Made by Mom Gift Guide: Tiny Peepers features screen prints on towels, shirts, more

When the instructor turned to screen printing, Smith-Tilly knew she might be on to something. It was a creative outlet where the Raleigh mom, who quit her job when her first child was born eight years ago, could combine her long-time passion for photography with her new found interest in screen printing.

"That's when I really felt like I found my place," said Smith-Tilly, now a mom of two. "After six years of not working outside the home, I felt like I needed some sort of creative outlet that was just me."

Tiny Peepers began in February 2010 after about a year of planning and research. Working from her small bungalow in downtown Raleigh, she prints on tea towels, scarves and kids T-shirts. Her designs are clean and modern with a nostalgic feel. They are often based on her own family's life.

A design of an Impala was a gift for her husband, who grew up riding in one. Her most popular design is a guitar and banjo series, a tribute to her favorite print shop, Hatch Show Print in Nashville, and her favorite band, The Avett Brothers from Concord. She just added a fiddle to the series.

And while design is important for Smith-Tilly, so is utility.

"They are not just for looks," she said. "It's really important to me that things are beautiful and useful at  the same time."