Prints, Art, & Collages- oh my!

Art & Vintage prints look fabulous when collaged on a wall over a couch, in a dining room, in a stairwell, etc. In my own home, I have five distinct "sets" of framed vintage prints (botanicals, florals, dog prints, maps of Michigan/Grand Rapids, & animals). Putting together a nice collection can be tough. Sometimes you get lucky and find a book or set that is already matched... but I think mixing and matching what you can find adds depth and interest in your room. A carefully curated set of wall prints may take a while to collect, but once you put them up, they make a beautiful statement. See some inspiration below from the internet, my home, and the store:

Inspiration from the Internet

1. http://decor8blog.com/2012/01/23/eclectic-second-hand-charm-in-the-midwest/

2. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/inspiration-uni-87633

3. http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2011/12/art-of-display.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FISuVv+%28poppytalk%29

4. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/industry-standard-toughen-up-y-146713

5. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/inspiration-gal-3-96489

6. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/an-afternoon-with-155569?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fmain+%28Main%29&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner

Inspiration from my Home

http://makingmadisonmanor.tumblr.com/

Inspiration by FOUND!

- Kelley

emily and fin is available!!!!

i could spend hours going over the new collection from emily and fin.

before i order ...

take a look and let me know if you see something you MUST HAVE. i can piece order emily and fin. 

let me know. order is being placed wednesday!

all dress are under $100 :)

Mud Room Re-Do!

Troy (mys husband that many of you know) and I have been slowly working on the mudroom (again), and it is coming together quite nicely. We got this couch last weekend at a resale shop, removed the skirt, and changed out the legs. I love how it looks much more polished now. Also, the couch pulls out into a bed (which by looks of it has never been used). We can have even more company now! The armchairs were found at a garage sale last summer for only $5… total. Can’t beat that!

We have been collecting pennants for decor since last summer, and we got the pennant pillow from our shop. It really fits the vintage/industrial “school” type feeling- especially when you add in the lockers/locker baskets that we have for storage. (By the way, I bought the Lockers from FOUND last summer before I was a partner!)

The entire wall of curtains only cost $120 (and a labor of love, of course). It is so much cheaper to do them yourself. I still have some finishing to do on them, but I tried to pick really great textures/prints that were still airy for the light to come through. It provides just the right amount of shade, I think. really tried to document some of the details & textures of the textiles in this post. We stole some items from other rooms (pillows, rugs, etc.) in the house, but I think that is good that our stuff is so interchangeable.

The lamp was made out of an old bushel basket that we hung with a lighting kit. The centerpiece on the coffee table is made out of vintage test tubes/beakers and filled with white beans. I hope to have fresh flowers in these during the summer.

 

The cubby on the wall was a gift from Pottery Barn. We filled it with small treasures & special pictures of my family. It is kind of hard to fill something like that without having it look cluttered, but I think I am happy with it for now.

As usual, Harper (my sweet dog that many of you also know) wanted some attention, too.

Hope you enjoyed looking at these pictures as much as we enjoyed decorating! - Kelley

grammy's fashion

here are some of my favs. 

back to my roots

i'd be lying if i said the past two months have kicked my butt.

they have.

in a good way.

since we opened the grand rapids store i have been running around like a mad woman, keeping the shelves stocked, keeping them merchandised, keeping me alive.

this could not be done if there were not three of us. thank you my friends kelley and susan.

we are a great team. where one of us has a weakness the other compensates for it - that makes a true team. we are all in this together.

where am i going with this? ah yes.

the past two months i've been using my stockpile that i collected in anticipation of this wonderful rush (thanks to you our beloved customers). but today i had an opportunity to go out and scout.

i went to an estate sale on my way to work this morning (it was right down the road) and i found this AWESOME chair for the store. (i  only do clothing but we are both always looking for each other)

i picked it up to load it into my car only to find a sweet suprise on the bottom. a gold medalian logo that proudly states "Baker Furniture"

come and get it people. a new pillow on there as well made from a piece of barkcloth

it was so fun to get back into the thrill of the hunt. 

i found a HUGE vintage chalkboard in the back of the house's garage. it was nailed to wall. they said if it i could take it down i could have it for $5. $5....worth it!

i was in my skirt and swing coat trying to pry the SLATE chalkboard down from the wall. luckily for me i must have looked pretty helpless because the gentleman working the sale came and helped me. $5 and it is mine! i couldn't believe they were giving it to me at that price. then i realized how heavy it was. slate is no styrofoam lol. 

i can't decide if i'm going to put it in my home office or in my kitchen...i will be sure to post pictures either way. 

what is your awesome find that you couldn't believe the price? 

xxoo abby

ps don't forget about our valentines day event THIS thursday (feb 9) in grand rapids from 6-9. exclusive deals, drinks and treats, a photo booth and flowers. 

here are a few pictures of new jewelry i got in for the event. 

Prada! size 9 $75

Christian Dior Cashmere Wool Coat size 6 $109

Prada

mad style.

 Saturday night I attended the Lakeshore Independent Business Alliance (LIBA) Retro Cocktail Party. The dress theme was 'Mad Men' so I poked around through Abby's backstock and came up with something at the last minute that worked pretty well - at least it fit!

  But thats just it. What I wore fit. Like a glove. And it got me to thinking that all the styles from that era fit the same way. Perfectly tailored and meant to fit you. 

And the question we get asked so often in the store is "how were womens waists so tiny back then?" . well, after last night I had a firsthand chance to discover why.

  I had already restrained myself that day and only ate an egg and some celery just so I could get my dress zipped up. And then I had to squeeze into my extra support hose and  still suck in my gut and wiggle into my dress which had a tiny tight little belt that hit me  right around the ribcage. And then I wore my super pointy little kitten heels and had to watch my every litttle step so I didnt trip on , well, everything. And here is what I noticed...

 There were lots of appetizers served at this event. And drinks ( yay for yummy martinis!). And my egg and celery fast was wearing thin so I decided I could have watever I wanted..But after about 3 bites of some tasty treats I realized I really wasnt comfortable eating any more. I felt like everything stopped around my waist and it was like my belly had a roadblock. Now granted I was wearing head to toe vintage unlike the way we wear it now. But if I had to dress like that everyday, with probably even more foundation garments, I would likely just  about give up on eating. Or at least very little.

 I love the look of Mad Men and loved seeing everyone dressed with such attention to detail. There are many ways to incorporate vintage that fits with modern accents. Try pairing a solid vintage dress with dark tights and updated shoes. Try that sassy cocktail dress of yours with a daring vintage hat or shoes. 

As much as I loved being dressed up and having a night on the town, I  have to admit I  could'nt wait until I got home and put on my flannel jammies. And then proceeded to chow down.....

ps...billiam won best dressed man!

Love Fest 2012

On Thursday, February 9 (one week from today!) from 6pm-9pm in our Grand Rapids store, FOUND will be hosting a Valentines Event. You will not want to miss this:

Sales (yay!)
Drinks/Treats
Photobooth (pics will be posted on our FB & Blog)
Flower Orders (compliments of Ginko Studios)
Prizes

Come hang out with us and get a present for yourself or somebody special. We would LOVE to see you (get it? "LOVE" because of Valentine's Day). Can't wait to see you! 

<3 FOUND