Small Pond Graphics

July is Here [printable calendar]

· July 2, 2018

July is here, and my crew and I made it home from our annual beach trip just in time to celebrate! It’s sweltering outside, but this month is such a sweet time to celebrate liberty and the second half of our summer vacation with new adventures. We’re intent on making the most of these last few weeks before school cranks up again. Outdoor fun, flowers in season, fresh eats, and remembering the freedoms we are so fortunate to call our own… I hope this month’s printable calendar reminds you of all those blessings.

Categories : free art + printables

Tags : blue, calendars, Independence Day, inspired by Americana, printables, red

go . An Afternoon in Clarksdale, Mississippi

Posted by haley montgomery

· June 18, 2018

Summer is road trip season, and we’ve been enjoying a few of our annual adventures through Mississippi and the backroads South! These uncharted and somewhat unplanned treks have become a favorite part of our family’s summer activities. Last week, my sweet Elisha even told me that the car trips have been some of the best activities of summer so far. And, what’s not to love, with enjoying games and movies in the car, exploring 2-lane highways, experiencing new scenery, and exploring, shopping and eating in out-of-the-way places? My children hardly even blink an eye now when I pull off to photograph something or take a detour just to see what’s there. For our first road trip this summer, we decided to drive over to Clarksdale, Mississippi to see what we could find at the crossroads of Hwy 61 and 49. I thought I’d share three of our favorite Clarksdale experiences and some of the sights in watercolor sketches and photos…

Categories : go

Tags : Clarksdale MS, downtowns, Mississippi, Mississippi Delta, small town life, Southern experiences, watercolor, what we saw, where we ate

maker’s dozen . Flag Day

Posted by haley montgomery

· June 14, 2018

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day. It commemorates the date in 1777 when the 2nd Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the official flag of the United States. I decided to pull together a Maker’s Dozen collection around the Flag Day theme. I looked around the studio and in my collections and found 13 oddities inspired by red, white, and blue!

Categories : maker's dozen

Tags : ephemera, holidays, inspired by Americana, postage stamps, vintage design

sojourn . Flora and Fauna from Summer at Busy Bee

Posted by haley montgomery

· June 5, 2018

Farm days. They are always full of discovery, and the theme for last week’s trip seemed to be green, green and more green! We’ve returned from our annual sojourn to Noxubee County to kick-off summer vacation, and I’m always amazed at the new flora and fauna we find. It was unusually hot this year for May. At least it felt that way. So, lingering in some of our favorite activities was a little uncomfortable. But we enjoyed at least a few drives through the pastures and exploring. So many greens and blossoms. And, although some of my close-ups got a little grainy, we got to see a few critters, too. I hope you enjoy some of the sights of summer at Busy Bee, including some of the inspiration for the Small Pond…

Categories : sojourn

Tags : busy bee, farm days, green, inspired by summer, nature photos, plants, the farm

Hello, June… And Summer [free printable calendar]

Posted by haley montgomery

· June 1, 2018

Hello, June! It’s a new month, and that means a new printable calendar…. I’m sort of congratulating myself for being more regular with these printables this year. The school year finished up last week, so we are about a week and a half into our summer vacation – excitedly! We’ve spent this week getting lazy at Busy Bee for our annual summer kick-off trip to the farm. The weather seems unseasonably hot for May, but it hasn’t stopped us from enjoying these first days of summer slowness and freedom – early morning quiet time on the deck, pasture walks, pancakes for breakfast, a few wanders through county roads, water fun, bonfires for hot dogs and s’mores, and searching for ripe blackberries and wildflowers. It’s not quite time for wild blackberries yet. They are mostly green and red right now, but we’re spotting them everywhere and hoping to come back in a few weeks when more will be ready for picking.

Categories : free art + printables

Tags : busy bee, calendars, farm days, inspired by summer, lettering, printables, the farm, watercolor

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.