner table. But I do have enough space to expand to my living room when I have meetings or I can use a few friends to pick their brain about a project or concept I am working on. I can use my entire house when needed or limit myself to one room. Usually I shift my work into different rooms. My home office is used for serious labour: Designing, e-mailing clients. And my living room I use for writing my blog, painting, drawing and doing research.

Bambino Mio new collection // reusable Mio Solo nappies // potty training pants // swimwear

Bambino Mio is established as the leading brand of reusable nappies and accessories worldwide. Bambino Mio's family business has been around in the industry for almost 25 years but the core values remain the same as when they started their company in 1991, to manufacture high quality, simple, reusable nappies and associated products and make them accessible and affordable to all.

We started working with the company in 2013 when they decided to launch a new printed series of re-usable diapers. The prints were a great hit and after that another series of designs were launched past spring. This summer they also introduced Little Smilemakers design into their cute swim collection and potty training pants.

For the swim diapers Bambino Mio used our pink little mermaids, deep sea and aquarium themes. We love how colorful the new collection is. But if you are still potty training your little one check out the potty training pants. My god, they are adorable! They have elephants for girls or our very quirky outer space pattern for boys. Take a look in their webshop and order you favorite pair!

So far we have had such a great response on the prints and it's great to see all those babies and toddlers show off their Mio Solo nappies and swim diapers on Facebook and Instagram. So keep tagging! It is very much appreciated. We love to see how our designs put little smiles on your kids faces.

A designing process // A brief step by step // New Indian Summer Boho feathers

I love the summer season. I would love to move to a climate in which the temperature is a plus 20 degrees all year long. As some of you might know, my joints are terrible during the colder season so I love focusing on summer. During the winter most of the summer designs take shape. During spring we can see the first sales and see what our most trending themes are.

This year the Indian Summer Feathers were one of our hot selling designs. From Australia to South Africa, this Boho print is now everywhere! But the summer season is not over yet and since nowadays our production process doesn't take 6 months we can add new designs and adept to what's happening quite easily. So this week it was time to add some new feather designs.

Designing on screen can be very annoying. I don't like the digital process all that much but of course, designing on screen is a lot quicker and gives a design a completely different look and feel. I love to create things by hand and need a pencil or brush in my hand at least once a week. Our feather collection contains hand drawn ink illustrations, designs that are completely created on screen but there was no feather print made with watercolors yet. I love using a sharpie to draw but I am too much of a perfectionist to actually like my drawings. Somehow they never seem good enough. By using a brush, a lot of things can happen that are not under your own control. The ink can drip and make little circles, the hair of the brush all go there own way. The end result is a lot more spontaneous and not as crispy clean as an ink pencil drawing.



A brief step by step
To create a pattern the first step is making the first illustrations, paintings or shapes. For the new Boho Feather design I painted a series of different feathers on several pieces of paper. I love to mix lot's of water with the, in this case, black ink to creates shades of gray that make the design more layered. After painting I let things dry for a few hours. The paper can be soaked so I make sure everything is all dry before scanning the artwork.

First I clean the glass plate of the scanner to make sure no extra dust or speckles are scanned. I create a .jpg file that I tweak a little in contrast and color to make the white paper background a crisp white and have a contrasting deep black. I use Photoshop for those little tweaks and adjustments. Usually after that I would trace the image in Adobe illustrator. But since I love the raw touch of the brush, it is hard to convert the image to vector and not loose this particular element I like so much, so for this design I use Indesign. First I cut out every single feather and shape and put them in all in separate documents. That way I can place the image and scale and rotate all feathers separately from one another. By using Indesign it is also quite easy to repeat the print, make it seamless and change the colors. Eventually I export a .pdf document which I check and open in Photoshop and then save as the file needed for production.

So now we have a final digital file. The design is now uploaded into our Shutterstock and Spoonflower libraries and will soon be available on European market as well. Wanna have a piece? Follow us via Facebook and stay up to date about new things that are happening or follow our Instagram feed where you can find some DIY inspiration.

HOW TO // Sew a Quilt

On the Spoonflower blog you can find a lot of fun inspiration for DIY projects. If you are looking for some great sewing ideas check out the Spoonflower blog. This photo was past of the 'How to make a quilt' post. Curious about the final result? Here you can find the finished home blanket with our cool Little Smilemakers Geometric Clouds design.

Feathers of Freedom // Birds of Paradise

This week I am working from abroad. There is no greater place than working in a buzzing city that is full of creative energy. I am spending my days working from my dear friends apartment in the old part of the city of Antwerp.

Today I was able to schedule a visit the MoMu. Antwerp's famous fashion Museum with a great expo about feathers in fashion: Birds of Paradise. I am a big fan of the feather. That sounds a bit strange right? But if I tell you that feathers to me are the ultimate symbol of freedom it will explain why I love this little piece of wings that I also use in my art often.

As an artist I need to feel free in order to create, too many boundaries will create a 'writers block.' But ultimate freedom in design is not only bliss, I do need some sort of 'rules' to work with.

For me a big chunk of the designing process is solving a problem: A clients request for a design. How could something be appealing to a target group, what color will give that feeling to the design I wish for, a certain theme has to be kept in mind. But if there are too many things to worry about it will blur my view on a design, there is not enough freedom to create.

In my daily life I try to live as 'free' as possible. I try not to be the airhead consumer and only buy things which i really need. I try to be open minded about things I haven't experienced and done before.
So yes, feathers for me represent that what I am passionate about and what drives me to create. the museum has a great collection of designer's items from Vuitton to Balenciaga, dresses, shoes, and beautiful feathered hats. If you are passionate about fashion, go see the exhibition if you are visiting Antwerp. You can visit the MoMu until August 24th.

> And the winner is.....

It was something I had never done before. Making a 'moving' image about... well, me. I am not the kind of person that feels naturally comfortable in front of a camera. If I know someone is trying to capture me through a lens I suddenly feel the urge to do all sorts of things but not be in it, sit still, or try to go with it. So yes. After a week of filming, me and my craziness, I decided to do what I love most. Make a video of my story illustration style. I finished just in time and sent in my Shutterstock Stories video.

Now a month later all winners are announced and I have this very cool 'badge in my right corner' thing going on. I am honored to be one of the winners. All Shutterstock Stories have been very inspiring. Proud to bee one of them! So thank you all for voting and supporting me these past few weeks. And I will have to thank two peeps i couldn't finish this without: Jaap Vork for his amazing eye and Rob Kanters for his soundscape and greatness of his ears.

Enjoy watching if you haven't seen the video yet and follow all new exciting things happening on facebook.