Dates

Now we're in February we are at the start of a good bit of travelling.  To begin with it's up to Manchester, then Gloucester & Glasgow.  March sees us travelling to Newcastle Upon Tyne and then Brighton.  April sees our special jaunt to Belfast, which includes the Stitch & Creative Arts show. Finally there's a return to Maidstone at the end of the month.

For full 2010 listings visit COURSES.   

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Special Courses Feature

A reminder that we do have some special courses coming up very soon in Beaconsfield. Places are going at a healthy pace! To avoid disappointment check out the details:

Canvas Stretching 22nd February: Business Development Week 20th – 26th March – as well as the two basic days, training modules are; Business Day 1; 3D Framing; Conservation Framing; Framing Fabrics; Business Day 2. Remember, these can be booked as individual elements

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Focus On Imaging - You Get All The News

Focus on Imaging 2010 is just around the corner. It is the sort of show that works as just a great day out, or as a way to discover so much about photography and image presentation all under one roof. It's an ideal way of picking up bargains across the board. And DIYframing will be no different with some exceptional offers up for grabs. Keep an eye out for our Focus On Imaging newsletter in late February for details of all information about deals we will be promoting. Alternatively, check out FOCUS NEWS (click) for individual items as we post them!

We will be on stand B17. Read below to find out about some of the amazing new Logan kit that we will be showing, for the first time, at Focus 2010.

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Special Offers - Two Great Savings

Two great, special offers “While Stocks Last”!! Ever wanted to do simple v-grooves or free hand designs in mount board? The Groovy Mouse is a great bit of kit that makes simple design work so easy. And it’s now on special offer at £19.99, saving £5.00 on the usual catalogue price. For more about the groovy mouse you can read our news item GET IN THE GROOVE from 2007. To view "in store" details click: MOUSE

Half Price! At the other end of the spectrum is the Onyx, professional board cutting system. It enables you to cut sheet materials using the same settings on measuring stops.  This ensures all panels are identical sizes. As it is a "vertical cutter" (wall mounted or separate floor stand*) there’s no need to lose valuable workshop space to a cutting table. While stocks last, we are offering these amazing machines at just £450 instead of the current £899 price tag. MORE

*the stand is a separate item: please contact DIYframing for details.

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Brand New Cutters From Logan

A company we are always happy to work with is Logan Graphic Products Ltd. They always produce top quality picture framing kit to suit all budgets and have been a corner stone for helping people to get going. However, this year will see some amazing new items come from that tried and tested stable: and it’s not just the occasional framer they are targeting. Not only are there some great upgrades for current hobbyist tools, they are moving in to the top end of the professional kit with two new cutters. Even more exciting is, that we will have much of this new gear to demonstrate to you, for the first time in the UK, on our stand (B17) at Focus on Imaging 2010. To find out what’s going to be on show click MORE

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Hot Tip of The Month

“A very informative article about The Knot. This must be what Alex called, in his usual delicate way, the "Sheepsh*****s' Underloop"! Instead of taping round the loose ends of cord, we use 3.5mm heat-shrink tubing. This is neater, quicker to do, and more secure. See attached photo.”

Many thanks to David Edwardson for his “Tip of the Month” If you want to use this method rather than taping, David followed up with details of the product he uses.

“Heat-shrink sleeving is normally used for insulating wires and can be found at electrical suppliers, though we get ours from Maplin – (click: sleeving) It's available in many sizes but we find that 3.5mm diameter works well for the type of hanging cord we use.”

Didn't read last month's article about The Knot? Click Handy Hint

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Quality Devon Framer - New Case Study

Janet Rudkin is a rising star in the DIYframing world. Starting out in 2008, she has gone from her Basics of Framing course, with us in Exeter, to setting up her own business: Bystock Framing. Not content with that, she has found time to research her new found craft thoroughly, invest in kit and further training, as well as being a winner in the DIYframing “Summer Holiday” picture framing competition (READ MORE). That has really whetted her appetite to see how far she can develop her skills and is already working on an entry for the Fine Art Trade Guild competition. Her website and blog are also worth taking a very good look at and will certainly fire any would-be bespoke framer with ideas of their own.

“The first picture framing order is always a bit daunting: my first one was quite scary as it was totally out of the blue! My husband was buying some shotgun shells in a local gun shop. He overheard the owner talking about some framing he needed doing. In stepped my husband with my business card in hand and it went from there. Looking back, I’m not sure I was totally happy with the frames I produced at the beginning, but perhaps that’s a natural reaction. I have learned so much, and improved immeasurably since those ‘early’ days, so I suppose it’s quite easy to be self-critical.”

Read the full case study: click – Bystock Framing, Quality Framers of Devon

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