Shop Small and Win!

We are proud to take part in Small Business Saturday

and we want to encourage you to Shop Small® with us on November 30th.

On Small Business Saturday, we are excited to offer
25% off your entire purchase; including custom framing.*

• Show us you Shop Small and receive a free gift! *Bring us a receipt from another small business you shopped at on 11/30 and get a free gift. Valid on 11/30 only. Gift values vary and include local businesses gift certificates and deals.    

• Stop by Saturday for your chance to enter our BIG FRAMING GIVEAWAY- $500 gift card for custom framing!**

 

Plus, if you register your American Express card on their site, they will give you a $10 credit for supporting a local business on Saturday.***

This is a great opportunity to get a jump on your holiday shopping.

Come shop with us to support small businesses and your local economy! 

Want to give the gift of framing this holiday season?

 Our gift cards are available for purchase in-store for any denomination.

*Excluding autographed sports memorabilia and consigned art.  Excludes existing orders and cannot be combined with other offers.
** No purchase necessary, customer must enter in store only on 11/30; $500 value gift card toward new custom framing orders only.

***Get a one-time $10 statement credit when you register an eligible American Express® Card and use that Card for a purchase of $10 or more at a qualifying small business on November 30th. 

Fall 2013 Trends

Fall has arrived! Which means changing out the summery, light home décor for something a little more cozy and warm. The suggestions below have been taken from the recent releases of 2013 interior design trend predictions.

Brass
On every interior designer’s suggestion list this fall is this metal. Polished and antique brass is showing up on staircases, picture frames, tables, bookends, lighting and other accent pieces. Polished brass compliments colorful, bright interiors, and can also add a bit of glamor to rooms that utilize more neutral colors. Antique brass is great for a more settled-in look. The great thing about this material is it can be used in a variety of places in the same room. For example, having a brass bowl, picture frame, wall decoration, and end tables all in the same room would not be overwhelming.

Green
Emerald has been named the color of the year for 2013 by Pantone, the market leader in color and color systems. Green can be used… well, anywhere! Any item from furniture to wall decorations to carpets and rugs may be a perfect canvas for a green accent. Walls even provide a great surface for a green hue, if the rest of your room is a brighter neutral color.

Neutrals
While this seems to be a trend for 2013, hasn’t it always been a popular style? Whatever the season or year, neutrals never lose attractiveness because of their extreme versatility. Colors such as tan, beige, white, gray, black, etc. are considered neutrals because of their lack of tint. However, this makes them incredibly easy to “dress up” by adding a pop of color. The possibilities are endless! Color can be added literally anywhere in a neutral room.

While these examples will assist your re-decorating strategy for this fall, the suggestions may also be applied to other times of the year.

50% off ALL ART! ONLY TODAY!!

 

Through artaissance you can custom size your artwork!
We know it can be frustrating when you fall in love with a piece of art and it just doesn't fit the space you have in mind. At Artaissance, they can make the art you want in the size you want, while staying true to the original proportions of the artwork. Provide either the width or the height (in inches), and  their system will calculate the opposite dimension. Now your art can not only fit your style, but your space as well.

 This offer is only good online. Visit framedbykosal.ArtThatFits.com to view all the exclusive art on sale for today only. To save on shipping, select FREE SHIPPING option and have your art order shipped to our shop in Monroe, CT.

 

 *Discount applies to art only; does not include a discount on shipping, taxes and duties.This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions or be applied to previous purchases. Expires 11/23/2012 at 11:59 PM in your local time zone.

Small Business Saturday

We hope you have heard about the 3rd annual Small Business Saturday, but did you know Framed by Kosal is a participating retailer? This November 24th is Small Business Saturday®, a day to celebrate and support the local small businesses that boost the economy and invigorate neighborhoods across the country. Join us this coming Saturday to Shop Small® with discounts only available on this day and a chance to win a sweet prize. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this is our chance to show you how much we appreciate you as our clients! ~ Super discounts and a door prize including gift certificates from some of your favorite local businesses and of course a $100 custom framing certificate from Framed by Kosal. We’re having a special Small Business Saturday offer!  ~ 25% off store wide sale on framed and unframed art; including custom framing.* Support your favorite small businesses and shop small this season. To learn more, visit ShopSmall.com. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! See you Saturday!

*Excluding autographed sports memorabilia and consigned art.  Excludes existing orders and cannot be combined with other offers.

Save and Give this October

"Will Frame for Food"

For the month of October, we “Will Frame for Food.” We are having our 3rd annual food drive for National Tackling Hunger month to benefit the Monroe Food Pantry. For every non-perishable item you donate, you receive $5 off your next custom framing order. We are really truly framing for FOOD!! *(max. is $50.00 off!)Would like to donate but nothing to frame in October? Come by with your donation and receive a gift card with credit toward your future order. These efforts are all designed to allow us to frame for good and make a difference on behalf of the people in our community now struggling with hunger.  Come by with your donation and help us tackle hunger in Connecticut. 

Food Items Most Needed:

Condiments (ketchup, mayo, salad dressing, pickles, barbecue sauce) Strawberry jelly Crunchy peanut butter Stuffing	Spaghetti & Sauce "Low Sodium," & "No Salt" items "Sugar Free" items Sauerkraut, French-style green beans
Macaroni & Cheese Kidney beans (dark red, white) SpaghettiOs	Tuna & other canned meat or chicken Baking mixes
Rice / Dry Beans Baked beans (large cans) Juice, Coffee, Tea and Hot Chocolate	Powdered Milk Snacks (cookies & crackers)
Canned Soup, not condensed  (Progresso, chunky, broth,dry mixes) Canned Vegetables & Fruit Cereal (hot or cold)	Crushed tomatoes (large cans) Whole tomatoes (large cans)

And Toiletry items (Shampoo, Body wash, conditioner, laundry detergent and soap)

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month and one of our vendors, Larson-Juhl, will donate all proceeds from any pink Larson-Juhl Frames to Breast Cancer research during the month of October. 
Come in to purchase a pink frame during October and receive 20% off your order*!

 *offers can not be combined or credited on previous orders.

Honoring Monroe's K-9 Justice

We just finished a shadowbox to honor K-9 Justice of the Monroe Police Department.  This memorial is being presented to his handler; Officer Bradshaw. Justice was Bradshaw's first K-9.  They patrolled Monroe together for seven years before Justice retired. Justice passed away May 24, 2012; he was 14. 
We were given Justice's leach, toy, patches and a few photo files.  The layout and sizes were all left to us. We edited the photos to give Justice a dramatic look. The photos were printed to custom sizes by our printer. (Yes, we do custom printing too.)  To have Justice stand out we went with a more traditional shadowbox. Photos and items were matted using Artique 'Indigo' to match the Monroe Police Department colors. Justice's toy was sunken into the mat as the Connecticut patch was raised above the toy's rope.  We made a plate to show Justice's years of service (Yup, we do custom engraved plates also!).  All finished off with Larson-Juhl 'Reflection' in cherry frame. We were honored to be able to memorialize Justice and his service.

The following is an excerpt about Justice from a story written for Patch by Carol Banner which ran on Aug. 1,2011:

On June 26, 2006, a vehicle was pulled over in Monroe for an obstructed windshield. The driver had a suspended license. Officer Dennis Bradshaw and his partner K-9 Justice were summoned. Within minutes Justice indicated drugs were inside the car.

The trunk was opened revealing a backpack filled with seven plastic bags containing more than a pound of marijuana. There were also items to cultivate marijuana, rolling papers, pipes and a scale, plus $2,283 in the glove compartment. 

That was only one of K-9 Justice’s feats. He served Monroe from 2003-2010. During those years he racked up over 280 narcotic arrests, 41 successful tracks and 18 apprehensions.

Behind the Scenes: "Thriller" Jacket

A black and red calf leather jacket is among the most recognizable and famous garments of the 20th century.  This jacket has been described as "the greatest piece of rock and roll memorabilia in history.”  The iconic jacket was worn by Michael Jackson in his “Thriller” video in 1983.  One of the most famous jackets and I get to frame it.  Well, at least a replica of the jacket since the original is currently in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This replica was designed by Marc Laurent and cut to the King of Pop's exact measurements.  The jacket features an exact print of Michael’s signature and actual autographs from the remaining Jackson 5 members; Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon Jackson on the inside lining.

A piece of rock and roll history deserves a one of a kind custom frame.  Framing this jacket came with a few challenges. One challenge was showing the signatures on the inside lining without taking away from the piece. Another challenge was a conservation challenge of  how to mount the jacket while preserving it. It took some time but the jacket is mounted on a black glossy mat without adhesives or being sewn through.  To have some added dimension and structure to the jacket it is stuffed with acid-free materials.

  

To fit the depth of the jacket a 2” gold and wood panel frame was cake-stacked; (moulding is set 90 degrees on it's side to create depth and topped with another frame. The face of the bottom frame is now the side.) Then topped with a custom wrapped red leather frame to match the leather of the jacket. 

For an added custom touch the glass was hand-painted with Michael’s silhouette and Thriller logo. Michael's silhouette was painted on the inside of the glass in silver and placed to float over the jacket.  The Thriller logo was painted in red with touches of black and placed to fill some negative space at the bottom of the frame.

All elements placed together with a few finishing touches; here is the finished piece.  A one of a kind custom frame for an iconic jacket.