framing tips

Beautifully framed art from my Pinterest

People are always asking me about framing. So today I'm going to give away a couple of my secrets. A great frame elevates and validates a piece of art, of course. Just look at this scrap-paper chameleon, all dressed up in black:

Sharon Montrose needs no help, but her animal photographs (which I recommend all the time) look especially crisp and beautiful with matching frames and mats:

Even a sheet of wrapping paper becomes art if you frame it:

A frame can totally change the mood of a piece of art. I recently fell in love with the idea of a Moroccan wedding blanket for a friend's dining room; putting this one under glass would protect it and formalize it, while still showcasing its texture:

(wish I had a shot of this framed)

Pictureframes.com and framesbymail.com are my two favorite online sources for custom sizes. They've got a huge range of styles and are priced way less than a custom shop, and the turnaround time is pretty speedy, but you'll have to be really really careful with your measuring, and once the frames arrive, be prepared to do a little work putting them together. If you don't completely trust yourself, make friends with a local framer. I'd recommend going to a professional anyway for larger jobs or more valuable pieces. On the lower end of the spectrum, you can find affordable, good-looking standard-sized frames anywhere from Target to West Elm to Michael's. 

One last point: Frames can make you reconsider what art is. Good frames automatically make children's art more important and permanent. Or look at the robot wrapping paper above. (My own walls have several pieces of paper framed just like that.) You can frame the pages of a book, or a piece of fabric. I always say something is art if you say it's art—or if you frame it and treat it like art.

me elsewhere: red tricycle kids' art classes

Red Tricycle just posted my roundup of great local kids' art classes. DC-area parents, check 'em out.

monday thoughts: i am worn out

blues fom my Pinterest

Radio silence lately, more or less: The fall has been one thing after another, boom boom boom, school starting, Tessa's birthday, Halloween, various family events and milestones—not to mention various work projects and appointments. I'm so happy to be busy and challenged. But I neglected this space last week. I promise more art inspiration here on a regular basis. And I promise to show up more on Pinterest and Facebook.

just a few etsy print finds

Flowers and Ferns by Print and Circus

Trolling Etsy for a client project yesterday, I found some pieces that weren't right for her style (warm neutrals, texture, ethnic/organic vibe) but had a definitely crisp/botanical/geometric look that appealed to me. You could do a lot worse than to group these on a wall. (Speaking of Etsy, I heard this yesterday about Etsy allowing some small-batch manufacturing. I understand the handmade-only angle, but it seems worthy to let small Etsy businesses grow too, right?)

Art Deco print by AldariArt

Raindrops print by Revigorer

Tree Dot print by Tessyla

room & board art

Eva Zeisel and KleinReid

Of course I love the warm midcentury overall look at Room & Board. And in the past I've admired the artwork in their stores but found the online selection pretty skimpy. These days, though, there's all kinds of (relatively affordable) goodness on the website.

Lotta Jansdotter

Ayomi Yoshida

ampersand screen print

vintage UK flag
(Cup of Jo recently wrote a post about flags as art, which apparently are more controversial than I realized.
Pro or con, I just think the Union Jack is a great image.)

red tile studio on etsy

These little wooden panels by Red Tile Studio are deceptively simple. Only 5x5, they're perfect in a group (picture a really big grid) and even better on their own, filling a tiny space, accentuating a blank spot on a wall. The muted, cool palette is infinitely customizable. They're just right, you know?

monday thoughts: the idea of beauty

I love Fresh Air. Terry Gross interviewed the sublime David Sedaris last week, and their conversation was charming and sweet; they reminisced about a shared meal back when Sedaris was still drinking. (He ordered nothing, preferring to drink on an empty stomach. "You ordered an omelet and a baked potato," he reminded Gross.) One thing really struck me: Gross asked Sedaris what he does with his time, now that he doesn't have a day job, and he said he picks up trash on the road near his house in England. (Apparently the British are big litterers?) He does this, he explained, because the tiny one-lane road to his house is "my idea of beauty." And of course it's ruined by all the litter. So he picks up the trash, sometimes on foot, sometimes on his bike, sometimes with a crew from the local government. He listens to language instruction on an iPad to keep himself from getting annoyed by the whole process.

I absolutely love the image of David Sedaris with his council-issued jumpsuit and grabber, pausing to pick up rubbish on a country lane. And I love that phrase, "my idea of beauty." He used it twice to describe the place, as if he's thought about the words and their importance to him. I think he means to say that it might not be *everyone's* idea of beauty: someone might prefer a tropical beach, or stately skyscrapers, or the wide sky of the American west. But this is his, and he wishes to preserve it.