ProSource Picture Frame - Behind the Scenes

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Behind the Scenes

Mummified Baby Piranha

Deanne's "pet project"

This dried fish was rescued from Freeway Building Materials in LA, and saved from an untimely death amid Alejandro's vintage light fixtures and extensive collection of antique doors.

I couldn't bear to leave this baby trapped forever behind glass, so I gave him free rein to chew his way out of the plexi glazing.

A face only a mother could love

Leaving a gaping hole in the frame package may not be the best example of conservation, but it goes a long way toward this little guy's morale.

piranha wired piranha skeleton piranha mount

Coated wire was threaded through the gills and abdomen to support the body without abrading the inside of the fragile piranha. The wire was then continued out the back of the skeleton and attached to the backing to both suspend the body in a forward-facing position, while securely attaching it to the back board.

Vintage Sputnik Tile

1958 - 2008

This vintage Sputnik Tile was brought in by customer Allen Wrench who was remodeling his Mid-Century Modern home. He wanted to display this tile in the bathroom that it came out of, as a reminder of the history of the house (and his remodeling adventure!)

To really tell the story, we decided that it was important to show the concrete stuck to the back of the tile. With that in mind, we suspended it in a piece of Plexiglas, resting on grooves cut into the concrete behind the edge of the tile. This project was finished off with a commemorative placard and will be returned to a place of honor over the toilet.

Grooves were cut into the top and bottom edges of concrete, to allow the tile to be slipped into a hole cut smaller than the size of the tile. The edges of the tile were cleaned of grout for a clean presentation from the front.

50th Anniversary Gift - Photo Frame

This frame was designed as a gift to commemorate a couple's 50th wedding anniversary.

The original wedding photograph had been displayed for years under a mat with a circular opening, which left the photo faded in the shape of this circle. To disguise this fading, while integrating the circle into a group of rectangles, a v-groove design was carved around the new circular opening. The shape of the design is square, but has soft, rounded corners to act as a bridge between the various shapes in the grouping.

There were multiple considerations for the function of this frame: it needed to display the anniversary party invitation, display and protect the old photo, and to allow easy access at a later date for adding a current snapshot of the couple to be taken at the party.

Because this frame was intended as a family heirloom, conservation boards, UV filtering glass and reversible mounts were used throughout the framing package.

Fillet is mitered and joined with glue. Fillet is attached to top mat and a sink mat is cut to offset its thickness.

Photo and invitation are mounted. Top mat is hinged to backing to allow easy access for adding current photo. The gold seal from the envelope is mounted to a small, beveled platform and is attached to the surface. A hand-written note is inserted to remind the recipients to add a photo from the anniversary celebration.

Plastic spacers are added to raise the glass off of the surface elements: the raised fillet, ribbon and gold seal.

Sputnik Tile with groove

Sputnik Tile suspended in plexi