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.

Rosie the Riveter; Framing an American Icon

“Rosie the Riveter” is the name of a female character that came to symbolize the real women who filled America’s factories, munitions plants, and shipyards during World War II. In later years, Rosie also became an iconic American image in the fight to broaden women’s rights. Rosie appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post; painted by Norman Rockwell.The Post was then one of the nation’s most popular magazines, with a circulation of about 3 million copies each week.
Rockwell’s illustration features a brawny woman taking her lunch break with a rivet gun on her lap and beneath her Penny loafer a copy of Hitler’s manifesto, Mein Kampf. Her lunch pail reads “Rosie”; viewers quickly recognized this to be “Rosie the Riveter” from the familiar song. The Post’s cover image proved hugely popular, and the magazine loaned it to the U.S. Treasury Department for the duration of the war, for use in war bond drives.
Here are the details of framing an original issue of The Saturday Evening Post; May 29, 1943. Featuring “Rosie the Riveter”

Since Rosie is truly an American icon. An icon demands to be artistically framed. The customer wanted the piece to be substantial but not overly done or large. We felt the best way to showcase the magazine and preserve the integrity of the piece would be to see the entire magazine.
The magazine is first floated on a dark blue mat. The top mat is raised and set away from the magazine in order to show it in its entirety. A gold fillet was added to the top mat to integrate the gold of the frame. We hand-painted the top mat with watercolors to extend the flag image from the magazine’s cover. All finished off with an American style gold frame that has rope knot detailing.

September 1943, the Magazine War Guide was asking magazine publishers to participate in a “Women at Work Cover Promotion.” They needed women to work in all kinds of jobs, not just those in munitions plants or military-related factory work. Everyday “civilian jobs” were vital, too. The slogan for this promotion was: “The More Women at Work the Sooner We Win.” The Saturday Evening Post once again asked for Norman Rockwell to create a cover. For this cover, Rockwell created “Rosie to the Rescue”; a portrayal of an American ‘liberty girl’ dressed in patriotic clothes cast as a ‘jack-of-all-trades’composite, capable of doing any number of civilian jobs – nurse, mechanic, telephone operator, milkman, farmer, etc. to help the War effort.

The customer wanted this piece to work as a set with the “Rosie the Riveter” magazine but not be matching pair exactly. In order to incorporate the two magazines we used the same American style gold frame and hand-painted a mat as well. This magazine was floated on a dark green mat. The top mat was set back from the magazine to show the entirety as we did with Rosie the Riveter.
We hand-painted the top mat with watercolors to resemble an American quilt.

Fall Decorating Ideas

Courtesy of HGTV

Small Doses, Large Impact

Use an expensive fabric in small amounts like on pillows, table runners, valances, in frames as artwork or pulled taut over a large canvas stretcher frame to beautifully fill a wall.

Be Strategic when AccessorizingThink of the frame style you want (all silver, gold, wood, mixed metals, etc.) and focus on that when shopping or providing gift ideas. Are you into large or small accessories? Do you have items tucked away that could be used in a new way or in a new location? Do you love everything you have out? If not, pass it on to make breathing room or for something new. Being strategic keeps you from buying on whims and collecting a bunch of disparate items that won't bring enjoyment for years. You won't spend money foolishly and for items that don't make the cut for long.

Spicy Orange Accessories

Vibrant orange is visible in many elements in this cozy yet bright living space. Combine orange paint, art and furnishings with subdued yellows and browns to create an eclectic and lively fall color palette that will have you feeling right at home.

Make Inexpensive Artwork

Create your own art by framing unexpected items. Consider things like calendars, postcards, cards, your kids' artwork, pressed flowers, seashells, a necklace, thrift-store finds, buttons, trip mementos, concert tickets, baby clothes, foreign currency, etc.

Go for Big (Not Broke)If you have a large expanse of blank wall space, it could cost less to hang one large piece of artwork rather than several smaller items.

The Importance of Conservation Framing

I came across this article and as a professional it is my duty to share it with you. If you are trusting your valuables to a professional picture framer it would be wise to do some research on conservation methods of picture framing. Make sure that you ask for conservation framing; if it is not suggested by your framer. It might be more expensive but believe me it is worth it.

There have been multiple times that I have opened art and they were not properly framed. Recent incident includes 3 signed Norman Rockwell prints. The prints were backed by cardboard, masking tape was used to attach mats and on one the title had been cut out & repositioned. It is a travesty to see art framed in these conditions. I realize not everything requires conservation methods but if it is of value to you; either sentimental or monetary you should consider conservation materials.

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Buy now on LivingSocial and good until March 7, 2012 for your next custom framing order.

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Behind the Scenes: Captain America

Here is a behind the scenes look at creating an aluminum wrapped frame for a Captain America movie poster.  Everyday I handle art and frames with extra care.  The process is so delicate at times that it requires wearing white gloves throughout the framing.  It was a nice change to let loose and just take a hammer to a frame. I wanted this frame to mimic the background of the poster.  I started by joining an unfinished frame to be the base structure.  

Joining the base of the frame.

Poster mounted and ready for frame.

Next, I measured and rolled out the sheets of aluminum needed to wrap the frame.  Started wrapping the aluminum so that the wood was no longer visible.

Rolling out aluminum sheet.

Wrapping aluminum around unfinished frame.

Then the fun begins...hammering the aluminum to enforce all the creases of the frame and wrapping more aluminum to the other legs of the frame.

Hammering aluminum to enforce the folds

Wrapping more aluminum

Once the entire frame was wrapped...more hammering to distress the aluminum.

Hammering to distress

Frame waiting for final touches

Here is the completed frame!

Complete!

Projects Past and Present

Here are a few of our memorable and creative projects that we have never posted to our blog.  All are items that were near and dear to our customers.  Coincidently none are photographs; but who says frames are just for photographs. When it comes to framing open your mind to the possibilities and create anything into ART!

Vintage Record Album: Abbey Road is The Beatles last recorded album. The image of the Beatles on the crossing has become one of the most famous and imitated in recording history.(1)   Since this album is so famous, it demanded a creative twist.  The cover and record are floating on a cream mat to match the white of the crosswalk.  The bottom of the mat was painted to mimic and continue the zebra walkway. 

Abbey Road

Retirement Gift: This gold badge was given upon retirement; commemorating 50 years of hard work.  An honor such as this deserves to be showcased.  The badge which included a diamond is raised to float over a black suede mat.  To enhance the dimension of the badge the black suede mat was also used as the top layer. The top mat has an opening cut and was raised to the level of the badge.

50th Anniversary Badge

Concert Memorabilia: You Get What You Give by the Zac Brown Band. The cover is signed by the band.  Unfolding the case and sliding the disc out transforms a simple cd case into art. The album and top mat are raised to add dimension. 

Zac Brown Band-Signed 'You Get What You Give' album

 House Warming Gift: A Wishnest is a beautiful house blessing meant to bring love, nurturing and prosperity to your home. The nest is cast from pewter.  The nest is attached to the blue textured background without adhesive. The liner is wrapped in a cream silk.  The nest is accessible to remove the eggs.  Each egg represents one of the customer's four children. 

Wish Nest

Custom Sgraffito Frame

A sunny day in the park makes a perfect engagement session. This amazing moment was captured by Justin Bass of Justin Bass Photography.  If you are looking for a wedding photographer you will not be disappointed. I guarantee you.


Now about the framing...This frame is the perfect demonstration of what we can do. We chose an old world frame style while giving the essence of modern touches. The frame was hand-crafted, finished-cornered and water-gilded (the oldest method of applying gold leaf.  Leafed only by hand, produces a luster and richness unmatched by any other method of gilding.)  with 22kt white gold by a master artisan.  It was finished off with a sgraffito (A technique where a top layer of color is scratched to reveal a color beneath.  the term comes from the Italian word Sgraffire meaning (literally) "to scratch".) leaf design on blue background throughout the frame. For an added personal touch the couple's names and wedding date were custom sgraffitto at the bottom. Custom framing is an old world trade and this frame showcases that.  In this case we wanted to add a touch of modern aesthetics, although it is hard to see in this picture the white gold was not antiqued as to show the brilliance of the gold which gives it the modern appeal. The piece also includes double silk mats with a fillet and UV filtered near zero reflection museum glass.

Close-up of custom name and date.

Wanted!

It's not everyday you get to frame a piece of history.  We just finished framing one of the earliest "Wanted" posters to bear a fugitive's photograph.  Five days after President Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot, authorities distributed posters promising a large reward, $100,000 for the capture of his assassin: John Wilkes Booth and conspirators.  The photograph of Booth had been produced as a publicity shot for the actor. 

This had to be framed a unique way.  The customer asked if we would make a frame from authentic barn wood.  A barn in Kent, CT had been torn down and he had purchased a few planks of wood.  We were able to take the planks, cut them in half and mill them to create the frame.  The peeling red barn paint adds an authentic feel to the art.  What better way to showcase this piece; that would have originally been nailed to the side of barns in 1865.  

Kid's Art Show Opening

Middlebrook Elementary School art club just had their two-night opening reception (May 17th-18th).
Here are some of the highlights from both nights. If you missed the fun art-filled nights there is still time to come by and view them all.  The art will be on display until June 1st.