Officially: Yellow Finch.Gray Day on Etsy

   Well we've officially done it - and so soon! "Launch Etsy Shop" just graced our new To Do: 2013 list last week, and we've already crossed it off! Sure, there was a lot of pre-work that I had started last year - thinking about shop name, shop 'policies' and the oh so important shop "banner." Of course "launching" the shop is really only the first step...

The Shop:

etsy banner

Name: Yellow Finch.Gray Day

Link to Shop: click here! (might want to add it to your favorites! wink!)

The Plan:
   Yellow Finch for Littles: Fun items + gifts for kids & baby
   - Items like: Plush Jimmy Dolls, Nuggets, Tooth Fairy Nuggets + Finger Puppets + Tea For Two Sets + Wash Mitts + Magic Sponge Sets + Artwork, etc.
   Gray Day for your Home: Cute Decor & Art for everyday.
   - Items like: Pot Holders + Towels + Wash Mitts + Handmade Books + Cards + Artwork, etc.

Product listed so far: 5 Tooth Fairy Nuggets! Hooray!  I have a bunch of stuff leftover from Finch's Boutique, so expect to see lots more very soon!

Blog: http://yellowfinchgrayday.blogspot.com - I figured that a fun way to feature and share some of my new projects, ideas, and items for Yellow Finch.Gray Day could live in its own blog - but wait! there's nothing up there yet except for a blog title banner I made (see below) - you'll have to check back later...

blog banner

Have a look!
Now we just need to get people to visit our shop....

Deck the Walls - Part 2 - Finally....

  Hey - so remember our post from last May titled "Deck the Walls...with SOMETHING! Please!" {see post}? If not: long story short = tired of blank, boring walls - especially in the common area spaces, like the living room - we ordered artwork from Society6 to layer in with some of our other collected items in order to Deck Our Walls.

  Well we are very pleased to share that we finally - literally, just last week - addressed the 'tall wall' in our living room. Have a look!

  We hung two vintage ceiling tiles (that I picked up at a boutique last May - see post )

  + along with one of the Society6 prints we purchased: "Perch" by Eric Fan. We really like the little birdie and nice golden color that we've begun to carry throughout the room.

  + We scored this sweet M - made from a variety of tin ceiling tiles (picked it up at Junk Bonanza - see post). We thought it tied back to the two white tiles nicely, + pushed those same golden tones as the "Perch" print

  + a cute white frame from IKEA - so we can add something more personal - there WILL be a cute picture of Finch & Rigby in there sometime soon

  + and lastly, the wooden gold finch I got from Anthropologie years ago made it's way from the Mpls house and *finally* found a home here. He's one of my favorites.

Our "Tall Wall" is right in between our fireplace and deck doors - 

it reaches up to the point of our vaulted ceiling - so we had plenty of room to play.

+ To finish up the wall, we have the mid-century-mod buffet that I talked about in the guest

blog post I did over at Hammers & High Heels - see that post here.

+ I collected the old chair from a yard sale in Mpls - probably about 7 years ago, 

+ we topped it off with the pillow we had made out of the vintage Bemis grain sacks we picked up also at Junk Bonanza - see post. It's so great to have a little piece of Kevin's family history here as a cushy pillow with brown corded piping.

+ Oh last but not least! The space just wouldn't be complete without the basket of Finch & Rigby Toys - If only we could get them to put them back in the basket themselves next time...

  There's something pretty rewarding about several of our past blog posts come back around full circle and shaking hands :) Next on the list: the new gas insert fireplaces will be finished and then the living room will be SUPER cozy! See you then!

P.S. - Here is how much the pups helped out with the wall.

We wouldn't get anything done if these two weren't supervising....

Looking Forward to 2013!

We are all looking forward to what 2013 might have in store for us,

Best wishes to you and yours in the new year.

  Like so many people, we've been chatting about what we want to tackle in 2013 - some make resolutions, but I just feel bad when I fail. "Resolution" sounds so serious. Keeping with our my love of list making, we've prepared a "To Do: 2013 List." Have a look!

  I think we'll print this out - maybe a few of them - and post them where we can see them: in the kitchen, in the closet, at the office(s)

  Do you have a To-Do: 2013 List? If you would like a fancy-schmancy list, like the one we made, let me know!
1: E-mail me: ebrytneson@yahoo.com with YOUR list of 6-10 to-dos + color preference
2: A special, customized list will be sent back!
* That way you can print your list to stay on top of your to-dos Hooray!

   So! If we achieve our "keep up with blog" goal, we'll keep you in the loop on how we're doing with our To-Do: 2013 List along the way!

McBride's time to relax....finally....

  Wondering where we've been for a while? Oh, we've been here all right, just cheating on this blog with Finch's Boutique blog...
  It's that time of year, when we completely tear apart our house, stash away our personal decor and bring in other people's stuff - 70 local artist and designer's stuff to be exact. Our largest Finch's Boutique to date was a big success - even if Day 2 was hindered by a ton of snow - it's was still a lot of fun, but mostly a ton of work....not sure if it will be happening here again next year..... we'll see....

  Here's what I mean...

We move most furniture out or re-purpose some - like one couch and the coffee table -
and bring in all the display apparatus...

Would you believe we had over 200 visitors come through our place?
That's a few more than we typically like to entertain at once...

This year got so big, we opened the smaller guest room down the hall to accommodate the Kids/Baby/Pets product.

Luckily, we have the two best shop dogs ever....

Okay, 1 really good shop dog....and then there's Rigby....

"This is my 7th Holiday boutique - no big deal" - Finch

Oh Man, being shop dogs is REALLY hard work...

   NOW! We have the house pretty well put back together, people's product is *almost completely gone and we're ready for some relaxing. We're definitely pleased to have finished the bulk of our Christmas shopping before the sale, but that doesn't mean we're sitting still for too long....

Still lots to be done! On to 2013!!

Happy Holidays from The McBride's

Kevin, Elisa, Finch & Rigby

Magic Nugget Sponge Sets!

  One of my new creations for Finch's Boutique - under the name Yellow Finch.Gray Day (blog/etsy shop to come...some day....) - is Magic Nugget Sponge Sets!

  I've been making Nugget Wash Mitts for kids - sewn from terry cloth - for a few years now, and I guess I was thinking of ways to expand cute options for gift giving, and a way to make everyday routine tasks, like baths, a little more fun :)

  Take a peek!

From online, I ordered a multi-color pack of composite cellulose sponges
- they're flat and hard, like little card boards

I sketched and cut out a little pattern from a cereal box! ha!

I traced/cut around my pattern to get my Nugget shape!

The picture I don't have is me sewing all the bit together, but basically, I used a hole-punch and X-acto knife to cut out the little eye holes, and I doubled up my thread to sew on the the little square patches and owl beaks.
Here are the packages all set for the sale!

When you add the little, flat composite sponges to water - they INSTANTLY grow into squishy, fun sponges ready for bath time! IT'S MAGIC!

  * Later I emptied all the little round sponge bits my hole puncher - and let Brooke and Owen drop them into a bowl of water over at Grandma Bonnie's - Brooke proclaimed them to be "Magic Beans!!!"

  Other ideas for these sheets of composite sponges: cut them into alphabet shapes or numbers, animals or fun shapes - circles and stars, hearts, oh my!

Yellow Finch.Gray Day for Finch's Boutique

  So I have been spending most of my time preparing for Finch's Holiday Boutique 2012 - coming up on Dec. 8th & 9th - it's a full time job (on top of the one I already have!) I've been working on my own product - under the name Yellow Finch.Gray Day - and updating the boutique blog once, sometimes twice, a day.

  My product list so far:
- Plush Toys like Jimmy Dolls, Pocket Nuggets, Tooth Fairy Nuggets
- Terry Wash Mitts
- Tea For Two Play Sets
- Finger Puppets
- Magic Sponge Sets
- Pieced Fabric Pot Holders
- Tea Pot Framed Art and Pot Holders
- Squeaky Bone Dog Toys
- Jingle Nugget Kitty Toys
- Felt Ornaments
- Re-usable Coffee Cup Cozies

+ Kevin is getting ready to start making his Peppermint Bark and Green Apple Bark pretty soon here too!

  I thought I'd share a peek a some of what I've been working on! Framed tea pot illustrations with matching pot holders (My mom is working on the tea pot kitchen towels to complete the collection!)

I Heart SF! - Part 2

  So one of the sweet shops we visited was Paxton Gate. My co-worker Alyssa was SO pumped to visit this store - it was super cool and really fascinating :)  I lifted this from their site, but it pretty much sums it up "...Treasures and Oddities inspired by the Garden and the Natural Sciences. We're known for our mix of neo-Victorian delights, eclectic animal and plant ephemera, taxidermy, bones and skulls, framed and mounted insects, jewelry, affordable art, fossils & minerals, and more..."
  Its a must visit when in San Fran :) Check it out!

Loads of crazy taxidermy

Stones, corals, taxidermy eyeballs, beakers, test tubes, under the sea finds + a PIRANHA!! Scary!

Everything for your terrarium needs + a sweet backyard garden area full of succulents and cool plants we can't grow outside in MN...

Bugs and skulls and fossils...

+ these cool lamps - one made with an alligator head (far right side)

If you find yourself in San Fran - def check it out!