Nursery Progress: Artwork

With so much fun artwork, Baby McBride's Nursery is becoming a little gallery…

We ordered this sweet "Muppet Alphabet" print by Mike Boon off of Society 6

Left: An illustration I did in college from my first little storybook "Jimmy's Tree" - the colors work out really well in Baby's Room.  Right: A super cute screen print from Sara Lintner of Too Many Suitors

"Nuggets in a Carton" - an illustration I doodled on a napkin one evening, scanned, and color digitally - became the start of many a Nugget projects - stuffed friends, tooth fairy Nuggets, Nugget finger puppets and wash mitts, etc…..

Yay! Raccoons on a tandem bicycle! This is an original screen print from my friend/co-worker Alyssa Nassner.
All of her work is the bee's knees!

Left: Here's "Robit Robot "rolling along by me + Right: Calla the bluebird and her babies in a little nest. I loaded this texture in the background: a scanned piece of Eucalyptus & Flax paper that Kevin and I made together back in school!

And a little something that's right up Kevin's alley!! Left: Our version of "Keep Calm and Carry On"
+ Right: a fun R2-D2 illustration I created, and Kevin approved.

When someone asked me if I was planning to add some of my own geekiness, I figured I'd better infuse some of what I get a little geeky over too :) Left: Got this great print from Painted By Renee out of Los Angeles on Etsy who sent it my way quite promptly +  Right: I found a pretty decent resolution version of this Platform 9 3/4 Hogwart's Express ticket online and printed it off for a little 3" x 5" frame

Last but not least, our McBride's family illustration I created over 2 years ago when we started this blog - and I've been adding family members to it ever since….

The Nursery is really starting to come together! Can't wait to share it with you!

Welcome Baby Preston!

  He's here! Our new nephew has arrived and we were so thrilled to meet him! He arrived one day earlier than expected - he just couldn't wait any longer!
  Brooke is pretty excited about her new baby cousin as well: "Ohhh, he's so cute" - Brooke

+ Here is a little Birth Announcement Artwork that we've created just for little Preston!

Project: Birth Announcement Artwork

  We are less than a month away from welcoming our new, baby nephew into the world. Until he arrives, and his name is revealed, Kevin and I have been referring to him as Baby Francis. We can't wait to finally meet him - and in preparation, I've been working on few different layouts of Birth Announcement style artwork.

   Here's a few of the text graphics that I was inspired by - suitable for framing, hanging in a nursery, or to be sent out as a birth announcement:

  After a few versions - some of which got a little too busy - I scaled back simplified, and stuck with an easy, casual aesthetic: not too modern, not super traditional - along the lines of what I've been doing with Yellow Finch.Gray Day and the "2013 To-Do List"

  Here's what I came up with so far using Brooke and Owen as sample names and info :)

  I've been thinking about preparing a few customizable options to have available for sale at Yellow Finch.Gray Day on Etsy - what do you think?

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....

Steamy Sunday!

   It's been a pretty hot and humid day here - the first of many - and luckily, we still have another day off tomorrow = Memorial Day. So we still have a chance to get a lot more done around the house.
   We did manage to get a few things done today - and ventured outside into the steamy yard to take care of a few things out there too...

- slept in until 8:30am (well Elisa did, Kevin was up earlier...)
- hung new art in the kitchen:

The artwork we ordered this week from Society6 arrived and we promptly hung up  "Let's All Go And Have Breakfast" by Teo Zirinis and added the little watercolor of Finch from Kevin's mom right below :) 

- and in honor of our new kitchen artwork, Kevin made me a yummy breakfast!

cheesy eyebrows, and mini pepperoni eyeballs! Yum!!

- Elisa = cut peonies and irises from out back to bring inside!
- Kevin = picked up paint from Home Depot and stretched some carpet with the "carpet kicker"
- Laundry
- Elisa = Kitchen Cleaning
- Finch = laying around on his beach towel

- Kevin = Mowed the backyard and sprayed the yard for bugs
- Elisa = planted flowers in the big pots in the front and back yard
- Kevin = Pressure washed the deck

We purchased a pressure washer a few weeks ago, and had a chance to test it out! Man! What a difference it makes! Our cedar deck has grayed over the years - which looks fine - but it's gotten grimy and green in some places. Time to make it look brand new!

- Elisa = made spice rub for beer can chicken
- Kevin = made beer can chicken ( the recipe ACTUALLY says "dump out 1/3 of the can of beer" - Kevin was appalled! He changed it to "drink 1/3 of the can of beer and have an additional can on hand to consume immediately..."

Here the little chicken all rubbed up and ready to cook! It was SO tender and juicy!
Cooks for an hour and a half on the grill, but is super easy.

- Kevin - cleaned out the downstairs bedroom
- Spackling and sanding downstairs - ready to paint!
- Cleaned up the house in preparation for family over for grilling tomorrow evening!

   With 90 degree weather, and SO much humidity, there was bound to be some storms. Kevin got his new car in the garage just in time - although we didn't end up with any hail, other's got it who are pretty close by. It's been storming for hours now, but most of the super severe weather headed north of us.
   As my family says "THUNDER BOOMIES!!"

Did you have a productive weekend?

Have a fun and safe Memorial Day!

Deck the Walls...with SOMETHING! Please!

   Kevin had informed me that he had grown tired of our lonely, bare walls. I admit, I'm still having some wall-space-commitment-issues, but I'm starting to get over it. Even though we've been in the new house for a year now (is it still 'new' after one year? It still feels 'new'...), we haven't purchased new furnishings for the whole house. We've been up to our eyeballs in renovations and remodeling, 'new couches' hasn't been checked off the 'to do' list.
   THIS is the reason I hesitate: without finished room and furniture placement, I have a hard time committing to hanging things on the walls.
- Front Entryway: Complete - so there's stuff on the walls
- Master Bathroom: Complete - stuff on walls
- Kitchen: Complete - a few things up...
- Master Bedroom: Complete - also stuff...
- Downstairs Family Room: Incomplete
- Office/Studio: Incomplete
- Mud Room: Incomplete
- Living Room: as complete as we can get without the new couches as previously mentioned. Walls are painted and furniture placement is really determined, what's to stop me from adding wall decor? (besides a clock...) THAT is what Kevin wants to know!

   So! I took the first step: I've thought about it! What shall we hang? Framed photos? Artwork? My artwork? Other's people's art? Shelving to sit all my little dust-collectors? (that's what my mom calls 'em)
  All of the nice photos we have are either already hanging up in the Front Entryway or their all wedding photos/pictures of Finch. While a few photos from the wedding are okay here and there, and picture of my boy Finch are the cutest pics in town: we need some variety....
   Well have I got news for you! I got myself lost amongst all the amazing artist prints available on Society6 - a site that sells printed artwork (and even frames) the sweet artwork submitted by independent artists from all over. Have a peek! I stumbled across some really great artwork that I think will work really well at our place!

   Here's what we've ordered!

We ordered "Perch" by Eric Fan in a walnut frame to go in our living room to hang alongside a few other pieces I've collected - including the two vintage tin tile squares I purchased at the Mother's Day Market

We LOVE this artwork called "Let's All Go And Have Breakfast" by Teo Zirinis.
The PERFECT wall spot in the kitchen eagerly awaits this yummy print in a white frame.

"Lost In Stripes" by Bianca Green in a walnut frame is the sweetest pen drawing style print featuring a lovely little cluster of birch tree trunks. This piece shall be displayed in the downstairs family room when it's done - on the wall or up on the fireplace mantle - We think it will look sweet!

Okay - perhaps I've begun a nesting phase.... I couldn't pass up this AWESOME Alphabet print, appropriately titled "Muppet Alphabet" by Mike Boon. We chose a natural wood frame thinking that it will go...eventually....into the cutest nursery in town.

   Okay, these last prints are JUST for Kevin and I think we'll have a perfect place for them in the new office/studio space by Kevin's desk once the room is done.
   We ordered 4 prints from the same artist, Danny Haas, without frame = free shipping, 8" x 10" will fit into IKEA frames for cheaper.
Ready?

"Logan" by Danny Haas

"Banner" by Danny Haas

"Stark" by Danny Haas

"Parker" by Danny Haas

   I think these four double-identity prints of some of Kevin's favorite Marvel characters will look sweet framed and hung all together - kind of like this:

   So maybe I got a little carried away with purchasing from Society6, but there were just SO many cool artist prints to choose from! It was hard to decide!
   Our new artwork should arrive any day and maybe Kevin will finally be satisfied with our 'wall status' :) We'll be sure to show you how it all turns out!

  What do you think of our new artwork?