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.