Mixing Surface Patterns with Wall Art & Fashion Prints

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

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

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

Finished Work: Thea Fashion for Kids / Boys Summer collection

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

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

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

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

The Lookbook - Aztec & Mudcloth / Abstract geometric print designs

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

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

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

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

Customer Spotlight: Kiki & Lulu / Joyful print designs for little ones

A new season a new print! Every season Kiki & Lulu has another Little Smilemakers design in their collection. This spring they launched a design that was based on one of our all-time best-selling designs.  

Kiki & Lulu is a company based in the United States. Their mission is to create joyful pieces for little ones that are high quality and beautifully manufactured. Kiki & Lulu have the most adorable PJ’s and kids pieces. Soft and comfy and always carrying colorful designs. For their beautiful range we created some wonderful print designs. We are so grateful working together and see our designs come to life. How cute is this little boy in our surf print? Pinch me! This finished piece sure deserves a spot on the blog right?

Our surf design is our non-exclusive design portfolio and was altered to match Kiki & Lulu's wishes. We changed some detailing, removed some here and added some extra illustrations there. Need some prints for your products too? You can find more info about using our designs on our website.

All you need to know about licensing print designs // A little talk about the basics of art licensing, creating a steady visual output and creating a coherent print collection

We’re already a couple of weeks into the new year and as we are finishing up some awesome new projects we made a bunch of custom designs for, it is time to plan and schedule our new exclusive design mailing. Last year we’ve welcomed over 30 new clients, and we’ve seen an increase in exclusive design buyers. With this little talk we hope to give you some insight into what we do and maybe it helps you a little figuring our how licensing print design works and what works for you and your business.


We've been on the art licensing market for almost 13 years now and I dare to say we probably have the largest portfolio of ready-made designs available. The market is getting more and more saturated so finding unique designs and using exclusive surface pattern designs is getting more and more important. Using unique designs for your brand is so very valuable for the credibility of your product towards customers. It makes you stand out from the crowd, builds trust and it lifts your product. We are passionate about creating not only a print design, but also creating a steady signature look that suits your brand. Reflecting the values and strenghts of every single business we work with. We love working with small businesses and trying to find a solution for various budgets. Design is our passion. You'll see.


Licensing artwork for your business
We have two different types of standard licensing available. If you are in need of on-trend surface pattern designs for your company and you are on a budget we have a great amount of ready-made print available in our non-exclusive library. All designs we create that are not licensed exclusively are added to this continuously growing database. At the moment we’re releasing this blog post we have over 30.000 designs available for licensing. You can find our current rates for licensing non-exclusive designs on our website. This is a great option if you’re on a budget or starting out and want to test the waters and find your own unique signature design series. The non-exclusive license comes with a standard duration for production usage of 24 months. And even though we license our designs non-exclusively we avoid licensing to competing businesses. A pretty sweet deal.

Our second licensing option is going full exclusive. This one is a little more pricey. But we always tell our customers this investment always pays back generously. A unique design is key for commercial products and selling on large scale. Most of our non-exclusive licensees grow into this license after a little while. We create new exclusive collections every season and send them out into the world in our exclusive mailing which you can also sign up for by joining our list on the website. These designs are available exclusively for a limited amount of time.


Yes you can hire us for custom projects!
We also take on custom projects. We’ve been working together with kids fashion brands for clothing, shoes, swimwear. Woman’s fashion and accessory brands. We create exclusive designs for online pet supplies and accessories. You name it, we’ve done it. The first step we take is determining what our clients wishes are. What their values are. Their target and ideal customer. Together we work on finding this unique one-of-a-kind voice for their business. For some businesses we create very minimal designs, abstracts with a Scandinavian touch in moody palettes. But we also create whimsical prints, full of fantasy and illustrations in bright popping colors for our clients that need a more playful tone in their designs. What we think is most important for our clients is finding that unique voice and translating that voice into print designs. Creating a strong one-of-a-kind coherent collection.

If you are looking for some guidance and are not yet sure how to find your way in using print designs on products we can make things a lot clearer for you. With our global client base we are always researching trends and markets all over the world, so we have a pretty good insight into what works, what doesn’t work and what trends will be coming next. Because your target’s market is constantly changing we offer free trend reports on our website to give you a general overview and give some basic insight about trends that are key for selling print-based products; how they work, if and when they are applicable to your product and what’s coming next. You can find them in our tools section and download the trend report pdf files for free. Every business is unique and so is every collab we have. We’d love to give some guidance and assist you in creating that perfect print collection.

Ready to know more? Check our website for more licensing info. Download our free trend reports. And sign up to our newsletter and receive new designs directly into your inbox and if you have any questions, please fill out the contact form so we can help you!

Finished Work: Meyadey // Eco-conscious kids fashion // Fall 2020

There have been so many new collections coming out these past weeks. And this must be one of our fave projects to work on. meyadey is a sister brand of Swedish eco-conscious kids fashion brand Maxomorra. Ever season there are new drops. And this week the new fall collection dropped. Due to Covid there was a tiny bit of a delay but the first three prints were finally released and in stores this week.

For Meyadey we create all print designs. Most of the designs are exclusively made. But since out handwriting suits the brand, we also create new prints from somewhat older illustrations. These three designs however are exclusives, made for meyadey. We start the design process a year in advance. Producing a conscious brand is not about speed, we take our time to sit doan and discuss what is important and with every collection we want to launch fun, whimsical designs in colorful palettes. These three prints are the first three of the cooler season. There are 9 more designs to go. And we can't wait to show you the rest! These new itams are now available in stores all over the world. So if you see something you like, there's a retailer in your area too.

Licensing print designs
We licensed these three prints exclusively to Meyadey. But we also license our designs non-exclusively for clients on a budget. If you'd like to know more about our licensing structures we have several different options. Want to use some of our designs on your products too? If you'd like to find out all there is to know about licensing, visit our website for all info. If you'd like to chat please fill out the contact form and lets discuss what we can do for your brand too.

New Collab: LeaRoo // Minimal prints & Earthy tones // Gender Neutral nursery textiles: A growing trend

We are very excited to share this new finished result from one of our new 2019 clients. This wonderful LA based company specializes in baby and toddler clothing and accessories. For this years winter collection we’ve licensed one of our rusty colored designs, a hot selling color this year. And we have to admit, our fave color to work with as well.

A perfect gender neutral tone. This designs was an exclusive for LeaRoo. And we love how baby nursery textile companies are brave enough to choose gender neutral designs. LeaRoo is a company that understands their customer, and they have a strong consistent visual language, their mayority of products are not specific to gender. Are we love it! Nurseries are getting more and more neutral. New parents have a more conscious gender-neutral approach. So we see an increase in use of gender neutral colors and rusty earthy tones are the trend. The prints are getting more abstract and basic and this way a simple swaddle for your new born can turn into a blankie when growing into toddler size. We love how life of simple textiles is growing and products can be used for a longer period.





As you might know already; we're loving this neutral trend and it’s been going strong for a few years now. Our minimalist style designs are great for neutral nursery items. With a hint of Scandinavian chique. The simplistic classy repeats make your nursery peaceful and contemporary. For LeaRoo’s new swaddles they licensed the featured print design back in October of last year. The design was an exclusive print to this brand and the first design they purchased. We are excited to share this super cute result. We’re looking forward seeing more of our designs in their kids collection this year.

Here in The Netherlands we don't use swaddles as much. In the US swaddles are essential for naptime during those first few months. And we're seeing more and more adorable images pop up in our Insta feed by parents who swaddle their new borns in this LeaRoo swaddle cloth. It's so cute seeing those tiny humans wrapped into our new designs.

Need designs for your products?
Looking for some exclusive designs for your brand too? Please check our website for all rates and licensing options. If you’d like some more info just fill out the contact for on our website or click here to send us a quick email.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 January 2019

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.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 December 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 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 the US, Australia and India. This month we selected a whole bunch of winter and seasonal inspired fabrics, turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories and home and interior decoration, so much to choose from! We have selected some cute tote bags, leggings and soft sole shoes. Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. This is our December top 5 selection.

1 // Daily Objects
Next to phone accessories, laptop cases and notebooks, Daily Objects now also launched a new collection of tote bags and pouches in different sizes with beautiful high quality leather detailing. We love those new totes! They make a perfect gift for Christmas. In Holland they have banned plastic bags, a cool shopper is a must. They also added some cool home decor to their range of products. Our prints are now also available on pillows. Oh yes and of course Daily Objects offers world wide shipping on their products too. Click here for their collection.

2 // Le Petit Bouton
Lisa Gillies a young mum and the owner of Le Petit Bouton. Like many new mums, she was madly searching for items for her little girl that were unique, on trend, and made with beautiful fabric and she was getting frustrated at not being able to find exactly what she wanted. That is why she decided to start her fun shop, stocking gorgeous little girls hair clips, hair ties and headbands using beautiful designer fabrics and organic knits. Our little reindeer girls have also been added to her webshop for this holiday season. Her products are perfect for special occasions, party favors, birthdays, baby showers, new arrivals, school, stocking fillers...the list goes on! Baby skyler is modeling her fun products. Such a cute little girl! Take a look at her shop if you want to get your hands on one.

3 // Olive the Things
For our seasonal ‘Made with’ post we selected a cute reindeer sweater. One our our personal favorites for this jolly season. This Utah based shop offers a great selection of soft sweaters, hoodies, shorts and other cool kids items. of you are looking for some cozy pieces for your little one, this is the place. take a look at their Etsy shop and check all fun mix & match pieces.



4 // Hazel & Holly
We love these cute Origami Santa leggings. Perfect leggings for the holiday season right? And suitable for both boys and girls. This Washington based shop offers handmade kids clothes has a wonderful collection of seasonal fashion for kids. We have created some new Christmas themes that were selected for her new range. Leggings, skirts, beanies. Check them all in her Etsy shop.

5 // Little Pitterpat
Every month a new set of soft soles pops up in our feed. Little Pitterpat has been using our designs for over two years now and we keep loving the way our fabrics are turned into the most adorable baby and toddler shoes. These soft soles baby shoes are made by hand in Sharies studio in Montana. For this months 'Made with' post we selected their Grizzly Bear Ski Slope print. One of our fave designs suitable for both boys and girls and we know how handy those gender neutral items can be. Looking for a baby shower gift? These cute shoes make a great present. So take a look into her shop if you want to have a pair of these. She has over 500 different items, yes lot's of different prints as well, to choose from.

New Work // Halloween fabric collection

Fright night is coming! And we are preparing for a night filled with spook and yikes! We just had to add another batch of designs for this year's halloween. We added a series of skulls for both boys and girls. Some geometric halloween animals that are just to die for. Super cute as I may say to myself...

and of course some witches, vampires and scary shizzle is now up in our Spoonflower shop. If you would like to license some of these prints for your business just reach out and send us a quick message. 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 our fabric customers are creating this year. Fun pumpkin leggings, black cat dresses. We've seen some cool pupkin dog accessories pop up. So many cute creations 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!