before & after

Aren't these sweet?  Cut paper silhouettes from the 1970s.  They're very detailed, too--note reflection in eyeglasses in portrait on the left, and eyelash in the portrait on the right.  

This is another job for my MIL, and the portraits are of Mr. Fatale & his brother.  They were never protected with any sort of glazing, and they've suffered a bit from exposure.  I had a clear picture in my mind of how I wanted these to look when finished:  I wanted a really ornate mat, an intricate black & white design with an oval fillet.  Nevermind that I don't have a CMC (computerized mat cutter) in house, and oval fillets don't exist.

However, at some point in my storied career in framing, I became a certified Wizard operator/trainer.  (Wizard is a brand of CMC.)  I can install, maintain, and operate these things, and I am certainly aware of their capabilities.  I sat down with the software and came up with a 3-tiered design of shapes there were not intended to go together.

I printed out my idea and found a place with machine in this town, and some nice industry folks willing to help a framer out :)

the machine

bottom layer

And just as my idea was coming together, Crescent Cardboard began to test market a new product:  Flexible Accents.  These can be used in ovals like a fillet!  They're not available to frame shops yet, but I was able to get some samples to test.

 I sliced some up before removing the adhesive film.

backview

And fit it into my oval.

raised middle layer

top layer

I wanted these to look like an illuminated story book, with a garden feel.  That's why I chose this acanthus leaf motif frame.

the completed project

before & after