New collection: Recharge // Botanical Pop // New fabric and Wallpaper & Art License available // Tropical destinations turned into a new colorful collection of surface pattern designs

Spring is such an inspiring time of the year. I live in a four season country and even though I am an autumn child I do prefer the warmer seasons. Actually the only season I do not like is winter. But the cold comes with crisp clean, sober ease as well. Anyway back to spring. Where the flowers blossom and the trees turn green again. The time of the year to release a whole bunch of new tropical print designs.

During the winter I usually travel to a tropical country. I go somewhere lush and warm. I have visit Indonesia, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, all during Dutch wintertime. And past winter I traveled through Vietnam, where I got the botanical buzz. When I got back home early January I just had to sit down and create. Make a new series of botanical prints. And this time with a strong palette of colors that pop. Usually I just don’t have enough time and sit down and make an entire new collection when I get back in the studio after my month long winter break. It is all about responding to new emails, picking up new custom work for clients. But this time I just needed to create, I put all my inspiration, everything collected from those tropical destinations into the new tropical series. With as always a little touch of childhood.

We now have some gender neutral botanical pop garden prints available on fabric but we also added some kids themes, dinosaurs, flamingo’s to cover our tiniest target group too. Curious to see all prints? Check out our Spoonflower shop and enjoy the entire new collection! If you are interested in licensing one of these new designs, or any other print designs you see pop up in our social media posts and online shops. Please reach out and send us an email for more information about using our designs for your products.

Finished work // Theater Rotterdam

Last fall the studio received an email from an exciting new client. Actually it was the first company I worked for as a graphic designer while I was doing an internship, when I was still eager to become a designer and didn’t have a clue what I was doing, most of the time… I was working here for 6 months.

Theater Rotterdam contacted me to license some illustrations for a kids production ‘Crazy but True’ by Ant Hampton performing in their theater mid-December. An interactive performance magnifying how kids can form their own reality. The flyer and posters were designed to show random facts using typography supported by illustrations.

We are very happy with the lovely result of these graphic items. The typography and illustration color palette with a deep blue, soft pink and white are a strong combination, fresh and fun without getting ‘too young’. We love the result. And we also love performance art, so hopefully there will be more exciting things to work on for Theater Rotterdam in the future.

Sources of inspiration // A playful mind in business

As you know Little Smilemakers Studio targets their designs on the children’s market mainly. Most of our designs are triggering those little ones fantasy and we love to see the joy on our tiny customers faces when they get to wear on of our designs or see our prints in their home and on daily products.

It is not a coincidence our prints are attracting those mini humans. Play is one of our biggest inspirational triggers. Whenever you are playing with your son or daughter or playing a board game with friends or dancing around the living room butt naked singing along with some terrible cheesy song; being playful is the fuel for creation. It opens up other possibilities, views and perspectives.

Choose a crazy color of lipstick instead of sticking with your regular tone. Commute on a skateboard instead of taking the bike. Try hanging upside down next to your kid on the playground. Try new things, new places, new food, and open up your senses to explore to the fullest.

Unfortunately most playful things are targeted on kids, but keeping an element of play present throughout your busy day will keep you energized and focused. At least that is what it does for me. It opens up new possibilities because my mind get’s distracted from my stressful studio life. Playing keeps you happy & healthy.

Play is getting more important. It is a way to reduce stress but also a way to engage. Customers choose to spend money on new experiences and making memories instead of spending their cash on stuff. It is another opportunity to reach customers and think out of the usual box. We see shops turn into concept stores with room for surprise and incorporating spaces to experience, grab a coffee and meet up, an mix of commerce and hospitality. The boundaries fade and the story behind a brand gets more important, it is not about quantity any longer. So we try to tell stories with our designs, trigger these creative souls in a playful manner. Curious to know more about how we can incorporate play into your brand? Just reach out and send us a message. We are also very curious to hear what you have to say about play. So let’s chat!

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 // March 2017

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 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 Australia, UK, The Netherlands and the USA. This month we selected a whole bunch of fresh trendy fabrics, turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories and have you seen those baby booties? There was so much to choose from! We have selected some cute baby shoes, leggings, masks and swimwear. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. This is our top 5 March selection., 
 
Tiny Little Cactus
Krista visit our shop in The Hague last month to get her hands on some of our Memphis fabric. She became a fan of our designs and a week later she ordered a whole lot more of our fabric via Spoonflower. When we asked her to tag us in her social media posts, because we are curious what peeps make from our fabric, the most wonderful items popped up. We love anything cute and love this local webshop filled with crafty stuff and everything Kawaii. For this months “Made with” we selected her adorable little baby booties in our colorful Memphis print. Soft sole shoes, perfect for your little ones tiny feet. Seriously, things don’t get much cuter than this! She has our Memphis print in both black and white in her shop but also lot’s of our other abstract designs are coming. If you are looking for some baby shoes or if you are a big Kawaii fan like we are check our her website.   
 
Ad Hoc
We were going bananas when we saw these fun eye masks made by Ad Hoc sleepwear. For their new range of masks this Australian webshop selected three Little Smilemakers prints including one of our all time favorites: Our Banana Memphis design in yellow. We love their fun range of sleep marks and pajamas for both men and women. These fun masks make a great gift for the travel addict like me. I really wanna get my hands on one of these a.s.a.p. Feel the same way? Check out their webshop. 



Bambino Mio 
The new Bambino Mio swim nappies are finally launched. For this years splashy season we made two designs that are included in their new range; Pink blush coral for girls and Memphis rain drops for boys. We have been working with Bambino Mio for a while now and we love their nappies, potty training pants and other products, making life so much easier for moms and dads. Their now have a broad range of Little Smilemakers designs in their range of products and we love to see all those cute little baby bums pop up in our feed. Check out all Bambino Mio products in their webshop. 
 
Little Eskimo
Good news for all Little Smilemakers fans down under! We found this modern lifestyle label for baby and kids over at Etsy. This Australian shop has a big collection of Little Smilemakers fabric in their cute shop full of kids clothes and accessories. We love their colorful fresh picks that are on trend. Abstracts, cool gender neutrals, lions, ice cream and many more fun prints are included into their collection. For this months blogpost we selected a cute range of girly harem pants. Aren’t they darling? Go take a look! 
 
Mama Sew Happy 
We love this small online shop full of fun, fresh fashion pieces for kids created by stay-at-home-mom Amber who runs her small business from her home in California. With a good eye for design she has created a wonderful collection of kids clothes. And she is one of our returning customers so you might have seen some of her handmade items already somewhere in our social media feed. Her style is fresh and cool and full of gender neutrals to choose from. Take a look at her shop and select your fave pieces.

Happy Valentine // Share the love and send out a romantic gesture

Little Smilemakers designs are available at several postcard and stationary companies all around the world. There is one company in Holland we are working for directly. Kaartje2Go is an online website from which you can send out a postcard to your loved one, friends or family. You can choose a design, add images and you can even upload text in your own handwriting.

Since social media took over there are not many people sending out paper postcards anymore but digital mailing services have grown ever since. It is all about that little sweet gesture. Who doesn't want to receive a little note from their loved one with Valentine's Day? I must say it has been a few years, well maybe even 10. Yes, I know how to pick some very unromantic boyfriends (working on that!) No, seriously, I am not a very big fan of the commercial Valentine's Day. But any gesture is welcome right, when you love someone? You just want to take some time and think about how to make that special one actually feel special, so we have a whole bunch of cards inspired on love available. To send to your significant other, your best friend or family member who should know they are lover.

Last year typical red and pink prints were hot sellers. Popular trends this year are minimalistic designs. Basic black and whites with color pops. A more simplistic style related to the Scandinavian trend going on in surface pattern design. But also typography is trending this year. Hand lettering with sweet notes with a little quirky touch. With a background in typography it is always nice to step aside from our daily surface pattern design routine. These hand lettered designs were made in ink and pencil. For this post we featured our less common love prints and we wanted to show you our Panda postcard. I am celebrating not having any panda point today! Yay!



So here we are featuring some of this years new trending designs for Valentine. So have your pick, browse around this years most popular postcard designs and send one to your BFF or love of your life. Not sure what to write to your loved one, family member or friend? Hallmark has come up with a series of sentences if you lack inspiration or don't know what message is appropriate. So if you do not know what to write check out Hallmark's blogpost about what to write to your valentine this year.

Top 10 New Year Resolutions from an artist // Happy New Year

A brand new year! Hopefully you have had an amazing NY eve, did some partying, cocktail drinking with friends or cuddle up with your family or loved ones. After weeks of making lists and taking time to reflect on the past year it is now time to make room for a new year. Make plans, start new beginnings and of course: new year’s resolutions!

I know every year I have a bunch of silly ones. Luckily enough I am pretty content with my life so usually my new year resolutions are not very strict, life altering or sudden. For this year I have made a series of illustrations to remind myself to stay close to who I am and what I want. They say visualizing your goals makes it easier to work towards them right? The past months have been pretty hectic, so many new things, a demanding new business, to worry about, I have to keep reminding myself to be a little more kind to myself. Add some things, remove some habits, balance my time. Here are some of my favorite new year resolutions for this year.



1 // Create something every day
As a designer this might be a little obvious but the past 6 months my days were filled with contacting customers, searching for the right people for our studio renovations, being busy learning new things to set up a new business, meeting with lawyers, trying to get money back on fabric orders, trying to resolve a ‘water’ issue, fighting for justice with a company who is handing out my designs to anyone. Well, I can go on for a while. But all this meant creating was not an option. An artists day only has 24 hours so for the new year I need to sit down and create again. Do what I love most. Start my day with a pencil in my hand. Definitely my number one resolution for the new year.

2 // Don’t work for assholes
Well, as I already mentioned above, working as an independent artists means having to deal with shitty things sometimes. Every year I try to let go of those who take advantage, are disloyal or just behaving like complete ignorant assholes, mind my vocabulary. I am pretty easy going and if you do something stupid and apologize I am pretty forgiving. Unfortunately saying sorry is a little hard for some companies. I have to remind myself: I will be fine without the drama. I rather work with people that have a heart. Bye bye!

3 // Travel
The most important thing in my life is my freedom. Starting a new business might come with some extra strings but I have to remind myself to take time to travel, soak up some new impressions. I am a worthless human being when I am trapped in a routine. I want to experience new things, challenge my own perspective. It keeps me sharp, clear, focussed and most important: inspired to create new things.

4 // Eat more ice-cream
I know right? Such a great goal! No, I don’t want to lose weight, or eat healthier. I pretty much exercise twice a week and eat pretty healthy home made food, fresh veggies, start the day with smoothies, you name it. But this past summer I went out for ice cream once! Seriously! So I do need to eat more ice-cream, treat myself a little. Don’t forget to spoil yourself sometimes!



5 // Write more
I love creating, I am not a very good writer though but I like how it organizes my thoughts and experiences. We do not take enough time to let things in. To experience to the fullest. I love writing down things to sit down and reflect. It is like taking pictures of moments. They will stay with you a little longer. I love sitting down to write blogposts but I am too busy to make them as in dept as I would like. So yes, write more, and take time to write.

6 // Go for walks
I don’t spend enough time in nature. And I love wandering around the forest, take a walk on the beach. Go out and clear my mind. So important! I do not have a significant other special peep to talk about and share my day with over dinner and I know that my mind will go get busy if there is no room to digest things. A walk in the park can do wonders. I should. I will go for a walk. Once a week. With or without company. So doing this!

7 // Smile to strangers
Don’t you hate it when someone looks at you and they try to ignore seeing you? they cannot look away any faster. Especially irritating when they know you personally. What the hell? Such a weird way of treating someone. Sometimes I can feel very lonely, I walk down a busy street. No one interacts with one another. That is definitely not me. I started smiling at strangers, just a second, a short connection can make a day a whole lot lighter. A simple smile makes such a difference. It even releases endorphins, natural painkillers people! Let's give it a try!



8 // Eat more Cheesecake
Cheesecake is my guilty pleasure. I used to meet up with my best friend over cheesecake to talk about life, and love and everything that would keep us busy. Eating more cheesecake means: spending more time with loved ones. Sit down and listen. Quality time with friends. Let's make it a priority again!

9 // Quit buying shoes
And suddenly I was and accidental shoe addict. I don’t like shopping, I don’t like trying on clothes, I don’t like brief trends and I am not someone you’ll catch shopping on a Saturday afternoon. But as a human being I kinda have to cover myself, with clothes. Somehow I always go home with new shoes. I should definitely stop buying shoes instead of clothes!

10 // Get a new kitty
Or make some room in my life for something cuddly. I have had a cat for 22 years and I miss a soft purring creature that makes my house a home. But I am also a little anxious to commit. I might have some issues with commitment nowadays. Hmmm. Get a new kitty might be the first step to healthy commitments again.

Merry Christmas // Enjoy the holidays!

It is that time of the year again when half of the world gathers and celebrates Christmas. Christmas time is always a time to look back and reflect on the past year. We have so much to be thankful about!

The past year I have registered my new company, to take a step into a different direction. Together with a partner we are setting up a brand new shiny studio and a shop. So many things are happening! And what a great fruitful year it has been for the studio. We have worked for companies all over the world. Have seen our designs pop up in Canada, Australia, and we added South Africa and Brazil to our list of countries we do business with. 2016 was a fun year but also had some bumps in the road. We discovered a crazy lot of misuse of our designs, and struggled with a representing company not fighting on our behalf. We said goodbye to a 10 year business collaboration but in the end it will only give me and my business the freedom to stay close to the heart, create and make other people happy with our designs.

So we hope you can look back to a great and successful and most of all joyful year. Go enjoy the holidays! And take some time to reflect on where you are. Merry Christmas!

Fall fabric Hot Sellers // Spoonflower

As a country girl I used to play outside a lot and enjoy the change of seasons. From lush green leaves to bright red, orange and yellow. I enjoyed playing out in the windy fall weather. Hiding out in a big pile of crisp leaves, dancing in a puddle of mud. I loved playing outside, see birds build their nests and take care of their little ones. Me and my bestie took long hikes to spot little animals. Rabbits, owls and an occasional fox. And after the summer we would wear our rain boots to walk through the cornfields to see crops grow.

These little parts of my childhood are a great source of inspiration. The little girl hiking in her own Alice in Wonderland fantasy land, where oak trees came alive and little birds would turn into dinosaurs, well everything could turn into a dinosaur or a unicorn of course, those happy moments still inspire me creating seasonal designs.

Fall might just be my favorite season. It is all about starting new things and a time to reflect. Stay in, find your way around the house again and maybe improve small things to make it feel like home again. I noticed the past few weeks a lot of DIY fans have started their new projects. Sales are up and it is time to make some new warm fashion items and fun home decor textiles to spice up the interior. A great way to start this colder season.

We have seen an increase in lighter and gender neutral color schemes. And this season we have more halloween and winter sales. We are all ready to look ahead and show you the latest trends at Spoonflower. Fun fabric for the colder season. This is our top 5 hot sellers this fall.



1 // Pastel Feathers
No matter what season, our feathers keep selling. The pastels and the black color scheme form a light crisp contrast to the background. This 2-directional repeat has been very popular for baby and toddler fashion items but also very suitable for home decor. This soft design has little Aztec detailing and small arrows. Our most popular color combo still is a hotseller.

2 // Hedgehogs
We adore hedgehogs. Those adorable animals that are so damn hard to cuddle with. So we made some designs for our fabric range so you can cuddle! We have several different color schemes but this year we see an increase in gender neutrals. The black and whites with a hint of color are trending.

3 // Indian Animals
We love to see this print being picked up. For an exclusive range we designed some indian animals that were never licensed so we put them up on Spoonflower a while ago and didn’t see many sales then, but obviously the print is crazy popular this year. Happy to see this design picked up by so many enthusiastic crafters, it is one of our faves this year as well.

4 // Textured Pumpkins
In Holland we don’t have much of a ‘pumpkin’ culture. My first taste of pumpkin was in the States when I was 16 i travelled to Atlanta where my host made me a pumpkin pie. Loved it! It was early October and the US was preparing for halloween. Shops were all orange and I got to see a little of the halloween madness. This year we have seen an increase in halloween themed sales. But the pumpkin is by far our most popular one since it it also cute for fall in general. Oh, and I loved the pumpkin pie. Still hooked!

5 // Geometric Polar Bears
For the second year in a row the polar bears a very popular theme in the shop and we notice lot’s of people are already ordering winter fabric for their new range of clothes. This gender neutral Bears have been very popular the past year but the trend is still growing. Happy to see these white babies get so much love out there!

Pura Vida Collection // Sweet jungle animals // Costa Rica jungle designs for fabric

Five years ago I traveled to Costa Rica, the country was number one on my bucket list of places to visit for a long time so when I finally saved up enough money I couldn’t wait to see all the lush green parks and quirky animals.

As you know I love traveling and whenever I come back from a trip the first thing I do is create new work. Usually I have been on the road for weeks and during my trips I never get around to create anything, I do however collect scribbling and sketches, little thoughts and notes. So when I come back my head explodes, it is full of fresh ideas. But 5 years ago I didn’t make any time creating a full collection of prints after my trip to Costa Rica and while I was cleaning out my photo’s when my new computer arrived in the studio I found all these images of sloths, snakes and wonderful wild life, beaches, corals and national parks. And those fresh fruit! Pineapples, banana’s and papaya’s. I got that itch again. Something needed to be done!

I finally sat down and created an entire Pura Vida series of fabric this year. Inspired by my trip and inspired by my Costa Rican muse who reminded me to revisit this inspirational journey. I hope you enjoy how this collection has turned out. We created some sloth designs, sweet baby snakes, fish and a mix of tropical birds of this lush green paradise. Of course lot’s of green shades and colorful bright colors for fall and winter.



All designs featured in this post can be found in our Spoonflower online fabric shop where we offer our designs on 16 different textiles and wallpaper. If you have trouble choosing the right fabric for your project check out our Spoonflower frequently asked questions post. And do reach out if you need another scale for your project, we are happy to add an extra scale to the shop for you.

If you would like to license one of the designs for your business, please send us an email or take a look at the website for more information.

Happy Kingsday Dutchies // Koningsdag 2016

In a few days time the entire country will turn orange again while Dutch people celebrate Kingsday. On the 27th of April Holland celebrates the birthday of our King. All shop windows, supermarked candy and fashion boutiques show off their orange collection this week. Slowly everything will turn into orange. If you are visiting Holland during this period for the first time make sure you know what to do, how to behave and what to wear.

Fleamarkeds and under age street musicians
Kingsday is the day to get rid of old junk. It is the only day of the year where you can get rid of old toys and worn down clothes and actually make money. Street musicians are everywhere sometimes 5 year old kids are playing in the street earn a little something and small games and activities are created to bring in some change to spend on candy the next day. During Kingsday most of the shops are closed. It is the biggest and most celebrated holiday of the country so businesses are shut down so everyone can celebrate this quirky day. Even the entire Royal family is out in the town to celebrate, have a drink and take part in typical Dutch games.

Beer & Orange
If you decide to celebrate Kingsday make sure you don't walk the streets on a empty stomach. Beer is served everywhere but you can see groups of people in the streets and parks drink from their own stash too, they will offer you drinks and before you know it you are struggling to stay on your feet even though it's only 2 in the afternoon.
If you like to be ridiculed on the street you should not wear orange. You will be the joke of town. Make sure you add something orange to your wardrobe. Groups of drunk Dutchies can be very enjoying when they decide you are not wearing enough of this national color. Spray paint your hair, add some orange lipstick or get yourself a cheap orange t-shirt that can be bought in every single clothing shop in the days leading to this party. If it is not over the top orange, it is not good enough!

Where to go?
Kingsday is celebrated in every city and every small town. If you are up to big parties do celebrate this day in Amsterdam. One huge mass of people will turn the city into one giant party. If you like a party but want a little escape go celebrate Kingsday in the South, Brabant. My all time favorite place in Breda. The city center turns into a dance party around noon and if you like to escape the people you can walk to the city park, do some vintage (junk) shopping and grab a drink just outside of the city center where terraces are a little more quiet.
Not good with masses of people? Go visit a small town and see how locals entertain themselves with typical Dutch games and activities on the street. Here are some very typical and interesting activities you might bump into.

Koekhappen - Cookie biting game
Your hands will be tied on your back and without any help you will have to eat and finish this traditional dutch baked cookie that is hanging on a rope just above your head. If you win, finish the cookie first, well, it is all about the honor...

Spijkerpoepen - Nail pooping game
As a kid this was my favorite game. A string holding a nail will be tied around your waist. The nail will be hanging from your back in between your legs. You will have to try and get the nail into the narrow neck of a bottle. It sounds easy but it's hard work!

Zaklopen - Walking the bag
This game is very popular among kids. You will have to crawl into an empty potato bag and run track. Walking in a bag is not easy and can be very painful and I won't recommend it. I sure don't want to break a leg during Kingsday but if you want to take the challenge, I did warn you!

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // April 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, UK, France and Poland. This month we selected a whole bunch of adventurous boys themes. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. This is our top 5 for April.

Hen House Apparel
Nicole is a mother of two boys living in sunny California who runs a small etsy shop with organic materials and unique prints. You can find a small selection of our designs in her shop, mermaids, guitars, polar bears and our cool umbrella rain design. With our umbrella print she has made some cute boys leggings and these are also available in her shop in different sizes. Take a look and enjoy her fun collection of leggings, shorts, head bands and more.

Sew Kuddly
A few weeks ago some cute lions popped up in our Instagram feed. Jasmin is based in Hertfordshire, UK and handmakes boys and girls clothing using cute, fun and trendy patterns. For this months 'made with' we selected her adorable lion leggings, one of our favorite designs exclusively made for Hemmers/Itex Germany. Jasmin also has some of our other baby animals in her shop. Curious? Take a look and get your little one a pair of these!



Madkouch
We have been working with Morgane for a little while now. Morgane is the driving force behind
Madkouch Boutik a colorful French webshop for kids clothing. She had licensed our tropical tucan, hot air balloons and inky texture cactus design. For this post we selected this cute cactus baby romper from the boys western collection. This cactus fabric is also available as harem pants, leggings, shirt and for adventurous girls: there is also a dress available! If you are looking for girls clothes, do check out the tropical toucan collection. We are so in love with this range too! Take a look into her shop, and check out all products.

Baby & Mother Poland
One of our favorite prints is our our dino palm tree design. A while ago we licensed this design to a company in Poland that has a whole bunch of Little Smilemakers designs available on fabric. if you are located in Eastern Europe this is a great shop to score some of our original design per meter. Take a look!

RoJo Apparel
Rose started her shop because she was having a hard time finding stylish things for her son Joshua (such a beautiful name!). She started out making bow ties but soon expanded her Etsy shop with clothing. For this monthly 'made with' post we selected her geometric dino t-shirts. We just simply fell in love with these cute little boys and had to have her in this April feature. Take a look at her shop for some stylish boys and girls clothes.

Announcement for our Shutterstock customers // Enhanced Commercial license only available directly

Almost 10 years ago I joined Shutterstock as a contributor. Starting out with a few abstract and urban photographs and textures but soon changed into uploading vectors: illustrations and pattern designs only. A lot has changed in print. Things have gotten more digital and the demand for designs for commercial purpose grew.

Our Shutterstock portfolio has been a great way to showcase our designs and we still upload some artwork every now and then. It has been a great way to built up a steady business, generate a base income and exposure.

The past year a lot of things have changed in the enhanced license agreement. Our designs are usually made from vector. So it is easy for customers to edit and change colors and adjust the prints to use them for their products. Which we love. But it also means it is easy to download the files without the right license and have a high quality file without paying the proper fee. Unfortunately that happened a lot.

Misuse of designs
As our business and also online vector portfolio has grown bigger we noticed an increase in misuse of our designs and since we have to protect our creations we decided that from April 1st we stop selling enhanced licenses over Shutterstock, at least for now. It does not mean our designs are no longer available, we just would like to do direct business when it comes to licensing our designs for commercial use, so we know every print we find out there is licensed in a legit way.

After some consideration we decided to opt out our enhanced license downloads via Shutterstock. But our entire portfolio is still available for commercial usage too. Just contact our studio directly and we will help you further.

Newbee in licensing?
If you are new in licensing designs we are also happy to give you more info about our standard and commercial licenses. We also have in-house expertise to guide your business through the process of production, can adjust colors, scales and detailing and of course with our 10 year experience we are on top of the trends. So don't hesitate and send us a message.

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.

Black and white and soft pale // Hot Selling fabric 2015

Little Smilemakers designs usually are colorful prints on a white surface. The past few weeks we have been redecorating the Little Smilemakers Studio office and put up some pale nude powder tone prints. Whites make colors pop and there is no other color that creates a more peaceful environment to work in. I was inspired by numerous visits to art galleries and museums that always present art on clean fresh white walls. But the winter also brings a clean crisp vibe into the office. The powder white snow, the softened sounds absorbed by the thick layer of snow. During the winter I always feel the need to make my surroundings more calm.

After redecoration the studio I felt like holding on to the new calm color scheme of the work place. I decided to make an entire series of designs that would be gender neutral. The prints and patterns that are being sold as gender neutrals are usually based on soft pastel tones of green and yellow. Since I am not a big fan of both colors I decided to make an entire series of with fresh whites contrasting blacks and shades of gray and beige. Little Smilemakers designs usually contain numerous bright colors. It has been a challenge but also very mindful to work with only white, black and shades of earthy tones. Imagine the number of colors that usually are used in the prints. I did not have to worry about a color scheme for a change. It was all reduced to the basics and focus was on the composition and detailing more that on working with a certain color scheme. A relief!

This month I was also arranging a baby shower for one of my best friends and it strikes me that gender neutral prints, wallpapers, home decor items and fabrics are so hard to find since there are enough creative artists working on the theme. I hope with this series of designs there is enough to choose from for decoration your soft neutral nursery.



Reducing colors might be useful in the gender neutral theme but I still love to work with bright strong colors. But if you are looking for more beige and gray tones, we have an entire collection ready to be produced on fabrics. Geometric abstracts, woodland animals, Indian summer themes and many more. So check out the shop. All designs will be added to our collection first week of March so stay tuned!

Little Smilemakers fabric // New Spoonflower fabric // Scandinavian style animals and gender neutral kids themes

We have some new awesome fabric in our Spoonflower shop. And we upload around 60 designs each month. We already have over a 1200 designs up in the shop. So many designs to choose from! So from now on we will have a new monthly feature here on the blog. We will feature new designs and trending themes so you have a better view about what's happening and what's new.

This month we would like to show you some new Scandinavian style themed designs in gender neutral colors. Black and whites, shades of gray and beige. We have worked on new grizzly bears. The one featured here is available in 4 different color schemes. Bright blue, pink, pastels and this gender neutral color version. From here we have created a matching arrows and crosses print in black and white.

Winter is coming closer and for the new colder season we have some new color versions of our geometric clouds fabric up in the shop and added new geometric mountain designs with little tiny snow flakes. When winter comes and visit us in europe, australia warms up again and prepares for summer. For all you Aussies we have some fun summer themes too. What about this fun gender neutral hippie bus? We are looking forward to seeing this print turned into fun kids clothes! But our very favorite new print must be the armadillo. Such a quirky animal! Which one of these new prints is your favorite?

If you are interested in purchasing one of these fabrics, here are the links to this month features fabric designs:
Grizzly bears design // Arrows and crosses design // Geometric clouds design // Armadillo country design // Fuji winter design // Hippie bus design

Happy Halloween // enjoy fright night

It's Halloween again! Are your ready for this year's fright night? Traditionally October 31 is the day to remember the dead. But nowadays it is a time to dress up and have fun. And we love to see what all our fabric customers are creating this year. Fun pumpkin leggings, black cat dresses. We have seen so many cute designs made with our Little Smilemakers Spoonflower fabric.

And even though this holiday has turned into this crazy dress up party world wide, it is also a day to remember those that passed. Enjoy this joyful holiday, celebrate and remember the life of those whom have passed and left a mark in your life or have influenced your being. Happy Halloween!

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!

The Spoonflower Handbook // DIY Guide to Designing Fabric, Wallpaper and Gift Wrap

What if learning to design fabric was as easy as messing around with pencils and paints? The Spoonflower Handbook puts surface design for fabric, wallpaper and gift wrap well within the reach of creative people everywhere.

Designing fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap used to be the stuff of dreams. Few artists ever got a chance to try it, and printing even a few yards required significant financial investment. But times have changed, and today anyone with a computer, internet connection, and idea can upload a file and, at modest cost, order their own fabric or paper, printed one yard at a time. At the forefront of this revolutionary DIY movement is Spoonflower, a North Carolina startup that produces designs for hundreds of thousands of creative people worldwide — printing 24 hours a day/seven days a week to keep up with demand.

The Spoonflower Handbook is an essential step-by-step user’s manual and project collection for this booming new creative outlet. Written for both new and experienced users of this print-on-demand technology, it covers everything from equipment to software to working with photos, scans, repeats, and vector files, and includes projects for the home and wardrobe as well as special tutorials contributed by members of the Spoonflower community.

Spoonflower began in 2007 with an idea, when cofounder Stephen Fraser’s wife, in search of fabric for curtains, casually said to her husband, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a place where you could order fabric you designed yourself?” With the Spoonflower Handbook, now all the DIYers who have ever thought about sewing their own curtains can design not only their own fabric but also their own wallpaper and gift wrap, and have it delivered right to the front door.

For this book Little Smilemakers Studio was selected as one of Spoonflower's participants. Would you like to order a copy of The Spoonflower handbook. Order this creative resource on Amazon today.

This post was originally posted on the Spoonflower blog.

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.

Silk fashion winter collection for woman // Shop Vida

The past few years I have been trying to improve my sewing skills. As a fabric designer I thought it would make sense to have a little insight about the sewing process, to understand my customers needs I had two years of sewing classes. But unfortunately I seem to have found my calling already: being a fabric designer and illustrator.

When I was a little girl I would look at my mom, she was always making lot's of home made clothes for me and my two brothers. While she was sewing I was drawing but I always wanted my mom to teach me her sewing tricks. Unfortunately she never had the chance to teach me and because I love making things by hand I thought it would be great to make my own things here in the studio. For styling photography and portfolio shoots. So two years ago I joined a sewing class, which is actually a great class. But I am not so great. I really hated the preparation, lord, all the cutting you have to do! And my eyes could not see all the thin lines so my cut out pieces of fabric were always a little off. My god I was a mess! After two years of trying I decided: "This is not for me." So I have been looking at ways to produce small scale fashion for woman. Since I already work in the fashion industry that mainly consist of designing baby, toddler and kids clothes, I wanted to have some adult pieces for my portfolio.

I came across a website called Vida, which offers designers a platform to sell tops and scarfs with their own artwork. Fashion with a cute trendy A-line cut and made from high quality silk. So if you would like one of these limited Little Smilemakers designs for this year's winter. Check out our Vida selection.