Black Iris Gets New Logo!

Hello, everyone! Check out my new sign!

As we speak, there is a bucket truck parked outside my front door. Brad, the sign guy, is re-lettering the other side of my sign to display my new logo. (See photos, left & below.)

With help from Promotions by Karla in Shell Lake, WI, I now have a new logo and new tagline.

To celebrate, I'm giving away a Blu Ray DVD player in January! To sign up, click here. The winner will be notified by e-mail no later than January 15, 2009. Good luck!

My new tagline is Framing for a Lifetime. What sets Black Iris apart from other frame shops in the area is that I use conservation framing methods and materials. Unless the customer requests otherwise, I follow the guidelines set forth by the PPFA--the Professional Picture Framers Assocation. This means I give your artwork the same care and attention here in my shop that certified framers give the highly valuable works of art they are framing for museums. I guarantee it.

My new logo depicts a Black Iris in full bloom (appropriately symbolic, I think) on a bright, green background. Both are framed in bold black. My new, shorter name, Black Iris Custom Framing, is also part of the new logo.

Let me know what you think, and stay warm out there!

Happy Thanksgiving and Many Blessings to you and yours this Holiday Season.

Sincerely,
JoAnn Martin

Black Iris Custom Framing
Spooner, WI
715-635-4548

joann@blackirisframing.com

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Top to bottom:

Readying and Waiting on a Crisp, Sunny Day

Here Comes the Lettering...

And Now the Green Logo-- Ta-daaa!

About Dust Covers

Hi, everyone!

A friend reminded me that I promised to talk about the need for a dust cover on the back of a finished frame. You won't believe how important they are!

The first time I had a frame come in for repair without a dust cover, I was stunned by what I saw. I said nothing to the customer about it and promised her I could repair the frame (it had fallen off her wall) and replace the glass for her, no problem. Much of my time would be spent cleaning the inside of her frame.

Here's what I found in there: Lots of gritty, sandy dirt (so much so that I literally poured it out). Several dead insects (and one still living). Larvae of still more insects. Dust bunnies (and, I can only assume, dust mites, too). Glass shards (from the impact of the fall). Many rusty brad nails (used to hold the art and backing board in place, which is considered a "no-no" in framing today because--you guessed it--they rust!).

All of this mess would have been prevented had the original framer installed a dust cover on the back of the framing package. This frame was so dirty (it was most likely stored in an attic or a garage--so don't do that!), that the insects and dirt had even found their way to the front of the matting, which, after time, permanently stained the mat. The customer had to replace not only the broken glass but the stained mats and backing board as well, thanks--again--to no dust cover.

If you don't get a dust cover on your framing order, ask for it. Dust covers usually come in brown, black, white, or light blue "kraft" or Tyvek paper, and they are part of a professional frame shop's responsibility to you as their customer. Because I believe in Framing for a Lifetime (my shop slogan), a dust cover comes free on all framing orders here at the Black Iris Custom Frame Shop.

Hope to see you soon!
JoAnn

<-- Here's what happens when you don't have a dust cover!