Frame of the Month 2026
The Frame of the Month is chosen from picture frames completed in the prior month.
September 2026 Frame of the Month
September's Frame of the Month is the double (two-sided) shadow box framing of the historic Menu Board developed and used over six decades ago by the iconic Geneseo, NY local institution, The Aunt Cookie's Sub Shop!
On one side of this sheet metal menu board are the earliest sub offerings and pricing of the 1970s and on the rear side, the menu and pricing used in the 1980s. While the framing objective was to have visual access to both sides of this menu board (therefore the need for the two-sided shadow box), the plan was to prepare it for hanging such that the shops 1970s beginning decade, the more historically significant front side, would be permanently displayed.
Following some minor repairs made to the painted sheet metal including "squaring up," area flattening, and bending back dog-eared corners due to general age and handling, it was carefully cleaned and prepared for framing.
Omega's 1 1/8" x 1" deep Blue Square "Ferro" moulding was specifically chosen for the frame as it perfectly channeled the retro, welcoming vibe of Aunt Cookie's Sub Shop in both the establishment's exterior and interior palette and design style. The double sided Menu Board was placed in a setting of "Indigo" to match the navy blue painted lettering of the sign.
Finally, to provide an important historical and commemorative context for this object, a brass information plate was added at bottom center to provide the viewer with information and associated dates.
August 2026 Frame of the Month
The frame of the month for August belongs to Geneseo, NY resident Barry Caplan, who faithfully attends the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival annually. The festival produces a highly anticipated, official commemorative poster each year, which Barry acquires and frames. The 2026 poster, titled "Streetcar Ramble: Satchmo at 125," is a nighttime tribute honoring what would be Louis Armstrong's 125th birthday year.
Dominating the poster are soothing twilit green hues along with a deep blue background sky that blends into the nocturnal setting. Gold and yellow accents illuminate the windows and headlights of the streetcar, as well as the metallic glint of the brass instruments played by the musicians. While the color red is not a predominant color used at all, it is seen in the front window trim of the street car and in the outlining around the yellow/gold fonts.
To create the highest possible visual contrast desired for the framing of this poster, it was the complementary colors of green and red that became the go to's. In this way, a "Pampas" (green) mat with a second fillet, "Black Spruce" (deep green) were used. Sandwiched in between these light and dark green mats was the mat color "Garnet" (red) used for the first fillet of the triple mat combination. The Garnet very favorably picked up on the limited use of red by the artist and provided that sought-after visual pop. Decorative but subtle corner cuts were made to the red Garnet fillet to add a high-end, tailored look that makes the framing feel like an extension of the artwork.
Fox Moulding's 1 1/4" jewel-toned Lantana Green and Gold moulding, featuring a rich green body complemented by elegant gold accents with smatterings of red, offers a striking border without overwhelming the piece inside.
July 2026 Frame of the Month
The Carolyn Krasniak - Trevor Mothersell Wedding Keepsake Shadow Box constitutes July's frame of the month. Married on June 10, 2023, the Mothersell family wanted Carolyn and Trevor to have the primary components of their wedding invitation suite preserved and framed (i.e. Save the Date card, Custom Designed and Illustrated Wedding Invitation, Detail Cards, and Envelope).
A multi-mat, multi-aperture design was created to house all elements of the suite beginning with the Save the Date card at the top and moving downward to the custom made wedding invitation itself. As the illustrated profile portrait cards of the Bride and Groom were printed on cardstock that would be considered a "yellow-tint" on the color wheel index, yellow-tinted (or tan) backing boards were specifically called for to provide that distinct coordinated warm-toned aesthetic that this presentation was seeking.
A lighter yellow (or tan color known as "Fresh Hay") was used to back the closed white invitation (second item in the frame) and its envelope located at the bottom to maintain a softer contrast. A slightly darker yellow (tan color known as "Ecru") was used to back the remaining invitation suite to align more closely with the color of the portraiture cards and afford a higher contrast. A v-groove was meticulously designed and cut to extend from the line created at the fold of the invitation into the top mat and moving downward to connect the envelope at the bottom. This "boundary enclosure" instantly ties the multiple elements of the invitation together as a collective unit.
Seeking a soft sophisticated neutral mat that blends light gray and tan tones, the color "Stone" was selected for this project. Similarly, the premium picture frame moulding manufactured by Omega Moulding known as "Volta" was picked as its finish has a soft pewter metallic tone with a silver beveled lip accent that color coordinated quite well. In addition, this Italian made museum frame features an extra-deep rabbet most suitable for shadow box development.
The frame size of this shadow box is 20 3/16" x 39 1/4".
June 2026 Frame of the Month
June's Frame of the Month is a 20" x 24" portrait of Mrs. James Wadsworth that Will and Louise Wadsworth commissioned the Rabbet Hole Picture Framing Co. to frame for hanging in the Wadsworth Homestead located at 4 South Street, Geneseo, NY.
As the Wadsworths were specifically seeking a period-accurate frame featuring hand-carved corners thoughtfully styled to complement the surrounding decor and frames of the Homestead, The Rabbet Hole meticulously selected Decor Moulding's "FR8304" Ready Made Frame, a 2" Antique Gold Frame with a 3/8" rabbet. The frame's intricate corner details that beautifully mirrored the delicate lace cap and dress collar captured in the portrait made it the perfect choice to set the portrait in.
As the portrait was done in oval form, it was framed with a double oval aperture mat utilizing a "Solid Slate" top color and a "Kona" fillet. Kona is best described as a deep, rich, expresso brown with subtle warm, reddish-charcoal undertones. It was specifically chosen to echo the deep velvety layers of the subject's beautiful dark chocolate hair.
A third purposefully narrow rectangular "Sea Mist" mat was added to the uppermost top of the presentation to not only bring out the brightest highlights of the portrait but to also create a built-in "liner" effect.
May 2026 Frame of the Month
Robert Bates of Arkport, NY purchased a beautiful Sam English tempera and watercolor painting on paper, entitled "The Eagle's Gift, Them Two Dancin'" (size 22 1/2" x 30"). The framing plan for this painting included the use of Fox Moulding's 1" x 7/8" black enamel frame to make a shadow box. This is May's Frame of the Month.
The primary objective was to have the deep solid black frame contain the deep solid black bird image of the painting but to have the bird image with its rich green background still "pop" forward against a softer (slightly greyer) black background and shadow box environment. Therefore Bainbridge's "Black Shadow" board was selected to craft the interior of the shadow box.
A noteworthy and unique accent for this particular presentation came with its hardware finish; the addition of four silver metal corners to the outside of the frame to mimic the head and bend-of-wing shape of the bird in the painting.
April 2026 Frame of the Month
Sherri Bush of Geneseo, NY brought in three high school graduation mementos from her mother's time at the Rochester School for the Deaf: (1) A 1962 class photo of students in cap and gown, (2) A Diploma Certificate, and (3) A blue and gold satin ribbon that would have been tied around the diploma at the time of its presentation. She desired to frame these mementos together in one frame. Following layout consultation, a decision was made to frame them vertically in the same order as noted above.
A "Special Cream" mat with a "Black Shadow" fillet was used to border the photograph and diploma, and a "Black Shadow" box crafted at the bottom of the mat was constructed to enclose and preserve the three-dimensional ribbon. Special corner cuts were made to the Black Shadow fillet bordering the photograph to provide a decorative, custom aesthetic as well as to differentiate it from the diploma. A v-groove "accent line" was cut into the surface of the top mat board to visually tie all three graduation items together.
Finally, Omega's coal toned "Oslo" moulding was used given that it had an appropriate rabbet depth needed for this project. More importantly, it lended a warm inviting look that these mementos deserved. Ms. Bush's frame was selected as the Rabbet Hole's April 2026 Frame of the Month.
March 2026 Frame of the Month
The Frame of the Month chosen for March is a very tall 27 3/4" x 47 7/8" frame, that incorporates a July 2025 Eric Church silkscreen concert poster along with the 3-day limited edition passes that Jen Gregory of Nunda NY used to attend this Red Rocks Amphitheatre Colorado event. As this multi-night performance was completely transcendent and meaningful for Ms. Gregory, she sought out The Rabbet Hole Picture Framing Co. to help her preserve these collector items and her cherished memories.
The presentation was designed to have two planes: A top plane consisting of a Colonial Cream mat with a red "Garnet" fillet to surround and bring out colors of the silkscreen poster, and a bottom horizontal plane defined by a V-groove cut into the Colonial Cream mat to accommodate the three tickets.
Omega's "Empire" moulding was chosen as the frame to adorn this handsome presentation given its well proportioned 1 1/2" size and its beautiful black with red "big petal" design that nicely complemented imagery found in the poster.
February 2026 Frame of the Month
February's Frame of the Month is a 13 5/8" x 8 5/8" portrait of the rapper Eminem holding a boombox, framed for a Mt. Morris, NY resident.
Given the print's stylized , multilayered design with a red, black, and white background, a "Chrome" colored mat with a "Sherry" colored mat accent was chosen to complement and further bring out the image. A V-Groove was added 3/4" from the mat's opening to provide additional interest.
Intrigued with the various patterns incorporated into the art work's design, particularly the "victorian damask" motif used within the name "EMINEM" that is prominently portrayed in the background, the Fox Moulding "Leaves, Black w/ Red," was decided upon as the perfect choice for this project.
January 2026 Frame of the Month
Lauren Hurlburt of Perry, NY desired to have her 33 year old map of Paris, France framed. The nearly 27" x 33" map has significant meaning to her as it was this very map that she used in conjunction with her little red book, "Paris by District," to navigate the city of Paris each day when she was a graduate student studying abroad. When she became a teacher, she also took her students to Paris every other year as part of her curriculum and her faithful map was always available to help navigate the geography!
As is common with most fold-up paper maps significantly used over a lengthy period of time, rips and tears in her map developed at the fold lines to the degree that the map separated into two or three pieces (see pictures above). Therefore, the objectives for this project were threefold: Repair, preservation, and development of a pleasing presentation that would be hung in her home as a memorable keepsake.
Archival mending tape placed on the map's backside was carefully applied in pieces to precisely put the entire map back to its original form. Once together in this way, the map was dry mounted to an appropriate backing board to keep it permanently intact and in a "de-wrinkled" condition.
Taking into consideration the map's paper color as well as the shaded areas of red, pink,yellow, green, and blue, we developed an Alpha-matting color scheme that included the use of "Khaki," "Parakeet (Green)," and "Powder Rose." A V-Groove was purposely cut into the top Khaki mat board to add visual interest and compatibility with the map's grid system (network of intersecting latitude and longitude lines). Further, a triangular motif was designed specifically for the mat's top left corner as a means to cover up a "dog-eared" tear off of the paper that occurred years ago. Lastly, we chose the Omega Moulding Co.'s 7/8" Coal Maple Veneer Tall Square profile, part of the "Oslo" collection, as the frame to use given its warm "right look" with the map's black outlining, typeface and labeling features.