haley montgomery

Author Archive for haley montgomery – Page 9

favorite flânerie . A Detour in Downtown Jackson

· September 20, 2018

I’m heading to Jackson, Mississippi on Saturday for a client strategy meeting, and I’m looking forward to getting a few glimpses of the Capitol City again. My children and I spent a few days in Jackson at the end of the summer and had lots of fun visiting museums, trying out restaurants, and exploring historic downtown. This week, I’ve been looking back through all the photo evidence of our wanderings and thinking about any places I’d like to revisit this weekend. I’m reminded again of all the inspiring textures and colors and materials and art and signs – old and new – found everywhere in an urban downtown. Sometimes, we just have to train our eyes to look.

Categories : favorite flanerie

Tags : downtowns, historic preservation, Jackson MS, urban places

drawing near . Rest and Rising

Posted by haley montgomery

· September 2, 2018

The weight of the world crowds in. Hopelessless seems to prevail. My own questions and doubts and worries creep into the mix of messages like an enemy slowly advancing, ready to run rampant, claiming any joy and peace as its spoils.

I feel like that sometimes. It’s hard not to when we look at the world portrayed in our news outlets and social media. When I let my emotions get mired in a growing to do list and the din of how others see me. Or, when I allow that cynical prevailing spirit of the day to penetrate my defenses. As I’ve been reading and thinking through Psalm 3 over the last couple of weeks, it’s been comforting and a little freeing, actually, to realize that David felt that way too. The king described as a “man after God’s heart” had these same moments of weight and doubt. I’m not alone.

Categories : drawing near

Tags : drawing near, inspired by faith, psalms

Hello, September! [printable calendar]

Posted by haley montgomery

· August 31, 2018

New month, new wishful thinking! Over the last few weeks, we’ve finally gotten our typical Mississippi summer heat with temperatures in the upper nineties. It’s a sharp contrast to seeing Fall merchandise showing up in all the stores, and the fun of football season beginning. When I think about September, I always think about acorns. I have a vivid memory of my mother cutting out a big acorn to put on the bulletin board in her third grade classroom, signaling the beginning of the new school year. That was back when we actually started school in September! Now, we’re already a month into our new classes and routines, and wishfully thinking of fall and its fun (and cooler!) days. SO, I decided to lean into the wishes with this month’s calendar download!

Categories : free art + printables

Tags : calendars, conscious living, inspired by autumn, printables, watercolor, well-designed life

see . Indianola’s B. B. King Museum

Posted by haley montgomery

· August 29, 2018

Last summer, we decided to make a trek into the Mississippi Delta for one of the road trips that have begun to signify our summertime experiences. We made a couple of stops along the way to explore, but our true destination was Indianola, in Sunflower County, the town B.B. King considered home. There, he returned to perform for his namesake festival each year and is now memorialized at the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center. We wanted to see and learn and experience this legendary Mississippi musician who was so loved by the world – there, where he had been raised. What we found was a world-class experience of music chronicling the part this iconic musician has played in it. Our visit to the B.B. King Museum did not disappoint, and looking back, I’m still enamored by its retelling of the man who’s tonic was the Blues.

Categories : see

Tags : downtowns, Indianola MS, inspired by music, local, Mississippi, Mississippi Delta, museums, reviews, Southern experiences, what we saw

collect . Little Golden Books

Posted by haley montgomery

· August 13, 2018

“There once was a very unusual school
that had for its teacher Miss Tillie O’Toole.
She taught all her lessons in riddles and rhyme,
and those who learned quickest were given a dime…
I’m sure there was never a happier school
Than the one that was taught by Miss Tillie O’Toole.”

A new school year started last week for my family, and every year, I get a little nostalgic as we begin preparing for a new year. I invariably start reminiscing about days when my kiddos were young enough to want me to walk them into school on the first day, and the children invariably roll their eyes. Still, I see the glimmer and the subtle grins, and I answer the questions when they ask me to tell them more. Sometimes, we can’t help but be curious about our own little histories, especially as we’re moving breakneck toward the next stages of our lives. Today, I thought I would share one of our collections that brings both me and my children fond and special memories… Little Golden Books.

Categories : collect

Tags : illustration, kids design, my 70s childhood, nostalgia, school days, vintage design

Hello & welcome! I’m Haley Montgomery, and I’m the designer and owner of Small Pond Graphics. I sometimes fancy myself a frog kisser— a documentarian coaxing poignant moments from unexpected places. This blog has evolved from those moments.

The small Pond FIELD GUIDE is part diary, part sketchbook, and part wish list – an archive of ordinary wonders. For years, this space has housed my stories – creative ideas, vintage inspiration, our forays into curious places, and the simple artifacts of quiet of conscious living. Through watercolor, photography, and illustrated tales, these pages uncover the blessing of ordinary days and the wonder found in authentic places and pursuits.

I invite you to open the boxes.
Peek into the drawers.
Rustle through the pages.
I’m honored to have you here.