Thoughts On Buying Frames.

Hi all of you!  This past  Wednesday I showed you a clients photo gallery that I hung over her mantel a few months ago.  I met with her and had great opportunity to show her and teach her a few things that I have learned over the last few years. Just a recap, this is the gallery that I hung for her, and she really is happy with it.

1. The Frames are an investment.

a.  The frames that she purchased were by no means cheap, but I really wanted to show her what a great  investment  she made.  I shared with her how over the past few years how much time I have wasted  searching high and low at every thrift store in the city looking for just the right size frame, mat size and so forth. One of my biggest beliefs is that time is money.  We are all busy and sometimes I have found that going to my favorite frame shop and picking out the EXACT frames that I  need is the right way to go.  Sometimes this is not the case.  This all depends primarily on my  schedule, and budget at that very moment.

b. There is another part of the investment in these frames that is not immediately seen. In a few years, or even months down the road she may really want a different look all together above her mantel.  She will then have all these stunning black, tailored frames to take else where in her home to hang a new gallery, or even add to it and make a larger gallery.  Money spent in the past will now give her the option to hang a new wall gallery in a totally different space for free!  Well, it will seem free.

2.  Needing some help and making the call.

This client really wanted to so something above her mantel and just didn’t know where to start. While it is just a simple gallery on a wall, if left to herself to do it she said that she probably would not have gotten around to doing it herself.  My belief is that our homes are here for us to enjoy and make a priority. She chose to spend her time elsewhere and bring me in to install the gallery instead.  This to me is a great investment on her part to have energy for her job, and most inportantly for her family instead.  Sometimes letting go of certain things that we normally would do ourselves is an investment in our present life.

Here is an example from my own personal life. Darryl and I both do our own taxes… personal and business.  I know we are crazy!  In the future I would rather hire someone who can get all our business papers in order, enter everything for us and we will then know we will have it  taken care of and actually done in a timely manner.   This in the end will give us more quality time for our business and more time with our children.  So that’s our plan for next year anyways…

Over the last few years I have purchased some amazing frames at thrift stores, but if I am  looking for frames that all go together in a cohesive way, sometimes purchasing new is a better option for me.  But like I said earlier, it all depends on your schedule and budget.

Which option do you like best?  Searching high and low for every frame or just going into a store to find exactly what you need?  There really isn’t wrong answer as far as I can see.  Everyone is a winner  in the end.

Have a great weekend!