Make Love 🖤 Not War - use our FREE love & peace design & make your own little mark

Some messages should be heard just a little louder. This one is available for licensing. Completely FREE of charge, one week only. I want to make it as easy as I can spreading this message. Can't believe how history is repeating over and over again. Somehow our history lessons didn't stick. I am safe. And what a luxery that is! I am grateful every day but it's hard watching what's happening from the sidelines. This is the least my creative heart can do. It's about the little wins this week.


This design is available for licensing and available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

Carriage House printery: Sweet pastels and quirky prints for this year's Easter Fabric Collection by Little Smilemakers Studio

Next up is Easter! We love making prints for Holidays but quite frankly we don't sell too much of 'm business to business. But we do sell a ton of fabrics with every holiday. Come have a look at our Easter fabrics. We just added some last-minute prints for Easter to our carriage House Printery collection.


These designs are available for licensing. These designs are available on fabric & wallpaper through our partners at Carriage House Printery & Spoonflower.

The Big Archive Summer Sale is live! License our designs for €34 all summer long

Enjoy our first collection of discounted designs! View our Dropbox folder or join our Pinterest Page for the full collection of designs & stay in the loop for our weekly new batches of designs going into the archive summer sale.


Make sure to sign up to our newsletter to view our selection of seamless designs. We’ll be adding more themes and colors every week for as long as our archive needs organizing. I know a bunch of our followers are waiting for a sweet deal. So make sure to sign up to that list and get first dibs. Here’s a tiny peek already. We're including some oldies made during our first years. We are including tons of abstracts, animals, botanicals. Boho & Retro styles and many more.

Licensing print designs
If you like to license our prints for your business too please send us a message. We license print designs all over the world and we love to welcome new collabs. You can find more info about licensing on our website.

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.

Typographic Dog Quotes - New Graphic Designs for The Paws

We've been working with The Paws for a couple of years already, and we made tons of surface pattern designs for their dog accessory range. This week we worked on some typography designs for a new range of products. And we couldn't be more pleased with the result.

Typography & Graphic Design was my mayor in Art School. While making logos for clients I can use that love for typography very often but somehow we've not been creating many typograhy designs lately. So it was wonderful creating a series of new designs for one of our favorite customers. We loved playing with type, styles and color. And adding a small illustration here are there.


If you like what you see and need some artwork for your hoodies, shirts or paper goods. if you need any print designs or illustrations for your business you can find more info on our website and get in touch with us there.

The Lookbook - Midnight Kitty / Print designs for cat lovers

Over the years we’ve been working together with tons of dog accessory businesses all over the globe. We created many dog designs but cats weren’t as represented in our portfolio that often. Probably because we don't need so much gear for these fluffy ones. We do have some cat accessory customers buying our fabric. But we don't focus on the cat target group very often. This year I decided it was time to dedicate some time to creating new cat designs.

Last summer we had to say goodbye to our 19-year-old black cat Duvel. And this collection is a little celebration of his spooky night shenanigans. We still miss our little Duvel and the past months we’ve seen him come to life on several of our client’s products. I am so happy he’s living on in our designs & fabrics now.

Last January we rescued a new kitty. She’s around 8 years old and brings us so many laughs. It’s truly amazing what these small creatures can do for us. Time to celebrate. Inspired by our oldie and with the joy of our new cat. Hope you like this new mini-collection! All designs are available for licensing. If you license our designs we will send you the original files which you can use for your own production. This covers commercial usage too. Want some more info? 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.

Customer Spotlight: Pawsome Paws seamless pattern designs for dog accessories

It’s been years since we started working with Pawesome Paws. This beautiful business was then a one-human handmade business and over the years they turned out to be a hit on the UK dog accessory market. Sophie, who started Pawesome Paws in her spare bedroom turned her life around, started her business and now has a flourishing brand, one of the largest dog accessory companies based in the UK, selling homewares, sportswear, dog accessories and sooooo much more.  

It’s been so lovely watching her grow from the side lines and see our designs in her collections. Over the years we created many designs from colorful leopard prints to Valentine themes. Here’s a little trip down memory lane with Gregory & Georgina the giraffes. Celebrating their 4 year anniversary at Pawsome Paws Boutique. Two prints that are part of their all-time best selling designs. They sure are pretty cute right? They still have some harnesses, leashes, bows and poop bag holders in stock. So if you need something cute for your pupper check their website.

Our Giraffes were part of our non-exclusive design portfolio and first licensed non-exclusively. After 4 years Sophie purchased a buy out, so they found a forever home with Pawsome Paws. Need some prints for your products too? You can find more info about using our designs on our website.

The Lookbook: Summer Meadow

This year we launched 13 lookbooks already. But we completely forgot to mention them here n the blog. Some collections are made, inspired by travels, others are inspired by nature, or every day life. Our sunrise meadow is a personal tale.  

The past four years Maaike has bee struggling with her health a lot. Long covid on chronic illness has hit pretty hard. But little walks around her neighborhood every day kept her grounded and in touch with nature. These small elements of every day pops of life were the inspiration for this collection. Small blooming flowers in early March. Insects and bees. Leaves. Colors bringing nature back to life after winter time. The transition to new possibilities and growth.

4 years have flown by. And the power of creation has kept her mentally strong. This collection is one of hope and future. 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. Want to be kept in the loop and get these new prints straight into your inbox? Sign up to our newsletter and become a Little Smilemakers insider.

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: The new Poppy + Ted Collection is live

We love working with Paige, she had the most adorable furry customers. Who doesn’t want to see their work turned into something gorgeous? It makes it even more fun when those print designs are turned into dog accessories. For the new Spring launch we’ve licensed 3 exclusive designs that were used for their Walk & Wear collection.

For this dog accessories brand we created three new exclusive designs. And as you might know, we’ve been creating some designs for Poppy + Ted for a while now. Paige has a great eye for clean and minimal prints, so for this launch we made three very simplistic surface pattern designs. The Plus, The Strokes and The Dots. The palette is a pastel one matching the Poppy + Ted design language which contains soft tones and strong monochromes. Combined with quirky pops of color here and there. We picked a cool baby blue, soft pink on a soft beige background and one monochrome palette to make the collection suitable for both genders. But pinks should definitely not be limited to those girl pups right? We love using girly tones for boys and forget about gender.

We finished up these designs just before the holidays so we’re super excited they’re here already. We love showing finished results! All three designs are available in harnesses, leashes and collars. So if you’re looking for something cute for your dog to wear, check the Poppy + Ted website. Paige is also having some fun giveaways to celebrate these new print designs, so check them on Insta too if you want to join.

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

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

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

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





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

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

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

About being a Designer: A Creative Business Decade in review

So as we’re wrapping up for the holidays and getting close to the end of a busy and productive year we are reflecting on all projects we’ve worked on. All new collabs we started and things we created. And with the end of the year coming close, so is a decade coming to an end. A great reason to take a moment and look back of ten years of being a creative professional.

It was in 2011 when I started Little Smilemakers Studio. So you can imagine a lot has happened business-wise these past ten years. Ten years ago I was still working for a design agency in my hometown, which has a lot of prestigious design agencies by the way. My city is famous for its graphic design Academy, which I also attended, and prize-winning designers. (yeah I did win a grant once) But I was still working for a boss back then and the graphic design industry was stresses with the bad economy print production was nothing like it used to be. I worked at design agencies before but 10 years back I worked for a company that specialized in back-to-school products, which is an annual thing here in The Netherlands: kids picking out their new school gear: backpacks, notebooks, pencils and everything needed for a new school year. It was during the job I started making print designs for these products. Budgets were tight, but I didn’t want to buy off stock and miss out on the creative part. So I created illustrations and prints at night and started my own stock library.

The step towards being a girlboss
Setting up my stock portfolio was the foundation of my next step towards being an independent designer. I already had a base-income. And making surface pattern designs for stock was a big blue ocean back then. There was no apple print: so I made an apple print. There was no elephant design, so I made an elephant design. These old print designs are still selling to businesses all over the world today. They became the first stock-available surface pattern designs.
But my creations were vulnerable too. The original vectors were easy to download just for a few bucks and there was little protection for the designs available on stock. Many designs were used commercially but never payed for properly.



The signature collection
When I started the studio in 2011, it was time to focus more on my business to business approach. My business started to grow rapidly. Since I was filling up that blue ocean with my print designs everyone knew how to find me and I never had to look for work. Since then it’s been such a fun ride. I’ve been collaborating with new business owners, guiding them through the process of finding their visual voice with logo design, branding and print designs. We’ve created trend reports; there are so many businesses we work with that just don’t know what’s going on on the market trend-wise. We love being guidance for our clients that have no idea where to start when it comes to design & their company.
For the past ten years we've worked for some amazing clients. One of my fave must be a collection I created for one of my favorite retailers on the market in Belgium. Did I mention I studied in Belgium? This was THE place for accessorizing: and I was approached to create a new fall collection of women’s accessories, home wear, textiles and sewing supplies. I loved how this collection turned out.

A little behind the scenes
I also got to attend lots of fair trade shows, and talks. Did a bunch of interviews and videos. Some were fun. Some totally embarrassing, since I am not much of a public speaker. In one of the interviews, I was asked what inspired creating a new collection. I talked about seed. A lot. For a long time. Not good! FYI seed in Dutch means ‘sperm’. So yeah. I talked about sperm. So that was a nope.

Maturing the business
But having a laugh is part of being a designer. Most work turns into ‘could have done better than that!’ after 5 years, into ‘how did I ever make that?’ after 10 years. New skills, trends, and inner work (the biggest reason) are all influencing creation. For me the past 10 years have been an ongoing path to growth both professionally and personally. This has also led me to take things to the next level with the business. Finding a new space, taking on clients that match our vision and values. I can proudly say our studio has matured. I have some amazing colleagues who help me with the not so creative stuff, so I can focus on designing more instead of sending out mailings and doing numbers.
So I am so happy and humble and love where we are now. These 10 years have been such a blessing. So many steps closer to what feels good. So many opportunities. Awesome collabs and lovely people. And I am so looking forward to what is to come.

What is to come
As of next year, I’ll be moving to another city. That means moving the studio. First I’ll be settling into a new place and then take the next step towards finding a new space for the studio. Exciting things to come! Now it’s back to work. Make some cute print designs for nursery textiles. Thank you so much for your time supporting me and my company! And we wish you Happy Holidays.

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.