With Liberty and Justice for All

Many years ago, my brother served in the United States Army as an MP (I love you, John!) and I couldn't be prouder.

Do you have proud veterans of the Armed Forces in the family?

Wouldn’t they be thrilled to receive a gift of a beautiful three-dimensional shadow box or custom frame displaying their military medals, insignias, and decorations; photos; certificates; personal memorabilia; and treasures?

What finer way to honor the sacrifice and service of loved ones who put on the uniform and gave their all for their country and for freedom? Military medals are meant to be proudly displayed, not hidden away in a drawer!

Framing military medals and awards is a perfect way to preserve and protect them and create a very precious gift and legacy – an heirloom of treasured memories to share with your family and generations to come.

It’s important to take those precious medals and decorations to a professional picture framer who will play an important role in their preservation through the use of proper protective materials.

The custom frame or shadowbox can even be designed so that, if desired, medals can be removed and worn, and then replaced in the frame.

Come on in and spend some time with us to learn more. Look for the purple and white Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) member decal on our shop door!

See you at the shop,

Melissa

Sono arrivato!

The Italian frames are here! 

But they won't be here forever.....Fickle things.

Conservation Glass: The skinny

What exactly is conservation, or UV glass? Is it really worth it? We think so.

Over time, indoor and outdoor ultraviolet rays take a toll on artwork, photographs and other important personal keepsakes, and cause fading. In addition to becoming faded, paper can become discolored and brittle, causing irreversible damage that ruins the artwork. Conservation glass provides 99% UV protection, and helps protect art from fading by blocking harmful indoor and outdoor light rays, preserving art for years longer than regular glass.

When reflection control is not of concern, our standard go-to glass is Conservation Clear^®. We use Tru Vue brand, who utilizes a proprietary coating process of microscopic, silica-based UV blocking agents that are cured onto the surface of a glass substrate to produce an ultra protective lite of glass that enhances true colors and protects art from fading. It helps keep framed pieces brighter, longer. 

 

Technical Mumbo Jumbo: 

• Blocks up to 99% of UV light rays  
• Meets ISO 18902 and passes ISO 18916, by providing at least 97% UV protection  
• Does not degrade or delaminate over time.  Tru Vue uses a proprietary inorganic, silica-based UV blocking coating, which is "baked" into the glass substrate producing a permanently bonded coating.  
• 2.5mm glass substrate
  

 

When To Use: 

• Ideal for any framing application, if reflection-free viewing is not important.  
• For protecting art, photographs and other important personal keepsakes against damage and fading caused by UV light.  
• To provide fade protection for posters. The inks, papers and other materials used to create these prints are more likely to deteriorate at a faster pace than higher quality reproductions.

For more information on this and other glass options, drop by Monday through Friday from 10-6 or Saturday from 9-5. You can also ring us up at 846-0444.


See you at the shop!
Melissa

 

Museum Glass: It doesn't get better than this

This stuff is amazing. Really. You'll want to poke it to make sure it's really there.

So, what is it?? Museum Glass is the highest quality anti-reflective picture framing glass available in the industry. Tru Vue® has a proprietary manufacturing process, called Magnetron Sputtering, which produces an ultra protective, nearly invisible finish. It protects against 99% of harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays and has the highest light transmission along with the lowest reflection rating of any other glass product.

Museum Glass review:

-Reduces reflection by over 85% (to less than 1% of total light), the lowest possible reflection rating available with UV protection
-Provides the highest brightness and contrast levels available
-Optimal clarity for true color transmission
-Greatest color neutrality
-Protect works of art against 99% of harmful indoor and outdoor UV light rays

-Excellent for any artwork that would benefit from reflection-free viewing with UV protection
-Especially useful with shadow boxes, multiple mat, or deep framing projects

Museum Glass mayhem! Check this out. We might be strange...but we like to have fun! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-E2Y-OKD44 

Consider yourself warned: once you've had the real thing...you'll never go back.

What are Japanese Hinges?

Japanese Hinges are our go-to mounting choice. Why? During the year I spent studying for my CPF exam, I learned a great deal about the properties of paper, and found this method to be far superior to others for many reasons.

Hinge Mounting has the function of securing the artwork either to the backing board or to the mat board without permanently altering the artwork. Hinges should be removable with either water or a small amount of alcohol. A hinge should be made of a stable material with sufficient strength to hold the artwork in place, yet it should tear free if the picture is dropped. The reasoning behind this is that it is better for the hinge to tear than for the artwork to tear. The most common materials used for hinges are Japanese rice papers, archival pressure-sensitive tapes, and linen tape.

 Japanese papers made from the traditional fibers have been known for their pH neutrality, strength, lightness in weight, and excellent aging characteristics. Today, however, most Japanese papers are no longer made from only the bast fiber of kozo, mitsumata, or mulberry. Sulfite pulp is commonly used as a filler in many of the traditional papers and, in some instances, the paper is all sulfite pulp. It is therefore important to establish the content of the Japanese paper when selecting it to use as a hinge for fine artwork. At The Village Framer, we use only mulberry paper.

 

Japanese paper swatches

 

Preview

One reason the Japanese papers are selected for making hinges is that when they are hand torn they give a frayed edge. When attached to the back of art-work, this kind of edge tends to show less on the front side. The adhesion of the artwork to the hinge is accomplished with the use of a water-based adhesive. We cook our own wheat starch paste. Careful control of the amount of paste is important or the moisture may deform the paper, which will show up as little bumps on the front side of the artwork.

For questions about Japanese Hinges or other mounting options, please contact us any time.

See you at the shop!

 -Melissa

Welcome to our blog!

 Hello and welcome to our new blog! We'll be posting regular shop updates, plus lots of interesting information about our industry. In the meantime, here are a few images from the showroom to get us started.

See you at the shop~

Melissa, Liz, Kate & Virginia

Roma Bellina Frame

Oval Mirror with Organza Ribbon

Pre-cut mats

More Roma Moulding

Copper-leafed light bulbs

Christening Gown and Baby Shoes

Antique Typewriter & Lg Clock

Silk wrapped frame, antique ornaments

Roma Frame

Scrabble Magnets

Vase & Large Clock