Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 January 2020

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 or home decoration you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives with small home-based businesses sell their projects via the 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 Russia, Sweden, and the US. This month we selected a whole bunch of hot selling fabrics, turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories, and dog accessories, so much to choose from! We have selected some cute shirts, collars and climbing accessories too. Take a look and see if there is something for you in there. This is our January top 5 selection.

1 // Gray & Hound
This super cool webshop specializes in dog accessories like collars and leashes. We love Nyah's shop hat is based in Oregon. Ever since she opened up her webshop things took off rapidly and we love seeing a small business grow. For her winter collection, she selected some of our most fave prints and we love how our foxes turned out on her trendy, high-quality products. So here is a little shout out to this wonderful shop for pup lovers. Wanna get your hands on one of her handmade doggie pieces? Take a look in her shop.

2 // Mamapapa Production
This Russian shop specializes in baby and toddler wear. For the new spring collection, we worked together on some cute new designs that will be launched within the next few months. But we also had some cute winter pieces we wanted to share, like their Baby Elephant onesie. Isn't it adorable? We love seeing our prints on these tiny humans. If you have any cute images to share, please do, reach out and maybe we'll feature your little one here on the blog too. If you are based in Russia yourself; take a look into their webshop. They have so many cute prints to choose from! And stay tuned for the new spring collection!

3 // Hello Wild Baby Co
We are so happy to feature Hello Wild Baby on our blog. Candace has selected a whole bunch of our abstracts for her new collection. And you know we love seeing how our abstract fabric gets used right? The images just kept popping up in our feed, so we wanted to say a little something about this small home based company. Candace works from her home in Nevada where she creates wonderful baby and toddler items: a new collection of kids wear and accessories was launched this month. And we are so excited to see those cute hair bows, bonnets, shirts, and leggings. She also has some adorable teething rings on her new bandana's. It is a great shop to browse for a newborn gift set. Mix and match all Little Smilemakers fabric and show us your little ones wearing these gorgeous outfits! Take a look!



4 // Knox Mtn Bags
As some of you might know, Maaike loves her nights in the boulder gym. She only started climbing a year ago and noticed there were not a whole lot of brand making fun chalk bags. But then we got tagged by Anne who created a bunch of super cool handmade chalk bags with the most adorable patterns on them. We wanted to show you our hedgehogs that were used for the Knox collection. if you love climbing and are looking for a cool chalk bag, or have a climbing lover around you'd like to surprise with a cute bag, take a look on the website and browse through all cool climbing bags.


5 // Maxomorra
We love this Swedish kidswear company. The Plus Collection is a new design project, risen from their curiosity to explore Maxomorra outside the box. The new Plus collection contains eight prints in a limited selection of styles, all made by Little Smilemakers Studio. With a few extra details to the prints and a brand new and beautiful color palette. To create complete outfits, there is also a small basic collection with solid colored jersey and velour available. As always, pick your favorites, mix and match, and go out and be fabulous. There are t-shirts, leggings, hats and so much more to choose from.

The Lookbook: The Monochromes - New Trends Fabric Collection & Surface Designs

Still going stong: Neutrals are taking over from gender specific themes and colors. What could be better than adding some monochromes to your collection? Print designs can set the tone and make or break an interior. Using Monochromes is a great way to mix and match patterns without getting too overwhelmed by color.

We created this collection a while back when we were going over our portfolio and realised we have so many girly prints! It was just a little off balance. So we added some cool novelty prints and minimals to our collections and created some fun black and whites with a hint of beige or gray here and there. What do you think? A little different then our usual batch of surface designs right? These prints make perfect nursery bedding, fun kids wear and mix and match Novelty with minimal and dare to play around.

Wanna license print designs for your business? Please send us a message. We’ve also put some more info about licensing on our blog earlier this year, so if you’d like to read more about that and check out if licensing could be something for you read the blog post. We made an easy step-by-step about what you need to keep in mind before licensing print designs. Any questions? We’re happy to help. Just reach out!

Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

The Lookbook: Inky Fall - New Trends Fabric Collection

For our quarterly exclusive mailing, we sent our 6 brand new design collections. We wanted to put a spotlight on our new Inky Fall collection which was inspired by the raw organic texture in nature. We’ve created a collection that contains florals, leaves and abstracts.

Nature is Maaike's go-to source of inspiration and every year there's another batch of designs coming from her hands that is perfect for clothes and home decor. Our fall prints are used for wallpaper, woman's clothing and numerous fashion accessories worldwide. This collection is made to add a little color to those fall collections. These designs are available in our Spoonflower shop and available to license if you're interested in using those for your own production.

This set of designs is available to license as a complete set, but you can also license single designs non-exclusively. We’ve used current color palettes, we combined bright color pops and muted tones to create a one-of-a-kind free shaped wanderlust pattern. If you’d like to license any of these designs but need them in different colors, we’re happy to customize them on request. Just reach out and send us a message if you’d like to know more about licensing these Inky Fall prints.

Wanna be kept in the loop and get exclusive designs right into your mailbox? Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date. You’ll get all new print designs right into your inbox. And of course, we’ll keep you informed about what we’re working on.

Minky Couture // New range of kids blankets

A year ago we were contacted Kristine who was interested in licensing a whole bunch of our kids designs to use for her Minky company. Minky couture was established back in 2009 and is based in Utah. Minky Couture focusses on creating minky products and they carry a large collection of super soft blankets in their online shop and also sell their products in local shops.

What I love about their products is that these blankets are available in different sizes. From babies to grannies, there is something suitable for all peeps. They also have lot’s of prints to choose from so they serve a broad audience here. You can even customize your blanket, how perfect is that? We were very happy to see the result from our collab sent to our inbox. Such beautiful images. We love how the bunnies, hedgehogs and sloths make a perfect gender neutral set. We licensed our blue and pink clouds too, to get things gender specific, perfect for when you need a baby shower gift or when you’re expecting. Or just order one for yourself. You can never have enough soft blankets in your home. You know I’m right! Cuddle up in these on those cold winter nights, or use them during summer nights out on the porch.

We are pretty happy about the result and we’re waiting to receive our own batch of samples delivered to our doorstep tomorrow. Can't wait to feel those soft fabrics ourselves! If you’d like to win one of these blankies go to our website and sign up to our newsletter. Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner of one of these cool minky blankets.



If you are interested in licensing our designs for your business and wanna find out what we can do for you? Please, send us a message and let’s chat! We’ve also written a short step by step guide for you if you are a little shy and new in the business.

Little Smilemakers Studio Moved // New Address

Finally we're all settled in and ready to focus on work again instead of scoring that perfect ochre carpet, shopping for some lush green in one of our local shops in our new street, or searching for that perfect cabinet to hold the printer we only use for doing taxes. Anyway it is back to work again! And we have moved into the best place to do so.

The new studio is located within an old swimming pool building. The facade has it’s original Art Deco detailing and signing from 1920. Back then the swimming pool was the largest in-house pool in Europe. But it closed up in 1995. 5 years ago De Nieuwe Regentes opened it’s theater doors. There is a main stage, built above the old swimming pool. Under this main stage area is the 'under water' area, still in tact. With it's old tiles and diagonal floor. This is an area for presentations and also used for art exhibits. You can still see the showers and changing rooms, original details are still there, making the place one of a kind. The building has transformed into a cultural hotspot and new parts were added to the old structure.

"4 years ago, I started doing volunteer work in the theater. Working from my home was driving me bonkers and I needed to be around people. I work as a volunteer, behind the scenes on our kids mornings. And I love being around the creative buzz that is constantly going around. So when my colleague asked me if I would like to move into the building with the studio everything screamed YES!"

We are working in the old changing area that is turned into three offices. As you can imagine, working inside of a theater can be hectic. Suddenly a woman starts to sing opera, practicing for her performance later that day. Kids run around finding their way to our weekly toddler concerts. Watching dance rehearsals during lunch break. Every day is different. And that is exactly what is needed to keep creatively inspired.

Feel welcome to visit us in our new office! We have a great tearoom to host and meet up with clients and some proper coffee to get you through the day. Or check the the website to see what's going on in the theater.

3 Must-Reads for starting up your design business

This month it will be three years ago since I started Little Smilemakers Studio. I have studies and read numerous books and magazines to stay up to date about social media and making my living doing what I love. There are three books that have helped me with the little bugs and errors that come with setting up your own independent creative business. I was lucky to have had 7 years of experience before starting my company so I already had a clear view of what I wanted and especially what I didn't want. But there is no way to oversee it all. There three books have been a great addition.

1 // Mollie Makes Blogging
This is not a book but a magazine all about blogging, social media and how to deal with creative content online. The magazine has great tips for transforming your blog and website into a great visual experience for followers, simple tools to keep in mind while posting content and it has a great overview of all social media pro's and con's. Find out what works best for you and build your creative blog with a steady foundation.



2 // Handboek voor het opzetten van een ontwerp praktijk
I already bought this book before starting my own business. It is a good preparation for what is to come when you do not have a lot of experience in design practice. This book contains all practicalities you will have to worry about while setting up a new business. How to attract clients and how to deal with contracts and numbers. The guide to start your own design business. The book is only available in Dutch.

3 // Art Inc
A guide for building your career as an artist and was written by Lisa Congdon, created by her own experience as an artist. This book is all about turning your skills into a successful business. The book has some great tips about dealing with irregular income, protecting copyright and you can also learn about promoting your artwork, work with creative galleries and selling your art.