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: 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.

Sources of inspiration // Bouldering // New free climbing inspired art, home decor and fashion items

As some of you might know already I have been struggling with fibromyalgia for as long as I can remember. As a kids I was pretty competitive, I loved sports, and I loved pushing my body. Winning that medal! I used to do gymnastics but when I was a teen my knees and ankles, my wrists, all got in the way of performing on a high level. Eventually I stopped all together and for a few years I didn’t so anything.

8 years ago I met my friend Ashni who is also a singer, you might know her from her number 1 hit single Wanna be close. She’s pretty popular at the moment, anyway where was I? Oh yes, my friend Ashni also worked as a dance instructor and during her classes I got back to moving again, enjoying a workout, without struggling as much with my own limits. Dancing became my way to unload and relax. I still love to dance, but unfortunately when my friend decided to focus on her music career I never found anyone so full of life and other dance classes just weren’t as awesome as I was used to.

Finding a new passion
Because I really need to keep my muscles strong due to my fibromyalgia I joined the gym. Oh my lord how much I dreaded to go there. There is absolutely no part of my that get’s excited doing these kinds of work outs. Staying fit is a struggle when you’re doing something you don’t like to I quit and thankfully right after that, a met an awesome dude person who introduced me to climbing. I always thought climbing would be way to heavy for my joints, but after a few tries I noticed it was much more a full body work out that just killing my hands. So I decided to give climbing a go.

I live in a pretty flat country so outdoor rock climbing is not much of an option. And I have to admit the boulders in the climbing gym are way easier on my hands, so climbing indoors has it’s perks. I have been climbing for a few months now and every time I leave the climbing gym I am energized. And my god, it has been a while I found something new that get’s me excited. So as you can imagine there are quite some new bouldering inspired new designs coming up.



Bouldering accessories
I started with some geometric prints, patterns for fabric and wallpaper created in Illustrator. But I also love the abstract shapes and colorful boulders so I decided to create a new series of photographic designs that are available on wall art, home decor like pillows and blankets, tech items like laptop sleeves and iPhone cases like the ones featured. And some really cool fashion pieces and accessories. I love the Society6 leggings. They are comfy, perfect for lazy nights on the couch but the fabric is strong enough to use for bouldering too! Yesssss perfect for bouldering those bouldering leggings. How awesome is that!

Check all bouldering items in our Society6 shop and let me know which ones you like best so we can make even more cool bouldering products. We would love a collab with a climbing gear brand. So if you have any connection please reach out!

Hello Miami Beach // The Abstracts // A design process

We are very proud of our newly launched Miami collection over at Spoonflower. This summer we created a whole bunch of new abstracts inspired by Miami’s beaches and streets. In this post you can read a little something about the process of creating this range of abstracts.

For this collection I started with some expressive shapes. When I create abstract designs the process of creating the shapes is linked to how I feel. I usually make abstract art when there is lot’s of drama to deal with, it is a way to transform my emotions into creation without having to think to much about the final result, color palette or proportions of an illustration.

A hell of a ride
Throughout the year there have been several things I needed to deal with. A partnership that resulted in a dramatic ending. It turned out I was the only one invested in this colab, a romantic relationship that ended very sudden, uhm yeah, I sort of invested in that too. Some family ties that needed my attention. Lot’s of things have happened this year, shaking me to the core and rethinking my entire self. When I go though real lows I create. There is no other way I know to deal with these things. I have been making things ever since I was a little girl, and most of my designs are targeting kids, that is not a coincidence. Getting in touch with my fundaments, my pure self is all I can rely on. And that basic emotion gets translated into my artwork.

Soft edges
When I am angry I create raw, high contrast designs. I use a dry brush, black ink. It is very obvious you can tell something needs to get out. But this summer I was not angry, I was mostly hurt. And when I feel hurt I do not need to get into the ‘raw’ as much. For the new Miami series all designs and elements were made with markers and ink resulting in rounded geometric shapes. Using a large marker and large brush make the details and shapes a little softer, there is no raw edge like other abstract designs have had. This soft touch represents the vulnerability I did not want to avoid or ignore. But I felt vulnerable after all the events that happened this year. And I was not going to run from it. I decided to face it, and am still facing it. Creation transforms but does not take away the pain. it is a process.

There is nothing more soothing for me than to turn my illustrations, and for this series, my abstract shapes, into patterns. I think you have to be a little crazy making 2000 patterns a year. But turning these shapes into repeats is so fulfilling! It is like sleeping under fresh crisp sheets, or the scent of raindrops on the hot summer pavements. Well, I don’t expect you to understand but making patterns puts my mind at easy. There is no better way of meditating for me than staring at my own seamless repeats.

This too shall pass
The entire Miami series is about being vulnerable. Therefore the colors are soft with a warm blush pink and a light ice blue, and a contrasting whiskey brown for a little character. I am not much of a drama queen usually so when I finished my 15+ designs I felt like a huge weight fell off my shoulders. I can truly say making art is like cleaning my soul, at least get rid of a big pile of dirt. Creation, how I love you!

Every single design needs a name. When I started creating these basic shapes I did not work around a theme. I just noticed some shapes reminded me of the city and some reminded me of the beach. And I knew this series had to be named after Miami with it’s sunny sea side and busy streets, the art deco architecture. Naming these prints took away the serious and turned this collection into a fun range filled with humor. I had so much fun coming up with the names; cocktails, salt, derby. The bling, obviously. The food prints: fries, taco’s and hotdogs. The names of the designs tied them all together as a collection.

Now the entire collection is available on fabric and wallpaper via Spoonflower. Most of the designs are still available for licensing too. So take a look and enjoy the new abstracts.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // August 2015

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

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 Poland, United States and Canada. This is our new August selection. If you browse around on etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via Etsy. So take a look and see if there is something for your little one too and support these small business owners.

Blue retro flowers - The Hause of Harry
The Hause of Harry is an online shop that sells lot's of Little Smilemakers stuff. The shop is based in Lincoln, USA and the maxaloons, leggings and other kids fashion is right on trend. You can find a large collection of gender neutrals and geometrics but this blue flower print must be one of our personal favorites.

Penguin blankets & pillows - Kalamati
We just finished up a new series of design for Kalamati but when we saw this photo come in we had to add it to our 'Made with' post. It is such a great shot. We love how little ones fall in love with the cute penguin pillows. Would you also like to order one of these. Or want to get your hands on one of these adorable blankets for your new born baby nursery? Check out the Kalamati shop! You can also find a little sneak peek of the new collection on there!



Aztec Cross Pattern - Sprout Handmade
Look at that sleeping baby! We love to see these adorable little monkeys model for our fabric and we were such big fans that we could not choose just one photo, so there's two! Sprout Handmade is a little baby and toddler shop run by two sisters in Sudbury, Canada. They have a diverse selection of cute Little Smilemakers prints in their organic cotton leggings, harem pants, bibs and toques. This aztec cross print in blue is one of our hot selling designs at Spoonflower. We also have this print in violet, pink, mint, apple green and gender neutral beige and gray. Take a look into the Spoonflower shop to create your own tiny people fashion or visit the Sprout Handmade shop on etsy if sewing is not your thing.

Geometric triangle soft sole baby shoes - Little Pitterpat
These adorable soft sole baby shoes are made by Sharie who uses lot's of Little Smilemakers Studio designs in her Little Pitterpat Etsy shop. Some of these soft sole baby shoes even have matching hats. Adorable! All items are made by hand in Sharies studio in Montana. These cute shoes make a great baby shower present. So take a look into her shop if you want to have a pair of these. Or keep follow Little Pitterpat on Instagram. Right now she is having a well deserved break but don't worry, it is worth a little wait. She has over 200 items to choose from and new products are listed frequently.



Looking for some cute fabric to start your own sewing project? We have over a 1000 design to choose from in our Spoonflower shop. All designs are available on organic cotton, jersey, sports lycra and lot's more! So take a look around, tag us in your finished projects and maybe you or your company will be featured in our next 'Made with' post.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // June 2015

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

I 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 United Kingdom, Australia and United States. This is our new June selection, this month with a colorful cripsy clean theme. If you browse around on etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via Etsy. So take a look and see if there is something for your little one too.



Adorable owls home decor
If you take a close look you can see this owls fabric is part of a large owl pillow. So cute! This cuddly owl was made by Andrea who owns a the All Things Owls Big Cartel shop where she sells her cute cuddly owls and fun kids fashion. She also attends local markets so if you are living in Australia, I know, it is huge, check dates and locations where she will be selling her owls on her Facebook page. Take a look in her webshop, maybe you can find something for your little one!

Summer dancing ice cream-ballet
Look how adorable this little tiny dancer looks in her ice-cream print. We haven't seen a lot of finished products made with this print but we love this Little Cowboys and Indians leotard. If you are looking for some original ballet fashion for your little one check out their Etsy shop. There are also some amazing rompers and cute shorts in Brittany Kleiss shop. We totally love her quirky prints and cool style.

Little Lady Bug Nappies
Bambino Mio is a company that specialized in baby goods and last year we collaborated for their first patterned Miosolo reusable diaper series. After launching four Little Smilemakers Studio designs last year we were asked to add another batch of designs to their adorable baby range. This spring four new designs were launched. This is still one of our personal favorites: The Lady Bugs. The photo was made by one of Bambino Mio's happy customers. Would you like to get more info about re-usable cloth diapers or shop new nappies? Go visit the nappie shop!

Cactus garden soft soles
When Europe prepares for summer, Australia is looking forward to the colder season. This month we discovered another great soft sole brand. OhBoeys is an online store based in Melbourne, Australia that features locally designed handmade products for all little ones. The motivation and inspiration for all these tiny creations in this little shop came from Sylvia's boys. Each product is unique and meticulously created with lots of care and love. Their fabrics are sourced from all over the world. Wanna grab one of these cuties? Check Oh Boeys gorgeous website.

We have already seen a lot of awesome sewing projects made by Little Smilemakers fabric customers. We made a little selection out of the dozen photographs that were sent to us or that we were tagged in. Cute home decor items. Personalized bedding, scarfs, leggings and head bands. So much to choose from! If you'd like to be featured in on of our monthly "made with..." posts. Please send us your images.

Made with Little Smilemakers Studio Fabric // May 2015

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

I 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, Poland, United States and Russia. This is our new May selection, this month with a little soft pink theme.
If you browse around on etsy for some kids fashion you are very likely to stumble upon some Little Smilemakers. Most creatives with small home based businesses sell their projects via Etsy. So take a look and see if there is something for your little one too.



Geometrics and Ballet
We love the photo styling here. The cute little triangle shirt was made by Posh and Cozy. Danielle makes fun kids and baby fashion she also sells via Etsy. Don't you love the combination of the cool triangles shirt with the soft pink voile ballet skirt? She just received another batch of new Little Smilemakers fabric so stay tuned!

The vintage cabinet project
Ferpie and Fray is a blog where you can find all sorts of up cycling projects. The old vintage cabinet was painted in warm soft pink and the drawers were covered with Pastel Feathers wallpaper made by Little Smilemakers Studio. You can find the step by step process on their blog together with other inspiring home decor projects.

New born soft soles
The feathered baby shoes by Titot were made with Little Smilemakers feather series via Bebé Casa. These soft soles keep you little ones feet warm in the fresh spring breeze. Marta is based in Poland and started our with only leggings and shoes but now you can also find: headbands, scarfs, bandanas, blankets and many more for children and mammas in her easy shop. Everything is made with love for fabric and sewing and with greatest care. So take a look at her shop.

Bows and birthdays
Some Little Smilemakers designs people just can not get enough of. But some more simplistic designs stay in the shadows of the hot sellers. Seeing finished projects of those designs rarely used for kids fashion is always fun.
This cute bow legging was made by a Russian costomer. Petite Princesse is a small kids fashion brand in Moskou and they sure know how to represent themselves. We love the quirky photoshoots and props in their images. Good job!

We have already seen a lot of awesome sewing projects made by Little Smilemakers fabric customers. We made a little selection out of the dozen photographs that were sent to us or that we were tagged in. Cute home decor items. Personalized bedding, scarfs, leggings and head bands. So much to choose from! If you'd like to be featured in on of our monthly "made with..." posts. Please send us your images.

2015 trend colors // New retro poppy flower winter garden

Trends. It is something we just have to work with sometimes. And even though we try to stay true in our designs sometimes we have to follow the trend instead of creating the new trend. This winter we have been working around the new Pantone 2015 color scheme. Here are a few preview designs of our new Poppy Garden series.

Little Smilemakers surface pattern designs are usually clean cut designs in either bright popping colors or pastel shades and tons of white. So creating a series of designs in this new palette of colors meant creating something out of our comfort zone. Dark colors and warm tones. But new things evolve in inspiring combinations of colors too. So here is a little preview of what we have been working on.

These apple and floral retro designs are part of a new series of fabric that will be available from February. So stay tuned for their release date!

> It is time for a GIVEAWAY | Join our facebook giveaway and pick your own favorite Little Smilemakers Studio item

Yesterday we have reached another Milestone: 1000 glorious facebook likes. So after 28 months of support it is time to give back. Join in and pick your favorite Little Smilemakers Studio item. Winners will be announced on Friday.

You can choose the Veritas bowling bag, sewing box, a collection of awesome fabric and there are some crazy cute pillows to choose from, which one is your favorite? So pick and share, maybe your favorite will reach your mailbox soon.

Ready for some serious Christmas shopping | Free shipping & ..... extra discount in this post!

Good news! With this following link you can enjoy free shipping and another extra $5 off your Society6 Little Smilemakers Studio purchase. So if you still have some serious shopping to do for the holidays, check out all new typography, photography, mixed media art and illustrated patterns in the shop! New pillow, tota bags, iphone cases and ipad cases are now available. Which of these following prints do you like most?

> Typography and photography travel inspired art | christmas presents | Little Smilemakers online shop

It is that time of the year again! Decorating the house for the winter season and it's holidays. A while ago I was working on some travel inspired postcards. Designs containing both photography and typography. All telling their own personal story of a country, a culture or a moment. If you are a travel addict yourself or if you are just looking around the internet for a fun christmas present, check out all travel inspired artwork that is available now at society6. Place your order before cyber monday and enjoy free worldwide shipping.

Available on: iphone case, ipad case, laptop skin, tote bag, baby onsie, t-shirts and pillows for your home. Enjoy shopping for the holidays!

> Jimi Hendrix | Music icon wallpaper & fabric | hand drawn art | surface pattern design

As a fan of music I must adore this man. I love Jimi Hendrix. I have been stroling around shops and the internet to find a nice print to make a t-shirt of this guitar playing icon. But no luck. So a while ago I started making a large portrait drawing. Not thinking this would end up on fabric. But as you might already know. I can make a cute pattern out of almost every shape or form so, yes... I decided it was about time to add this pattern to my new fabric collection. The large portrait and print are also available for your couch on a cute throw pillow. But, for real Jimi Hendrix fans, the patterned print will also be available on wallpaper. What? Yes, wallpaper! I love this job!

> Online Little Smilemakers gifts | Selected items for Christmas

Christmas time is just around the corner, just two more months, so it is about time to get started with some online holiday shopping! As you can see we have made another fun Little Smilemakers selection of items you can order online.

Cute recyclable Milovia diapers for you baby or toddler, each diaper is adjustable in size 0-3. This brand is has started selling baby diapers, diaper bags and baby bibs since 2011. Cute products with retro Little Smilemakers patterns and illustrations. Two mothers of small kids run the company from their own home in Poland. Enjoy!

Would you like to give your bedroom or livingroom with a nice Little Smilemakers touch? Look around the Home Deco section of the designalicious Zazzle shop at Zazzle or check all pillows at society6! Here you can find cute patterned pillow cases and also some nice decorated high quality prints and tote bag designs. Zazzle also offers a cute collection of tableware. So if you are a tea lovers or like to eat from some fun plates this christmas, be sure to check them out.

Would you like to surprise your friend or one of your kids with a nice iphone case? There are lots of new designs in our Little Smilemakers store.

Have fun surfing around the internet for your christmas presents and gifts!