Birds seem to inspire artists and craftsmen everywhere. I have a growing collection of bookmarked specimens that lift my heart, so I’m sure this collection will include subsequent additions. For now, I’ve been mesmerized by these three paper sculptures of birds.
1. Anna-Wili Highfield ~ simply amazing layers of torn paper and wire.
2. Diana Beltran Herrera ~ cut-paper sculptures from this Columbian artist, exquisitely detailed
3. Annie Paso ~ a DIY birch bird card that is fully mail-able
We hold so many mundane things. Pencils, coins, books, soap, sandwiches, tea. I love finding small, but beautiful things to add delight to the simple and mundane habits of daily life. This pressed milk glass tea cup from Tinker Supply Co. is just that. Small. Beautiful. And well beyond ordinary.
I’m so impressed with this product. I just wanted to get that out of the way right off the bat. The Sahabo shop creates handmade books (a personal favorite craft) in a variety of flavors that are all spectacular, but this particular variety is so fun. The 100-page journals are made from repurposed vinyl records and their sleeves. The binding looks top-notch too. I love this creative way of recycling a bit of vintage goodness into something beautiful used to record thoughts and ideas. The great part is that an extensive list of album titles are included in the Etsy shop so you can pick your own album to reflect your own inspiration. Honestly, I can’t wait to get one.
Today I thought I’d share a font I’ve been crushing on lately. I guess it’s both a font crush and a retro crush. Do remember those label makers in the 70s and 80s? They had the rolls of vinyl label strips and the dial that turned for choosing letters. Mine was a kid version shaped like a turtle and I can remember getting pink/orange flowered and blue/green striped label rolls in addition to the standard red and blue. Anyway… IMPACT LABEL packs a lot of retro fun and is available in regular and reversed. (You’ll find a free download here.)
It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted a CRAVE in Plop! land — probably because I’m in crave overload from some of the creativity I’m seeing online these days. I was looking through my archive of bookmarks and had to share this one right away! I’m not a seamstress. Not even close. But, I’ve fallen in love with these DIY dolls from MIKODESIGN. The illustrations are so sweet and whimsical, and I can imagine my Baby Girl squeezing the love out of this little Parisian and her stylish bunny. I particularly love the tiny camera, tote bag and itty bitty bottle of Chanel No. 5. I also noticed that you can purchase remnant bags of the Parisian fabric in a couple of colors — just the right touch of frou frou, if you ask me!
Programming note: I’ve been weeding through past posts recently getting inspired again, but mostly cleaning up inconsistencies I see, fine-tuning topics and categories and tweaking here and there. I hope you’ll poke around too!
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.
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Phone: 662.312.4001
Contact Haley to dive in
