Tuesday 20 December 2011

And the Winner is . . . . . . .

We we’re delighted that Keith & Hazel Jackson’s name was first out of the hat on an inaugural prize draw. You can see Keith collecting their ‘free framing’ prize which they used to frame paintings that were drawn by an elephant! Most of us agree that it looks a lot better than a lot of stuff in the tate Modern !

Well Christmas has (virtually) arrived so just time to wish you all very Happy Christmas and offer our thanks to all our customers who have kept us going through these difficult times. I’m sure 2012 will be an interesting year and we wish you all a peaceful break and our best wishes for the New Year, whatever it might hold !

Rob

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Tidy Workshops, Willing Helpers and Too Much Technology - it's all too much!

September went, October went (I got another year older) and now we’re having to think of Christmas (or not!).

Nothing earth shattering has occurred but we’ve been busy. The workshop has had a spruce up with yet more storage added (will we need a bigger unit soon?) and we hosted the Fine Art Trade Guild regional meeting (which is why the workshop got spruced up).

For the last six weeks or so we’ve been joined by Jess who is a graduate in Design & Craft. We’re busy showing her how to makes loads of mistakes in business with the hope that she’ll go on to make her own fortune and remember us in her will. It’s actually been great having another pair of very capable hands helping us get through the workload.

Finally, we’ve actually just sent out our first marketing email to those who agreed to be on the list. Yet again I’m having to learn new skills (groan) as I get to grips with just how complicated the rules, regulations and requirements are to send a compliant email. Hopefully those who are on the list will enjoy the promotions we’re sending them. And if you’re not on our list, just email me and I’ll add you.

More soon (or in 2012 looking at my previous record).

Rob.

Saturday 3 September 2011

Is it Autumn? !

Oh well, I’m still failing to keep even one blog per month – the usual excuse I’m pleased to say!

There’s much I could (should) have blogged about over the last few weeks. We’ve seen a plethora of good works coming through the workshop in preparation for Open Studios and the Harborough Cluster events in September (and we’re a sponsor of the Harborough Cluster).

There’s already been a good round of exhibitions through summer and we’re delighted to see the names of the various winners where we have donated prizes to these events.

We did see one particularly amazing piece of work by Dylan Waldron - a six foot long panoramic of a local view. It was amazing on two counts: 1, just what an incredible piece of art it was, and 2, the fact that we had to find and fit a 6’ piece of special acrylic (glass didn’t suit it). New to us, this acrylic is now used in Museums and is completely scratch resistant, completely clear and with Ultra Violet protection - ain’t all this new technology amazing!

If you want to see other work by Dylan, have a look at his website http://www.dylanwaldronartist.co.uk/

Finally, we’ve added to our collection of mouldings this month with a superb up-market (yes, more expensive) range from Larson Juhl. Most of the time cost is an issue for people, but when the piece warrants it, these frame styles are absolutely fantastic. We even had to find a bit more wall to display them all.

That’s it, a whole month covered in one blog !

Friday 15 July 2011

Exhibition Season is Here !

Well June and July are proving a busy couple of months and the ‘exhibition season’ gets fully underway. Last weekend we were privileged to attend the opening of a one man exhibition by Chris Prout at the Alfred East gallery in Kettering. Blimey it was packed!


I haven’t previously mentioned any of ‘our artists’ (i.e. artists we do work for – not artists we own!) but I think that ought to change – starting now. Chris is an extremely talented chap and we know he’s been stressing on the run up to this showing of 50 of his originals. He was also kind enough to credit us as one of the sponsors – although we didn’t actually do much to help (but thanks anyway!).

If you get a chance, do pop over and see his works. It’s a cut above what you’d see in the everyday (same old, same old) high street galleries. And for those of you who like to invest in art, here’s a tip: . . . . . . by an original now – the feeling is that it will soon be an investment that you’re glad you made!

Information on the gallery can be found at http://www.kettering.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1196 and Chris’s own site is worth a read http://http://www.chrisproutart.com/

In the mean time we’ll continue with the rather last list of frames that need doing. Blimey we get to see some nice stuff come through the workshop – and this week’s beena real gem for that. It’s a real shame more people don’t get to see these works. Anybody want to lend us a gallery?!

Thursday 16 June 2011

You Want How Many ? !

Every time I think I ought to make a blog entry I’m convinced that only a couple of weeks have passed since my last ramblings. I’m horrified to see the date of the last posting in March!
Well the only good thing is that we’ve been extremely busy (thankfully), so my excuse is valid. Over the last couple of months we’ve seen many new customers and added some very talented artists and photographers to our list of customers.

A great chunk of May was taken up with our biggest order ever (from one of our favourite clients) which turned us into a factory unit for a while! 11 hours a day standing at a bench doing a repetitive task is a good reminder of why most of us need variation in our work! But looking at all the boxes ready for delivering is actually quite satisfying. And the picture only shows some of them!

Monday 7 March 2011

Getting There

A quick update on the workshop. The new flooring has gone down (less dust!), the blinds have been fitted (less sunburn!) and we actually have a ‘chevron wall’ (less rummaging in boxes!).

We’ve started some local advertising and we’ve seen a few new local customers walking in. All very welcome.

We’re working with a new local designer who is giving our marketing stuff a general going over. We’re very excited by his designs and hopefully we will soon see a new set of brochures and a very colourful van!

I know a lot of this is not the most exciting thing for our customers and those of you who read our blog, but as anyone who has run their own small business will know, these little advances are what can make the job (and the risks) a little more satisfying. Obviously a lot of customers paying lots of money can also make business satisfying, but hey . . . . . you can’t have everything.

Tuesday 1 March 2011

It's a Record

Not the fact that Bristish Gas did finally connect the supply, nor the fact that BT (after many bodges)eventually installed the phone lines, but the fact that thanks to our kind customers we have had our busiest and biggest month ever. We’re so relieved that we moved just in time. There is no way we could have managed the volume of work from our old premises.

February came and went in a blur and I haven’t even managed a photo for this blog.  Our new workshops are proving fantastic and a really nice place to work from. Now that we're warm and connected to the world it's all good.  We’ve nearly finished all the work we wanted to do on it. Just a bit of flooring and some blinds to fit and then we’ll be very ready to welcome everybody. We may even have a opening party (which by putting it in this blog will make me get around to organising it!).

The various artists who we do work for seem busy and we’ve seen some very nice works coming through. I may start putting some images on the blog as they come in. There is so much nice stuff that never gets seen – I really must do something about it.  I'll add it to my list.

Monday 24 January 2011

Up & Running ?

Far from finished, but at least we’re in production again. The printers are all printing (which is amazing considering one of them had to be turned on its end to get it down a flight of stairs), the underpinner is hissing away nicely, the large glass and board guillotine has been recalibrated (they don’t like being moved) and we’ve even taken delivery of our new and updated computerised mount cutter – and very nice it is too! The vacuum press is getting hot, sucking air and pressing things as it is supposed to and the trusty Morso moulding guillotine is chopping beautifully.

So all in all we’re back to work and the batches of orders have started to leave the building. It’s nice to see a few of our customers calling in to drop off or collect their work and we hope to see many more. All are welcome.

Next week we hope that BT will put us some phone lines in and get our broadband up and running. We currently feel a little incommunicado! And it would also be nice if British Gas could supply us some gas so that we could get warm!!!!! (I shall avoid the temptation to rant again).

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Work in Progress

It’s now been 8 days since we heaved everything out of our previous workshop and studio and the new unit is starting to take shape. It’s basically a form of organised turmoil.
As ever we could do with about twice the amount of room that we have, but it’s certainly a massive improvement on our previous layout and it’s nice to get everything under one roof.

If British Gas had been more efficient than their current track record in making a complete pig’s ear of connecting us to the gas (it was only the 1st week in October when we tried to order it) then we’d even be warm as well !! As it is, we’re freezing. These big companies are truly useless. Which reminds me – BT can’t get us a phone or internet connection until February and their sale chap even said that it would probably be later than that because their “estimates are rubbish”. Let’s hope their Directors all get good bonuses.

Anyway, that’s enough moaning from me. The airlines are connected, the new tables have been made and the computerised cutting equipment is up and running again. It’ll be a couple more days before we know whether our wide format printer survived being turned on it’s end to get it down a flight of stairs (with the help of 4 big friends – thanks chaps).