We hope this year provides health and happiness for yourself, your family and your lovd ones.

2014 was tough. We lost many friends and we think about them every day.

2015 is a fresh year and we are pumped about what that means. The Rochester location is plowing forward and the local economy is growing stronger.

We are working on some new products and we are very busy.

This is the beginning of our 13th year in business and we feel we are just getting started.

We first started working with Matt eight years ago when he was a senior in high school. He only needed mats cut because he was building his own frames.

But he wasn't just building his own frames. He was milling his own frame profiles and staining and waxing the wood. His attention to detail was remarkable and his skill as a carpenter was undeniable.

Matt has since graduated from college, gotten married and has two children. But he still maintains a very complete wood shop. As Matt puts it, "shop time is good time".

And when it came time to have custom cabinetry built for the new Rochester location, it was an easy decision.

Back in early December 2010 there was a blog entry that discussed the love-hate-love relationship with the Minnesota Winter (The paradox of the Minnesota winter...).

This morning the temperature dipped to -25 degrees Fahrenheit. That falls squarely in the "hate" category, although it does have a certain scientific curiosity.

Weather this cold has some very unique properties. You can take a cup of coffee and launch the coffee in the air and it will freeze before it hits the ground. Also, because the air is so dense, all kinds of ground effects occur with exhausts fumes. Animals continue about their business and almost seem unaware of how cold it is. However, the dog didn't care for it. It was impossible to keep the car warm.

This photo was taken at 6:30 in the morning. It was the only bank that had a working clock/thermometer, as the cold weather made the other electronic signs fail.

But outside of the science, weather this cold kind of sucks.

Back in July of this year, there was a blog posting that discussed the first half of the year and what the second half of the year looked like (1st Cutting...).

Now at the end of the year, it seems overwhelming to look backwards. That being said, the point of this entry will be all about the forward.

If there is one lesson learned in this business, it is to trust your gut. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. And if it does feel right, it probably is. 2011 feels very right.

The new web site is close (and late) to being rolled out. Products are being refined and some new projects are already in the queu. It will be very busy and a lot of work.

But it is still a labor of love and that is what really matters.

Thank for your support. We are very grateful for our customers.

Winter in Minnesota is an emotional roller coaster of love-hate-love.

Winter begins beautifully. It is the whitest white, very light and very gentle. Everything looks different and fresh. This is the first 'love'.

This first 'love' will last hopefully through December. Or until the first day in which the high temperature doesn't get above zero. Or the first time you have to jump-start your car. Or change a flat tire.

This is the first 'hate'.

For six to eight weeks you need to be able to tolerate this because there is no escaping it. You can try heading south for a couple of weeks, but you are only running away from reality. And reality will be here when you return.

And you know you will be returning.

And then very suddenly, things begin to feel positive again. Usually it is a bright sunny day in March or the first time you hear a robin sing, but it is enough to give you positive momentum. This is the second 'love'.

Minnesota winters have a sinusoidal rhythm and there is a comfort in that regularity.

This business is project driven. Which means we become involved in projects, they begin and then they finish. Some projects have longer life cycles than others and all projects are unique.

The most current project is a series of family portraits. The Human Resource department at Treasure Island Casino has contracted with us to provide family portraits (photos taken, printed and framed) for all of their 1,500 employees who want to participate. At first this might seem like a church directory project in which the goal is to be as efficient as possible and creativity is not a factor.

But it isn't, and here is why.

Each family has their own story to tell. There was the guy who was extremely body conscious, but without hesitation pulled up his shirt to show me his gastric bypass scar. Or the young family who had a little boy with serious skin graft scars all over his body from a bad burn accident and watching this little guy busy running around trying to keep up with his older siblings as much as he could. Or the married couple who have been married for 55 years and who still enjoyed ribbing each other with wisecracks. This photo is a young mom who had just found out she is pregnant. Her joy is obvious and she is so excited that she is exaggerating her pregnant belly.

The other aspect was the challenge of using a very spartan set consisting only of a white vinyl backdrop and a simple bench and still making every image unique. It was easy to fall into patterns of using a common pose that would always work. The challenge was to slowly add to the repertoire of winning poses by experimenting.

This project was not especially welcomed at first because the hours are long and crazy (the casino operates on a 24 hour basis), but after two weeks of photography I am really sorry to see it end. The casino employees are fun and genuinely fond of each other. The demographics are at the lower end of the income scale, so it has been especially well-received perk by the employees.

This has been a lot of fun.

Cash's (sometimes called J&J Cash) is a UK company located in Coventry, England. Cash's has been producing silk embroidered bookmarks, luggage and clothing labels and name tags for over 150 years. You might assume something as ubiquitous as a clothing label would not merit museum level custom framing.

But you would be wrong.

Cash's produces a product that is clearly motivated by quality and pride in craftsmanship. It is genuinely a work of art, much in the same vein as a beautifully machined watch. A labor of love, so to speak.

This is a silk embroidered horned owl, which is part of a limited run of coniferous forest animals Cash's produced. Other varmints include a peregrine falcon, an otter and some wood ducks. Each piece is about the size of a business card and each will have their own frame.

Cash's is currently producing a series of Beatrix Potter silks, which is a perfect visual for the embroidery medium. And the price is very, very reasonable.

Many years ago, a very good framing customer brought in this beautiful antique jigsaw puzzle to be framed. It was from the turn of the 19th century and the construction itself is a work of art. The pieces are scroll sawed and several pieces themselves are shaped as children's toys (monkeys, toy soldiers, etc.). It is a remarkable example of craftsmanship.

The only problem was that a single piece of the puzzle was missing. This seemed very tragic and because of the depth of the puzzle, it was as obvious as a missing tooth on a beautiful model in a toothpaste ad. But, it is what it is, and since it had been in her family for many, many years, it was decided to frame it up regardless, as is.

Jump ahead several years to the present...the customer removes a drawer from a dresser and low-and-behold the missing puzzle piece reappears from behind the drawer.

There is something very therapeutic in knowing that the missing puzzle piece will soon be reunited with its brothers and sisters and now the picture is complete.

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Admittedly it might seem odd to write a haiku to a vehicle, but I feel I owe it at least that, especially since I am about 2,000 miles behind my scheduled oil change.

The 2006 Honda Element has been a beast for me (in a good way). It is the perfect art transport vehicle. Once the rear seats are removed, there is almost 73 cubic feet of very rectangular space, which is perfect for hauling art upright. It is very dependable and practical. On the downside, it is a bit cold blooded and the passenger ride is somewhat upright.

So, in lieu of an oil change (maybe next week) and in the tradition of 5-7-5 haiku rhythm:

Ode to Element
A square can roll round
Even in Winter

Happy new year!

This morning the Minneapolis Star-Tribune business columnist Dick Youngblood wrote a very favorable column about our business here in Red Wing. It was a lot of fun getting to know Dick over several conversations and meetings and I really didn't know what to expect. Needless to say, I was very happy and a bit embarrassed by the attention.

But it was the sub-headline on the second page of the hard-copy article that really made me smile. For many years I thought I was a "washed-up sales rep" when in fact I was only a "burned-out sales rep". Imagine my relief.

You gotta love it. :)

The article can be found here.

Thanks for the article Dick and thanks for the support Dave and Dean.

Tomorrow (August 12) the 1st annual Downtown Red Wing Mac and Cheese Smackdown takes place. We are delighted to host and look for forward to a most delicious event. Every small business in Downtown Red Wing is invited to participate.

You might be asking yourself, "What does a mac and cheese smackdown have to do with small businesses?"

Nothing and everything is the answer.

Nothing, because it has nothing to do with business, per se. And everything, because every small business feels the economic challenge these days and providing a small amount of escapism has real value.

There is always room and time to have fun. And nothing says fun like a mac and cheese smackdown.

Red Wing Framing Gallery scientists have been quietly and diligently working very hard since the beginning of 2009 on a number of new products. With the advent of 'digital everywhere' technologies, customers have been insisting on using their own images to decorate their environments in a fashion that mirror both their lifestyle and taste. Our challenge is to meet this expectation with innovative and unique products.

Two products are nearing introduction. The first product is a 'Gallery Panel' and is targeted to the contemporary customer who wants a unique and fresh way to present. The Gallery Panel is elegant with old-school details, but also has a very bold and progressive presentation. Very ebony and ivory (?).

The second product is a bit further behind in introduction. It is code-named the 'Image Sandwich' or I-S for short. The I-S will be a transmissive image that will allow light from behind and lay flat on a wall. The early prototypes are promising, but there may be some practical size limitations that need to be determined. I-S Version 2.0 will also be a PDA. :)

The European marketplace tends to be more aggressive in pushing image technology. The irony is that some of the best ideas come from organizations in Europe that have been in the image business since the middle ages. We are not above learning from our European brethren, but it is very important to be both unique and creative.

Product announcements as they warrant and teasers are always free and unsolicited.

And please disregard any misinformation.

I go home and then get to work this same morning when my friend Tim e-mails me the following photos and asks me if I knew who was on the bridge (look close). The first photo was taken within a minute after mine, judging by how his sun seems ever so slightly higher (factoring in the difference in height) and the wake from the fishing boat. The second photo was a minute later (I keep a corner of my eye on those oncoming tractor-trailer mirrors).

Photos courtesy of Tim Alms.

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Back to the barber; we don't know who cuts his hair. It is a self-contradiction.

Does the barber cut his own hair? No, because the barber cuts only the hair of those that don't cut their own hair.

Does the barber not cut his own hair? No, because then the barber would then cut his own hair, because he cuts the hair of those that don't cut their own hair.

Using an even more difficult explanation, the barber is trying to be a part of his own set, those that do not cut their own hair. But the set cannot include the barber because he is the set. This is the contradiction.