We hope this note finds you and your family in a peaceful, healthy place.

We've noticed this beautiful, amazing thing happening in our communities, despite the chaos of the outside world: We are coming together, supporting each other, slowing down and focusing on our health, our family's health, our neighbor's health - mentally, physically, emotionally.

Many small businesses are finding ways to continue to offer their products and services in new, unique ways. And our community is finding ways to continue to support them - it really is incredible. Finding Roots is so happy to still offer you these unique, meaningful and handmade gifts made locally.

Every effort, every small gesture helps our local small businesses - a like, comment and share on our social channels, a thought, a positive vibe sent our way. We cannot express enough how thankful we are to have such an incredible community as YOU!

Meet the Makers behind the creative, inspirational products you'll find at Finding Roots.

We're proud to host these amazing, local Michigan artists. 

Hand painted and decorated gourd birdhouses for our feathered friends.

I often look to nature for my inspiration when creating jewelry and even use real nature captured in metal through an electroforming process. Each piece I create is handmade with love and light. I use high quality components, crystals and stones in my unique adornments as well as premium ingredients for my soy candles and melts. I am always excited for what the next inspiration will bring! Please follow me on my new adventures.

The first time she touched the clay on the wheel she was in love. She loved everything. The way the clay smelled like the river when the bag was opened. The way it felt on the wheel.  Creating something out of nothing, even being covered in mud at the end makes her happy and feel like she has accomplished something! Pottery fulfills a part of her that she didn't even know was empty! 

Macrame is a lost art but Cheryl Fraser from Flower Child Crafts is bringing it back. For over 60 years, Cheryl, has been inspired to create from Nature and natural materials. She uses wood from her Howell home and the most natural jute and hemp cording for all her creations that are hand tied and knotted.

Kelly and Ryan love to experiment and use a variety of glazes. Their creations are microwave and dishwasher safe, and make in their Howell home and barn studios.

Michele  Robb, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based artist, discovered gourds when trying to create nature-based fairy houses for fairy gardens popularized in the Ann Arbor area many years ago. She soon discovered the hidden world of gourd artists and has been expanding her techniques and creations into a beautiful line of nature-based art, including fairy houses and accessories, vases, bowls, luminaries, and rattles.

Maker's Statement: "I love making art that is inspired by and sourced from nature"

Mollie has fun creating barefoot sandals, cup cozies, cactus gardens, fingerless gloves, Groot(!) and anything else that pops in her head.

Krista began her journey with making unique clothing for her littles. She is inspired by their appreciation when wearing them,and find joy in offering others quality clothing in fun fabric and innovative designs. Clothing for infant through adult.

Paul has been creating his entire life and enjoys the contentment it provides.  The beauty of wood keeps him inspired, along with the challenge of taking something raw from Nature and turning it into a beautiful object. 

Evelyne calls herself a “turquoise junkie,” and creates everything with meaning and earthy content.

From a tiny acorn, a mighty oak grows! Hand picked, wood burned acorns and clip magnets.

Don is a creator of fun and repurposed silverware yard stakes, critters, jewelry and whatever else he imagines.  His inspiration comes from playing with the various metal pieces, along with the suggestions of his many followers.  He stays extremely busy and smiles all the while in his Pinckney studio. 

Suzi has made jewelry forever! As a little girl, she would look through her Dad’s fishing gear, put all his fishing lures together and that’s how the first bracelets were made! She was “hooked”!

Janette loves where her creative mind takes her. She is inspired by art everywhere - in  Nature, museums, people, and has been creating for over 20 year in her Howell home!

Inspirations by Susan creates from a natural heart while she makes dolls, journals, and jewelry. Her collection has pieces such as upcycled fiber, sticks, and other organic finds.

Dawn’s inspiration comes from nature. She finds natural colorants such as clays, charcoals and herbs to be fun ways to add interesting elements to her goat milk soaps.

Mike and Michelle have been creating handmade and hand painted wood work and honey from their

Virginia is a country girl at heart with quiet time in nature bing her inspiration. She has made her high fired stoneware pottery from Michigan clay for most of her life. Her creations are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Handpicked pressed and preserved flowers and nature placed in resin for jewelry, hair accessories and candles.

Erin's creativity comes out to play in her leather jewelry, string art and canvas art. She has searched for leather earrings with no success, which inspired her to create her own unique line. We are happy to have her share them with you, created locally in her Howell home!

Faith puts tender care in each piece she knits or crochets, using quality yarns and fibers.

Rich finds enjoyment in the entire creating process. He is inspired by nature, and likes finding hidden beauty created by nature and creating pieces that highlight that inner beauty.

Kelly’s family and friends encouraged her to sell the soaps they all love to use.  She searched to find the best earth-friendly, natural ingredients to create her skin-nourishing, amazing-smelling and beautiful soaps and bath bombs for all to enjoy. 

Victoria appreciates the peace and beauty that Mother Nature provides, and uses it to create simple rock art. She creates to provide peace and calmness for herself and happiness and human connections to others.

Clint is an amazing storyteller from Fowlerville, and believes it is his job to tell the story that absolutely everything has, in whatever mediums possible.

Melissa would like to know, what is your purpose? What is your word? She is inspired by her family, and enjoys helping others, even if it is “just” a word of encouragement.

Hot or cold therapy for warmth, comfort and relief. Made with Michigan cherry pits.

Jason is a constantly changing expressionist that uses art as one of the many tools to connect to others. He has used many different art styles throughout his many years of blending science with art. This style is called electroforming, and after five years of using it in different ways, he started designing crystal jewelry out of the love of crystal and mineral collecting. 

For Kelley, creating is a form of meditation in the highest vibration. She is inspired by nature, and enjoys the newness, the lessons, the journey and the inspiration of creating.

Maggie has been crocheting for years and enjoys finding new patterns and interesting projects to create. She is inspired by unique fibers and color. When Maggie isn’t tangled in yarn, she likes to cuddle her rescue dogs and spend time with her family. 

Miranda has a great love for Mother Earth, and sees the beauty in all of Her creations. Passing this love & appreciation on to her children is very meaningful, and she hopes that in seeing her one-of-a-kind natural creations, made in her Howell studio, you will also feel that love.

Your Yesterday

Your Yesterday is a collection of products made with  pure and natural ingredients formulated to maximize their benefits.   
Meticulously handcrafted with carefully handpicked ingredients to ensure quality. It is produced in small batches for freshness and optimum results. 

Traditional cloth dolls have become something of a lost art. Erin is pleased to have this opportunity to offer one of a kind, heirloom dolls that will last for generations to come.

They come to life the moment they are completed, some look sassy, others proud and some shy. Each individual creation is further complimented by the story that will surround them in time to come. Erin feels that this is the most unique thing about her work - the idea that the doll continues to grow, change and mold in character even after the last stitch has brought the doll together.

What I love most about creating my illustrations is starting from the blank page and ending up with something that can put a smile on someone’s face. I love how it turns into something. I love the way creating them makes me feel. It’s like meditation for me to work on them. It’s a passion for me to create something every day to balance things out.

Joyce loves stones and working with her hands. This combination has led to the creation of unique pieces, showcasing what nature has provided rather than hiding it.

Connie has been felting for over 10 years, and has been a creative soul for forever. Evolving, the cycle of life, infinity, new beginnings, growth, regeneration; these are all themes she has incorporated into her psyche and her art. 

Augusta’s ceramic artwork is hand-built and comes simply from a love of nature and the sounds of the buoy bells on the lake where she grew up. She finds nature to be soothing and healing and feels that she was called to catch these moments of nature's beauty for all to enjoy.  

Carrie has been creating on and off for 10 years, and in inspired by anything in nature that she can turn into something new.

Melanie from Earthenwood Studios is inspired by geeky, horror, mythology, legends, oddities and esoteric themes. Illustrations are created by using pencil, pen, and marker. The images are then printed on recycled papers as cards, as well as stickers and pins.

Nature’s apothecary, currently offering incense and lavender bags.

The Howell Garden Club creates beautiful wooden bluebird houses.

Linda is inspired by everything from scenes in the sky, earth full of threes and flowers, beaches, water, hills and more. She has been crafting for as long as she can remember, and has discovered her love for wool in just the past 4 years.

Mary Quinn Rich Pottery was developed from years of growing up with Artist Parents, a creative spirit, and a love of nature. All stoneware and porcelain pottery is functional and decorative. Adding photos, painting, colors, texture and pine needle coiling makes her pieces take on a life of their own.  

Mary has been creating all of her life, and launched Mitten Wood Rescue in 2018. Using locally salvaged wood and a lath, she hand-sands, cuts, stains, paints and assembles unique wall art pieces. 

Christine creates one of a kind, geometric art. Her colors and designs are vivid and bright.

Dyanna has a strong need to work with her hands, and loves repurposing items - turning something that could have ended up in a landfill into a one-of-a-kind, handmade creation. You’ll find Dyanna’s creations seasonally, watch for her amazing warm creations in October!

Christy Doherty Designs

Christy creates using bits of the past and bringing them together with the present. Vintage buttons, clock faces and ceramic are some of her mediums.

Michele does all the wire twisting and designing, with the hardest part usually being the engineering of a project - how to make it sit up or hang properly. She loves playing with rocks and crystals, glass marbles and copper wire.  Her yard is full of prototypes, to see how her creations stand up to the weather - pretty well so far!  She also has a lot of help from her many fur persons! 

WhimZicals creates unique, and stamped, mixed metal jewelry using copper, bronze, brass, pewter and sterling silver.