About
ME & THE BLOG
Hi there, my name is Carrie Anne Castillo. I’m passionate about creative domesticity and the practical applications of thrifting in everyday life. Little Big my daily journal for sharing thrifty finds, simple crafts, recipes and stories about food, and snapshots of our daily life.
I used to be a librarian, but these days you’ll find me chasing after my punk pixie of a 4-year-old while we go on adventures. I look forward evenings spent in nerdy pursuits with my husband. I’m a liberal feminist who loves being a housewife. I inherited a strong love of the absurd and ridiculous from my father. My husband describes my swearing as “nautical.” I am deeply irreverent.
I have four cats, one of which I bottle-fed from her first day of life, and another who is a lovable 30lb lumpus. One steals our neighbor’s Barbies and loves nothing more than a good murder. The last one is a total spaz.
Read more about Little Big here.
Photo by Scott.
THINGS I ENJOY
I keep a small, unruly kitchen garden and cook a family meal most nights. I live deep in suburbia but suffer from delusions of living in a woodland cottage. I toy with the idea of owning chickens and goats, but my cat would probably slaughter them. I love to organize, make lists, and cross things off said lists. But I especially love going through piles of stuff in thrift stores.
I’m a liberal feminist who loves being a housewife. I’m a fan of attachment parenting but I fiercely believe there many ways to be an excellent parent. I love creating thrifted terrariums and my favorite plants are succulents. I’m often cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. I used to make a bento for lunch every day. I had a baby! It was hard.
CLAIM TO FAME
I’ve been depicted in a web comic as a “plucky, indispensable librarian with floaty hair.”
I was once interviewed by NPR where I got to say “butt wiggle” on the radio.
I have a recipe featured on the Huffington Post.
Isobel and her eclectic thrifted wardrobe was featured on Modern Kiddo.
The nursery I created for my daughter Isobel was featured on etsy, ohdeedoh, Modern Kiddo, and spearmint baby.
I have a recipe featured on apartment therapy’s the kitchn.
My thrifted home tour was featured on Offbeat Home.
I was featured on Parent Hacks for my series on menu planning.
My windows were featured on not martha.
Isobel’s Halloween costume was featured on Modern Kiddo.
I have a photo featured on Mental Floss.
I have written for Make and Takes and guest posted on Mommy Wants Vodka, Knit in Public, Gen with a G, and Five Flavours.
HEALTH
I have Crohn’s disease. I suffer from depression, an anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I suffer from debilitating migraines that last for days on end. I had PPD. This blog isn’t a pity party and regularly I kick life’s ass up and down the block. I will not to bore you with complaints about these conditions, but if you are going through something similar and have questions, feel free to email me.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE
I was a librarian for eight years but I left that line of work to stay home with my daughter and work on my small business.
I help support my family through portrait photography, selling photographs to Getty, and by offering photography and a selection of thrifted finds at the Little Big Shop on Etsy. I also just started an affiliate shop on Amazon to help pay the bills.
I also began selling ad space on Little Big in 2012. Contact me for more information! I’d love to have you.
INTERNET LIFE
I also go by Little Big or exlibris elsewhere on the internet.
For more info, check out my new reader page, or my FAQ.
Oh wow, I came to your post about meal planning from ParentHacks and just realized I remember the article about your nursery from the Etsy Storque blog because I was expecting our baby girl then
So neat how everything is interconnected on the Internets 
Lovely blog.
Yay – I’m so glad to find your cute little family blog. I was just on flickr for the first time in forever (flickr.com/photos/playfullibrarian/) and saw your link. Looks like y’all are having fun!
Just heard about Peaches and stopped by your blog to say hello and introduce myself. I am the Lion(ess) aka Tigerpaw, depending on my mood. Please visit my blog called j615 and say hello.
Love peaches for whatever time is left. Her memories will keep her alive forever.
A New Friend, Lia.
I just found you randomly on WordPress front page and I’m so happy I did. I almost never click on anything there! Very nice to meet you
So nice to meet you, Jupiter!
Just to let you know I stopped by. A few things made me smile. One is your hat.
Thank you! I love the bear ears.
Carrie Anne! I never would’ve guessed. Just know you as LBL!
That’s me!
I can tell that we are going to be friends. Despite my handle. Love your posts!
Thank you! With a name like that, I have to check out your blog.
Hi Carrie Anne,
I was going to read that “starting etsy” article you suggested,
when I came across your page on flikr and the great plug you
gave to my etsy shop. (Thanks!) Then I found your blog and got snagged by it
and never made it to the help article. Now I’m going to try again but first wanted
to praise you up’n down the wazoo for all the neat stuff you’ve created here!
Love and kisses from me,
Aunt T
Love you!
I clicked on your blog because it said “littlebig” which is the name of one of my favorite books.
Well, also because it was listed on bloggess.
Such a great book.
Just found your blog today & think it’s adorable! We’ve got quite a few things in common, & reading your profile was a reminder to pick up blogging about a few topics I’ve kinda left behind for a while.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Anytime!
Wow, I recently joined Pinterest and saw this amazing reciepe and I found myself at your site. How strange I thought to find someone with such similar interests as myself. I love terrariums! I read your bucket list and I must say I find it both extremely interesting and overwhelming at the same time. I have done a lot of things on it, which made me feel cultured. Thanks for that! You seem amazing and I will definately be back to read more!
Thank you so much, Jamie!
I got here via The Bloggess and I love your site. So wanted to do the Warrior Dash this year – it looks like it was a great time.
If you are planning on doing it, send me a message and I’ll find you and give you a high five!
You are amazing! Followed!
xoxo,
Fellow thriftaholic
Awesome! Nice to meet you!
Found you on twitter and was immediately drawn to your spicy language. if one more adult looks at me weird due to my adult language, i will just…grrrr. AND then i saw that you have the books iphone sticker cover thing (as i did for YEARS) and poof! I’m a new follower. hooray, hooray!
VIcki recently posted..lunch break hustlin’
So nice to meet you, Vicki!!
After following you sometime on Twitter and enjoying what you tweet I decided to look at your blog and totally dug what you create and find, and that you were a librarian. I was also surprised that we share some of the same challenges like Crohn’s and Panick Attacks. Here’s to not letting things get you down and doing what you do best.
Jeanette, thank you so much for this. Here’s to kicking life’s ass!
Hi, Carrie Anne
Found you through our Blog Boss class. I kept reading the compliments about your beautiful photography and was intrigued. I couldn’t agree more!!! On top of that, you are so much fun!! Pretty evident by your About Me section. I have so much more to read on your blog but you are now bookmarked so I can keep up with you. I can’t say I’m a thrifter but I only buy on sale and I love to make over things. I don’t have my blog up and running yet — probably next month, but wanted to comment on your beautiful blog!!
Dana H.
Dana, thank you so much for stopping by and sharing these kind words. They made my day! I truly appreciate it.