Blooming for the Holidays

Just in time for the holiday season

My Christmas cactus decided to bloom last weekend, so I was greeted on Monday morning by an enormous number of deep pink flowers. The front window of the shop has perfect conditions for encouraging blooms. What a welcome blast of color! The days have been very cloudy and now that the trees have lost their leaves, things are looking very monochromatic up here in the north.

I attended a PPFA (Professional Picture Framers Assoc.) conference in St. Louis Park in October and one of the featured speakers was hosted at Superior Moulding Co. They are an incredibly nice group of people and always go out of their way to make sure their customers are happy. It’s nice to have a chance to meet with other framers and get inspiration from what they are doing. I got a chance to browse their moulding samples and visit with Scott K., my sales rep.

My small shop has limited display space, so I have to be selective about my samples. A new one that I added is “Prezio” from Superior Moulding Co. Featured in Bronze, Ivory, French Silver, Ivory and Dark Gold, it is a traditional carved wood moulding with nice chunky matching fillet (pictured). The two profiles include a carved style that matches the fillet and a distressed straight profile with contrasting lip.

Prezio fillets in (l to r) Black, Dark Gold, French Silver, Bronze and Soft Gold

Welcome Autumn!

What’s New This Month:

“Flax” is a new collection of linen frame liners in four up-to-date colors–Oyster, Sand, Pebble, and Black. Give your frames an elegant finished look with liners that are contemporary and sleek. These are not your mother’s linen liners!

Fine Edge will now be featuring more of the “Woods” collection from Designer Moulding, as well at their “Traditonals“, a tried and true collection of narrow carved woood mouldings that are just perfect for smaller artworks and stitchery. They are timeless!

Also from Designer Moulding–”Purity” collection featuring Cherry, Tuscany Olive, Birch, Birdseye Maple and Rosewood Veneers. These are gorgeous. The Traverse Birch Veneer is so unique–it will make you want to run out and find something to frame!

Also beginning this month:  Tru Vue Museum Glass Feeds America program. (www.feedingamerica.org) Fine Edge is participating in this program that will provide up to $25,000 in donations to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity.

Simply ask to see the Museum Glass display in the shop and match the display to the ones pictured on a scratch off-card. You can win $25, $50, $150, $250 or even $500. All redeemed non-Cash Prize winning cards will be matched by a $5 donation to Feeding America-providing at least 35 meals to those in need. Also, send in the card to be registered for one of 175 certificates good for a $150 discount at participating shops.  This program runs until Feb. 28, 2010.

Appointments outside regular business hours are always welcome!

Eveleth 4th of July Celebration!

“Puki” the 4th of July Goat visits Fine Edge.

This handsome fellow is owned by Terry Zeleznikar. His name is Puki, which Terry tells me is Finnish for goat. He is a Pygora, which is a Pygmy/Angora cross. His coat is sheared short in summer, but the breed is raised for it’s fleeces which are used for weaving, spinning and knitting. He has been dyed a festive blue for the occasion (with food coloring) and comes out to join in  the 4th of celebration by walking in the parade. He was calm and friendly, but doesn’t like to have his horns touched. He evetually rested his head againt my knee, which I took to mean he really likes me and wants to be the Fine Edge mascot.

Boundless Press is new at Fine Edge

Boundless Press BookArts by Theresa Angelo

Andy Warhol meets Jerry Seinfeld in Boundless Press cards

Witty, pretty, and thought-provoking.  Boundless Press greeting cards combine great quotes with great images.

Fine Edge also carries Pomegrante Press and local artist-made cards.

Antique stitchery

Lynn brought in this silk on linen piece that her great-grandmother Lucy Griffith Woolsey stitched sometime before 1930. It had been folded and stored for many of its years, so there is damage on the folds. But this tells the story of its age, so I didn’t try to cover up the imperfections.

I mounted it on a linen-textured background board in a color that is close to the fabric color to minimizes the appearance of the the damage. It is framed with Larson-Juhl’s  Bolshoi moulding in Pink Slipper with a coordinating  fillet–that’s the tiny frame that fits inside the mat. The mat is silk textured Vintage Ruby from Bainbridge.  The piece is glazed with Tru Vue Museum glass for exceptional clarity and provides protection from UV light damage.  Outside measurements are ~ 27.5 inches square.  A lovely heirloom that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Antique stitchery on linen

Tulips or Snowballs?

Mid-March is always madness in Minnesota.

Ghosts of garden past.

A little, or a lot, of snow; a thaw; some ice; maybe a few brave plants trying to poke their heads out after the long, dark winter; and of course, cabin fever.  March always seems like a hinge month to me–neither fish nor fowl. Skiing is just about done for, what with the melted, icy trails, but hiking isn’t possible yet either. Boots seem like overkill but you are bound to get your feet wet and cold in an icy puddle if you leave them at home. Heavy coat or spring jacket? Light gloves or hang on to those warm mittens for another week? What’s a northern dweller to do? We all go a little mad. A nod to the hares.

This is what is headed our way.

I start thinking about gardening and about cooking and eating outdoors. Yes, already. It is at least 6 weeks away, but you gotta dream. I know the garden will need compost and digging and rethinking. I know the hedge will need shaping and transplants will be waiting. We will want to try new recipes for grilled fish and veg and meats that can only be done justice over charcoal outdoors. I anticipate the warm summer air and sunsets watched from the comfort of a lawn chair, as insect-hungry birds swirl and chirp high above us. Ah, delicious on so many levels.

My friend Marilyn back in Grand Forks was a avid gardener and had one of the most optimistic views of March that was possible:  she loved March because in March we are as far from the coming winter as we can be. It takes a gardener to muster up that much positive thought! So I always think of her and her ferny, shady garden when I see my old fashioned pale purple iris stick their intrepid heads up and start off another short but glorious summer in the north. She had what my sister called “iris guilt” and couldn’t bear to throw out the thinnings, so I toted a big bucket full from my old garden in North Dakota and let them take root here along the garden wall. Bloom where you are planted. And count the days until the doors open and we head outside.

Before the remodel

I find it hard to believe that next month will mark a year since I opened Fine Edge. It has been one of the most challenging and satisfying experiences of my life. I just dig walking in the back door, switching on the lights and seeing the work waiting for me. Every piece presents a new thought, a new approach. Often it calls for research into best practices and conservation, and each piece challenges me to find a framing design that will show the art at its best.

I have met so many new friends offering an array of talent and expertise and positive support. The learning curve has been steep, but mentors are everywhere. My work is to always try to give something extra to make every job just a bit better. And what could be better than to make a cup of tea and crank up the music and just work? This work is good.

Ready to go.

A Bit of History

Kris has been an inspiration to me since I moved back “up north” six years ago. We went to high school together, used to hang out on the church steps and smoke cigs at lunch time–ah, youth. She had a wonderful shop called Cottage Goods just up the street. She filled it with all sorts of vintage goods and new decorative items. When I’d want a bit of cheering on with my idea to open a frame shop, I’d stop in to see her and she’d say “Do it!”

She loves vintage linens, so when she brought her first project to me for framing it was a linen. Literally. She told me that “if my house was on fire, this is what I’d grab first” so I knew it was something special. Her Finnish grandmother grew the flax, spun the thread, wove the linen and then did the amazing cut work design on a pillow slip. I am always amazed at the beauty of the hand stitching in old textile pieces. Such control and grace in every inch.

I researched the best way to mount such a precious thing. It had previously been framed, but had ATG tape on the back and edges and had a piece of foam board stuck inside, all potentially damaging to the fabric. I consulted a forum for the framing community. It’s a wonderful resource and I can pick the brains of so many veteran framers from the comfort of my computer. The recommended article, Framing a Fabric Rarity, in Decor Magazine (http://www.decormagazine.com) describes methods used for a 17th century tapestry.

Kris and I decided to use another piece of linen from her grandmother to set off the design, which worked well because it was a darker color. The recommended method for mounting was to use a piece of cotton rag mat, which I cut smaller than the inside dimensions of the pillow slip. I rounded off the corners so there wouldn’t be any sharp edges coming in contact with the fabric. I then used a piece of washed muslin for the back of the inside slip which covered the mat board.

I sewed the muslin to the second piece of linen and stitched this shut. It was then slipped inside the pillow slip and attached to a piece of acid-free foam board with 5 or six stitches through the back using cotton quilting thread. A spacer was placed inside the frame to prevent the textile from touching the glass. The rabbet was sealed with frame sealing tape as recommended. Kris chose a Larson-Juhl moulding from the Isabella collection that has a vintage, folk art look in Spanish Red. She also chose Tru Vue Museum glass for the glazing to give an exceptionally clear view of the intricate hand work in the textile.

This was an interesting and exciting piece to work on, and provides a glimpse of women’s creative work from the past.

Have a look

Barb (Bwab) lives in Fargo, ND and hasn’t been up to visit since the shop opened (hint hint). So here’s a look at the front and interior.

Puzzles, Jerseys, Loons, Relatives, Fairies. . .

. . . and not necessarily in that order. The first month of business has been really great. I’m getting a lot of positive response from the community and some fun projects are coming in. Meeting the neighbors, listening to Alison Krause, having a great cup of tea-what could be better. I have completely gotten over that panic that comes with deficit spending and taking a leap of faith into a new venture.

This is sister-in-law Jean’s puzzle. She loves to sew and her mom’s mom was a professional seamstress. She is going to hang this in her sewing room.

This cute little fairy watercolor was done by Kaiah and I used a vintage (really a garage sale find…) frame and painted it in several layers bright colors, then added gold rub ‘n buff. And a LIME GREEN suede mat! wow, it matched the colors in the painting perfectly. Her mom said make it outrageous and colorful and fun. So I did. . .

Next up is a Minnesota Twin’s game jersey brought in by twin sisters! I added the r, w & b mats in the back of a Nielsen-Bainbridge Memory Saver jersey frame. It has uv blocking acrylic in a magnetic sliding front panel, so easy to open and remove the contents.

This original lithograph came in for repair. It is a 1981 original signed print by French artist Alain Bonnefoit. It had cardboard backing and was smooshed up against the glass. I added conservation clear glass and acid-free backing materials.

No, We Don’t Sell Coffee.

It is amazing what a coat of paint can do.

After months of answering the question “what is this place going to be?” we at last covered over the last incarnation of 209 Grant. The awning had a giant coffee cup steaming away, but never became Temptations Coffee and Tea shop.

If you ever need a paint that will cling to just about any surface without primer, try Sherwin Williams Duration.) This is SW6531 Indigo. It turned out brighter than the chip, but is a very pleasant blue, and more important, not a maroon coffee shop awning. Saved me a bundle not having to replace the canvas. I need to get the address on the bottom of the awning next, but that will happen when we get some warmer, drier weather. Spring has been very slow in arriving this year. The sign guy and the window washer guy showed up a little later this same day, so the store front was transformed in a few hours.