diff --git a/app/assets/images/paper-texture-1.jpg b/app/assets/images/paper-texture-1.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4343fd866
Binary files /dev/null and b/app/assets/images/paper-texture-1.jpg differ
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/small_frame.js b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/small_frame.js
index ff384e1fa..c7981f27e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/small_frame.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/app/views/small_frame.js
@@ -16,7 +16,22 @@ app.views.SmallFrame = app.views.Base.extend({
   },
 
   postRenderTemplate : function() {
-    this.$el.addClass(this.dimensionsClass())
+    this.$el.addClass(this.dimensionsClass() + " " + this.colorClass())
+  },
+
+  colorClass : function() {
+    var text = this.model.get("text");
+    if(text == "" || this.model.get("photos").length > 0) { return "" }
+
+    if(text.length > 240) {
+      return "purple x2 width"
+    } else if(text.length > 140) {
+      return "green"
+    } else if(text.length > 50) {
+      return "cyan"
+    } else {
+      return "yellow"
+    }
   },
 
   dimensionsClass : function() {
@@ -27,7 +42,7 @@ app.views.SmallFrame = app.views.Base.extend({
       , className = "photo ";
 
     if(!firstPhoto ||
-      (firstPhoto && !firstPhoto.dimensions.height || !firstPhoto.dimensions.width)) { return className }
+      (firstPhoto && !firstPhoto.dimensions.height || !firstPhoto.dimensions.width)) { return "" }
 
     if(this.model.get("o_embed_cache")) {
       return("x2 width")
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/new_styles/_canvas.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/new_styles/_canvas.scss
index 75d7cbb2b..42cc003af 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/new_styles/_canvas.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/new_styles/_canvas.scss
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ $margin-between-rows : 20;
 $row-height : $column-width;
 $two-row-height : $two-column-width + $margin-between-rows;
 
+/* colors : http://www.colourlovers.com/palette/2134203/Awezome_in_argyle */
+$cyan : rgb(8,204,249);
+$yellow : rgb(242,244,9);
+$green : rgb(29,235,134);
+$purple : rgb(220,23,166);
+
 @mixin tall() {
   height : $two-row-height + px;
   min-height : $two-row-height + px;
@@ -38,13 +44,15 @@ body {
     @include transition(box-shadow);
     @include box-shadow(0,1px,3px,rgba(0,0,0,0.2));
 
+    background-image : image_url("paper-texture-1.jpg");
+
     &:hover {
       @include box-shadow(0,1px,5px,rgba(0,0,0,0.5));
       cursor : pointer;
     }
 
     &:active {
-      -webkit-transform : scale(0.98);
+      -webkit-transform : scale(0.99);
     }
 
     //hax to deal with markdownify
@@ -104,7 +112,7 @@ body {
   }
 
   .info {
-    @include opacity(0.7);
+    @include opacity(0.3);
 
     padding : 5px;
     max-height : 10px;
@@ -114,6 +122,62 @@ body {
     }
   }
 
+  .background-color {
+    height : 100%;
+    width : 100%;
+    position: absolute;
+    top : 0;
+    left : 0;
+  }
+
+  .text-content {
+    @include opacity(0.65);
+    position : relative;
+    z-index : 10;
+    color : #000;
+
+    text-shadow : 0 2px 0 rgba(#fff,0.6), 0 -1px 2px rgba(#555, 0.1);
+    font-weight : bold;
+    font-size : 1.5em;
+    line-height : 1.2em;
+  }
+
+  &.cyan .background-color   { background-color : rgba($cyan, 0.2); }
+  &.green .background-color  { background-color : rgba($green, 0.2); }
+
+  /* blog */
+  &.purple {
+    //.background-color { background-color : rgba($purple, 0.2); }
+
+    .text-content {
+      padding : 10px;
+      @include opacity(0.9);
+
+      p {
+        text-shadow : 0 1px 0 #ccc;
+
+        font-family : Palatino, Georgia, Times, serif;
+        font-weight : normal;
+        font-size : 0.8em;
+        line-height : 1.5em;
+        text-align : justify;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  &.yellow {
+    .background-color { background-color : rgba($yellow, 0.2); }
+
+    .text-content {
+      p {
+        font-size : 2.0em;
+        line-height : 1.7em;
+        text-align : center;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+
   /* larger declarations */
   &.x2.width  .content { @include wide(); }
   &.x2.height .content { @include tall(); }
diff --git a/app/assets/templates/small-frame.jst.hbs b/app/assets/templates/small-frame.jst.hbs
index ce6171aec..e077977cb 100644
--- a/app/assets/templates/small-frame.jst.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/templates/small-frame.jst.hbs
@@ -22,10 +22,14 @@
         </div>
     {{/if}}
 
-
-    <div class="text-content">
-        {{{text}}}
-    </div>
+    {{#unless photos}}
+        <div class="text-content">
+            {{{text}}}
+        </div>
+        {{#if text}}
+            <div class="background-color"></div>
+        {{/if}}
+    {{/unless}}
 </div>
 
 <div class="info">