We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sarah Auer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sarah below.

Sarah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Growing up I always loved being creative but leaned into homestead themes – like sewing, knitting and needlepoint. I also love thrifting with my mom. She taught me how to incorporate found and new items, and I watched her decorate, as she has a keen eye for design. I learned from her how to be patient (don’t just buy it to buy it), look for quality and timeless pieces, and how to style a room with color, art and classic feels…old and new.

I believe that you have to be in the right mental space to produce quality work – if I am not in the mood to thrift or make a shell, I don’t. Taking the time and putting in the right energy is important. If you are not ‘into it’ that day – I recommend doing something else that makes you happy in that moment. I am also a strong believer in planning ahead. If I have a wedding order of 100 shells, I start 2 months ahead of time prepping. I never want to be down to the wire, especially for a client.

I also believe that having a strong brand is important. Thinking about how you want your customers to feel when they buy your product, creating that experience when they gift your products – that is important. Selling found items and shells is not novel, but creating a beautiful pop-up experience or having a welcoming and beautiful tablescape at a makers market is as important to me as anything. I take pride in the details of my brand. Shells are wrapped in a branded pouch with a tag and placed in a branded bag with tissue which makes it easy to gift. I have different boxes and ribbion – all of that matters!

Sarah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up going to yard sales and thrift markets with my mom, and working on needlepoint, knitting, and sewing with my grandmother. I learned quickly that I love the thrill of the hunt, and more so love giving new life to old/unwanted items. I love the way that the old and the new can work so well together to make a curated feel and represent your style and the things you love. So I always knew I wanted to somehow share my unique finds, crafts, and other home and lifestyle ideas with others. I had a blog for years highlighting what I loved which filled my bucket. Then came kids and a career, and I had to refocus on those things which ended up leaving my blog (and my bucket) empty.

Fast forward ten years to a very rainy vacation in one of our favorite places, Long Island, Maine and a few of my passions collided. After walking on the beach collecting shells – and being forced to stay inside with all the rain, I started decoupaging the shells. One thing led to another, and I quickly found I love designing the shells to be unique and high quality. From then, Found & Co. was born.

I believe that having meaningful items fill your home is important. Growing up on the coast of Maine I’ve seen people come from all over the world to visit. I think having a custom, hand-picked shell is a perfect way to bring a piece of Maine home to cherish.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think leveraging people is the best resource we have! Meeting other artists at shows, events, and even via social media has been such a wonderful experience for me. You can learn so much from other people’s ups and downs and how they work. I highly encourage networking – you never know who you will run into and what you can learn.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to create shells and find unique items that make people happy. Life is short, so make sure you are filling your mind, home, family, and space with happy things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Foundandcomaine.com
• Instagram: @Foundandcomaine
• Facebook: Found & Co.