The spirit of collaboration and thinking outside the box by the Urban Ashes Picture Frame Company is a Michigan success story!  As one of their first retail partners, we're pleased to be a small part of that story. Urban Ashes founder Paul M. Hickman will be presenting a FOUND Art Talk on Friday, June 21st at 6:30 p.m. during Artwalk Ann Arbor.  For this half hour Art Talk, Paul will share stories about working with municipalities, businesses and non-profit groups in an endeavor which creates jobs for transitional workers while keeping felled urban trees from being turned into mulch and firewood (or out of the landfills).  Paul will also talk about the latest collaboration with non-profit groups who are deconstructing Detroit homes scheduled for demolition.  His line of Detroit DeNailed frames are born from that effort. Providing work and sustainable products is what it's all about! The art talk will take place across the hall from FOUND at Fustini's Oils & Vinegars on the second floor of the Kerrytown Market & Shops.  Fusinis will be sampling hor'dourves made from their incredible products during the evening.  If you weren't already aware,  Artwalk Ann Arbor is a new one night event with about a dozen walkable venues from Kerrytown to Main Street.   CLEARANCE SAle. We have a great selection of made in Michigan Urban Ashes frames to choose from every day.  As a bonus on the weekend of Art Walk, we'll have even more - at reduced prices! As the company has evolved, Paul has amassed a good sized group of experimental, one-offs and "seconds" that will be available for sale at great discounts. Still pretty wonderful for your favorite photos, but don't go with what they are doing now, so they are being cleared out of the warehouse.  This special sale will begin at 5:00 June 21 - and end promptly at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 23.  Come Friday evening for the best selection! Here's the link if you'd like to follow Urban Ashes on Facebook. I'll be adding more info about what FOUND is doing for Art Walk in the next few days, but here are a couple tidbits - muralist Katherine Larson will be painting little scenes of Ann Arbor right in the shop from 5:00-7:00.  Our neighbors 16 Hands, Heavenly Metal and Metal, plus galleries on Main Street will have trunk shows or demos as well.  Food, wine, art, friends, good conversation all on a Friday night.  With time to head to Top of the Park afterwards.  Ann Arbor in the summertime, ahhh.... Continue reading

Using vintage metal folding rulers to create unique bracelets and rings is a novel idea for upcycled jewelry.  Lightweight and eco-funky, these are a new favorite with our customers.  Made in Wisconsin - available at FOUND. Below are some other pieces by the same artist who uses old road signs, heavy aluminum restaurant trays and salvaged industrial metals.  Rings, bracelets AND these awesome money clips = great gift ideas! Cuff bracelets with vintage Coca Cola tags on various recycled metal bases. For some of the cuff bracelets, the artist used parts of old fire extinguishers.  All these have a very industrial look.     Continue reading

One of my favorite things about FOUND is the variety of merchandise that works with our concept of mixing old and new and handmade into one fun store.  This post features photos of some of our latest finds in each of those categories.  First up are these nutritional teaching aids from the late 1950's.  I love the vintage Fiesta style dishes.   Pick out your favorite food combos. Check out the nutritional stats on the back.  Interesting for recycled paper arts or just to hang on the fridge.  We have dozens available, but when they are gone, I don't know if I'll ever find them again. Here's a uique photo frame for the cottage - handcrafted from vintage water skis   The bindings are left on the back side to hold the frame upright.  How awesome is that for that photos at the lake?   If you're more into sailing than water skiing, then we have a couple vintage books with yachting instructions! This toy lithographed tin blue & white tea set is in rough condition, but we still love it. I first saw these special little notebooks at Detroit Mercantile in the Eastern Market area.  Now we have them at FOUND, too (thanks,  Robert, for sharing your source).  Perfect for laying out your big ideas - and to note all the little steps to fulfill those schemes and dreams.   Speaking of Detroit, Urban Ashes has a new "Detroit DeNailed" line of frames in which they collaborate with a non-profit group that deconstructs homes that were slated for demolition.  On Friday, June 21st at 6:30, come to Kerrytown to hear Paul M. Hickman tell the Urban Ashes story, including how Detroit DeNailed evolved.  The talk will be part of the first Art Showcase Art Walk Ann Arbor event.

If you have a dog, you might get a chuckle out of this magnet:

Here's a little vintage dog that you never need to let in and out. Lots more to show you, but need to go.... more later!       Continue reading

Perhaps you've noticed that Urban Fairies have built a little workshop and garage in front of FOUND in Kerrytown.  Or perhaps you've walked by dozens of times and never even seen it.  Close to the floor is this 3 or 4 inch high entry door to the space where Ann Arbor fairies come to work and play (in the wee hours of the night when the rest of the building is all locked up).  The latest evidence appeared last week when a fairy sized typewriter appeared. Here's a closer look. And an even closer look. I wonder which fairy knows how to write... as I understand it, most fairies are illiterate.  But could this be the beginning of a story or a fairy poem?  Is it a to do today list?  Or a letter to a friend?  Or just banging on the keys and getting them all stuck...  The tiny type is too small for me to decipher. Do you know about the Washtenaw Wanderers Fairy Door Walk on Sunday, May 5th?  Join them at the Michigan Union Sunday morning - click here for details.  We'll have cookies at FOUND during the Fairy Walk.  Or you can find a map on the Official Urban Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor website that you can explore as your convenience. Mentos and Vernors and...bubble gum?!! What kind of music do you think urban fairies prefer? Or do they just pound on the keys? (that keyboard looks a bit rough for a fairy real pianist.... We'll have to have an expert on urban fairies come to the shop for a Q and A before too long. .

NOTE : this fairy workshop disappeared when Found moved in August of 2015. Evidence of fairies can be found at their new location, downstairs by the Kerrytown Courtyard. 

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It's graduation weekend at the University of Michigan.  On a personal note, our daughter Laura is getting her MSW on Saturday and we couldn't be prouder!  Here's a big congratulatory shout-out to Laura and to all those who are moving on - best wishes from all of us at FOUND. It's been a popular week for cards and inspiration prints, with our manifesto cards from Holstee among the most popular. An abridged version -  This is your Life.  Do what you love and do it often.  If you don't like something change it.  If you don't have enough time, stop watching TV.  Start doing things you love.  Stop over analyzing.  Life is simple. Travel often. Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them.  Life is short.  Live your dream and share your passion.   A great message for grads and for the rest of us, too.   Over at the Hostee.com website, people are sharing their stories and folks are getting involved in all kinds of ways to make the world a better place.  An article in the Refreshed section even includes a snippet about Urban Ashes. It's a week for looking back and looking ahead.  Embrace the transition.         . Continue reading

. Goats have arrived at FOUND!  Like the needle felted sheep that we carry, these guys are handmade in Au Gres, Michigan - up in the thumb area.  Each one is crafted with wool, has natural stick legs and a tiny rusted bell around the neck  (so Old Hogan knows to move his red shirts off the line when they are near - mom, you know what that means - if anybody else knows this song, comment below). In addition to a fine herd of goats, we have this springs new boucle lambs and more of the stick leg sheep in stock.  The sheep have been popular as gifts.  Each one seems to have its own personality. They are available at the shop in Kerrytown or on our website. .     Continue reading

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Lots of little things have been added to the shop this month.  Right now at FOUND, you can find about a dozen old compacts with mirrors tucked into one of the drawers.  Little purses.  Little jewelry findings and charms.  And other little doodads for crafting.  Some tiny baskets to hold tiny little things: More game pieces for crafting, buttons, scrabble letters, tiny little doll parts, and watch parts, and magnets. We even found small metal hooks shaped like little hands to hang your jewelry from - I forgot to take a photo of those, so I'll show you the new spool style wall hooks we got from the same Dallas-based company instead: Back to small things - I found a couple little wooden houses, that perhaps some  urban fairies would like to inhabit.   When you stop by, be sure to look for the little urban fairy door in our hallway.  At night the fairies come and create wonderful things in their special urban fairy workshop....   . Continue reading

Color your Easter eggs with all natural dye this year.  We have the kit to make it easy and fun!  Non-toxic, child-safe  botanicals combine to make pastel or brilliant colors.   We're excited to now offer watercolor paint sets  from this eco-friendly company, too. Hop on over to FOUND in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown -  find decorative bunnies and fun little things for your Easter baskets!   Continue reading

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