We have been really busy lately framing, and framing, and framing some more, for our upcoming show with P. Buckley Moss!  We love framing Pat's art.  Her art is so colorful and happy that we really get to be creative when we frame her work.  I plan on doing a post later this week to showcase some our favorite things we have framed so far but today I want to focus on the our show piece (which is our current #1 favorite piece of Pat's) "Warmth Within Warrenton".  We picked our three favorite designs and discounted them by 50% to offer to all our customers.  

Our first design is tripled matted with an elegant black frame.  The top mat is a neutral creme silk mat, and has a luxurious texture and appearance.  The design brings out the buildings that are down the street and the snowy background.  This design is sure to compliment any decor.  You can purchase this framing for $195 plus the cost of the print.

Our second option is also triple matted, but this time the mats bring your attention to the courthouse.  The top mat is a bright white with a snowy appearance, followed by a blue mat that is seen throughout the piece in the sky and the snow.  The bottom mat is a "courthouse" yellow.  The piece is finished off with a medium brown frame that also has a snowy look and is a bit rustic.  This design is also $195 plus the cost of the print.

Our third and final choice is a simple and charming design.  It is double matted with two very neutral colors.  The frame we chose for this design is one of our best sellers and is also one of our personal favorites!  It's a dark brown/black frame with distressed edges and is the perfect combination of rustic and elegant.  This design can be purchased for $115 plus the cost of the print.  

Another bit of great news is that you can use your $20 gift card you get for preordering the print toward these framing designs.  That means that this last design would cost you LESS than $100!  Call us or stop in today and we can get your framing ordered so that we can frame right after Pat signs it!  (540) 341-0001 

Have you ever wondered what goes in to custom framing a picture?  Back in 2007, when Mark and I first thought of buying Framecraft, I was surprised by the amount of time that it took to complete one framing order! 

The process begins when you (our customer) purchases a print or brings in something to be framed.  The photo above to the right is a picture of our design room.  This is just a small amount of the selection of the frames that we offer.  It is awesome how sometimes you pic a frame for a particular picture and it is like that frame was made just for that piece.  That is why we offer such a large selection because every piece is so different and individual that we want to make sure that we have the perfect frame for your artwork. 

We also have hundreds of choices when it comes to mat colors.  Picking the right color mats is, maybe, the most important part of the design.  I usually try to pick something in the art that I want your eye to be drawn to, then I start with that color. 

Once we have designed the perfect framing together your part is done!  And the fun for us has just begun.  Mark and I love framing!  It really has become a passion for us.  Watching art turn from a beautiful piece of art on paper to a beautiful framed piece of art is something we never get tired of doing!

The first step in framing is to mount the art.  We use acid free foam core for this part.  There are a variety of mounting techniques, however the only ones we use are archival.  Once the piece is mounted we cut your mats with our Wizard computerized mat cutter.  We use a computerized mat cutter for a number of reasons.  Our wizard is efficent, precise, and amazing.  Did you know that we have the top of the line computerized mat cutter? Not only does it cut the perfect 90 degree angle, oval, circle, arch, star, gothic arch, and so on.  Our wizard mat cutter debosses!  If by chance you don't know what debossing is, that means that it carves designs, letters, shapes, anything we want it to, into the mat.  It is AWESOME!!!  (If you ever want to see it in action, just let us know, we'll bring you downstairs and show it to you!)

After your mats have been cut we mount them on top of the piece using acid free ATG.  ATG is basically the gooey part of the tape and nothing else.  We do a lot of measuring during this part to make sure that all the borders are perfect.  We then cut your glass to size using our Fletcher glass cutter, and place it on top of your, dust free, mat board and art.

Then we move on to cutting the frame with our dual miter saw!  This part is fun!  We LOVE using power tools!  Our dual miter saw ensures that the frame will join perfectly!  This part is something that most frame shops don't do, the majority of frame shops get the frames already cut to size, not us, we like to do as much of it in house as possible! 

Then all that is left is joining the frame with our v-nailer and placing it around the glass.  We hold everything in place with framers points, and finish the back with black paper, a Framecraft sticker, bump its, and a wire hanger.

We put time and care into your framing!  We know that anything we frame for you is going to hang in you home for years to come, so we want it to be perfect!   

Framecraft is thrilled to host P. Buckley Moss at our location (64 Main Street)  on Saturday, November 6th!  This will be the second time that Pat has come to Framecraft and she will be releasing her second print that features Warrenton!!!  We haven't decided on a title for this exciting new release, but here is a first look!

I LOVE this print!!!  Actually this is a picture of the original just moments after Pat finished painting!  A few months ago we took a survey to see what our customers would like to see Pat paint.  Almost everyone we asked agreed that they wanted a snow scene on Main Street.  Well here it is, just what we all wanted! 

Call us today to preorder your print and get a free $20 gift card to use toward whatever you would like in the store or on custom framing (540) 341-0001.  Also get 40% off custom framing for any preorders or prints purchased the day of the show. 

It's Christmas time and Framecraft is so excited!  We had our first snow this past Saturday and our building could not have looked more beautiful!  The sad news for that day was that the Christmas Parade for Old Town Warrenton had to be cancelled.  We really looked forward to the parade and the chance to meet some new people from Warrenton!  Not to mention our three small children that still believe in Santa and really wanted to see him ride down Main Street.  All is well though since it has been rescheduled for December 20th.

The good news for the day is that many of our customers braved the wintery conditions and came out for our annual P. Buckley Moss Holiday Show!  We love Pat Moss and are so blessed to get to be an authorized dealer for her artwork.  Pat does so many wonderful things for learning diabled children and education, it is amazing!  I have loved Pat's art since first seeing "Blessed Peace", but once I met her and saw what an amazing person she is, it made me love her art even more!

The two days of the show, Framecraft was covered with P. Buckley Moss art!  The gallery looked beautiful!  There is so much variety in Pat's art.  She paints about so many different subjects there is something for everyone!  Don't worry though, even though the show is over we still have plenty of Moss Christmas items left for those that couldn't make it that day!

For more information about P. Buckley Moss visit our "featured artist" section or www.pbuckleymoss.com.

Framecraft was so excited on November 21st to host Mort Künstler at the Fauquier County Courthouse.  This was an event we had been preparing for since September.  It was thrilling for the day to arrive and to see the fruits of our labors. After many late nights and early mornings at Framecraft, we finally opened the doors of the shop at 8am.  We welcomed a line of customers that had started forming at 7am.  It was rewarding to see that Mort's fans and our customers were anticipating the show as much as we were!

(a view of the shop the day of the show)

The public would come in to Framecraft and pick up their prints and shop for other Mort Künstler collectibles.  Then they would get a number for their place in line.  The number system seemed to work out well since the wait to see Mort got up to 3 1/2 hours.  Fans could go out to lunch or shop around Old Town Warrenton and then come back and get their place in line.  We are thankful to American Spirit Publising for suggesting that we use the number system.

(Framecraft and the Courthouse were packed with Mort Künstler fans all day.  This is the line outside the courthouse at the very beginning of the show)

After the prints were signed by Mort everyone came back to Framecraft and chose framing for "The Gray Ghost" and other Mort Künstler prints.  Framecraft customers enjoyed the savings we offered like 40% off custom framing and sample designs that could be purchased for over 45% off. 

(Mort signing prints and meeting the public.  To the right is Mark the owner of Framecraft)

We are so grateful to Mort and American Spirit Publishing for giving us the chance to host this show.  We could not have done it without our family and friends that helped out that day and the days leading up to the show. 

This was only the second time a civil war painting has been done featuring Warrenton.  Framecraft is honored to have been able to bring this new and historic painting to Warrenton.  For more information about the story behind "The Gray Ghost" and Mort's comments on the piece please visit www.mortkunstler.com.

(pictures courtesy of www.daytrippingmetro.com)