Sara Busby Design Blog

Pure Michigan is Traverse City

sarabusbydesign — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:16:25 +0000

Traverse City (well, really all of northern Michigan) has been getting a lot of acknowledgement! Check out this huge list of accolades about our gorgeous area:

One of America’s Five Top Foodie Towns, Bon Appetit
Photo from the Pure Michigan Traverse City shoot
One of the Top 10 Places to Enjoy Local Wines, USA Today
One of America’s Top Ten Wine Destinations, TripAdvisor.com
#8 in the list of America’s Best Beach Towns, AOL Travel News
One of the Top 10 Coolest Cities in the States, AOL Travel News
#2 in Our Top 10 Charming Small Towns, TripAdvisor.com
#1 in the Top Ten Surprising Foodie Towns, Livability.com
One of the Midwest’s Five Top Food Towns, Midwest Living
One of America’s Top Adventure Towns, NationalGeographic.com

It’s hard to keep our little piece of Heaven a secret anymore. In fact, during the month of June, travelers on any Delta flight can watch a five-minute video all about Traverse City. It’s estimated that 17 million people will view the Delta Destinations segment. (Watch it for yourself below.)

And if you haven’t heard the latest, Traverse City now also has its very own Pure Michigan commercial! Just released yesterday, the commercial features some gorgeous scenery of northern Michigan.

All of these reasons and more are a great testament on what it’s like to live and vacation in beautiful northern Michigan!

Tim Allen says, in the latest Pure Michigan commercial, “inside all of us is a compass.. and it always points ‘true north’”. What do you think?

10 Inspirational Interior Design Quotes

sarabusbydesign — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:16:24 +0000

We love to get inspired and motivated on new projects at Sara Busby Design. An inspirational quote is just one tool that helps us, that’s why we’ve gathered some of our favorites to help inspire you.

What’s your favorite inspirational design quote?

1. “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep.” – Scott Adams

2. “For a house to be successful, the objects in it must communicate with one another, respond and balance one another.” – Andre Putman

3. “Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.” - Charles Eames

4. “A house is much more than a mere shelter, it should lift us emotionally and spiritually.” – John Saladino

5. “When you’re building a room, you’re building character, and character is the strength and wisdom of a home.” – Rose Tarlow

6. “Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking.” – Milton Glaser

7. “What is done in love is done well.” – Vincent Van Gogh

8. “I hate good taste. It’s the worst thing that can happen to a creative person.” – Helmut Newton

9. “We shape our homes and then our homes shape us.” – Winston Churchill

10. “The details are not the details, they make the design.” – Charles Eames

Why We Live in Northern Michigan

sarabusbydesign — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:23:04 +0000

At Sara Busby Design, we know that some of your best memories are those tied to your summer home, nestled in the trees along the lake. Since 1985, we’ve been crafting interiors and exteriors for the Lake Michigan resort community.

Below are just a few of the reasons why we love to call northern Michigan home.

What do you love most about living in northern Michigan?

Save the Elk Rapids Swan!

sarabusbydesign — Thu, 19 May 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of Interlochen Public Radio

If you’re from northern Michigan or have visited the area, you’re most likely familiar with the giant 15-foot swan that resides outside of the Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce building along U.S. 31. On any given day in the summer, you’ll find a family taking photos in front of the larger than life art piece. In fact, the swan has been a fixture in the village of Elk Rapids since 1974 and is now in need of some serious repair.

Yellow caution tape now surrounds the decades-old iconic swan. She has been so well loved that her neck is peeling and chipping. Her neck was also broken by vandals several years ago and now she’s in need of a major overhaul.

The Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce would love to have the swan fixed and back to normal before tourism season starts for the summer, but they need $2,200 to repair her. So far, $500 has already been pledged by members of the chamber board. If you’d like to donate to help save the swan, you can write a check to the Elk Rapids Chamber of Commerce with “swan” in the memo.

Here’s an interesting tidbit… did you know the Elk Rapids swan was originally built in 1966 as a float to carry Miss Elk Rapids in the Cherry Festival and Harbor Days parades?

The swan has been a staple in Elk Rapids life and lore. Hopefully she’ll be fixed and back to normal soon. Next time you’re in the area, stop by for a photo with the swan! She’s just down the street from our showroom!

Hello, Northern Michigan!

sarabusbydesign — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:17:19 +0000

Welcome to our brand new Sara Busby Design blog! We hope you join us and visit often to hear about all of our new and exciting projects, events and design inspiration in northern Michigan. You can also sign up for our RSS feed to get the latest info right in your email in-box.

We’re expanding to Facebook and Flickr. So stop by and like us for design tips and Sara Busby Design news!

It’s spring in northern Michigan and such a gorgeous time of the year! At Sara Busby Design, we love to pull in design inspiration from nature and the beauty of our surroundings. The cherry blossoms are in bloom, everything is green and the water is deep blue and glistening in the sunshine.

We couldn’t ask for a more beautiful place to live, work and play.