Yesterday I got a quote for custom framing 35 pieces

[pantsparty]

My reactions after I got the price, in order.






























$5,000. FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Now, that's with archival quality class (LOL), so we could actually get down to $3,000, but those are amounts with a 65% off coupon. I was like, "Maybe I can DIY my way out of this situation!" but most of our stuff is not standard sizes, and the only way the wall is going to look cohesive is if we have the same frame on everything.

Time to start selling some eggs.

[underwaterrhymes]

Yowza.

That's a lot of money.

It's a shame my eggs are too old for selling. It would be super handy.

[noodleskooze]

[iamgrace]

Yeah. Framing adds up.

[Kristinmo]

I
Q

[pantsparty]

Ugh. I thought this was a great idea. I was laugh-crying on the way home. We thought it would be around $1,000, which I now realize is super low when you're talking about actual custom framing and the work that goes into it. I went onto Craigslist this morning to see if I could find someone who maybe does it from their house - nope. We are so fucked.

[elleblue]

Custom framing is stupid expensive, I feel ya. 

[pamela]

Can you just get custom cut mats and standard frames?

[alzi]

Aug 30, 2014 11:54:02 GMT -5 pamela said:

Can you just get custom cut mats and standard frames?

That's not cheap either.

Signed, the girl who bought prints and frames that have been sitting on a shelf for 6 months.

[ProfessorArtNerd]

*Whispers*. But if you have nice stuff, you need archival glass to protect it

I'll see myself out

[pantsparty]

Aug 30, 2014 11:54:02 GMT -5 pamela said:

Can you just get custom cut mats and standard frames?

I think I know what you're saying here, but part of my (horribly expensive) vision is most of these are a variety of sizes, so I wanted the mat and the frame to be the two consistent pieces to tie the project together. The sizes of the pieces range from 4x6 to 11x17 and then there are all sorts of non-standard sizes (like 24x23, 11.7x8.3, etc).

GOD I AM SO DUMB. I really should have got some quotes before ordering all this shit. Most of the stuff we bought was under $20. LOL.

[shopgirl07]

When you said 35 pieces I didn't have to read further. I would've been scared to even get a quote.

[pantsparty]

Aug 30, 2014 11:57:16 GMT -5 ProfessorArtNerd said:

*Whispers*. But if you have nice stuff, you need archival glass to protect it

I'll see myself out

Most of this is stuff I ordered off Etsy, things that were inspired by TV and movies.  Like this.



I love it. But is it really worthy of archival glass? No. LOL.

[Deleted]

Go frameless! Have them copied onto canvas and just hang the canvas.

I hate paying for framing. It's worth it and stuff but . . .

[jane6672]

Aug 30, 2014 11:48:06 GMT -5 pantsparty said:

Time to start selling some eggs.

lol at first I was like, whut, pants is gonna sell chicken eggs??




derp derp

[panbitch]

This is why I made a vow to Jesus never to buy anything non-standard sized AGAIN! Not paying $100 to frame a $20 piece.

[shell24]

Aug 30, 2014 11:59:42 GMT -5 shopgirl07 said:

When you said 35 pieces I didn't have to read further. I would've been scared to even get a quote.

Me too.  Right off the bat I guessed about $3500.

Sorry pantsparty  Hope you can figure something else out.  

[isabel]

IKEA? You can trim the mats in most of their frames. They have lots of sizes. I don't know, but no way would I pay anywhere close to that. You can make it work with standard frames.

[dexteroni]

Yeah, I'm not surprised by that price. Framing is expensive. If you're willing to DIY, try pricing it out on American Frame. You can order frame pieces, mats, and glass in custom sizes, and put them together yourself.

[thejen626]

Look, I'm a snob, I'm just going to say it. However, every framed item in my house, the frame is from WalMart, Target, or Kohls. And it looks sharp. I have all black frames, white mats, but different sizes and styles.

There is no way I'd spend so much to frame etsy art! Step away from the custom framing!

[pantsparty]

Aug 30, 2014 12:04:28 GMT -5 littleduck said:

I would have fainted. But yeah, 35 custom frames... are you trying to do a gallery wall?

We have 2 large walls in our loft We basically want to completely cover with these prints from the window line up. It's a fair amount of space, and then we also have a third wall behind the couch we can also use. Kind of like a pop culture gallery, if you will.

[pantsparty]

Aug 30, 2014 12:05:36 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Yeah, I'm not surprised by that price. Framing is expensive. If you're willing to DIY, try pricing it out on American Frame. You can order frame pieces, mats, and glass in custom sizes, and put them together yourself.

I will check this out. Thanks!

ETA: seriously, thank you! I just did some quick comparison pricing and I think we're going to go this route. THANK YOU JESUS!

[Deleted]

Check ebay for the mats. I used this guy for some mats and they were great quality - www.bux1picturematting.com

Can't find his ebay store anymore but I'm guessing it's still there somewhere.

[UMaineTeach]

I was shocked at the non-65% off price for the one thing I had custom framed. I know they have the sale basically continuously, but I can't see anyone ever paying the "original" price.

We paid $170 to get a $15 non-rare "I can get another anytime" map framed.

[cville]

When I saw "35 pieces" I gasped out loud before I even saw the quote.

It is worth it for the look you want. And generally. I love custom frames.

Just today the photographer at our house was like "wow, nice frames" on a couple of our things. I'm not even sure if he looked at what was inside the frame. Ha.

[cville]

Oh, also, this is one reason why the wall behind our couch has looked like this since we moved in. I'm all go big or...do nothing at all.

(Please note the yellow plastic pirate on the table. L told me "pirates wear shorts but not shirts because it's hot and they don't want splinters in their hineys." Wtf, kid).

[dexteroni]

Aug 30, 2014 12:10:51 GMT -5 pantsparty said:

I just did some quick comparison pricing and I think we're going to go this route. THANK YOU JESUS!

Awesome! We've used them several times and have always had good experiences with them.

[dragonfly08]

Unfortunately, I'm not at all surprised. I remember what it cost to custom frame my degrees, and my ketubah after our wedding. Based on those prices, $5K is actually pretty good. I'm convinced % off coupons/deals on framing are a crock...they just jack up the pre-sale price, then apply the discount, and you're still paying an arm and a leg.

[Deleted]

Aug 30, 2014 11:59:42 GMT -5 shopgirl07 said:

When you said 35 pieces I didn't have to read further. I would've been scared to even get a quote.

Agreed. It cost me $650 to get one piece framed for DH last year the way I wanted it. The thought of 35 pieces was enough for me.

[pantsparty]

Aug 30, 2014 12:41:48 GMT -5 tators said:

I don't know if this is even an option or how cheap it would be, but what about somewhere like michaels or Joanne's fabric doing it? They always have coupons and sales.

This was the 65% off sale price, at Michael's. Lololololol.