December 2019: Framing Silicon Wafers
A local comp sci major brought in six beautiful shimmery silicon wafers to frame. We were up for the challenge to display these delicate discs! We carefully attached them to a suede mat, surround with a classic frame, and finished it off with museum glass for a clear view of the highly-reflective discs.
Silicon wafers are slices of crystalline silicon that are used as a substrate for the fabrication of microcircuits. The wafers are 99.9999% pure (or higher) and are processed in rooms cleaner than hospital operating rooms. This six probably date from the 1990s (we're guessing) and all are covered with microcircuits (like the chips in your phone or computer). They're mesmerizing to look at!
November 2019: Hanging Kente Cloth
We carefully stitched this colorful kente cloth, and former museum piece, to canvas and stretched it over a custom-built stretcher frame. This is a great way to display and hang your favorite textile pieces.
The challenge was that the piece was bigger than the available wall space in the customer's home. So we made some folds and stitched it in thirds to fit the 70x57" stretcher, to make a perfect fit for the space.
Kente cloth is a traditional textile from Ghana made of woven strips of cotton and silk. It was once considered sacred and only worn ceremonially and by royalty. Now it is far more widely used but still very culturally important. Each color and pattern has symbolic meaning.
October 2019: We like unusual projects!
A customer brought in a colorful floral print on canvas for us to install in a gorgeous custom-built cherry cabinet.
We mounted the canvas on a cherry panel that we stained to match the cabinet, and attached it securely to the door frame. A plaque provided by the customer was installed on the front, et voila, ready to hang. We're always happy to work on non-traditional framing projects!
September 2019: Any Frame a Floater Frame
We have one of the most extensive selections of floater frames, but sometimes it takes some magic to get just the right one.
This abstract painting really called for a large warm silver frame. We found the perfect option, but it wasn't a "floater" frame. By adding a custom-built tray to the frame's rabbet we were able to float the canvas and prevent the sides from being covered by the frame.
*framer lingo: a rabbet is the recessed area inside a frame that holds the content.
August 2019: Daniel Boone!
We framed Daniel Boone's powder horns and straight razor for one of his direct descendants. Well... not Daniel Boone the famous frontiersman, but his cousin Daniel (1796-1879) who served in the Union Army in Kentucky during the Civil War.
These precious artifacts are cleverly attached with twine to a linen-covered mat, no adhesives or permanent attachments were used so the items could be removed in future without marks or damage. The display is framed in a deep custom-built oak shadow box frame with museum glass for glare-free viewing. We love to frame history, and love that our customers trust us with valuable family treasures.
July 2019: Vintage Ski Patches
Check out these vintage patches from VT and NH ski areas!
We arranged them on a grey board mat and cut some v-grooves* around the patches, like grooves cut into snow by skis... Completing the piece is a red hand-painted rustic frame stacked with a walnut-stained outer frame.
* framer lingo: a v-groove is a subtle carving into a mat board that lifts away the top layer of board to reveal the black core underneath.
May 2019: A Treasured Memento
This beer mat autographed by the late great Anthony Bourdain got our omakase treatment.
The customer wanted a way to preserve this treasured memento, and trusted us to get creative with the display. The beer mat is mounted on a wine-colored velvet mat atop a black linen mat. It's framed with a lovely custom painted Bella Daphne moulding to compliment the deep green. The customer was delighted with the result and we think Anthony would have liked it too.
* Omakase means "I'll leave it to you" in Japanese. Our omakase service is a good deal: you leave the creative decisions to us, and we use in-stock mouldings and mats to give you a beautiful result at a lower price.
April 2019: More Glitter!
This month the Queen of Country, in photo form, arrived in the shop in need of extra sparkle.
The frame our customer chose was not quite special enough... so Dan set to work on a magical mixture of glitter, silver paint, satin varnish and lots of love. The end result was a frame befitting dear Dolly and our customer was thrilled.
March 2019: Magical Mushrooms
These 5.5" square panels were painted by local artist and longtime customer Sally Dillon.
We mounted the panels to pine strainers to add depth, then arranged them in a grid and attached them to a contrasting white panel board. The arrangement was finished with a textured earthy brown frame to compliment the mushrooms and the earthy brown hues in the pieces. This is one in a series of square pieces Sally has done this way and we really like the effect.
February 2019: A very special wedding invitation for Melissa
Melissa, our printmaker, got married last year and we just got the chance to frame her beautiful wedding invitation.
The invitation was printed by the bride on Hahnemule German Etching paper on our in-house Epson printer. We chose a poppy red linen mat, and used some of the decorative gold paper from the invitation as accents in the corners. It's framed with a floral carved frame which perfectly compliments the ensemble. We're so happy to help Melissa preserve this memory. συγχαρητήρια!
January 2019: A Little Bit of Magic for the Holidays
Hamilton! This keepsake was a grandfather’s gift to his granddaughter.
The poster was signed by the entire cast. There were some cast changes that evening, so we scanned the playbill cast list and did some photoshop magic, et voila, the framed version includes the cast changes. We added a gold metallic mat and Bella’s “Denim Crepe” Shimmy moulding to preserve this wonderful memory.