Spring Cleaning? Give Old Frame Designs a New Life

Are you thinking of redecorating or refurbishing rooms in your home? Have you found treasures in your attic or basement or at a flea market that you would like to display but look too old or worn? Let us give your old frame designs new life. We can redesign and reframe old projects to fit with your new decor.


Matting and framing go hand-in-hand to create a fresh, new look. A plain mat and frame can be transformed into a beautiful display piece for any home or office. Styles change throughout the years and you can keep your art up-to-date as well. Mat layers and artistic designs and cuts can give your art a whole new feel. Adding color to mats with bolder widths and decorative corners and lines can yield dramatic results.

Expressive frames complement bold mat designs.Wood frames naturally complement botanicals and landscapes whereas gold tones can bring out the best in animation cells or photographs. Objects like records or tickets or entertainment memorabilia also lend themselves to interesting frame designs.

Refreshed and refurbished homes are always enhanced with fresh frame designs for the walls. We can frame anything and everything to fit in with your home decor. So stop by Framewoods with your buried treasures and we will turn them into wonderful one-of-a-kind frame designs.

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Preserve March Madness Memories with Break-Through Mat Colors

Remember that fly ball you caught at Royals Stadium when the home team seemed unbeatable? Or how about being one of the lucky few to get KU Jayhawk team player to autograph a program right after their Orange Bowl win?

With sports season upon us, show your team pride with professional custom framing. Frame a favorite player's jersey, tickets to the big game, treasured news stories or photos from the moment you will never forget. Bring in your sports memorabilia today and ask for the new IMPACT colors collection, which offers conservation matboard in the exact colors of every major professional and college sports team.

Perhaps you’re a collector and have acquired a prized assortment of sports memorabilia complete with programs, tickets, baseball cards and pictures?

Whatever the case may be, storing these treasures in the attic, under the bed or on a shelf collecting dust is a lot less than they deserve. Why not frame them for all to see and enjoy?

The design possibilities are endless and can be as elaborate or as simple as you’d like. If you’re not sure what type of display would best suit your mementos, don’t fret, we’re virtually bursting at the seams with creative framing ideas that probably never crossed your mind.

Simply drop off your keepsakes, answer a few questions and pick up a one-of-a-kind treasure created especially for you. And on the practical side, framing your favorite sports souvenirs doesn’t just look good, the framing package can be designed to preserve them as well. And if you’re not a sports buff or athlete, what about your dad, son, daughter, husband, wife or sister? Think about it. There always seems to be one gift-giving holiday or another right around the corner.

Framed sports memorabilia makes a perfect birthday, Christmas, Graduation or Hanukkah gift. And who says you need a holiday, anyway? Why not treat yourself or a loved one to a personal gift that they’ll not only treasure for years to come, but pass from one generation to the next?

Don’t just think in terms of professional sports either. How about framing the jersey your brother wore during his glory days as a college running back? Or maybe you simply have a passion for fly fishing, skeet shooting, archery, sculling or running marathons. And thanks to shadow boxes, you don’t have to limit yourself to the traditional framed jersey—balls, bats, shoes, flies, helmets, rifles and other three-dimensional objects can be framed as well. So let us at Framewoods of Topeka show you what he/she can do. The end result is sure to be delightful.

With your new IMPACT mat you will want to insure the colors stay true for years and so do we!
Here at Framewoods of Topeka we have a deeply held belief, "If it's worth framing, it's worth preserving." We offer only the highest quality products we can find to our customers. These options include 99% UV protection glass to insure the lasting beauty of your framed piece.

Because the damage caused by UV light is both cumulative and irreversible, we use UV Filtering glass on every one of our custom framing jobs. Damage from UV light rays come from both indoor and outdoor light sources and contribute to severe color loss, paper embrittlement and deterioration of artwork.  Photos may appear yellow or stained with ghostly silver deposits rising to the surface. Conservation framing materials and techniques are always used on sentimental, valuable, limited edition and one-of-a-kind artwork.  We use UV Filtering glass on all works of art, especially posters and open edition prints.  These items are candidates for UV Filtering glass because the inks, papers and other materials used to create them are more likely to deteriorate than those used in higher end reproductions.

Once damage from light has occurred, it can never be reversed.  That’s why it is important that we offer all of our customers a way to minimize this type of damage before it happens.

Bring all of your framing needs into Framewoods of Topeka and we will make sure your piece stays beautiful for years to come!  And get $5 off Conservation Clear or $10 off Museum Glass.

This offer ends April 24, 2010

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Green - Forest and Eco Friendly Framing Material Available.

At Framewoods we are always eager to help our environment. We are conscientious of our waste products and recycle everything that is possible to recycle. "I hate to see things go to waste and knowing that they will be reused pleases me." says our Framing Manager Apollonia. Our recycling efforts include glass, cardboard, paper and even metal scraps. Mat board fallouts from the mat openings are offered to local schools for reuse and discarded frames are offerd to local artists. And if you haven't noticed the Framewoods logo icon says it all!

The desire to be "GREEN" extends to the mouldings we offer, several of our suppliers offer a variety of environmentally friendly options.

Topeka frame wholesaler Bob Victor's pioneered the development of environmentally safe finishing in the picture frame industry.   Today the finish Bob Victor’s has developed  is a finishing process that lets the Beauty, Character, and Integrity of the Fine American Hardwoods radiate through a 100% environmentally safe finish.  "The finishing materials we developed do not have a single ingredient in the formulation that carries a hazards label." Said owner Bob Victor during a visit to the Framewoods design studio.  "Our finishing process is environmentally safe.  This finish is as clear and smooth as glass."

Not only are their finishes eco-friendly all of their wood is milled from “Verified Sustainable American Hardwoods”. Which means they use sources that do not practice clear cutting and purchases timber from regions where the United States Forest Service said the timber is “SUSTAINABLE”. 

The Biltmore and Sorrento frame collections exclusively from Larson-Juhn are both PEFC certified. PEFC is the world’s largest forest certification organization promoting sustainable forest management. This important third-party certification provides you with confidence that you are purchasing forest friendly frames and demonstrates our commitment to responsible forest harvesting.

Framewoods also carries FSC certified Artique Matboards from Larson-Juhl. The presence of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo certifies that the materials used to produce the product were sourced responsibly. Every entity that touches the product – from the logger to the distributor – must be FSC certified.

The Rainforest Alliance works with the FSC to ensure that products do not negatively impact indigenous populations, come from conservation areas, come from genetically modified trees and are not illegally harvested.

The Lexington line from Omega Moulding is a collection of 8 classic profiles presented in stunning renditions of honey, walnut, mahogany and charcoal transverse wood grain finish. This eco-friendly moulding is made from fast-growing and sustainable plantation wood, which is grown for the specific purpose of production. The finish is created from non-toxic water-based pigments, making this collection one that is right in place with environmentally conscious products of today.

Finally, the "EcoCare" Blackwood and Sherwood lines of mouldings from Nurre Caxton . "A line of moulding that's easy on the eyes and the planet".
All woods are harvested from managed forests...areas that are carefully monitored, controlled and grown using a host of modern forestry techniques. This assures our forests will continue to provide clean air and water, stunning scenery, home for wildlife and jobs.

The colors of Sherwood and Blackwood are achieved with organic, water based stains. These stains allow for the beauty of the wood grain to show through. No oils, no chemical solvents are used.


So please stop in with your next project and we will design a frame for you that is not only beautiful but environmentally friendly! 

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Buy Local Reap Rewards

Have you heard of the 3/50 Project yet? If you haven't, let me get you in on a little secret. You know those locally owned shops, the Mom's and Pop's, that you pass by everyday. The kind who has been in the community a while and define your city with their unique offerings, helpful and friendly staff and you are most likely to talk to the owner before you leave the store. Would you miss these quaint shops if they had to close and were no longer available?

Well, the 3/50 Project is a grassroots awareness movement to encourage you to pick three locally-owned places you'd miss if they disappeared. Spend $50 per month between those three places. Simple as can be and we can all reap the rewards with a wealthier and healthier local economy.

Here are some statistics to support the project:

So, there is our little secret... Ok, maybe it's not so secret... but, we would like to invite you to participate in the project. And stop in to see us at Framewoods to say hello, because we would love to see you!

To learn more go to www.the350project.net

Publish Post

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A Closer Look at Framing: Why Is a Mat Important?

The mat is one of the most important parts of a frame design—it not only unifies the design between art work and frame but also protects the art work from a number of hazards. We know the first job of a frame is to present the art work it holds at its best. We also know that sometimes a print, photograph, or similar type of paper-borne art work can look “lost” in a frame without a mat. That’s because it’s not easy for the eye to move from the delicate paper-borne art to the solid, sturdy frame. A mat provides a transition between these two worlds. That’s also why matboard color and shape are an important part of the frame design. Everything from how light or dark the matboard color is, or if there is a double mat, or a mat with a specially-cut opening, affects how you and other see and react to the art inside it.

The other functions a mat can perform are much more practical. Paper-borne art work, like many other objects, reacts to changes in the environment. Changes in temperature and humidity can cause paper to expand and contract, buckle or cockle, making it seem “wavy.” A mat can help a piece of art from becoming deformed because of such changes. When paper expands it may also come in contact with the glass or acrylic in the front of the frame. This can sometimes cause sever, non-reversible, damage to the art work. A mat helps to distance the art work away from the glass or acrylic, preventing such a possibility.
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Decorating With Feng Shui

Whether decorating your home or office, following the laws of Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway)
can help to create harmony and success in your life. This Chinese practice, which dates back 4,000 years,
translates into “wind and water,” and focuses heavily on the elements of nature.

The principles are based on the belief that every space has an invisible energy, called Chi. This Chi is affected by a number of factors, including the placement and types of objects in that space. According to this practice, Chi must move flow steadily through a space (not too quickly or too slowly) in order for positive events to occur in the inhabitant’s life. Therefore, the type and the placement of the art in your home or office would be quite important in harnessing this energy to maximize health, wealth, and anything else you strive to attain. Although, Feng Shui originates from an ancient Asian culture, the practice has become increasingly mainstream.

When hanging art, consult the Bagua Map which Feng Shui practitioners use to analyze a space. You can orient any room or building structure with the Bagua Map by aligning it with the entrance to the room or to the front door.

The wall with the entrance should be aligned with the side of the map containing: knowledge and self-cultivation; career; and helpful people and travel. While your most important guide in choosing art for your home or office should be your own personal preferences, consider these suggestions and use them as a source of ideas.

• The recommended colors for the wealth area are blues, reds, and purples. Also, choosing a piece of art with flowing water will generate positive Chi and stimulate life in this area.
• To enhance fame and reputation, decorate the area with art that represents light. Here, fire is the element that needs to be emphasized.
• In the love and marriage corner, you may want to hang a picture of you and your partner during a happy time. You can foster other relationships in your life in this area as well.
• If you have children, the children and creativity area is a great place to hang favorite framed photos of them. This is also a good area to frame examples of your own artwork and other creative endeavors.
• In your helpful people and travel corner, display photos or keepsakes from a favorite vacation, or artwork that suggests places you’d like to visit. For helpful people, hang photos or artwork related to or by a person you admire.
• If you are looking for a new job or a promotion, concentrate on images in your career colors, which are black and other dark tones. Images of water are also powerful here.
• The knowledge and self-cultivation corner should contain images of landscapes, particularly mountains. The mountain is the symbol for knowledge in Feng Shui.
• The health and family area is the perfect place to hang pictures of pleasant family events. Also, in order to encourage a healthy existence, hang artwork with vibrant and positive images.

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