vintage design :: Small Pond Graphics

Archive for vintage design

maker’s dozen . Valentine

· February 10, 2021

Hello, friends! I’ve been on hiatus from the Field Guide through Covid recuperation, end of year holidays and adjusting to new school and work routines to start 2021. Valentines week seems like a fitting time to share some blog love! Maker’s Dozen highlights my love of vintage, oddities, and general silliness found around the studio. I’ve gathered a few artifacts of love for today’s post to get you in the mood. Love stamps, Pez, my vintage Hallmark heart pin, heart hole-punch (because why use only circles), and an elementary school book of poems from the Scholastic “Weekly Reader”.

Categories : maker's dozen

Tags : ephemera, postage stamps, Valentines Day, vintage design, vintage toys

keep . Salem School Chalkboard

Posted by haley montgomery

· October 15, 2020

If you’ve spent much time browsing the Field Guide, you know that I’m usually inspired by a love of old things, especially if those things add a depth of meaning to my own memories and experiences. Through a little foraging and pandemic-motivated restoration, a new “old thing” is gracing the walls of our entryway as we come and go. It’s giving a fun, old school vibe to our virtual learning efforts, and surrounded by vintage jack-o-lanterns, it’s bringing a finished touch to this much-used space. Today, I wanted to share a little more about this pandemic project!

Categories : keep

Tags : decorating projects, DIY goodness, home keeping, nostalgia, vintage design

collect . Oneida Twin Star Atomic Flatware

Posted by haley montgomery

· July 8, 2020

We lose the forks. That’s what it boils down to. I don’t know if it’s just carelessness or an over-abundance of paper plate use that makes it easy to throw them away. Or, if they simply get sucked into that old house ether where wayward socks, misplaced pens, and the occasional fork go. But, we lose the forks. At least that’s the eBay thrifting story I’m going with! I’ve wanted to add a new set of flatware to our kitchen for a while, and when we inexplicably dwindled down to only one or two salad forks, I knew it was time to begin the search. Yes, I took a glance at a few of the cool retailers, but I really wanted a vintage set. And I set about finding one.

Categories : collect

Tags : atomic, mid-century, tableware, vintage design, vintage kitchen

pockets of wonder . GYPSY

Posted by haley montgomery

· May 22, 2020

Categories : pockets of wonder

Tags : inspired by light, vintage design

celebrate . Halloween in the House

Posted by haley montgomery

· October 31, 2019

Happy Halloween! Around here, we tend to merge our excitement for fall together with Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations that celebrate this long-awaited time of year. Cooler days, rustling leaves, bluer skies, pumpkins, and the smell of warm spices… the changing season settles in to our hearts and to our home. Even though our favorite activities for Halloween are changing, we never seem to outgrow the comfort that comes from pulling out our decorations, remembering favorite things, and creating a cozier feel in our rooms. On this day of spooks, I thought I’d share a glimpse of our Halloween in the house, and with it, a glimpse of my heart in yet another season of change.

Categories : celebrate

Tags : Halloween, holidays, inspired by autumn, our home, vintage design, vintage toys

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.