Especially in light of the continuing trend for more, and bigger, windows (as well as for brighter, artificially illuminated rooms). FastFrame experts understand glazing intimately, and they are eager to share their knowledge with you.
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Fortunately, there is a way to counteract the effects of ultraviolet exposure.
Using conservation grade glazing is essential in a home where ultraviolet rays from sunlight can, for any portion of the day, strike the surfaces of your framed pictures and works of art. It is also essential in rooms where there are incandescent or fluorescent lighting.
Conservation grade glass utilizes a special film designed to reflect ultraviolet rays away from photos and paintings. Conservation grade acrylic has the ultraviolet reflecting properties built into the material.
FastFrame stores stock conservation grade glazing rated effective for blocking up to 99 percent of those harmful rays.
By shielding your photos and other works of art on paper with conservation grade glazing and, by hanging your artwork in areas that receive little or no direct sunlight, you can protect them from ultraviolet rays for years to come.
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The architectural design trend of making more liberal use of windows is seemingly more popular than ever before.
Why wouldn’t it be? Adding more and/or larger windows to a room makes the space feel larger and airier.
However, while the brilliant glow of sunshine may make a room more delightful, there is a downside to it. Natural light (and to an extent, strong artificial light) is damaging to photographs, paintings and works of art on paper.
The reason is the light streaming through all those windows contains ultraviolet rays. When these rays strike the emulsified celluloid surface of a photo or the oil-based pigment brushed across the canvas of a painting, they cause fading and deterioration.
This damage doesn’t occur in a single day because the effects of exposure to ultraviolet rays are cumulative – they show up after some span of months or years.
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You want to get your mom something special for Mother’s Day - and you are in the right place! A custom-framed memory makes the perfect gift. Here are some custom framing gift ideas for mom to get your creative juices flowing:
Remember how Mom used to whip up delicious treats for you in her kitchen? If she still has that old mixing spoon lying around, you can frame it!
Add a handwritten note expressing your gratitude for her making your tummy happy for all those years. The bonus is that the note can go right next to the mixing spoon inside of the frame. If you don’t have a memorable kitchen item, notes work well on their own too! Do you have heartfelt letters, thank you notes, or birthday cards you wrote mom when you were a kid? All of them can be custom framed and put on display for her to enjoy all over again.
Custom framing can make any photo standout. You can get creative with the project and make it an entire set of photos, creating a collage. Dig up that old photo album and pick some of your favorite shots of the family. Instead of keeping these memories tucked away in an album, you can custom frame some of the best ones in a collage for mom. Remind her how much the entire family loves her this Mother’s Day.
Anything from smooth stones from the backyard to seashells from the beach can be custom framed. Collect some items from the great outdoors that have special significance for your family, and turn them into a custom-framed treasure.
Make it something that evokes pleasant memories and get creative with how you assemble the project.
Does Mom have jewelry from years ago tucked away? Why not frame some?
You never know what Mom might have tucked away in the back of her jewelry box. Why not ask about some of her old jewelry? There are probably a number of pieces she adores but hasn’t been able to wear lately. Maybe they’ve gone out of style or newer jewelry has replaced them for certain occasions. Either way, you can mount them inside a custom frame and she’ll be able to cherish them in a whole new way.
Your mom is important. So is telling her how much she means to you. The best way to say it is with a creative gift mounted within a unique custom frame. Not sure which framing style is right for your special project? They’re here to help you make your gift all the more meaningful.
HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEA 3. Picture frames are supposed to be mounted level when hung on a wall, but the holidays are the perfect time to get a little tipsy (we mean your frames, not you).
First, take a two-inch wide strip of holiday ribbon. Cut off about a yard’s worth from the spool. Fashion a big bow from that length, but leave about 18 inches of the ribbon as a tail.
Attach the bow at any corner of a square, open and backless frame. Take the bow’s long tail and attach the end of it high up on a wall. Allow the frame to dangle from this length of ribbon. (If the frame is heavy and you don’t feel confident that the ribbon can support it, secure the frame first with a wall hanger of its own and then attach the tail to the wall.)
The frame will now appear to be diamond-shaped, rather than square. From the inside of the topmost corner (the one where the bow is), attach a thin ribbon and extend it down about three-quarters of the distance to the bottom corner. All along this strip you can attach frosted pine cones, small ornaments, or anything else iconic to the season.
HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEA 4. If you prefer a more traditional use for a holiday picture frame, begin by checking out the winter collection at your nearest FastFrame store.
Pick up a quantity of those frames and fill each with a photograph of family or adored friends gathered around the tree. Or opening presents last year. Or enjoying a feast. Or doing any and all of the memory-making things that fill your heart with peace, joy, and love at this time of year.
HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEA 2. Start with an open, backless white wooden frame (not solid white, but white with hints of the underlying wood showing through – this will make the frame resemble a patch of bare earth with a dusting of snow atop it).
Next, affix a lightly frosted Christmas tree branch to the upper left corner of the frame. A bushy branch works best. The branch should be just large enough to touch the bottom frame.
If you position and trim this branch correctly, a small part of it will extend outside the top and left of the frame, while the majority of it will fill half to two-thirds of the frame area. Use the remaining inside area (the empty space in the right half or third of the frame) to mount a candle, a stack of perhaps three tiny boxes bedecked in shiny blue or red foil wrapping paper, or any other holiday object capable of being seated on the bottom of the frame and rising no more than halfway up the inside space.
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ne reason people feel the greatest goodwill toward others and have higher than usual hopes for peace on earth during December is that several major faiths have important holidays this month.
These joyous occasions, unfolding as they do in the early days of winter, inspire warm and festive feelings – along with thoughts of adorning home and office with fragrant evergreens, shiny ornaments, colorful lights, delicate tinsel, and all the other special touches that make this time of year so happy
As you contemplate creative new ways of decking your own halls with boughs of holly and the like, don’t overlook the potential of custom frames to help you achieve the perfect holiday vibe.
The custom-framing specialists at your nearby FastFrame store can help you spread a surprising amount of holiday cheer with just a single frame and a few familiar items you’re sure to have around during this season.
Here are just a few ideas for how you can use custom frames to transform your place into an enviable indoor winter wonderland.
HOLIDAY DECORATING IDEA 1. Obtain an ornate frame, gold, silver or wood tone, minus the backing and glass. Also obtain one large, gauzy or gossamer bow in your favorite holiday color. Affix the bow at the center of the top frame member. Make sure the bow extends out far enough to kiss both the right and left sides of the frame.
Suspend from the back of the top frame member three strips of half-inch-wide ribbon that will accent the bow. One strip should be attached at the center; the other two flanking it on the right and left. Leave about 2 inches of distance between the strips of ribbon..
The strips on the right and the left should extend a tad more than halfway down the frame. The middle strip should extend down about 1 to 2 inches farther.
Hang a bulb ornament from the end of each strip. If done correctly the bulb in the middle will dangle slightly lower than the other two. The bulbs should accent the bow and ribbon.
Mount this frame on the wall or, alternatively, position it on the floor and lean it against the wall.
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Accordingly, many people opt to consult expert framers – such as those found at FastFrame – to provide the necessary guidance and make the process of choosing less hit-or-miss.
That’s wise to do, because FastFrame design experts intimately understand the dynamics of framing as an element of home décor.
For example, FastFrame’s pro framers will typically tell you that the ideal choice of frame depends on the décor of the room in which the frame will be placed. A room decorated in modern motif needs a modern-style frame, not a frame resplendent with baroque filigrees or rococo flourishes.
Choice of frame also depends on where in the room you will place it. Wall dimensions are one consideration. If the piece is small and the wall large, you can create the illusion of proportionality by placing the art within an oversized frame.
Another possibility is you can hang a collection of small pieces or, alternatively, a couple of large scale prints (but not a combination of the two because that creates an unhappy clash).
Frames can be used to make art blend into the décor. Or they can be used to highlight the art. Or they can be used to make a statement touching on your tastes and personality as reflected by everything within the room.
The point is art and the frames surrounding them are essential home décor because they are reflections of your unique personality and style. Choose frames wisely, and visitors to your home will be profoundly impressed.
Do you buy a piece of art because you love the ingeniously edgy way the painter uses brush strokes to revel in the interplay between light and shadow?
Or do you buy a piece of art because you think the colors and canvas size are perfect for the space you need to fill in the master bathroom?
Whatever your reason for choosing artwork, just know that it’s a 100-percent valid and proper reason. And the reason it’s valid and proper is because it’s YOUR reason.
But here’s the thing. You acquired that piece of art to accomplish something. Specifically, you want to feel good every time you look at that wall where this artwork will (or already does) hang.
Which leads to an important point. What you mount on your walls matters.
That’s why it needs to be placed within a frame that not only beautifully showcases the painting (or photograph or object) but that adds beauty to your home.
In fact, if you think about it, a frame is in and of itself a piece of art (which explains the hot trend of hanging empty frames).
Trouble is it’s challenging to figure out which frames work best with which pieces of art within various rooms coordinated in various decor styles.
In other words, choosing the right frames for your home is often a subjective process. And that makes it tricky.
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5. Reflect upon your situation. One of the best ways to update walls is to use custom framed mirrors. The great thing about mirrors is they not only make a wall come alive, they also fool the eye into seeing the room as considerably larger than it actually is. FastFrame offers an extensive selection of frames to fit whatever size or type of mirror you want to display.
Bottom line: help your guests and visitors feel truly welcome by giving your walls personality and charm. The custom-framing experts at FastFrame are your first choice when it comes to help saying goodbye to boring walls.
4. Defy convention. A gallery of custom frames with nothing inside them makes for an eye-catching and conversation-launching wall display. Empty frames work for the same reason that skilled artists like to sometimes color outside the lines: it shakes up expectations.
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3. Mix it up. Your walls should be an eclectic mix of custom-framed items and memorabilia. There’s no rule compelling you to display only photos, or to display only memorabilia, or only artwork. It’s perfectly acceptable, and even desirable, to showcase a cacophony of images and objects on the same wall. Talk to the experts at your nearest FastFrame for guidance in pulling this off brilliantly.
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2. Keep it fresh. Interior design specialists say that, however, you dress your walls, be sure to change things up every so often to show a new and appealing look. This doesn’t mean you need to replace your FastFrame custom frames once a month or even once per season. But, as FastFrame experts caution, if your wall displays are faded or show signs of age, then it’s definitely time to revise the setting.
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Friends pop into your home. Business associates or customers step inside your office. What they see on your walls is a story of your personal or business life.
When people venture into your living spaces or your work areas, do they want to encounter walls that give off warmth and good vibes? Do your walls spark an emotional connection; a connection to your home or office; a connection to your personality. Are your walls attractive and engaging? Or are they in need of an update?
If the answer to these questions is no, the expert designers at FastFrame can help you breathe new life into your home or office.
Here are 5 ways the expert designers at FastFrame can help you connect with family, friends, colleagues, and clients.
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Just as each piece of art is unique, so is each customer.
When you visit Fastframe of Santa Monica, your custom framing experience will be
personalized and friendly. Here are the steps we take when you visit Fastframe of Santa Monica:
Our design consultants get to know your tastes and the look you want to achieve before getting started on the design.
We will explore all your framing options with you, and then work to create a unique, custom frame design.
Once you and your consultant have chosen a design, we begin handcrafting your custom frame.
If you don’t absolutely love the result, we will recraft the frame, within the same price range, at no additional cost to you within the first 30 days!
Our industry-leading “True Love” Guarantee includes a 30-day guarantee on the design and a lifetime guarantee on craftsmanship. If you don’t love the look of your finished framed artwork, we will redesign your piece within 30 days of the sale, within the same price range – at no additional charge.
We offer such an extraordinary guarantee because we are absolutely sure we can meet or beat your expectations.
FastFrame has become the leader in custom picture framing by offering you expert design and craftsmanship, a fast turnaround time and our exclusive “Design & Craftsmanship Guarantee.”
First, FastFrame stores are individually owned and operated. Each of our dedicated owners and their staff are thoroughly trained in the latest custom picture framing techniques and materials as well as current decorating trends. This allows them to give you the look, style and quality you want to display in your home or office.
Second, because we carry many moulding, mat and glazing products in our stores, our turnaround time is extremely fast. If you need your framed art returned to you quickly, you can get your piece framed and returned to you the same day. Our expert picture framers are able to do this without sacrificing quality and at no additional cost to you. But, what if you select a special order frame or mat? While it may take a bit longer to complete your order, we can still beat the normal industry turnaround time of two weeks or more.
And finally, our “Design and Craftsmanship Guarantee” truly sets us apart in the picture framing industry. Simply put, we will guarantee the craftsmanship of your framed piece for a lifetime and we will guarantee your satisfaction with the design for 30 days from the time of delivery. If you are not completely satisfied with your finished framed artwork, we will redesign and frame your piece, using materials within the same price range, for FREE! If the new design includes a frame or matting that is more expensive than the original selection, we only ask that you pay the difference. We couldn’t offer such an extraordinary guarantee if we were not absolutely sure we could meet or beat your expectations.
That’s the FastFrame difference: Owners dedicated to quality and craftsmanship, fast turnaround and our Design & Craftsmanship Guarantee.
FastFrame was founded in 1986 in Thousand Oaks, California. Retail stores are located throughout the United States and internationally in Brazil, The Bahamas, and Barbados.
FastFrame stores are owner-operated, providing personal design and quality custom picture framing services for residential customers and commercial clients. When you visit a FastFrame store, you will receive an in-depth, personal design consultation so we can best serve your unique framing needs.
Stores offer immediate turnaround using state of the art, on-site custom framing equipment. Our locations can create the highest industry quality custom frames in as little as 24 hours.
Your frame is backed by a unique 30-Day Design Guarantee, and a Lifetime Guarantee on the Craftsmanship of the product.
Custom framing can turn a practical mirror into a creative reflection of your personal style. By using distinctive frames that match your taste and decor, framed mirrors can draw light into darker areas or create the illusion of more space in a room.
Whether you want to incorporate an heirloom antique mirror into your décor or hang a mirror to check your appearance before a client enters your office, talk with our design consultants. At Fastframe of Santa Monica, we know how to create a look that mirrors your taste.
Choosing the right custom framing for your art can light up any room. Unfortunately, the effects of ultraviolet rays from indoor and outdoor light can damage artwork, photographs, documents and collectibles. That’s why we offer Glazing that reflects 99% of ultraviolet rays, preserving yourartwork against damaging elements. We also offer museum-grade Glazing that scatters light, reducing the glare from windows and lamps, makingyour displayed works more visible.
The full range of Tru Vue® glass and acrylic products are available at all of our locations. Let our design consultants recommend the right Glazing product to protect your treasures and show them in the best light.
