The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side

So here it is - a cold December day.....a really cold December day!  The Shop Girls are busy completing several orders that have Christmas deadlines.  In the meantime,  a few orders are in the pipeline for the New Year.

restitching the needlepoint piece

First things first though.  We've been working on a needlepoint piece for a bit.  Truth be told, the spacing of the initial job didn't agree with our customer.  No worries!  The Shop Girls simply removed the backing and began to reassemble it. 

After all....we know 'The Customer Is Always Right'.  The extra half-inch on the bottom, that was so pleasing to the design team, just had to go.  Well, who knew this needlepoint piece would misbehave so much.  The material remembered the first position it was in.....and upon being restitched/remounted/redone....decided to shift back to it's initial placement.

*sigh*

No problems....no worries.....The Shop Girls will get it right.  The Shop Girls will get it DONE!  Today!

We're happy to announce, "We Did It!"  After our shift today, it is finally done! 

*Whew*

In the meantime, an interesting 'theme' has been observed.  It was completely by accident....a coincidence for sure.

The next several pieces are all 'beachy'.  Visions of sun, sand, ocean breezes....and warmth.  Scenes from Margate, Atlantic City, Nags Head and a stunning sunset over the Delaware River. 

Kinda funny for a cold December day, huh?!  We've just received our first snow of the winter yesterday and we're already longing for Summer.

Our Summer Journies

gorgeous Arizona

The Shop Girls have been a little busy visiting with friends and family this month.  The fitting crew decided on a trip to Arizona, while the design crew opted for a trek to the Outer Banks in North Carolina - specifically Nags Head.

We hope to see you soon at Picture That! Frame Shop.  There are some interesting and exciting new products and colors for framing your vacation treasures.

Bodie Island Lighthouse in the Outer Banks

Give us a call.  Stop in.  We'll be happy to compare vacation notes with you.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall

One of our dearest friends, Angela Lombardo-Sacchet, is moving her hair salon today.  Salone di Bellezza's new location is directly across from the Riverview Beach Park in Pennsville.  Each and every work station, including the hair products, scissors, razors, hair dryers, curling irons must be packed up and moved down the street to the new location.

The Shop Girls are an empathetic bunch. It really wasn't that long ago when Picture That! was moved from Woodstown to Pennsville.  What an overwhelming task that was! It seemed like we moved over 1,000 mat boards!  Who knew paper could be so heavy and cumbersome?!  Not to mention the effort necessary to move cases of glass.....in all sizes!  We also moved on a hot day in June. It was back-breaking work.

Back to our dear friend.......

She ran into a bit of a snag today.  The mirrors above all of the work stations are GLUED to the walls.  Uggghhhhh.  GLUED!  The question is: Can these mirrors be removed from the walls without harm?  Can these mirrors be reinstalled in the new shop? 

The Shop Girls have a better solution than all of that scraping, prying, sweat and tears. 

It would be so simple and quick to order mirrors and have them framed --- in any shape,size or style preferred.  Piece-of-cake.

Custom framing is about so much more than just artwork.

Clowns - New Orleans Style

Last night's special project was a bold, colorful, original oil painting of a New Orleans Clown.  (colorful may be an understatement!) 

Blues - Purples - Orange - Yellow - Black - Pink - and White, too - WHEW!  It's an absolute explosion of color!

The Shop Girls are trying their best to locate a Purple frame.  Purple will make all of those colors of the rainbow POP!

We were told by a kind visitor, who just happened to live in New Orleans many years ago, that green - gold- and purple are the traditional colors down there.

We're doing our best to make this work!  Stay tuned.

Hello, Old Friends! We've Missed You......

Life sure does get busy sometimes.  And when it does, it's awfully easy to lose your way.....and lose your focus. 

If you're as lucky as The Shop Girls are, you have at least one terrific friend to help you get back on track at times like these.  That's what today was all about at 'Picture That'.  Two friends helping one another to regroup and get back on track. 

Today was a perfect day for errands and chores.  Someone asked, "Why are you running errands together?"  We knew why.....it was so very simple.  Because it's just easier to get things done when you have a great friend by your side.  So, off we went to Bridgeton.  There were things to drop off, things to pick up, things to return, lunch to share, stories to tell, stories to listen to, orders to place, prices to confirm, mounting boards to measure & cut but most importantly, plans to make.

We're excited about the work we have in the shop right now.  Three pieces will be completed next week. 

That's when the fun begins.  When our customers pick up their completed work, we just LOVE seeing their reactions.  Both Shop Girls are looking forward to next week.  There should be plenty of smiles at 'Picture That' to go around.

This is a job for the Fitting Crew!

There are strange goings on at Picture That! these days.  First the deer......now a possum!  Ugghhhhh.....

It was an ugly possum, too. 

Poor Miss Butter -- how much more can one little dashchund take?  She was making her rounds, on a dark rainy night.  She rounded the right-side of the Shop, (why is it always the right-side of the shop???) and made noises that were ungodly.  Poor Miss Butter sounded like she was in agony. 

Shop Girl was terrified!

There was nothing to do but to run to Miss Butter's rescue. As Shop Girl  rounded the corner, she saw Butter nose-to-nose with the ugliest creature she has seen in a very long time.

There was no gentle way to end this stand off......Shop Girl screamed at Miss Butter to 'get home'!  NOW!!!!!!

Good thing Butter is relatively well-trained and listened.  After careful examination, Miss Butter was checked out.....no blood - no cuts - no injuries.  Whew!  Thank God. 

A managerial decision has been made.  The next 'rounds' with Miss Butter will be conducted by the Fitting Crew.  Shop Girl has had enough of the wildlife on Highland Avenue...more than enough.  She's going to stay in the well-lit, warm & cozy Shop and concentrate on cutting matboards or maybe even stitching needlepoint. 

Let the Fitting Crew have some fun for a change!

You Just Never Know Who or What is Going to Show Up @ Picture That! Frame Shop

The other day there was some excitement at the Shop. Miss Butter, the resident dashchund, was puttering around in the yard, minding her own business.  She decided to wander around to the right side of the Shop. 

All of a sudden, Butter began making noises like none we had ever heard her make before!  She zipped back around to the front of the Shop - hair raised - ears back - a wild look in her eyes!

The bravest of the Shop Girls thought she should check out whatever-was-over-there.  She should protect both the Shop and the other Shop Girl.  She gingerly and oh-so-quietly snuck around to the right side of the Shop.

Nervously peeking around the corner of the building, Shop Girl found herself face-to-face with something very large....something that looked very much like Bambi. 

Who was more scared?  Bambi or Shop Girl? 

I'll never tell.

Closed Due To......Icicles?

Closed Due To.......Icicles?

The Shop Girls are getting antsy to get back to work.  They really are!  As if the last snow storm wasn't bad enough, now there is a new, unexpected problem at Picture That!  Who would have ever thought that icicles would inspire such worry and fear?

One of the Shop Girls* attempted to go to work last night, but one look up at the gutters made her recoil in fear.  One look at the icicles brought unwelcome and unpleasant memories of a very bad, very scary horror movie.  

This Girl will remain nameless, but know that she tried her best to buck up and get some framing done.......she just couldn't manuever around that pointy ice to open the door.  

*please note that every once in awhile, The Shop Girls have moments of high drama and exaggeration.  This usually happens when they are unable to frame for extended periods of time.

We expect to be back in the shop on Saturday from 10am to 1pm should you have any framing needs.  In the meantime, don't forget to look up when you're outside in the snow over the next few days!  

Be safe out there, folks! 

The Shop Girls Say, "Uncle!"

Due to this weekend's 'snowpocolypse'.....and the fact that our driveway is 85' long, the Shop Girls say, "Uncle."

We won't be framing tomorrow........but we'll be thinking about framing.

Be safe out there, everyone.  And if you need us, please call 856-628-2710.

Thank You Mr. Delivery-Man!

When last in the Shop, The Girls were slightly frustrated due to a missing package.  Just so you know, that package is still missing.....still floating around somewhere between Chicago and Pennsville.  It was tracked with no success.         Oh well.......

Our favorite vendor was kind enough to send a second package to us.  So, you absolutely know what will happen now.....yes, the first package will now be delivered.  You can count on it just like you can count on having to change the razor blade in the mat cutter after one mat is cut.  The big question is when will it be delivered and how quickly can The Shop Girls get it back to Chicago.

Tonight we focused on preparation:  sizing the matboards for 3 upcoming projects, sizing the backing boards for mounting, assembling the newly-received frames and cutting the glass for these jobs.  That and a little paperwork.

Have a great rest of the week, Folks!  And if you happen to see an average-sized brown box laying around......remember us, ok?

Soccer Anyone?

Today the Shop Girls were all geared up to work on several pieces, one of which was a set of pins from the 2008 Chinese Oympic Games.  The pins came into the shop a little longer ago than we want to admit.  They were situated in a lovely box that was fashioned to look just like a soccer field, complete with hash marks and goals. 

It seemed a shame to dismantle that box.......

So, the job was set aside in order to give the 'design team' the opportunity to figure out just what to do.  That happens sometimes at 'Picture That'.  The girls just need time to think!

In a burst of inspiration a couple of weeks ago, it was decided that a shadow box would take care of the problem.  No dismantling necessary. Measurements were taken, matting was chosen, the frame painstakingly selected and ordered. 

Once the design was set and the measurements taken, the Shop Girls were excited to complete the job!

Unfortunately, Fed Ex wasn't as excited as we were this week.  Although, we were revved up and ready-to-go.......no deliveries this week.......what a let-down!

We moved on to other work today and hope to complete this job on Weds evening.  The colors look fantastic as some NEW sports-themed matting was created recently by Bainbridge, just-in-the-nick-of-time for this soccer-project.

Have a great day, everyone!  Stay safe in the snow and keep an eye out for our Fed Ex delivery guy! 

Ronald Regan Came To The Shop Today!

This is exactly why I love framing so much.  You just never know what or who is going to visit on any given day.  Some of my favorite pieces have been from Prague, Russia and China.  Most of our customers are from Salem County.

Today, Ronald Regan showed up!  Well, not exactly.......  One of my old classmates drove all the way down to Pennsville from Atco with a personalized, autographed note from Ronald Regan.  Just so you know, this is not the first time that President Regan has visited us at Picture That.  He came a few years ago in the form of both invitations and photos from one of his inaugerations.  All of these pieces were simply awesome for us to frame.

It's my understanding that Presidents Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43 will be heading our way soon. 

Can't wait!