This is what we typically start with for a project like this. The customer has brought in a number of items, and would like to get some ideas about how to frame them. We suggest she put them all in one frame, as they relate to the same event, the Chicago Marathon.

 

 

Together with the customer, we come up with a layout design using the poster as a "background", and select a molding. In this case, it was a metal frame. We selected a molding with a good amount of depth to it, as some of the items to be framed are three dimensional.

 

 

The poster is going to serve as the matting in this particular frame job, so the first step is to dry mount the poster to mat board.

 

 

After mounting, the layout is drawn on the back of the mat. The "x" marks the areas to be removed.

 

 

Here we see the mat being cut.

 

 

The finished mat. The white areas are where the photos and certificate will be mounted.

 

 

This photo shows all of the two dimensional pieces mounted to the mat....

 

 

....and here we see all of the pieces mounted. Now we are ready for the frame itself.

 

 

Since we have some three dimensional objects going into this frame, we must provide some type of spacer to keep the glass off the artwork and the matting flat. The glass is washed and placed in the frame, Then strips of mat board the same color as the "mat" are adhered to the frame. This keeps the glass tight to the front of the frame.

 

 

The artwork is inserted, a backing is put in place, and the hanging system is attached.

 

 

The finished piece, ready for hanging. What a difference when compared to a poster tacked to a wall and a pile of stuff in a drawer! This technique also works very well for vacation memories. The next time you take a trip somewhere, remember to get a map of the areas you have visited. Then bring in your photos along with the map, and we can mount the photos into the map in the area they were taken. This gives you a visual display much more exciting than a simple photo album!