au revoir!

it's almost the weekend and i am about to go up north for a little r & r with 5 other couples to a bed and breakfast up near Torch Lake. this will be our second annual "couples retreat" and it has become an event that i look forward to almost as much as Christmas...almost.

each year we head up to Harvey's bed and breakfast and i'm not sure what is better the gorgeous rooms, the wine tasting, the scenery or Harvey's breakfast.

when i head up north i have a few must stop places

the first is always Chateau Chantal where i stock up on the Naughty Red and Malbac...you seriously need to try it.

once we make our way down the winding vineyards i like to stop downtown at Ella's. If you love vintage...you seriously need to stop into Ella's. it's a clever mix of vintage and new (Betsey Johnson, AG, Frye etc).

at the end of a long day one of my favorite places to grab dinner is at Stellas. this wonderful restaurant is a farm to table restaurant with everything made in house and from farm fresh only ingredients (so the menu is ever changing). i should mention that the farms are ALL local! i should also mention that it is located in an old mental institution :)

So now that i've laid my route out for you....what to pack?!? here is what you'll find in my suitcase.

my go to pair of AG Tomboy crops

my bright red pair of Hunter Boots (which i actually used for gardening last night!)

and my other essential a great party dress for going out for a nice dinner at night :)

what are your plans for the weekend?



xxoo abby

the most beautiful people in the world

i like to consider myself a garment treasure hunter. i dig through some pretty icky places to find that piece of hidden treasure, but every now and then i get really lucky.

last week i was fortunate enough to meet a fellow former treasure hunter. i could tell the minute i stepped into her square 50's style home decked out in an eclectic mixture of primitive antiques, mid century pieces and colorful folk art wall pieces...she was my kind of collector. she collected whatever was beautiful.

before we even started talking shop i HAD to have a tour of her house which included a history of her pieces. her parents had been dealers so many of her pieces were family heirlooms.

i was quickly drawn to two pieces.

the first was her amazing, elegant and not to mention HUGE entry tree. it was this large deep colored wood mantle looking piece (but no fireplace). it reached all the way to her ceiling. from the top it had a large mirror that reached all the way to the desk piece in the middle. on each side there were 6 hat hooks (on which she had a vintage hat hanging on each one). then was a beautiful engraved desk piece with two oval shape holes on each side to hold your umbrellas with removable drip pans underneath to catch the water. along the bottom of the piece were several places to place your shoes. i was in love.

the second piece that i was drawn to was a large piece of folk art in her living room. it was a life size alligator head made out of what looked to be papier mache. it was huge and bright green it looked so odd yet still inviting.

after my grand tour and a yummy glass of sweet ice tea, she took me to the back of her house to talk shop...and i about fainted.

in front of me was the most beautiful vintage collection i have EVER seen. the colors, the cuts, the beads unbelievable. the best part? they are all sizes 4-12! yes that is right 4-12.

3 hours of digging and ooing and ahhing i was walking out with the entire collection. i couldn't leave anything behind it was too beautiful!

here are some of my fav's!

 30 dresses, 12 tops, 40 slips, and 2 pairs of shoes later her collection is almost ready to be put on the floor.

meeting people like this is some of the most rewarding parts of my job. she was so elegant, gracious and a true kindred spirit.

i can't wait to go visit her again because next time she is going to teach me to make bread!

come in and view the most beautiful things from one of the most beautiful people i've ever met (should be ready by Wednesday!)

xxoo Abby

it's the little things that mean the most

i've never prided myself on a person who pays attention to details when it comes to things like spelling, knitting or engine lights. (maybe that is why i've always run into trouble with those things). but there are times when i do pay attention to detail and that is when i am buying something.

when i am out shopping i am looking for something special. it has to be eye catching and then it has to have some sort of interesting detail. i have to find something that makes me feel like i have a connection to it.

one of my favorite shirts is by a brand called Odd Molly. my shirt is a gray boho top with pink rosettes. cute...but what made me fall in love with it was the little details that you have to study the shirt to see. the first one is a hand embroidered butterfly near the seam on the right side of the shirt. the second detail is an embroidered phrase in the back neck part of the top saying "come mess up my hair". and anyone who has seen my hair knows that makes a lot of sense.

drawing inspiration from my top today i found a few pieces in the shop that have wonderful little details that make them special. what little details do you look for?

i encourage you while out shopping this week (and beautiful Saturday) look for those little details in each object.

xxoo abby

you can get with this, or you can get with that

finally a beautiful day! the sun is out, it's over 40 degrees and......we went treasure hunting!

we draw inspiration from all sorts of places and on Saturday we were told that we "are like Anthropologie but real". (why thank you thank you)

it is true, we do love our Anthro and sometimes draw inspiration from them but we like to keep it real.

and since i absolutely adore that car commercial with the driving hampsters i titled this gallery as "you can get with this or you can get with that"

may we suggest you...get with this?

You can get with this...fabulous refurbished coral mirror for $75 at FOUND

Or you can get with that...gorgeous yet $498 vine garden mirror at Anthropologie

you can get with this...amazing kitchen table with fold able ends for $129

or you can get with that...beautiful wooden Lindo dining table for $2,998

you can get with this...vintage Oscar de la Renta lace jacket $350 at FOUND

or you can get with that...beautiful lace cape from BLDN.com for $610

you can get with this...hand painted and re-upholstered bird cage chair for $249

or you can get with that...conservatory chair from Anthropologie $798

you can get with this...blue and white knit mini dress $25 at FOUND

or you can get with that...maritime dress from Jcrew $78

we enjoy treasure hunting and we can help you find that perfect piece that you have been hunting forever for. come in and fill out one of our special request cards, we'd love to help!

hope to see you in this week!

xxoo abby

Beautiful, wacky. kitschy....

Beautiful, wacky. kitschy....

i opened the shop yesterday, grabbed my coffee, turned on the lights, turned up the heat (ughh) and listened to my messages from the weekend....and that is when i heard the words 'beautiful, wacky, kitsch.
a couple of ladies had wandered in on saturday and it turned out one of them i knew quite well. we had lost track of each other over the last few years and it was great to reconnect.
like so many of our customers it takes a visit to the store to really know all we do. my friend had been looking for some custom work and that prompted her call to the shop to discuss some projects. which is when she left this great message describing how inspired she was by our beautiful, wacky, kitschy store!
so what would prompt her to use that description? i could try to explain but better yet come and see for yourself!

                              Be inspired - Susan

does that inspire you?

it's always so refreshing to have a burst of creative energy here at FOUND. after what seems like such a long winter we have finally had a warm weekend! and it seems like everyone coming to see us is excited to get ready for summer and looking to change things up a bit.
 
when a client comes to me looking for design ideas  it seems i so often am inspired by details in fashion. and once we pick fabric and paint i can see the same elements in the clothing and accessories they are wearing.

design to me is creating an environment that inspires you visually yet is comfortable to live in.

as i look around FOUND at all the fab vintage dresses and jewelry from our new partner, Cotton Dress, i see so many examples of design and fashion combined .

need decorating inspiration for your home? maybe looking in your own closet is the best place to start -
                                 
                                         Be inspired! - Susan

what do you love the most?

sipping my morning coffee listening to the rain tap on my window I was reading one of my favorite inspiration blogs (Design Sponge) they posed the question "what i love most about my home"

i gave this alot of thought because to be honest, when we bought this house.. i cried. my husband and i had house hunted for months and months and came across a little blue house...that was in foreclosure. my husband, being the analytical account type in our relationship saw this as a great deal and so we bought the house. then i went into the torn up, stinky bathroom and cried (i couldn't let him see). the house was in less than desirable condition but with two years, a ton of work, and a lot of love our house became a home.

so what do i love most about my home...i think it has to be my husband and i's collection of finds throughout the two years of restorations. we are not serious collectors by any stretch of the imagination but we buy what we love and find beautiful. our little displays in our house showcase great stories and memories we created together.

below are a few pictures of some of my favorites.

what do you love most about your home? (post pics!)

love! Abby


my lovely collie pillow made by Sue at FOUND (she does custom work!)



a lovely found chandelier (hangs in my bedroom)

doesn't match my decor at all but i HAD to have it

my collection of his and hers silhouettes hung on the respective sides of the bed

does that inspire you?

today i was reading an article in Town & Country magazine titled "You Send Me". the article dissected the high tech, fast pace, answer me now world that we live in.

and that's when i thought to myself...we walk around with our heads down thumbing through our phones and missing the nature and possible inspiration around us.

so many times i turn to the web to find my daily inspiration, i forget that even web inspiration comes from some place tangible and natural.

i decided to get off of my couch and away from watching Sex and the City re-runs to go  for a walk with my dogs and soak up the sunset, brisk spring wind, even the yucky worms on the sidewalk.

there are so many signs of spring all around... Michigan may just trick me in to thinking that it actually might come.

where are you finding your inspiration today?

love! Abby