Customer Spotlight: Buckle Me Baby - Print designs for PJs

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

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

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

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

Pride designs - Queer inspired designs / Free for Commercial usages

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finished work: Days of Gold - Day Care in the Woods - Logo Design

Rainbows & Sprinkles has been one of our long term clients. We created hundreds of prints for Lucy’s sportswear brand. Last year we created a logo for her basic line of sports pieces before she decided to change course and sell her business. While creating designs we discussed our mutual love for animals and her biggest dream was to be surrounded by animals all day. In the summer of 2023 she found a large plot of land with stables, horses, right up the hills and surrounded with woods. She decided to change everything and start a Day Care. A place to grow up and play surrounded by nature and animals. 

We were so sad to see her leave Rainbows and Sprinkles, but she’s such an inspiration. She turned her life around and has worked on opening up her day care for months. For her new business we created a brand new logo design reflecting the surroundings of her new Nature day care: Days of Gold. We created some really crisp clean cut designs, freehand logo’s and some designs with badges reminding us of the scouts. Did you join them when you were a kid?

As a kid I grew up in the country side with lots of space to play. Take care of animals, build bridges over streams and little huts. So this logo was a fun piece to create. Something I could personally relate to. Here we’ll explain the logo designing process, so you can have a little insight on how we work. In case you need something for your branding swell.

Step 1: The Business Before we start we want to know everything about the business. Is it already ‘out there’ as an established brand? What are the core values. Some insight about the philosophy is key to create something that really connects. A logo should reflect your brand in a flash. What makes you different than others in your branch. We ask all the questions before even making a quote. For Days of Gold it was a smooth process since we know Lucy personally. This step was quickly taken. But most people we create logo’s for need some time figuring this out first. And we are happy to guide and assist when you still need to find out your business identity. It’s all part of the branding.

Step 2: Who’s your customer For Days of Gold we knew it would not be attracting the usual parent. Playing outside in the mud all day is a little different than your usual day care. Knowing your customer is really important. You have to understand what it is they’re looking for and what connects them to your brand.

Step 3: The Quote We have several packages for logo design and branding. Some of our customers just look for a catchy visual that sticks. Some want the whole shebang with a website and all the graphic elements attached to branding. This particular job was reduced to a logo design only to start with.

Step 4: The Design process When we have a clear agreement and laid down the basics above we start the design process. Usually this starts with a brainstorm and a free sketch routine in which shapes, notes and illustrations are put down on paper. For some designs we create everything by hand on paper. So did we for the first drafts. From there we translate those sketched onto the computed and create new vector sketches in Adorable Illustrator. For every logo design process we create a minimum of 3 design options, and branding directions, to choose from.

Step 5: The first presentation In our first presentation we put all sketches we made and create a story on how the design was developed. And how it involved during the process. Resulting into three proposals that are ready to use. We create some mock-ups and color versions for each proposal and explain why we made certain design decisions. Because it’s not all drawing. A logo design has an entire philosophy attached that will lift up your business. And normally you can’t see that in a blink. So we create a little guidance so a design makes sense for everyone.

Step 6: An hour of tweaks In our pricing we include an hour of changes after the first presentation. Usually it only takes some small tweaks. For Lucy, it was almost an immediate go on the first draft. She chose the circular logo. Easy to use as a badge on clothing and versatile. the premises also has a glamping on it, so with this shape we could also expand to logo versions per business. For this project we didn’t even need that extra hours but for some projects we need some more time to tweak and adjust.

Step 7: Payment In case you haven’t worked with us before. We never send out any finished artwork before we get paid. After we receive our payment in full we wrap things up.

Step 8: Finishing Up The last step is creating files that are workable for our clients. We have clients that need different types of files and versions. We all include those. Logo files for web. Logo files in high resolution for print. And Pantone colors. If you work on an entire branding project with us this is the moment we can go further and talk website & graphic items.

Need a logo for your new start-up or project? Or does your business need a re-vamp? We would love to take on your branding. Check our website for more info & rates. You can contact us there directly by filling out the contact form.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 March 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 you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives that use our fabrics have small home-based businesses sell their projects via the internet and tag us via Instagram. But there are also some bigger fish out they're 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 romper, 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 if you want to follow this brand new small business.

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

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection of designs, 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 if you check Instagram for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives that use our fabrics have small home-based businesses and sell their projects online and tag us via Instagram. But there are also some bigger fish out they're 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 the United States, Russia, and Italy. This month we selected a whole bunch of favorite fabrics turned into the most gorgeous items. We selected some fall accessories and kids fashion pieces. And a cool DIY project. Take a look and see if there is something for you too. Have a look and enjoy our August selection.

1 // My Eclectic Nest
The beautiful Brooklyn based Tiffany is one of our fave interior bloggers. She lives in Williamsburg and on her blog and Insta she shows us here beautiful family home full of character and color. Her blog is a great source of inspiration and filled with DIY projects. Our yellow Cranes fabric was used for this beautiful table setting including custom napkins, wonderful cutlery and plates. She used our fabric to up-cycle her dining room chairs and we love how they turned out. With a little mix and match she shows us how to create a fun and inviting table for guests. Read more on her blog about this Spoonflower project.

2 // Mamapapa
Mamapapa has finally launched their Autumn Winter range with our Little Smilemakers prints. I think we’ve been waiting for almost a year to see the result of our collab. And we are so excited to see what’s been made with our prints! For their new collection they licensed 6 designs and turned them into the most adorable baby rompers and sleepwear. We love how our Minimal Spots turned out on these new born baby rompers! We also licensed a bunch of other designs, so if you are curious take a look on their website and browse all prints and styles.



3 // Pipolli
We wanted to show you this cool puppy teepees. And we stumbled upon this brand a few years ago. Pipolli creates fun dog accessories. And we especially like the dog teepees they offer. The cactus print was licensed to Pipolli a while ago already but we couldn’t resist sharing this pug with you. So cute right? So if you are looking for a fun doggie hang out or blanket check their website and see what they got to offer.

4 // Stella & Lu
The colder season is coming so it is time to grab some new warm blankies! Well, they’re pretty convenient for these cool Indian summer nights already too. Whitnie and Jes own this fun business selling all things soft for your little one. For the new season they have selected a bunch of our designs for our new collection. We especially love the Minimal Universe pieces they created. Inspired by the moon. Our copper rainbows, cotton flowers and moon phase are now available in their shop.

5 // Wolves of Wellington
We’re obsessed with all the fun dog accessories our fabric is used for. Wolves of Wellington is based in New Zealand and we love their fun pup products. Dog collars, harnesses, leashes, you name it, they have it. In a bunch of fun prints and styles. For this months Made With we selected our monochrome crosses that were used for their dog bandanas. How cute is that pup? Right? Here’s the link to their website, in case you NEED to order.

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

It is so exciting to see a finished project after working hard on a new collection of designs, 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 if you check Instagram for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers prints. Most creatives that use our fabrics have small home-based businesses and sell their projects online and tag us via Instagram. But there are also some bigger fish out they're 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 Germany, the United States, UK, and Canada. This month we selected a whole bunch of favorite fabrics turned into the most gorgeous items. We selected some breezy summer creations; summer dresses, baby rompers, skirts and more. Take a look and see if there is something for you too. Have a look and enjoy our July selection.

1 // KRZA
I can’t believe we didn’t feature Krystle's creations on our blog before! She’s been making girls accessories and fashion for years and has been a loyal customer of ours ever since we started selling our designs through Spoonflower. This summer she added a bunch of new Little Smilemakers designs to her shop like the jellyfish and panther print we featured here. We love her light and clean photography that reflects her style and creations perfectly. We love how she mixes texture and soft tones. A proper eye for pretty! And, if you love what you’re seeing, face it… how can you not?… Krystle also opened a brand new side business with home accessories! Enough reasons to give her a little shout out this month. Take a look at her shop and enjoy!

2 // Harlz & Haven
Socks, headbands, scrunchies, swaddles. Emma has the perfect newborn and baby shower gifts in her small online shop. Like lots of our mommy customers, Emma was frustrated and couldn’t find what she was looking for when she became a mom, affordable, on trend quality pieces. So she decided to create her own kids' accessories. This month we featured her handmade pink grid headbands made in mommy & girls sizes. Such an adorable image right? We’re so lucky to have so many cute things pop up on our feed every month! Take a look at Emma’s website for all fun items she has to offer.





3 // Bitty Bambu
Looking for some breezy summer dresses for your little girl? We found our watercolor palm leaves in the new Bitty Bambu Summer Collection. Taryn creates romantic kids fashion inspired by Hawaiian nature. We love these Indian summer vibes! Take a look at the shop to find more cute dresses!

4 // Thea Fashion for Kids
This German clothing boutique has a soft spot for clean Scandinavian designs. We stumbled upon their creations on Instagram and we are totally hooked ever since. Our ice cream, train, and abstract bubble mint prints were used for the 2018 summer collection. And this year our Sunny Day design was added to the collection. Time to show the new creations! Thea offers adorable kids items, t-shirts, dungarees, sun hats and lot’s more. So if you are based in Germany take a look in her shop.

5 // Olli the Cocker
Who of you has a little furry bestie? If you have one of these furry friends you know how hard it is to find cute on-trend puppy accessories. The past few years we’ve been working together with a bunch of online pet stores and our Spoonflower fabric keeps popping up on cute creations like this Happy Birthday bandana. This woofwear bandana is not for sale anymore. But we have some cute collars and haresses available at Poppy + Ted and Pawsome Paws has some cute bandanas and other accessories as well. Wanna make your own bandana? Check our Spoonflower shop for all prints and choose your fave! You can find all prints in there features in this months Made With post.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 July 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 Canada, Germany, UK and The United States. This month we selected a whole bunch of summer faves turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, woman’s accessories and fun dog accessories, so much to choose from! We have selected a some cool bags, some on trend kids items and some creations made for you four legged friend! Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. Have a look and enjoy our July selection.

1 // Daily Objects
Next to phone accessories, laptop cases and notebooks, Daily Objects now also launched a new collection of tote bags, hand bags, laptop sleeves and pouches in different sizes with beautiful high quality leather detailing. We love those new bags! They make a perfect birthday gift. In Holland they have banned plastic bags, so a cool shopper is a must but this Love bag must be our fave. 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 // Thea Fashion
This German clothing boutique has a soft spot for clean Scandinavian designs. We stumbled upon their creations on Instagram and we are totally hooked ever since. Our ice ream, train and abstract bubble mint prints were used for the summer collection. They offer adorable kids items, t-shirts, dungarees, sun hats and lot’s more. So if you are based in Germany take a look in their shop.



3 // Bambino Mio
We love seeing those tiny human butt cheeks pop up in our feeds. After working for Bambino Mio the past year finally we can see the result of our hard work. The new swim nappies were launched this summer. Perfect for those warm summer days, and much more comfy than those regular diapers. Breathable and soft. We love how these whales turned out. These and more prints are now available. Check their website for all local retailers world wide.

4 // Tough Little Piggies
We love soft sole shoes. Perfect footwear for those tiny feet crawling around the room. Protecting those tiny toes. Tough Little piggies is a small shop that specializes in flexible soft sole shoes for those little ones. The soles have a little extra grip, making those first steps a whole lot easier. For this months made with post we selected our cacti print. Perfect for summer! Take a look in Ashly’s shop to browse all cute models.

5 // Le Big Dog Couture
Did you know we had a canine helper in the studio the past week? We had to take care of one of our friends super adorable pup. So we wanted to add a little dog to our monthly post. This months we selected a fun shop specializing in dog bows and bandanas. We love the fun colorful range of prints and selected one our our most recent fave summer designs: the parasol print. Isn’t it adorable? Take a look at the shop for more cool bandanas and dress up your pup with a splash of color.

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.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 May 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 Australia and The United States. This month we selected a whole bunch of summer faves turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories and fun dog accessories, so much to choose from! We have selected a some cool summer leggings, some on trend kids swim wear and some creations made for you four legged friend! Take a look and see if there is something for your little one too. Have a look and enjoy our May selection.

1 // Waggin’ Tails
Our fabric gets used for all kinds of fun projects and used by various creative businesses. We love seeing our fabric being used for pet accessories. So seeing these cool images pop up in our feed made us all excited. Holden the Golden is wearing his super adorable kawaii ice cream bandana. The colors really look good on him right? We love seeing these kind of finished projects pop up. It makes me wanna run to the shelter and get myself a pup too. Curious to see more Waggin’ Tails handmade accessories and wanna get you hands on this cool summer bandana? Check the shop.

2 // Little Eskimo
We love the summer season and all those cute summer pieces popping up in our feed made with colorful summer themed fabric. These fun new born leggings were made by Little Eskimo, a small Australian shop filled with baby and toddler essentials. She offers a great selection of Little Smilemakers designs on beanies, bibs, blankets, rompers and a whole bunch more fun baby and toddler items. And new prints are up in the shop every few months. So for all you down under looking for fresh and fun kids wear, take a look!



3 // Pipolli
We wanted to show some more pet related items this month. And we stumbled upon this brand a few years ago. Pipolli creates fun dog home accessories. And we especially like the dog teepees they offer. The cactus print was licensed via Shutterstock when we still licensed our prints through this company. We love the companies fun style, Scandinavian minimal and on trend. So if you are looking for a fun doggie hang out or blanket check their website and see what they got to offer.

4 // Clamfeet
Those tiny soft soles. Only the cutest feet can wear these! Looking for some soft and comfy footwear for your little one? You might wanna check out this shop. They create the most adorable printed soft sole shoes. They are super soft and all handmade by Julie, who was inspired to create these after struggling to find suitable shoes for hew little boys. Her soft sole shoes are all vegan and easy to wash and dry. Very important! Tiny feet like puddles and mud! She also offers these cool prints in adult sizes, so you can mix and match with your little ones. So clever! Wanna support her little shop, take a look and see what’s there. These shoes make the most adorable baby shower gift. I know I am hooked!

5 // Quinn & Belle
This Arizona based shop has a cute range of girls fashion. Rompers, dresses, leggings and accessories, you name it. We love their colorful range. And there are lot’s of Little Smilemakers prints to choose from. This year Quinn & Belle launched their cool swimwear collection. We love the mix and match swim suits and triangle bikini’s. We love this little girl with her pineapples & monochrome grid combo. Did you know you can use the sports lycra to create swim fashion like this? if you are not that handy yourself you can always grab one of these cool swim wear pieces. Take a look in the shop.

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 Work // Milovia cloth nappies spring 2018 launch

Have you seen the new monkeys over at Milovia? We are very proud to be part of their newest collection once again. It has been a while we have made some new designs for this fun cloth nappy brand.

We started working together when they were rebranding their business. Cloth nappies were not all that common 5 years ago and their business took off and grew rapidly. From a small Polish company they grew into an international brand selling their products world wide and the company was in need of a more international name, appealing to their global customers. So they changed their name from Male me to Milovia and we have been making print designs for them every now and then.

Last year they expanded their collection with home decoration and accessories. We love seeing those pillows and blankets! How perfect is that? Your favorite prints are no longer limited to your babies bum. We are very happy to give them a little shout out here on the blog and of course we really wanted to show you this new Monkey print we made. We love seeing the end result. We hereby want to congratulate Milovia with another fresh collection. Curious and want to know more about cloth diapers? Check out their website for more info and products.

If you would like to license on of our designs for your products? Send us a quick message! Click here.

How to take care of your Spoonflower fabrics // soft and gentle care

3 Tips for prepping your Spoonflower fabrics

1 // Wash your cotton or polyester fabric before use. Unfold your fabric and wash with a phosphate-free detergent in cool or warm water using a gentle or delicate machine cycle. Wash separately or with like colors for best results. Use of phosphates in detergent is highly regulated in the USA and many other countries and is relatively uncommon. However, we encourage you to double-check your detergent prior to use.
2 // Special note for cotton fabrics: As these fabrics are surface printed with water-based inks, there is a chance of some fading (especially on darker colors.) Front loading washers are the worst offenders due to increased tumbling action during cleaning. Fading can be minimized through the use of cool water and gentle wash cycles.
3 // Tumble dry before use. Indulge your fabric in a cozy tumble dry on a low temperature.


3 Tips for ironing Spoonflower fabrics

1 // Cotton fabrics: Iron our 100% cotton fabrics using standard settings for cotton. Always iron with the printed side down for best results. Steam may be used to remove wrinkles. You'll want to avoid spraying the fabric with a water bottle while ironing because this can lead to unexpected staining.
2 // Special note for Linen Cotton Canvas Ultra: High temperature settings may cause discoloration or crushing of linen, so we recommend you use synthetic settings and a light touch.
3 // Polyester fabrics: These tend to be wrinkle resistant, but if necessary, iron with a light touch on the unprinted side of the fabric using a synthetic setting only. Do be careful with the heat as higher iron temperatures may result in color transfer and, in extreme cases, melting of fabric.

Behind the Scenes // Creative Business // Create a passive Income / Top 5 websites for artists

When I was still working as a graphic designer for a local design agency I started to upload my images on stock websites. I always loved to make photo’s and back in the day, we are talking 15 years ago, I was always carrying a camera. My archive of random street photography and abstracts was pilling up and I wanted to put those images to good use. While I was working as a graphic designer I use websites like Getty Images and iStock Photo and up until today I will have a steady base income from royalty platforms.

Passive income is very important. Without this chunk of income I would not be able to built my business. If you are starting out as an independent artist trying to monetize your work there are lot’s of places to turn to. Some websites are only looking for on trend creations, some you are welcome to sell your own original handwriting. Some just are too chaotic and you have to invest way too much time to prepare work in order to sell. I have tackled quite some websites in the past and am now happy with my small list of passive income companies I do business with. Here is a top 5 of my favorite websites to earn some extra cash.

1 // Spoonflower
If you are a surface pattern designer this website is a great way to showcase your work. You can upload your designs as .jpg files and the website is easy to navigate. You can add tag words, a short description and you can easily scale your designs, so you don’t have to worry too much about the quality you upload. Of course working with a high quality .jpg works best, that is obvious to proper designers, but you don’t have to add other scales manually. You can do that in their own system. Starting out Spoonflower can be a little bit pricey. You will have to order your own fabric samples and do a quality check and that can get a little costly. I started out selling my work through Spoonflower around 5 years ago. So my portfolio was built gradually. Seeing your first samples come in on organic cotton or silk is amazing though, and there is a lot you can do with those samples. For me this website is my number one pick.

2 // Society6
Society 6 is a website where you can sell wall art, clothes, iPhone cases, home textiles, accessories… there is so much to choose from. I love the quality of their iPhone cases and always order one of my own prints to protect my phone, a great way to start a conversation about your work, since your phone is always with you.
You can set your own price and I love how easy it is to navigate the backend. You can just prepare one file and use it for all products or you can customize your products. Whatever works best for you.

3 // Creative Market
As an artist I know creative Market is the obvious pick when it comes to passive income. I do not have a whole lot of experience with this website yet. I just started selling designs a year ago. But if you are a graphic designer it is a great way to showcase your work and get in touch with potential clients. You can upload logo designs, photography, website templates and more traditional graphic design products. You can also set your own process on this website. I love that you can have the option since some designs take a lot more effort to create then others. I would really recommend using Creative Market when you are starting as an independent designer. It is probably one of the most famous websites to purchase creative work. So your work will be exposed to people all around the globe. I see chances!

4 // Zazzle
This website has so many products listed it is madness. You can place your designs on products that will be printed by Zazzle. Since I have been selling here for a while I know all ins and outs but all those product choices can be a little bit overwhelming and you will have to invest quite some time to get some traction here. The overall style of the website is a little messy and looks a little cheaper than the clean Society6 website or stylish Spoonflower design. iI can understand this would be a no go. The website does represent your work. Something to consider. The fun thing about Zazzle is that some products are also used on tv series and in films. I found my owl iPhone case in a How I Met Your Mother episode. That sure was awesome! if you are based in the US this website is a great place to upload your content. If you are based in Europe like me you will also have to deal with tax forms and international trading laws. So inform yourself on these things before you start selling and notice it is not giving you any proper revenue due to tax regulations.

5 // Skillshare
Everyone has something to tell and something they can teach. When i hired an account manager this month I noticed all those things I could do on automatic pilot were not at all obvious for her. I had to sit down with here and while I was talking things over I realized running a creative business has let me to some skills other people are looking to learn from. Skillshare is a website where you can share those skills. You can make tutorials and monetize your creative wisdom. Talking about forms of media, targeting new clients to using Instagram for business, how to pick the right brush, creating watercolor flowers, there is so much we can all teach others. Make a list and write down all the things you need to do in order to run your business and also add your creative process. I bet there is a lot you did not realize is worth a little explanation. Teach art. Sounds like a great experience right?

New Collab // Maxomorra // New Spring 2018 Collection

Founded in 2008, Maxomorra is a sustainable children’s clothing brand from Sweden. Their clothes are characterized by functional design with playful colors and patterns, produced using ecologically and socially responsible textile processes.

The new Spring ’18 Plus Collection is part of 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, cute boxers, leggings, hats, adorable onsies and so much more to choose from. And there is even more to come this year!

Spring Favorites
Our fave of the new spring season collection must be the Watermelon Love design. And the super cool Arrow Monkey and Indian Animals. We love how the prints turned out on Maxomorra’s range of kids fashion items. Hope you enjoy the new launch just as much as we do!



Conscious
Cotton can be a shady industry. Maxomorra chooses to only use sustainable certified cotton. And we are proud to work together with this socially conscious Scandinavian brand. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) was developed through a collaboration by leading standard setters with the aim of defining requirements that are recognized worldwide and that ensure the organic status of textiles from harvesting raw materials through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing all the way to labelling in order to provide credible assurance to the consumer. Maxomorra has been using GOTS certified cotton since 2008 and is a GOTS certified brand since 2011. So if you are looking for some new conscious baby and kids items to fill your shop with contact Maxomorra and ask for their new Plus collection.

Happy Holidays // Merry Christmas and an awesome 2018 // Warm wishes from our studio

It is that time of the year again. While the snow is falling, making the streets white and soft a quiteness falls over me. It is the time of the year to reflect on what has happened. And it has been a lot. Are you ready for a new year? While the media is making 'best of 2017' lists we are reminiscing over a fruitful year ourselves and closing up for a well deserved break.

The year started with a renovation. Decorating and opening a shop with Little Smilemakers fabrics and products was a dream come true. I never thought having a shop would be so much fun! People dropping in giving feedback, seeing those smiles on those customers faces. And I got to travel again, work on new exciting projects with clients from all over the world. New designs, new in depth researches and new trend reports. In September we found a new place and moved the studio, getting a bunch of new colleagues to work with. So much fun!

I have met some amazing new people this year while I was part of the creative hub of The Hague: Makerskwartier. Being part of a street full of creative entrepreneurs is so uplifting! All walking the same path, building a creative business from scratch. So much fun! So much has happened this year, business wise but also personally. Looking back 2017 has been a challenge but it hasn’t been half bad. It was a rollercoaster with unforeseen bumps in the road that only lead me to a clearer path and adventures to come.

There are a whole bunch of new plans for the future. We will be starting a search for a new account manager in January. And I will be exploring new ‘waters.’ But first it is time to celebrate and enjoy Christmas time with friends and family. Have a good toast to the new year and leave 2017 with a big bang. See you all in the new year!

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // Top 5 December 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 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. 

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

We love 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 around the world. Sweden, Australia, United States. All over the world our designs are used for the most wonderful items. We have some cute Polar Bear leggings, Indian Animal Rompers, Soft Sole baby shoes and some cool kids accessories. This is our top 5 selection for November.

1 // Bean Sprout
Bean Sprout must be one of our favorite webshops using our Spoonflower fabric. Hiedee has a great eye for unique and bespoke designs and we love her style and gorgeous clean photography. Bean Sprout has a pretty big collection of Little Smilemakers fabrics, all turned into the most adorable baby and kids fashion accessories like baby bibs, book bags, summer hats and nappy wallets. For this months Made With post we selected one of our favorites: the reindeer book bag. Perfect accessory for your kids winter school days. But we also featured our cool monochrome dashes fabric that was turned into a cute baby bib. Wanna see more? Take a look into her gorgeous shop for all wonderful handmade creations.

2 // Maxomorra
The new Autumn Winter ’17 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. But have some patience, the collection will be released for autumn and isn’t in shops just yet.



3 // Oh Boeys
We were doing a little happy dance when we saw this perfect pair of Christmas pine tree soft soles in our Instagram feed. We love this fabric and are so happy to see these turned into this cute pair, so cute! Oh Boeys is an Australian webshop selling bows, bibs, soft sole baby shoes and blankets for your little one. They have a colorful range of products and you can also customize your own pair of soft soles. Go take a look and see for yourself and see what else they have!

4 // La La Loop Baby
Lorraine is based in the UK and has a background in knitted textiles and fashion design and started her La La Loop range with cashmere fashion and interior accessories. After her twins were born she was inspired to pick up sewing and an entire new collection was launched. She now has some of our all time favorite fabric available as rompers, leggings and baby & toddler accessories. Her items are flying off the shelves so make sure you place your order in time for the holidays! Go take a look into her Etsy shop.

5 // Roostery Home
Roostery Home is an accessory and interior decoration brand that collaborated with Spoonflower. All of our designs that are available via Spoonflower are also available via Roostery Home where you can find all sorts of fun home decor items and interior accessories. From tea towels, bedding and pillows to chairs and wallpaper. Just order your favorite print on your product of choice and add some Little Smilemakers designs to your home. Perfect for the not so talented sewer like me. For this month we selected out monochrome crosses designs that was turned into bedding. Our designs were also featured on the Oh Joy blog and Spoonflowers winter catalogue. Take a look if you are curious and order quickly to be in time for the holidays. You can find over 50.000 products just with Little Smilemakers designs on them. Crazy!

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

We love 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 UK, United States, Holland and Australia. This month we selected a our top 5 Spoonflower creations, turned into the most gorgeous items. Kids fashion, nursery accessories and have you seen those cacti swim suits? There was so much to choose from! This is our top 5 September selection.

Wild Child Headbands
Headbands are so handy during those warm summer days, to keep your hair our of you face while doing chores, warm your ears in winter. They come in handy in lot’s of situations and Wild Child has them for all seasons. Beautiful and practical. Wild Child is located in Florida and they do not only sell fun head accessories but they also have some cool jewelry in their shop. We love their fun and stylish photography too. New designs are coming up, but we already wanted to share this dreamcatcher headband with you. Check their website for more fun designs.

Lucie June
This Australian based shop makes vibrant girls clothing, focusing on whimsical individuality, designed to be beautiful and practical for the start of life as a little lady. We love Lucie June and their handmade rompers. And wanted to give them a little extra attention with the warmer season coming up Down Under these are great additions to your little ones spring/summer wardrobe. We love our watercolor cacti print on their handmade pieces. We call it stylish bohemian. Curious about the rest of their collection? Tale a look on their website.



Bean Sprout
Bean Sprout must be one of our favorite webshops using our Spoonflower fabric. Hiedee has a great eye for unique and bespoke designs and we love her style and gorgeous clean photography. Bean Sprout has a pretty big collection of Little Smilemakers fabrics, all turned into the most adorable baby and kids fashion accessories like baby bibs, book bags, summer hats and nappy wallets. For this months post we selected our abstract rain drops print that was turned into a cool boy bib. For this months Made With post we selected one of our favorites: the bunny bookbag. Wanna see more? Take a look into her gorgeous shop for all wonderful handmade creations.

Wildflowers
Early this year Samantha reached out to license some of our prints for her new Wildflowers collection. This September our Sew Happy print was released and their new fall collection was launched. We love how her colorful bohemian style is a great mix and match of patterns and just wanted to share some of the new items in her collection. For the new collection she selected two of our designs. The Sew Happy design that is available on skirts and dresses and our Poppy Flower. Curious to see more? Check their website for the entire collection and stay up to date and follow their blog.

Mistral Home
We love to see our designs in the home. Most of our fabric is being used for clothing and accessories so we wanted to shed a little extra light on this new range of bedding available via Mistral Home. Our Feathers and Reindeer Love were used for their new collection of bedding that is now available in stores in Holland and Belgium. Wanna see more of their items, check out their website.

Let's celebrate purple / 5 reasons why we all adore this color of power, independence and ambition

Colors have a strong but also subconscious effect on our everyday lives. During my design studies, studying color was our most demanding and time consuming subject. As a visual artist I was taught how to influence and effect others with my use of the color spectrum. After covering yellow, pink and blue, let's talk about the color purple.

1 // Lilac and history
The color purple used to be a royal color. Due to the rare occurrence of indigo and purple in nature, dying with this paint was very expensive and for a long time, the color purple was to be considered the color of luxury. Purple was sacred. So back in the day, royalty were one of the few people that could afford this color in fashion and home decor. Did you ever visit one of those European Palaces? If you look at the decoration, wallpaper, carpets, portraits on the wall, purple is always there. And because of the psychological effect, it is a not too obvious choice for decorating, but back in the day it was all about showing off your wealth. And up until today it is still associated with value and money.

2 // I love purple personality
The color purple is a combination of a calm blue and an energetic red. A mix of two that is associated with power and ambition but also extravagance (due to it’s historic use), creativity, pride, mystery and magic. If you adore this color you probably have a little bit of a curiosity toward spirituality. You are calm, balanced but also energetic and passionate. With a hint of extravagance, individualism and independence. You like to be a little different from anyone else, a little unconventional. A soft lilac and lavender represents beauty, delicacy and femininity. Also the color of adolescence. But most of all, if you favor this color, you are compassionate and kind, you love to take care of others and don’t ask for much in return. Well, you are welcome!



3 // Purple and branding
Understanding the basics of color is very important within a design process. Color can trigger a reaction, mood, calm us down, fuel us with energy. My design studies contained years of studying color. All hues and shades. Purple is a very interesting one, it has both warm and cold ‘effects.’ Due to this mix the color can cause unrest and discomfort. it can effect your mood in a negative way. The color is not very popular in branding but it does have a few characteristics that might be interesting, making purple a pretty good option for your logo. Due to this warm and cool mix, purple is a good communicative color. Calming nerves, it is uplifting and supports creativity. It is a gender neutral pick and the color is still associated with wealth and value. Therefore the color is great for general targets; young and old, male or female. And an interesting pick for corporate identities that represent both serious business ethics and creativity. If you want your branding identity to represent luxury and quality, this is a great pick.

4 // A little moody
You might remember those wizards from childhood, wearing purple. This color is associated with spirituality and painting your room in a lilac, violet or lavender will increase creativity; it stimulates the imagination. Purple is the color of magic. But too much exposure to purple can also lead to depression. So if you have a tendency to pick up energy easily, stay away from this color. Be careful decorating your home with this color. You don’t want to get moody in the bedroom right?

5 // Lilac and trend
Purple is a color that is constantly clashing. Warm and cold, calming and energizing. Therefore a middle purple is a tough color on the market. When purple enters the trend waves it usually is in a warm or a cold hue. All natural colors are in fact pretty popular at the moment. Soft and delicate lilac and violet. Purple flowers and veggies are very hot in the food industry right now. An interesting trend to follow and a fun way to make your plate a little more special.