"Do you supply or cut custom window mats"? We get asked this question, either by phone, email or in person, about once a week. Invariably, we have
to respond in the negative, no, we don't. But rather than leave it at that, while we're here, we thought we'd expand on it with a fuller reply. Whether or not a framing store elects to provide this service is worth exploring. Window mats are almost exclusively made to be used with picture frames which have a long history of being associated with human settlements and dwellings. The manufacture and supply of picture frames, frameworks, icons, paintings and other kindred images with which adorn human ...
Artists, and the Tyranny of Distance
Posted on Category: Picture Framing Industry InsightsBy: Ah, "The Tyranny of Distance". While many are the readers who are likely to have read, 
or at least heard of, Geoffrey Blainey's eponymous 1966 history book, just as many may not be familiar with the book title's subjective, relative meanings, or its nuances and varied, variable contexts. And these can be many. Yet the fulcrum upon which all these tyrannical propositions operate is the sum of the difficulties and disadvantages posed by Australia's, geographical, long distances. We could, for instance, in today's discussions about energy, posit that neither the Northern Territory, nor Western Australia, will ever able to cooperate and economically participate in Australia's ...
When oils ain’t oils …
Posted on Category: Frame Types & StylesBy:We will begin this blog post on stretching acrylic paintings by reminiscing with the older cohort of us who might recall the eponymous, mid 1980's Castrol oil company's advertisements featuring Sol, the Mafia Don, and his mafiosi confederates. 
We were darkly warned that not all engine oils were the same, even though they may have smelled and looked the same. To same extent, the same applies to many paintings on canvas that we see coming through our picture framing workship. The catalyst for the creation of this post, once again was sparked by one of our Customers. The gentleman in question had just brought back from Indonesia a large, colourful, expensive "oil" painting which he wanted stretched on a stretcher frame and float framed. On inspecting the painting on our framing counter during the custom ...
Unshippable A0 picture frames? Why, what does that mean?
Posted on Category: Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs )By:"Unshippable A0 picture frames? Why, what does that mean?". That was the question we were asked in disbelief and incredulity while fielding a telephone inquiry from a young 
mum in Northcote. She said she was confused as to why our website said that we could not "post" a huge A0 black glass frame which she wanted. She just had had a baby, she explained, and couldn't possibly come down and pick up the frame, so she just wanted it shipped to her address. We did tell her that large glass frames cannot be shipped because most of the times these break or get damaged in transit, but she seemed to find it difficult to accept the explanation and kept suggesting and insisting on various shipping methods that ...
Of online stores prompts, disclaimers and warnings
Posted on Category: Picture Framing Industry InsightsBy:We will begin this picture frames online store prompts post by briefly revisiting the Year of Our Lord 1776. In was in that year that a political economist named 
Adam Smith, published the momentous book "An Inquiry into the Nature & Causes of the Wealth of Nations". From this work sprang the memorable passage: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities, but of their advantages”. Succinctly, what we are told, is that back then, businesses, whether small, medium or large, provided and ...
A0 Picture frames: Who, What, When, Where and Why
Posted on Category: Ready-Made FramingBy:We get so many calls and inquiries about A0 picture, or poster, frames that we thought it it only fair to elucidate on the subject matter for the benefit of Customers, 
visitors and readers. An approach as good as any to explain this subject might be: 'Who, What, Where, When and Why', to wit, the 'Five Ws' mnemonic verse which assists writers in fully and properly detailing, describing or explaining an event, happening. or story. Incidentally, the Five Ws aren't a modern invention. It would seem that it was an ancient Greek rhetorician, Hermagoras of Temnos, of around about 2,000 years ago who invented this popular aide-memoire.
Clip frames revisited
Posted on Category: Ready-Made FramingBy:Frames styles come and go every decade or so. We have seen so many over the years, 
from the ornate to the glossy aluminium, from the gaudy, ornate gold to the plain white, and many more. Yet there is something incredibly functionally simple and elegant about clip frames. The design has stayed remarkably consistent over the years, perhaps because it is so uncomplicated and basic. It has no visible wood or metal edge or border and consists of a backing board and a pane of glass with the artwork sandwiched in between, all held together by clips.
About our Football Display Cases
Posted on Category: Ready-Made FramingBy:We decided to write this post after an interesting conversation with one of our Customers who had
come to buy one of our AFL Football display Cases. The lady, before buying our football case, insisted on inspecting it thoroughly, to make sure that it was constructed according to our advertised description. We were happy to oblige, opened a case and showed her one which was indeed manufactured as detailed, and that is, as two-tiered, high-gloss, with removable, black, acrylic base with rubber feet to protect resting surfaces. The Customer was satisfied by her inspection, then asked us, would we accept 'trade-ins'. Piqued by this unusual query, we asked to her to elaborate. Well then, it seems that not all ball display cases are created equal ...
In praise of the the humble staple
Posted on Category: Frame Types & StylesBy:.0
Read More View 1 Comment For picture framers and in picture framing, staples are usually those small, steel, 'U' shaped loops or fasteners that are generally driven into the back of picture frames to hold 
the glass, artwork and backing inside the frames so that these don't fall out. Pretty much every picture frame has a couple dozens of these devices which have been used on and in picture frames for hundreds of years. Yet, we don't ever remember reading anything much about them anywhere or at any time, so, here we go. The staple, as a fastening device, dates from antiquity. Some of the oldest known were iron dovetail staples found embedded and tying stones together in several temples and tombs in Pasargadae, the ancient ...
On framing wrinkled, creased, crinkled and dog-eared maps
Posted on Category: Frame Types & StylesBy:Why this post "On framing wrinkled, creased, crinkled and dog-eared maps"? This is because, and as we have mentioned before, many of our posting ideas come from
interactions with our Customers. And it was by way of jest, that a Customer, having finished the custom picture framing consultation for a couple of brand, new posters, wistfully asked us: " I don't suppose you'd be able to frame old, crinkly, wavy, damaged, maps"? The Customer, smiling, explained that she had another picture framing declined to re-frame a large, old map of hers as it was "impossible" to flatten with their dry-mounting method. We then asked to see the map which the Customer had not yet brought in but had left in the car.