Archive for the 'Vintage Finds!' Category

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….

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Went on a quick vintage buying trip for FOUND at the end of February.  Then March came in like the proverbial lion – with plenty of snow and ice in Ann Arbor.  Today was a sunshiny day, nice and cozy by the windows.  Cozy like this furry little mohair cub at the shop.

We’ve been busy adding lots of older things to FOUND lately.  Here are some of my favorite finds.  The outfit on this vintage doll looks like she was a working girl or traveling in style – with her wool tweed jacket and felted hat, and red shoes to compliment the ensemble!  But she got pretty dirty along the way – wonder what adventures she had and where she’s been.  Her owner clearly didn’t leave her sitting on a shelf.

Here’s a little purse she may have carried – or it could have been carried by the little girl that owned her.  It’s fun to hang little coin purses in a grouping on the wall – or incorporate them into artful assemblages.  I don’t mind that they are a bit rusty.  Do you?

These antique baby dolls definitely have “condition problems” – peeling skin, crazed composition, crazy hair, discoloration – but there’s something about seeing them up on the shelf that makes me smile, knowing each was once some little girl’s special dolly.

I found this bright eyed bisque doll and a bunch of odd doll parts, like extra legs and arms that could be used in projects.

Some antique dolls have glass eyes that are haunting.  This doll is composed of a variety of materials, with straw filled arms and legs that are disintegrating….

Tiddledy Winks? Tiddley Winks? Whatever you call it, the image on this box is wonderful.  And it come with bakelite “winks”.

Other children’s finds include a few trucks, doll suitcase, lots of lead soldiers, a group of mohair puppets, some antique ABC blocks and more.  Stop in soon to see what we’ve found!

You can find plenty of vintage Valentine’s gifts and goodies at FOUND in Ann Arbor this week.  I especially love the sweet images on vintage valentine cards circa 1930′s and early 1940′s:

Laurie from Stories & Divinations brought in a wonderful selection handcrafted valentine.   We have a half dozen new styles of valentine cards from her this year. Love the one signing L-O-V-E!

I love it when we have little gifties that are made right here in Ann Arbor – like these hand-stitched hearts made with vintage felted blanket wool.  Great to attach to a package with a little present for your sweetheart on February 14th!

I always look for old skeleton keys.  They are getting harder to find these days…. but I found some!  Just in time for Valentine’s Day. Tie a key to your heart with a red ribbon to a handwritten love  note….

A mother and daughter bought spoon rings at FOUND and texted this photo – what a great Valentine’s gift idea!

Spell out messages with scrabble letters – who wouldn’t love to be greeted by this at breakfast?

The last few weeks, we’ve been restocking the shop and have lots of great jewelry and gifts for your sweetie.  Our fresh batch of cashmere scarves made from recycled sweaters will keep your valentine cozy and warm.  Another thing I especially like are the stamp sets with hearts – great for making your own cards or decorating gift wrap any time of year.  Our new order of red sealing wax and heart shaped stamps arrived in time for Valentines Day, too.

When I was in Illinois last month, the owner of the Fairbury Antique Mall gave me the valentine postcard above.  She’d set it aside, knowing  that I would appreciate it.  I do!  That sweet gesture reminded me that valentine’s day is a great time to pass around the love with little unexpected surprises.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you from FOUND!

Faces and gears from old watches are great for collage/assemblage and upcycled jewelry projects.  Whenever I find them, they sell out almost immediately.   So I was pretty excited when I recently found a source in Chicago who can keep FOUND well stocked!

Our watch faces are priced individually (mostly $2-$3), plus we have mixed gears and parts for $5 per bag.  These are the real deal salvaged from broken vintage watches, not the new (made to look old) ones that you can find at Hobby Lobby and craft stores…

Not creative or skilled enough to make your own jewelry from these parts?  Well, we can help you out with that, too!  For some time, Detroit artist Rena Hopkins has been designing terrific steampunk pieces that incorporate antique bits and bobs from broken watches.  You may remember her work from the eco-funky show we hosted last Spring – her earrings and necklaces were so popular at that show that we brought her back!

Rena, aka The Divine Iguana, also creates her own designs on game pieces. 

Time keeps on tickin’, tickin’, tickin’….into the future.

gonna fly like an eagle…

do you remember that song??? 

I think I’ll go google the lyrics

Warm regards,

Mary

I love it when I find a large collection of something at an estate sale!  In this case, it was vintage hammered aluminum serving peices from the post WWII era.  Popular during the late 1940s through the early 1960s, most baby boomers will remember these trays as something their mothers used when entertaining.

Made in the USA by a number of different companies, many of the pieces have embossed patterns and hammered surfaces adding texture.  I love the variety of edge styles: scalloped, beaded, sawtooth, ruffled….

You’ll also find a wide variety of different handle styles.  The round serving tray with the chunky handle below is one of my favorite.

Look at the details on this casserole lid.

This vintage collectible is generally inexpensive and can often be found at thrift shops and garage sales.  And at FOUND right now!  Avoid pieces that are pitted or badly scratched, but most old pieces can be easily cleaned.  Sometimes gunk accumulates in the recesses – an old toothbrush and mild dish soap will remove it.  If you find  aluminum ware that needs more than soap and water cleaning, here’s an easy solution: 

Make a paste of ¼ cup baking soda and ½ cup lemon juice.  Apply to aluminum with a sponge or old toothbrush.  Rub gently to clean.  Rinse in warm water and dry thoroghly with a soft cloth. (note: this solution will make the surface shiny – so if you prefer the darker patina, don’t use lemon juice)

It’s important not to use harsh abbrasives, as aluminum will scratch.  Also, don’t put it in the dishwasher.

Since tiered stands and lazy susan styles with pedestal bases were often made, you could create a very interesting dessert or buffet table by mixing simple white dishes with vintage aluminum serving peices.

If you’d like to know more about this midcentury collectible, this about.com article included some good references.

These 100 degree days call for refreshing drinks.  Add plenty of ice and stir things up with a vintage swizzle!  Very inexpensive – these are just 20 cents each at FOUND.  Mostly from hotels and resorts.

Stop by FOUND this week for our annual Hooray for the Red, White & Blue special, where any item with even a speck of red, white OR blue in it is 15% off.  We’ll be closed on the 4th, but this sale will go through Saturday, July 7th.

Here are a few vintage things we’ve brought into the shop lately. Just about everything fits that red, white OR blue criteria!

This early 1900′s First Aid box came with original emergency instructions.

Old red paint on handmade case.

Vintage metal horse.

If you’re in Ann Arbor this week, stop by FOUND! 

It’s fun to add vintage touches when decorating your home.  We really like pottery from the 1930′s and 40′s with simple shapes and glazes.  Numbers and letters from old signs are also great accents. 

A bowl, wire basket or antique counter jar filled with crocquet or pool balls adds colorful interest to a room.  We usually add a quick coat of clear Briwax to clean them up and bring out the natural color of the wood and old paint.

When I found it, this cast iron sundial was pretty rusty.  It’s another piece that benefitted from a buffing with Briwax to bring out the patina (and seal the rust). This sundial is embossed with a wonderful old saying: Grow old along with me – the best is yet to be.  Set in the garden properly, it will do a good job of keeping time. 

At FOUND, we’re bringing in more vintage treasures every week this summer.  Stop by soon to see what we’ve found!

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You all know that I love vintage children’s school books. Last week I found a couple of little Chinese readers. The images are so sweet.

I found a great 1920′s menswear style portfolio from a Chicago tailor shop – these oversize fashion posters would be terrific framed. There are 20 in the collection, priced from $18-$28 each.  One features knickers and a wool jacket for golfing.

If you’re looking for some small ephemera to make cards out of, we recently added a bunch of old Popeye & Olive Oyl playing cards.  Playing cards often feature images that lend themselves well to repurposing for paper arts.  Check out our selection next time you’re in the shop.

From a time when quill pens and beautiful script was the norm in business. Palmer Method of Business Writing.  Actually, even when I was in school, Palmer Method for schools was the standard for learning to print, and for the big move to cursive writing in third grade. 

Lots more vintage ephemera at FOUND!