Ordinary Things, Extraordinary Frame

• What makes a picture or photo turn yellow or a light brown?
  The yellowing is due to the backing behind the image. The mats may be over 20 years old, which means they are not acid-free. Also, the backing board may be cardboard which is also an acid based material. The image needs to be removed from this environment for future preservation. The yellowing will not disappear, but an acid-free environment will not degrade it any more.
• What items are not good for proper framing?
  Cardboard and tape are both not good for the preservation of artwork. Cardboard behind your picture will create dark brown stains due to the acid in the cardboard. Taping your image to the mat with masking tape or scotch tape, will dry out and stain your picture. 
• Why should I get my artwork professionally matted and framed?
  Store bought frames with no mat won't preserve the artwork, and look cheap. Also, its hard to find pre-sized frames that properly fit various sizes of artwork. A professionally matted and framed picture will add value to your artwork, poster, drawings or paintings.
• What makes a picture “pop out” in a frame?
  Creative framing techniques turn everyday objects into decorative works of art. Every picture you have framed should be personalized. The mats need to match the image not the room décor. You have picked the picture to go along with the room. The frame needs to match with the other frames in the room.
• What are the trend colors of the year?
  Black and white used together creates clean lines and contrast. Brown and beige are still strong, especially several different browns used together, combined with blue. Bright accents colors, especially turquoise and French blue.
• What are the artwork trends of the year?
  There are a lot of black and white images – some photography, some drawings, and some modern paintings. The sepia images include city scenes, sailboats and flowers. Flowers are a key motif. Large images of a single flower or flowers that are overflowing the picture that some of it disappears off the page. Roses and daisies still seem to be the most popular, but tulips are making a strong entry.