Come to FOUND on Sunday, October 7th for Cider & Pumpkin Treats!   At the Open House, you'll get a little Halloween ornament with purchase.  There will be special savings on all Fall decor.  And you can enter to win a gift basket filled with Halloween goodies!  As the autumn leaves begin to fall, FOUND is filled with whimsical halloween decorations, harvest colored wreaths, pumpkin & spiced apple scented candles and potpourri, felted wool jacket pins, owls of many varieties, Urban Ashes frames, art from antique tin, jewelry from Michigan artists and so much more!         Don't forget that our Annual Old Stuff Sale continues through Oct. 29th.  30% off all vintage and antique merchandise in stock.   Hope to see you soon!   . Continue reading

I can't take my mind off fairies lately. There are many kinds of fairies, including woodland fairies, flower fairies and tree fairies.  Probably the most famous fairy is Tinkerbell. What has intrigued me lately are Urban Fairies. I've been checking out the Urban Fairies website and consulting with Jonathan Wright, an expert fairyologist (located in Ann Arbor, but consulted by the media worldwide) hoping to understand some odd additions to the bay window at my shop. We're both puzzled.  It appears that fairies are creating what will be a workshop or garage or headquarters or something.... What is strange is that while there is a little door in front, this project is HUGE and has what look like BIG barn or garage doors on the end. Fairies usually don't like big or exposed areas, preferring to protect their privacy... I've been aware of the presence of fairies in Kerrytown since I opened seven years ago. Some live in the clock bell tower and can be seen  flittering around the clock face if I leave the building late at night. I've seen evidence that they like to explore  at FOUND when no one is there - so sometimes I leave little trinkets for them in a jar by my desk. Here are a few photos. Who knows what's next??? Above: looks like a fairy door.   Below: does NOT look like a fairy door...   Below below: some stuff they left in the window.     So, what's going on???  I'll keep you posted, but in the meantime, let me know if you have any ideas. p.s. there is one vehicle associated with an urban fairy that uses an alternative fuel - Vernors     Continue reading

  Sweet little button flowers in our bud vases from upcycled silverware make a perfect Springtime pairing!  Emily has been busy at FOUND making lots of these colorful button bouquets for Mother's Day.  It's an easy project - just thread thin guage foral wire through the button holes, then hold the flower "head" while you twist the wire tight. If desired wire several together and add ribbon leaves for a vintage bouquet.  It's a great project to do with kids.  Small vintage bottles make great vases, too. You'll find charming Mom's Day cards at FOUND (handmade in Ann Arbor) that incorporate vintage story book images.  What Mom wouldn't love these?     This week, all  jewelry and candles are 10% off at FOUND. And  Saturday morning (May 12), we'll have a drop in button flower making session for kids between 10 a.m. and noon.  We'll help them make a couple flowers and wrap them up for Mommy or Grandma.  Happy Mother's Day from FOUND!     Continue reading

Earth Day 2012 is April 22nd.  FOUND has a special eco-funky art show planned for that entire weekend.  We believe artists who use recycled materials are doin' their part to save the earth.  Here's a quick preview of our poster! I'm really excited to be featuring these 6 artists - all of them use recycled, found or vintage materials in ways that make me very happy!  Watch this space for details about the artists and what they're bringing.     Continue reading

Springtime finds are making their way into FOUND. Here's a quick photo peek at what the UPS guy has delivered recently.    Felted bunnies and eggs.   We've added a lot of charms, pendants and jewelry findings so that you can assemble your own necklaces and bracelets.  (check out our workshop page for info about the upcoming Patera workshops) Stop in soon and see what else we've found!     Continue reading

A few weeks ago, we went to Beckman's handcrafted show at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago and found some great new things to carry at FOUND.  This week, our orders started to arrive! Chicago jewelry designer Veronica Riley Martens works with colorful beads made from South American tree nuts called tagua.  This is a newly popular, eco-friendly material that was previously used to make lovely carved buttons in the early part of 20th century.  We've had a variety of vintage tagua buttons at the shop before.  The meat of the nut is noted for it's ability to take colorful dyes.  In natural form, it resembles ivory from elephant tusks, thus is often referred to as vegetable ivory. It's smoothness makes it easy to carve. When plentiful "modern" plastics became available that could be used to make cheaper buttons, tagua nut use fell from favor during the 1930's.  Fortunately, there has been a resurgence of products being made from this plentiful natural material. Veronica includes this info with her jewelry: " Tagua Nut Beads are made from the fuit of a palm tree from the South American rainforests.  This eco-friendly product helps sustain rainforests by harvesting a renewable resource without damaging the trees.  The use of tagua nuts also provides jobs for over 35,000 people in Ecuador alone. (pronounced TOG-wa)."  All the tagua nut jewelry at FOUND is designed by Veronica Riley Martens and handcrafted in Chicago.  We love the necklaces, earrings and rings she sent us in a wonderful palette of greens, orange, grey and brown.  The material is lightweight and easy to wear.  Stop by and see our collection and the sample nut - we think you'll be seeing a revival of the buttons, beads and other products made from the versatile tauga nut in the future!   Continue reading

On February 16, Emily (and her sister Cara) will be teaching a patera workshop at FOUND.  All the details and registration are here. It's called Through the Looking Glass.  The participants will make earrings and a necklace, using findings from Nunn Design.  It'll be fun!     Continue reading

 Candles can instantly add a festive touch to your home.  Here are some of the styles available at FOUND this month: Yes, that is real candy!  The Habersham Candy Company makes this colorful pillar and another that has cinnamon sticks. In the fall, we expanded the variety of candles we carry from the Creative Candle Company in Kansas City. Recently, Martha Stewart did a blog post with a series of photos showing the process of handmaking candles.  Martha has featured candles from Creative Candles for years - it's a great quality, made in the USA product.  This holiday season we have a nice selection of pillars, tapers, round ball candles and 10 hour votives in several shades of green, christmas red and ivory. Isn't this multi-armed candelabra a fantastic piece?  Spectacular when filled, but also nice with just a few candles. We also carry footed glass hurricanes.  And clear bobeche for taper candlesticks.   A few simple precautions and remembering to blow them out are important for safety.   An appleberry red bird candle is a fun accent for the holidays.  And at just $8.50 each, these made in USA candles make affordable gifts.   Many folks have stopped to buy Bullfrog candles - not knowing that they closed during the summer. While we were quite disappointed when Charleviox, Michigan-based Bullfrog Light Company announced they were retiring, we wish the former owners all the best.  We hope they spend lots of time sailing  next summer!  Our customers LOVED their unique candles with cut-out snowflakes and simple designs that glowed from top to bottom when they burned.  The last of our final order from Bullfrog is now gone.  That doesn't mean you can't find terrific Michigan-made candles at FOUND.  Our other Michigan based candle company is Green Daffodil from Ferndale.  Their soy candles use pure ingredients and are popular year round.  Packaged in fun little tins, they are quite popular as gifts year round.  We love the new Holiday Tree scent.  Green Daffodil recently started doing larger sized decorative glass jars - great for the holidays!             Continue reading

Here's a selection from a Michigan TV show that did a feature on Kerrytown.  Here's the link: Under the Radar Michigan in Kerrytown There are just a couple images of our windows...the main businesses featured are our neighbors Spice Merchants and Monahan's Fish Market.  And the Kerrytown bells.  They did a great job!         Continue reading

  Once again this year, FOUND is offering "Merry Multiples", our season long special for those of you who need a half dozen of something we carry.  Pay for 5 of an item, and get a 6th one absolutely FREE! Here are just a few of the things people have been buying as "Merry Multiples" during the past week:  Funny little owl ornaments, tiny sheep & snowflakes & long-john snowmen for little feather trees. Placemats from Kriss Lecoq.  Featuring the words "be merry" or "sit. eat", these are a great addition to your table with machine washable, casual style.  Other things for a Christmas time table that people are buying in sets of 6:  candles, candleholders, candle rings (which double as napkin rings) and sweet little stockings that are nice size to tuck silverware and napkin into for a festive look.  Snowflakes and birds of many types have been flying out by the half dozen!       But by far, the most popular items to get 6 of are the CHOCOLATE-filled peppermint candy canes.  YUMmmm... Have a delicious week!   Continue reading