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Archive for inspired by spring – Page 5

make . Easter Cards & Bookmarks [printable]

· March 25, 2013

Two weeks ago when the kids and I went to our family farm for Spring Break, my intention was to have some creative down time. And, I did! But, I also took my watercolor paints. As things happen, I really enjoyed getting to play around with them and just have fun with the joy of painting. I painted some plein air landscapes as we enjoyed the outdoors, and I also created a few fun illustrations springing from some of my sketch journal entries. My daughter enjoyed the bunny creations, so I decided to turn them into some sweet little printables for Easter. There are a set of two printable notecards and three bookmarks that could also double as jumbo gift tags. I hope you enjoy them as you celebrate Easter with your little bunnies.

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLES

Categories : free art + printables

Tags : DIY goodness, Easter, inspired by spring, make, printables, watercolor, yellow

Spring Forward . New Stationery Designs

Posted by haley montgomery

· March 6, 2013

I’m so ready for Spring! I don’t know about you, but my children have been virtually bouncing right before my eyes in anticipation of running free for Spring. I don’t know how much longer I can hold off Baby Girl and her flip flops. Of course, the Mississippi weather these last few weeks has been nothing short of a tease. We enjoyed snow flurries on Saturday, and I’m certain we’ll reach the 60s sometime tomorrow. Such is life in the Deep South!

In anticipation of the Spring season, I’ve been working on a few new block print designs for The Frog Kisser Etsy shop. It’s been very fun to continue this craft and hopefully improve my quality and craftsmanship with each new iteration. The Spring designs feature some of my favorite reminders of the new life happening this time of year — fruitful nests, new blade of grass and flowers seeking the sun. My favorite design so far is the watercolor embellished bird’s nest. I’ve experimented with a bronze slightly metallic ink and blues and browns for the speckled egg. I hope you enjoy the new designs and please leave a comment about your favorites and ways to make them more “kissable!”

You can find the new designs on Etsy here:
SPRING NEST in Metallic Bronze
SPRING NEST in Robin’s Egg Blue
SPRING GREENS in Emerald
SPRING FORWARD in Emerald
DOUBLE SUNFLOWER in Yellow

Categories : in the studio

Tags : block printing, green, inspired by spring, paper craft, the frog kisser

March Inspiration

Posted by haley montgomery

· March 3, 2013

For the last umpteen months, I’ve added a monthly header to the blog — a photo to give me inspiration for the month. I’ve used the same photo as the cover image on the Small Pond Graphics Facebook page. BUT, now that I have that new-fangled watercolor swash up there, I decided to boot the photo header. So, I thought I would just share the March inspiration photo in a post. These were the daffodils from our garden last Spring. Baby Girl gathered as many as she could in a handful and we enjoyed them in my office for a couple of weeks. This afternoon we have TWO daffodils blooming outside, and we’re looking forward to future handfuls as the month moves along.

Categories : my South

Tags : Hipstamatic, inspired by spring, yellow

sketch journal . 030213

Posted by haley montgomery

· March 2, 2013

Some watercolor “sketching” today! This is the experimental phase of some Spring block printed notecards with watercolor accents I’m working on for the Etsy shop — all done while seeing snow flurries outside my window. In Mississippi. On March 2nd. Go figure.

Categories : sketch journal

Tags : blue, inspired by spring, the frog kisser, watercolor, yellow

photo essay . Seven Skies

Posted by haley montgomery

· March 26, 2012

Two weeks ago I took my kids to our family farm for Spring Break, and I spent some intentional time away from my project schedule. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, so it felt like a special treat. During the week I was experimenting with the Hipstamatic iPhone app. And I was experimenting with gazing at the skies for no good reason. Put the two together and it makes for these seven skies.

I’ve been trying to incorporate that same sky gazing into my routine back at home and work. Are you taking time to gaze today?

Categories : my South

Tags : inspired by light, inspired by nature, inspired by spring, photo essays

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.