Kid and Paw Art Day-October 16, 2010

Look for Skye and Rhett at the first annual, "Kid and Paw" Art Day at Fast Frame Dilworth, on Saturday October 16, 2010. The address is 1235 East Blvd Charlotte, NC 28203...

Labor Day Sale

Huge Labor Day Sale, all custom Framing is 35% off....ONE DAY ONLY. Our store hours 10 to 6.....

Framing a Violin

Framing isn't always a canvas or photograph, it can be something very special for a loved one. Recently, we had a client that wanted to honor his wife's love of music. In her younger years, she was a talented violinist and played for over 40 years. To honor his loved one he wanted to frame her violin and the sheet music of there love song. In this blog, we would like to share this wonderful peice of artwork...

Framing Siemens Soccer Jersey's

Recently, we collaborated with Fast Signs of Charlotte to frame the Siemens Soccer Team. The frame was a shallow shadow box in black, with a white mat lining on the sides. Fast Signs printed the graphics on the white Mat, and then we placed the Jersey's on the mat. The Jerseys were hand sewn to ensure correct placement and stability. We also floated two plaques inside the frame to provide depth to the image.

I want to thank Ben Knight of Fast Signs on South Tryon for this opportunity.

Dress Up Your Frames with Fillets

Finishing touches and added details are generally what set any great design apart from one that is nice but ordinary. For example, a room filled with beautiful furniture tends to look unfinished until the accessories have been added. A brand new shiny car is cheapened if it is missing hubcaps. The same is true with custom frame design. Adding the right details can take framing from ordinary to extraordinary.

Fillets are one of the options, you can use to add finishing touches to the frame design. Fortunately there are hundreds of fillet options to chose from today. That wasn't the case in the past, There isn't good data to show when fillets were first introduced to custom framing.

Fillets never seemed to gain mainstream popularity until recently. In the past 20 years they finally became a sensation. Today, there are fillet choices in a wide range of colors, styles and profile shapes. There are great options for nearly any framing project. Today it is most common to see fillets in mat openings, but they are still used inside frames, too. They can also be used in a few other, less common ways.

PFM, May 2010: Article by Greg Perkins. Page 26

How to choose the best Glazing (Glass) for your artwork?

Many may ask, What is Glazing?

Glazing is the covering the artwork with a form of glass or acrylic to protect the artwork. The ideal glazing material would transmit, without distorting, all of the light in visible spectrum and would block ultraviolet rays. It would resist impact and carry no static charge; (framing of larger pieces acrylic should be used and not glass.)

Aging:

The only aging process glass is subject to which may be of interest to customers is that, with time, microscopic surface scratches may slightly reduce light transmissions. Acrylic, like all organic materials, ages but very slowly.

Deflection and Thickness:

Glass is rigid, and in picture frames deflection is barely perceptible and unlikely to pose a risk to framed art. Acrylic sheet is flexible and subject to deflection, which distorts reflections. The major concern of framers is that acrylic glazing may bow in, touching a framed work of art. Secondly, acrylic is subject to high static charge and when framing loose media, such as charcoal, chalk, or pastel, and thin or lightly sized papers will be attracted to static charged acrylic glazing. increasing the distance between acrylic and framed artwork lessens the attraction, but to be effective a separation of several inches may be necessary. Glass would be a better alternative when framing these materials.

UV Protection:

Standard picture glass absorbs most of the UV rays and offers little or no protection from fading of the artwork. However, there are several glass sheets that offer up to 97% UV protection; these sheets are coated and have laminated sheets between two sheets of glass. At Fast Frame-Dilworth we recommend Tru Vue Conservation Clear or Museum Glass.

On your next trip to your local frame shop, hopfully you'll select Fast Frame Dilworth, please consider asking these questions:

1. Is the artwork susceptible to UV damage?
2. Under what lighting conditions is the work to be displayed?
3. Is it likely that the work will be shipped?
4. Is the media loose?
5. How stiff is the paper support?

Source: (PFM February 1996, Glazing page 36-37)

What do Framing Cutomers Really Want.

When it comes to buying custom framing, a customer's true goals are:

1. Maximize value for money

2. An item that performs a purpose to fulfill their desire, such as a frame.

3. Maximize the overall experience-that is the feeling for that custom framed peice.

At the end of the day, framing customers are actually driven more by the "feeling" of buying the frame than they are by the frame itself because they value that experience more. The feelings for that special artwork, are the true motivator for custom framing.

The magic of being able to transform a customers treasured memory into a timeles masterpeice is such a rewarding experince for our customers and us as well.

April Promotion

During April, FastFrame Dilworth will feature all ECO-Friendly mouldings at 40% off for the entire month; We're featuring top quality woods from Larson-Juhl, Nurre Caston, and Roma; At these prices, one could frame many pieces at an economical cost.

Going Green Tips;
Store files on the computer, instead of in files cabinets
Turn off appliances & lights when you leave a space.
Utilize energy efficient light bulbs in all fixtures
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use.

We hope to see you soon

Design Options for Textiles

The options that exist when custom framing a textile are as vast and varied as the types of textiles; When framing, conservation issues and aesthetic appeal should both be considered and must be discovered before one can decide on a frame design for the textile at hand.

For example, we recently framed two regulations sized flags for a client;

When framing textile of this size, it's very important that the frame depth is deep enough to support the mounting and glass. Our client selected a Roma dark brown moulding, and opted to add a a personal portrait of himself.

The flag was mounted (hand sewn) on a Crescent Convservastion White Mat; this special matting will keep the flag looking pristine for many years to come.

If you have a special piece that you would like to frame, please come by and see us

Fast Frame Dilworth-Earth Day April 22, 2010

To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2010, Fast Frame Dilworth will have all of their "Earth Friendly Frames" 50% off during the month of April. One of our largest suppliers, Larson Juhl has been a leading contributor in funding the planting of over a quarter million trees in the Global ReLeaf ecosystem. Another key vendor is Nurre Caxton with their "Eco-Care" family of mouldings. Again, we'll feature all of these frames at 50% off during the month of April.

We look forward to seeing you during the month of April, to help us celebrate Earth Day

Colorful Custom Mats

Framing artwork can be fun. Posters, sports memorabilia and animation are for example, all lend themselves to bright colors. Enhancing art with color us a refreshing change and brightens up any home or office decor.

If you are a collector or have any pieces of animation art, the first thing you'll notice are the vibrant, striking colors. And we are the experts who can help you choose which colors in the artwork should be used for the matting and framing.

We look forward to seeing your artwork and helping you decide on colorful custom made mat and frame design.

Source: Picture Frame Magazine

Framing Needleart

Needleart is no less a work if art than a painted canvas; the stitcher simply took up a needle and thread instead of a brush and paints.
This statement emphasizes the value and importance of needlework through the ages. Perhaps you have some dolies or handkerchiefs from your grandparents lying around the attic. Or maybe you tolied over a needlepoint to hang in the living room for all to admire. Is there a sampler with a saying that you would like to hang in the hallway?
At FastFrame-Dilworth we pride ourselves on framing needleart, taking extra care to preserve your fondest memories. There are two techniques that are common when framing needleart; lacing and couching. Lacing is used when the edges of a work must be covered due to wear and tear or for aesthetic reasons. Couching allows the entire needleart to be showcased. Any textiles, including clothes, scarves, dresses and more, can be mounted and framed for display. You may even add other sentimental objects to create a one-of-a kind frame design. Stop by and see some examples and let us show you our ideas for creating a custom design for your beautiful needleart.

Source:Picture Frame Magazine

Framing Trends for 2010

In the lastest trends for 2010, we're seeing more heirloom framing; such as patchwork quilts, cross stitch, hooked rugs and needlepoint. These pieces have such personal history and hanging with prominence in your home, will certainly be a point of conversation. We at FASTFRAME-Dilworth take special care in framing these special pieces of artwork; and not all framing shops have the expertise to frame such pieces of artwork. We hope to see you soon at FASTFRAME-Dilworth.

January News

This month FastFrame Dilworth is offering a Free Mat with a Custom Frame order; this is vaild until Janaury 31, 2010.

FastFrame has hired the Auer Agency to create thier ad campaign for the Charlotte Business Journal.