Change Will Do You Good | FinchFound is Changing!

Hey Friends!

Ella here, and it has been a little while since I had anything other than mundane musings about a kid who hates wearing pants to share.  So, I thought I would hop right in, break my silence, and share a little story.

Did we ever tell you how we came to start a blog?  I know we told you this story...but that isn't the real one.......and no, the real one doesn't involve tequila and strippers.

Today, today I share with you the epic story of how FinchFound got it's wings.

Are you ready?

Really?

Okay.....

So, one morning, I was driving to the coast sans my child, I had some things to get done and couldn't do them with a hellion demanding to see my boobs attached to my hip. There I was, on Highway 101, on a perfect weekday morning, warm coffee in hand, windows down. Look, it was epic, you just had to be there, alright?  

While soaking in the glory that is North County San Diego, I did what any rational woman would do. I called my friend and I told her about a hair-brained scheme I had cooked up - 78% of it was a joke.  I told her about my plans for us to open up a really awesome shop for kids. It was fantastic, we plotted for fun, we planned, and then Cora cried and Charlotte had to go. Damn kids.

However, a few weeks later she propositioned me with an idea. We already had an absurd number of emails going back and forth, and we decided to start a blog. Let's be honest, it saved us time, and moms love multitasking.

And that is that. What? Not epic enough? Fine. Whatever man.

Let me see if I can do one better.

Now we have this blog, and once again, our lives are changing. I work full time, Charlotte is departing the United States for a life of adventure, and, like all things, we have to make some changes. The best part though......

FinchFound is changing too!

Not how we expected, but we are excited for the future, excited for what is to come, and excited for change. The blog will still be a big part of what FinchFound is, but we wanted to put this out there as we thank you for overlooking our cobwebs, dust and dirt over the next week or two. Most importantly (and why I saved it for last) we want to thank you, our readers, for following us along on this journey.

More details coming soon. Promise!!

Get Involved | Website tour

You know what you are?

Amazing.

You are amazing. 

Charlotte and I love having you here, reading along, commenting. It makes our day! 

We love it so much, I thought I would show you around the site a little bit - because it isn't just ours, it is your home too.  

First way to get involved? The Recommend Tab.

See it way up there at the tip top?  Use this tab liberally. Don't be shy - we love hearing from you. You rock our socks off. So, why would you use this handy dandy feature?

Because you have amazing stuff to share! Perhaps you came across a shop, blog, or website that gets way too little traffic, or maybe your favorite designer is having a killer sale that everyone needs to know about. Or - hey, maybe you just started crafting or started a "green" company (go you!) and you want the world to know. 

Click on that tab, and send the link along to us. FUN FACT: It is where our "Featured User Recommendations" come from,  and truth be told - you guys find some amazing items, you deserve some cred. 

So, give it a test run! We are here. Click on it - send us something. Best product (decided by we Finches) gets its own feature post. 

So, what are we doing here?

Hi!

Okay, so, you met Charlotte, you met me (Ella!), so what exactly are we doing here?  What is the point of all of this?  Why do we keep posting stuff for your viewing pleasure? Are we paid to do this?

Dude, the questions, there are so many.

First things first. Let me tell you a bit about the love story of Charlotte and I. Hold on because it is a crazy, random ride.

Charlotte and I met online (so you know this is going to be good).  We didn’t know the other person existed until we “met” online in a community for women who were due in the same month, can you smell the hormones? We both have July 2010 babies!  

As the months wore on our group became closer and closer.  Charlotte knows things about me that only my husband knows - the Internet does funny things to people, poor Charlotte. Our bellies continued to grown, and so did the realization that we lived in the same city. We finally knew we had to meet. Our other Internet friend Mel was coming to San Diego for business so we seized the opportunity. In the photos below we are roughly a year apart while pregnant and post partum.

Charlotte and I have spent the past 18 months bonding on a personal level and design level. Go Internet!

Oh, um, side note, I have plans to arrange a marriage between my son and Charlotte’s daughter.

During one of our many play dates (wine may have been involved) we came up with the idea to start a blog sharing our Internet favorites. It is what we do. We hunt, we gather, we share. It is who we are. Some people go shopping when they need something, or go for a run to shake off the day. We sift through the copious amount of items for sale on the Internet and share with you our favorites.

To sum it up, we appreciate beautiful, handcrafted, modern items for our family and we wouldn’t kick sustainable or natural materials out of bed. For the most part we pass on the traditional plastic toys from big box stores (although not always as you can see from the picture above) and scoop up unique, high quality, long lasting beautiful items.

As we sift we post our finds up here. We did the work, we love to do it, why should you have to do it too? No one pays us to post  a certain product, they are posted because they are unique, beautiful, and interesting! They practically post themselves.

So that is our story. Have a question? Ask it!

Meet The Finches - I'm Ella

HEY-OH!

So glad you made your way over to FinchFound!  I guess it is my turn to introduce myself as the other half of Finch. My name is Ella, and there is a small chance I am addicted to searching the Internet for beautiful, modern, high-quality items with a focus on things that I can afford *cough* which isn’t much *cough*.  

I am a San Diego native, married, and have a beast of a baby named Wes, AKA the WASmanian devil.  He is wild.

Well, what do you know, this is us! 

Sup?

That was then, when the beast was little and manageable.

This is now:

Yeah.

By day I take pictures for people, at night I hunt the Internet for fantastic items that I want to own. I am a consumer but where I run into a hurdle is, I care about what I buy and I care about what it looks like.  I don’t want to have the exact same (for example) nursery that everyone else has; I like unique items. I love buying from smaller companies when I can and I love, love, love fun, fresh, and modern designs.

This is the beast's room right before he was born. (We didn’t quite get the chance to finish up before he was born - the mattress and storage baskets came after the baby):

So what am I coveting for the Beast right now?

Well,

This, for one!

I Am Here - Your Neighborhood Custom Play Mat by Board Stiff

A customizable play mat.  So perfect for our small living space.  We don’t have the room for one of those amazing play rugs but we do have room to store a rolled up play mat. 

 Organic Toy Cars by Smiling Tree Toys

Wooden toy cars, of all kinds. How cute is that wooden milk truck hiding in the back? These are right up my alley.  Perfect for small hands to hold on to.

And for me? 

Waves And Sand Fabric Flower Rosette Necklace by Sweet Apple 30

A bright fun necklace. It would match my closet of boring black shirts and possibly hide a few spit up stains in the process. WIN!

I know you have something amazing that you are coveting, I shared mine - you should share yours. I can’t wait to see!

Meet the Finches - I'm Charlotte

Welcome to Finch Found! As a way to get this blog started, we thought we should introduce you to the women behind the scenes.

I’m Charlotte. And that wee one in the Ergo is my beautiful daughter Cora. She’s now 8 months old.

Cora’s love for being worn inspired me to open my own Etsy shops:

At Red Charlotte you can find baby carrier sucking pads and stuff sacks.

At Blue Cora you can find mini cake buntings, gift packaging, and supplies.

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I’ve been a long time buyer on Etsy and transitioning to both a seller and a buyer has reinforced some of my core beliefs and desires:

1)      I believe in supporting the handmade movement

2)      I believe in supporting work at home moms

3)      I want items that are high-quality and long lasting

4)      Style and design are not mutually exclusive from handmade

While not everything I buy is handmade, I do try to look at the principles behind the corporations I buy from and that the products they sell are good for me, my baby, and if possible, the environment.

A few of my current passions?

Fabric, gorgeous, gorgeous fabric.

Zinnia Blooms in Aqua-Brown-Pink by Sweet Tooth for Anthology sold by Down Shadow Lane

Raindrops in Blue, Green, Yellow by Carolyn Gavin for Spring Street sold by Fresh Modern Fabric

Petals in Fuchsia by Andrea Victoria for My Mind’s Eye sold by Uber Stitch

School Days Alphabet by Timeless Treasures sold by Lucky Kaeru Fabric

Chunky necklaces. The chunkier the better.

Frida - Red, Carved Cinnabar Flower and Turquoise Stone Necklace by Polished Two

 The Calico Necklace #2 by Tamar

The Betty by Dana LeBlanc Designs

Vintage Inspired Fuchsia Rose and Green Bead Necklace by Beautiful Disaster by J

Unique baby dolls and plushies. I want them all!

Orange and White Spotty Super Bug Cloth Doll by Murdoch Designs 

Cara by Goodbye Blue Monday

Daisy by Ashland Hill

Three Babushka Russian Matryoshka Dolls by Tadpole Creations

How about you? What are some of your favorite things right now?