Esprit Decor Gallery & Framing Blog
Odds and Ends
June 16, 2018
WHY OUT OF THE ORDINARY IS ORDINARY
One of our wonderful long-time customers arrived at the gallery the other day with a triumph, and an out of the ordinary request. As a busy mom, she rarely had any time for herself, and that's why it took her two years to finish her cross-stitch project, but she had manages to get it done!
A celebration of course ensued, and, after the dust had settled, her thoughts turned to how it would be presented. She had a favorite striped fabric that would make a dramatic border for her bird-atop-a-basket-of peaches cross-stitch, which looked like so:
The fabric looked like this:
After consultation, we chose a nice wood-grained flat lodge style frame. Would it be possible to use her fabric as a mat, but have the stripes go in opposite directions on the top/bottom and side/side borders? That was definitely out of the ordinary, but we were happy to make it happen. The mat would have to be cut into chevrons in each corner, and the sides would need to be individually wrapped, making sure the lines of the fabric stayed straight.
Ron took great care to not only make sure the lines in the fabric stayed straight, but also that the pattern was the same in all four corners, definitely out of the ordinary, but executed flawlessly. When our customer saw how great it came out, she had to grab a hanky!
The finished project looked like this:
Our client put a lot of love, time, effort, and energy into this cross-stitch, and so it was only fitting that it received a corresponding level of skill and talent to execute her vision, one with archival glass, matting, backing, and fitting, to produce an heirloom that would last a lifetime. That's why we say, "At Esprit Decor, we make memories."
Where the Hell is Riga?
I love my dogs. Anybody who has ever been responsible for/owned by/caretaker for dogs/cats/ferrets/turtles/iguanas/fruit bats/T-Rex's etc. understands this completely. I have a friend who unfortunately works for the Humane Society, and she keeps sending me pictures. Dog porn, the worst kind. Sweet, warm, cuddly puppies and dogs that needed a forever home. Normally I can resist, but my steely resolve melted when she sent over an image of Buddy, a five year old Queensland heeler. It was a weak moment; I was probably in my favorite browsing location (the can), when the image came over on my phone. I swiped out of Wordle, and was immediately overcome by feelings of love, tenderness, caring...in short, all the emotions that would make me the perfect mother caretaker. He fell out of a truck on the freeway? Fine. He had to have several teeth pulled? No worries. His right paw is almost twice the size of his left? Great. His chest is all scar tissue from multiple surgeries, and he has Valley fever? OK. It sounded like a perfect match, so the next day we met at the Humane Society, and it was love at first bite. Buddy was good natured, enthusiastic, and happy, despite all the trials and tribulations he'd been through. We left together, and I introduced him to Stella, my nine year old Blue Heeler. If they got along, great, otherwise it would be a deal breaker.But they got along great. Buddy was a typical male. First at the water bowl, first in the car, first through the door. It wasn't personal. It wasn't that he just didn't consider Stella. He didn't consider me, either. Stella, sweet girl that she is, acquiesced. My plan was to give Buddy so much love and affection that he might start thinking outside the envelope of his own ego. We've made some progress, but it's slow going. What makes it all worth it is that Buddy persistently wags his tail in his sleep. It's a good sign.
