Lucinda Jones
My Custom Framer
Glass. Mat. Frame. Your Portal To Daily Inspiration

Photo of Lucinda Jones backdropped by an array of frame samples.

Transform Your Surroundings
From "Ho-Hum" Into a
Realm of Inspiration and Delight

Discover how to serve up a visual feast in your home or office that caters to your unique tastes and interests, nourishing you with motivation for tomorrow and treating you to sweet memories of yesterday...

 

Fellow Lover of Visual Delights:

 

Picture yourself...

 

...watching your daughter excel at dance, encouraged by her "ballet bedroom" which showcases a shadowbox displaying her first tutu and pink shoes, a mounted poster from The Nutcracker and a photo of her leaping in midair.

 

...relaxing on the sofa with your spouse, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli playing in the background, gazing into a framed copy of Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne a portal to one of love's greatest stories. 

 

"I had these postcards framed for my bathroom. They were made for children to send to their parents from camp! I just loved the prints! There's one of a kid who had the back of his hair cut into a bull's-eye. Whimsical bathroom humour!"

 -D. Washburn, Stratford

...returning home to a hallway of framed photos showing the growth of your family: Shots of your son in a white uniform and yellow belt doing a karate chop, your daughter whipping the soccer ball across the field, your husband paddling his canoe or your wife holding your newborn.

 

...retreating to a special room devoted to your personal "craziness". Maybe you collect vintage license plates, foreign stamps, rare baseball cards, The Beatles album covers or autographs from the Stratford Festival.

 

...bombarded daily by encouragement to follow your dreams. A copy of the cheque you received for writing your first short story (one day to be followed by your novel) sits framed over your desk. Or above your oven is displayed the newspaper clipping cheering the day you won the fair's contest for the greatest-tasting pumpkin pie in Perth County (soon to be the greatest in the world)! Or you've adorned the mantel with the watercolours you painted on your summer vacation in Newfoundland.

 

Art, collectibles, photos and personal histories all add your unique signature to your home or office. It's what makes it your home. But in order for their power to work something needs to aid the eye in making the transition from a white wall to a potent image.

 

 

 

"Lucinda spends time with the client. She gets to know you, your tastes!"

-N. Davidson, children's writer

 

"It's an intimate kind of atmosphere. Lucinda gives you the attention you want. And she always appreciates and is interested in your work."

-Ros Harrush, "flamboyant" painter

 

A Private Portal

To Daily Inspiration

This, of course, is where custom framing steps forward. An art form dating back to the Ancient Roman Empire. Finds at Pompeii revealed that paintings were executed directly on the walls of homes with lines added to serve as a frame.

And, of course, in "framing" I include matting. Matting creates a neutral space around your picture or memento. Matting allows it to emerge from its surroundings, bringing out its colours. And, of course, mats keep your delicate prints from touching the glass.

How your frame looks, whether you're displaying a hockey shirt or the Mona Lisa, will affect the piece and your surroundings. And reflect your tastes.

So it makes sense that you should have a big say in designing your frame. That's what you'll discover at My Custom Framer. An opportunity to custom design your own frame.

 

You Will Never Feel Rushed to Find What You Need Framing is an art form; it requires patience. Take all the time you need to decide what looks right to you. Framing is a gift for a lifetime. We want to make sure you'll enjoy it.

 

Explore all the Possibilities Until You Find the Presentation That Best Suits Your Piece and Your Tastes Just because we might find something you like on the first try, doesn't mean we can't find something better.  

 

 You Don't Have to Decide on the Spot You're welcome to go home and think about your choices and come back another day with your preference.

 

I'm here with over thirty years of experience in the visual arts. I can advise and make suggestions. But in the end this is going on display in your home.

In fact, customers often say, "You have the same tastes as me." Sometimes I do. But more often I catch on quickly to what you're looking for. One lady, the first time she came, told me: "I don't like black mats." My response: "No problem." Now, whenever she drops by I help her find light colours that bring out the tones in her picture without dominating it.

So when you frame your grandfather's journal or your child's first finger painting, it will have your "signature" tastes surrounding it.

Another lady loves metal silver frames. I understand why she likes them. They are clean and crisp. And that's how I would describe her. And that's how her custom-made frame should be.

 

"I Love the Frame!"

The Modern Crisis of Over-Framing

 

The goal is to enhance your piece not suffocate it. I won't try to sell you fancy frames and mats, in larger than needed proportions that don't suit your piece. My aim is to find the perfect style and colours that accent its mood, bringing the focus to your image (and not the framing).

 

After all, have you ever heard someone look at a picture and say: "I love the frame!" Think about it: If you frame a portrait you painted; your grandmother's christening dress; or your son's university degree, what do you want to notice first? The frame?

 

Instead I think it's essential for a framer to cut straight lines and measure properly so that no distracting flaws take away from the lifelong enjoyment of your piece.

 

Which brings me to my next point...

 

There's room for differences of opinion

over colour of mats and type of frames

but there's no excuse

for sloppy workmanship!

 

Flawless craftsmanship. Attentiveness to detail. That's what you can expect from My Custom Framer.

 

89 Degrees is not 90 Degrees

"Close Enough" is not "Good Enough"

When you look at your picture or shadowbox it should look perfect. If there's even just a little dust under the glass, that's all you'll see when you look at it. So I personally ensure nothing leaves without meeting My Custom Framer's high standards.

 

Enhancing Your Image with Flawless Material: There won't be any dents in your frame, tears in the mat, or scratches on the glass. Everything will be clean and free from oils and dust. If a moulding receives even a minor dent while constructing your frame, it's tossed. Count on receiving an exceptional product.

 

Precise Cuts to Please Your Eye: You won't find any "extra" slices or overcuts on your mat or sloppy measurements in your framing. Otherwise that's all you'd see when you look at your picture. At My Custom Framer precise measurements are used to ensure your piece reflects harmony at a glance.

 

Framing That Lasts a Lifetime: Preservation methods are taken when mounting your piece to help ensure it lasts at least 100 years. For example, original artwork is held in place with corner pieces (not tape or glue). This prevents the picture from becoming acid-stained and wrinkled.

 

I won't let you walk away with sloppy workmanship. I treat each piece as if Da Vinci had dropped by with the Mona Lisa.

 

Lucinda Jones

30 Years of Experience

 

Fine Arts Degree

University of Western Ontario

 

Print and Etching

Concordia University, Montreal

 

Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal

 

Framing Experience, Waterloo

 

Lucinda Jones Printmaking, St. Jacobs

 

 

Colormat, Stratford

"Can You Frame It?"

 

My name is Lucinda Jones. In 1996, after ten years of working in the visual arts field, I found my niche - custom framing.

 

While working as a framer in Waterloo, I began moonlighting at Colormat in Stratford one day each week. Eventually Colormat transformed into a full-time framing outlet with me serving as the chief framer. For five years business went well.

 

And then Colormat closed. Overnight.

 

I always feel like people entrust me with a part of their lives when they bring in their property. So I offered to deliver all the unfinished pieces to the customers.

 

That afternoon I filled my car with about twenty pictures and got a list of phone numbers and names.

 

And then something unexpected happened! I called the customers to let them know Colormat had closed and that I'd like to return their pictures.

 

A short silence followed. And then they'd ask, "Can you frame it?"

 

After all, they still needed their pictures framed. So I purchased a mat cutter and began working out of my home. I completed seventeen framing projects andone month later,I opened My Custom Framer in the current location..

  

Satisfied Customers

 

When you are handing over your treasures to someone else, I know how much trust that involves. To reassure you that your work will be not only safe... but framed with the thought of enhancing it, I offer these testimonials. I'm not trying to boast, but simply wish to offer some proof to back up my promises.

 

"It's the difference between walking into

a specialty bookstore or a big box chain."

 

-My Custom Framer has ambience. It's intimate, small, but she has a large selection of frames - walls of frames.

 

"You're dealing one-on-one, so it makes it special. You never feel rushed. She never comes on strong. You never feel that she is selling you something. She works with you, looking at the same piece of artwork. She wants you to have something you'll like. You never feel that you have to take what she suggests."

 

"Lucinda attends to you in beautiful way, her caring and receptivity carries into her work. It's an expression of herself. She always tries to find something that's meaningful to me."

-D. Washburn, Stratford 

 

Irene Miller, Stratford photographer who uses My Custom Framer regularly to frame her photographs. "Definitely a perfectionist."

 

"When I come to pick up my work, there it is already waiting. She always puts my framed work up on an easel. It's not hidden away, wrapped up in a cupboard somewhere. I know I'm also going to see someone else's work. It's a chance to see what others are doing, what they are putting on their walls.

 

Wonderful choices in frames. She's on top of her products. Whether it's a new kind of glass or whatever.

 

Never overbearing. I see how she deals with other customers. She doesn't say, "This is how you should frame your art," She guides her clients toward the best choice."

-Irene Miller, photographer, Photographic Art

 

Stacey Newman, publisher for Wingate Press, Stratford

 "In my experience, Lucinda approaches everything from a very personal perspective. She tries to truly match a piece of artwork, not only with the frame, but with the personality of her client... She takes the time to talk to you and to find out exactly what you are looking for..."

-Stacey Newman, publisher, Wingate Press

 

"Framing Done Right"

 

Picture of Stratford charcoal artist John A. Manley with one of his portraits recently custom-framed at My Custom Framer."I've wasted plenty of time and money dealing with framers who've talked me into distracting mats and frames. Or those who deliver crooked and sloppy work. I even had one framer erase part of a drawing. Another taped a portrait (which took over 80 hours to draw) down, causing it to wrinkle!

 

I know with Lucinda that none of this will ever happen. That I can leave my work with her, and that the framing will be done right with no hassles over obvious transgressions of quality."

-John A. Manley, portrait artist, Stratford

  

"It was very emotional to see my painting on the easel when I walked in. It made it feel valued!"

 

"I had my painting framed at another place. But when I saw what the framer did I just felt sick. I wouldn't even hang it. That wasn't what it was supposed to look like. This was the only thing I'd finished (it took eight weeks of painting lessons). Everybody said, "Wait till you get it framed." I felt like I was kicked in the stomach. I didn't know what to do.

 

Then I attended a framing seminar Lucinda did with my art teacher. I sat there listening to Lucinda speak and I realized what was wrong with my picture. I understood how the frame was supposed to complement and not detract.

 

Lucinda has that patience to hear what you want, but also guides you in the direction you should be looking at. She was able to interpret what I thought I needed. And patience, oh my goodness - what patience.

 

Her attention wasn't any less to me, just because it was the painting of a novice."

 -Laurie Henry, painter, Stratford

 

"I'm very particular about the quality, and I think it's there. If there's ever any problem, she's always available and quick to make corrections."

-Ros Harrush, "flamboyant" painter, Stratford

 

Discover the Selection

and the Possibilities

 

Bring in your favourite photos, mementos, prints, artwork, needlework or anything else that has significance for you for a free quote. Think of visuals that would uplift you if you displayed them in your home or office, day after day.

 

Out of town? Drop by during the Stratford Festival. Many clients, who attend several shows a year, do. Leave your picture or memento with me when you come to see Twelfth Night and then pick it up next month when you're in town for Oliver! 

Once I get an idea of what your tastes are and where the piece will be set, I'll suggest what presentation I think suits it from a selection of over 1000 frames and 400 mats. From rainbow-coloured to ornate wooden frames there's something for both the traditionalist and the modernist.

 

I'll surround your piece with samples, to give you an idea of how the final product will look. This way you can decide for yourself what pleases you.

 

Whether you are like Kerry, our local geologist, who came in asking for a blue speckled shadowbox; or like John who always wants neutral black mats and frames for his classical portraits, My Custom Framer will meet your needs.

 

I�ll write up quotes for the different variations you like. You're welcome to go home and consider the possibilities. There's never any obligation to purchase.

 

Once you've decided, leave your piece with me. Normally there is a two week turnaround time. When it's ready, I'll call you. When you come to pick it up, we'll have it ready on an easel to greet you at the door.

 

Rush Jobs: But if you need a job done fast, we'll do everything possible to meet your needs.

 

Flawless Craftsmanship

Not a Dent, Scratch or Single Overcut

100% Guaranteed

 

When you come to pick up your piece, it should be perfect. But just in case I missed something, and you notice a small dent, a tiny scratch on the glass, a slight mistake in measurement, any flaw, then I'll redo it.

 

You won't have to hassle to have the job done right.

 

One Last Story...

Running the Marathon of Life

All the Way to Your Worthiest Goals

 

Judy and Bob displayed every success of their son Jason. Didn't matter if it was a 10th place ribbon in cross country or a certificate from St. John Ambulance - it all had to be displayed behind glass, mat and frame.

 

This continued through high school until graduation. I finally had to ask, "Where do you find the space?" They told me, "We hang everything on our dining room's twelve foot high walls."

 

Well, all those small signs of recognition proved potent encouragement: Jason recently landed a scholarship with the University of Toronto's Department of Physics.

 

We Don't Just Frame Art

We're Framing

 

Memories, recognition, sentiments, family unity, affections and other feelings that money is unable to produce.

 

My Custom Framer

 

The visuals that surround you affect your emotions and your awareness. They reflect your tastes. As one client said, "Oh man, you stand there and stare, it's hard to explain, but at the same time so tangible."

 

And then Laurie, one local painter, put it this way: "If I couldn't hang pictures in my home, I wouldn't want to wake up in the morning. I have to be surrounded by things I like and love."

 

Sincerely,

 Lucinda Jones

My Custom Framer

 

 

P.S. Any questions, please feel free to call or email. I'd be happy to speak with you. Though, I can't give a quote on something I can't see. So it's still best to bring it in and we can give it a test run. There's never any obligation to purchase. We'll write out the details for you and you're welcome to go home and decide.

 

Lucinda Jones, My Custom Framer

Glass. Mat. Frame. Your Portal to Daily Inspiration.

42 Albert St., Stratford, ON N5A 3K3

(519) 272-9954

 

lucindajones@MyCustomFramer.Ca

 

 

HOURS

Monday to Friday

Call to arrange an Appointment at 1:15 p.m. or 5:00 p.m.

Saturday

Open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Directions

View Map

 

 Coming North on Downie St.: Continue until you reach Albert St. (on the right immediately after City Hall). Make a right. My Custom Framer is in the second building on your left after the parking lot. Four white columns flank its entrance.

 

Coming North on Erie St.: Continue until you reach Ontario St. Make a right. Drive to the next intersection and make a right. Continue to the next intersection and turn left onto Albert St. My Custom Framer is in the second building on your left after the parking lot. Four white columns flank its entrance.

 

Coming South on Waterloo St.: Go south until you reach Albert St. (next street after Ontario St.). Make a right. My Custom Framer will be on your right. Four white columns flank its entrance.

 

Coming West on Ontario St.: Continue west until you reach Waterloo St. directly before the large Ukrainian Church. Make a left onto Waterloo St., and then right at the next intersection onto Albert St. My Custom Framer will be on your right. Four white columns flank its entrance.

 

Coming Southeast on Huron St.: Continue along Huron St. which will merge onto Ontario St. Continue driving east until you reach Downie St. Make a right and continue south until the first intersection (before City Hall). Turn left onto Albert St. My Custom Framer is in the second building on your left after the parking lot. Four white columns flank its entrance. 

 

 

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