Shaped Expressions Etsy Shop

After having Our Pups' Portraits painted I began looking for a frame that would accomodate them and a couple more photos of each one of them.  I shared their portraits Here and the problems I was having with a couple of them...and being able to properly frame them.  I told you in that post that I'd find something and when I did, I'd let you know. I'm letting you know...Now!  Here are the Pups' Paintings... As you can see, they are peculiar sizes
and all different, with 3 painted horizontally and one vertically and off center.  Jasper, the white Maltese bottom right is very off center.  Rosie, top left, our Coton de Tulear was painted so tiny, her entire body takes up about the same space as Rosie's entire body does in her painting.  (lower left)  The sizes and shapes posed a problem having them framed. but I came up with an idea and went to work at the computer.  And it worked. It took alot of trial and error, to figure out how to get headshots of each of them from their portraits and get them all the same size.  I had to crop, re-size and re-size some more...then I had to figure out how to print them to get them to fit into 4x4" frames.  But, I did it!!  

 Here is the Layout of Paintings and Photos I wanted to use...

Each Row up and down with 3 photos of each Pup - all 4 of them!  {remember Benny died on December 7, 2013 at only 4 1/2 years of age - you can read about that Here}

And then...I found a lovely shop on Etsy called...

Shaped Expressions

and they have the cutest frames, in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors - even unpainted, so that you can finish however you would like.

Here are the shapes and colors, followed by the collage frame.

I ordered the Twitterpated in Black.

I selected the shape TWITTERPATED in BLACK, with the 16 4x4" squares.

I had several questions for Desirae at Shaped Expressions...and she quickly answered them all.  Here are some of her answers:

What kind of paint do you use?  Is it sprayed on or brushed on?  

-When we paint the frames we spray them with cabinet grade paint in a professional spray booth. If you choose to paint it your self you can use latex, acrylic or even spray paint. Just be sure to sand between each coat of paint with a very fine sandpaper.

What are the inside and outside opening dimensions?

-Each opening will fit a 4x4 photo with roughly 3-1/2" of the photo showing from the front. 

What kind of backing holds it all in place?

-Each 4x4 opening will have a 4x4 fiber board backing held by flexible tabs that can be bent in order to put your pictures in.

Is there hardware on the frame for hanging?

-Each frame comes with a keyhole cutout for either vertical or horizontal hanging. 

What are the overall dimensions?

-The overall dimensions of the frame are roughly 19"x22". The openings will be the same no matter what frame shape you order.  Our frames are 5/8" thick. 

When I ordered the Frame, I ordered the acrylic inserts to cover the photos...and protect them.  They are nice, sturdy little inserts, not flimsy at all.

Now...are you ready for the FINISHED FRAME?  It's hanging in our den, above a console with a lamp on it.  Here are the pix I took...the glare you might see on the frame and pictures is from a window directly behind where I was standing.  I had the pleated shade up about 8" so that I could see, and somehow the sunlight still hit the frame...well that and the lamplight, too!

When I made the photos of the pups (all 12 photos), I put a corner frame in white around them, to make them "pop" in the black frame...and they did just that!  When I printed off the paintings and the other photos I'd taken of the pups, I just printed them on a slightly heavier printer paper.  No special paper, no special anything...just time figuring it all out for proper sizing.

I hope you enjoyed this endeavor of mine.  I know I'm very happy with how it all turned out.  And I want to THANK DESIRAE for all of her patience and help.