joybrealey's blog

A number of plants grown in Britain are imported, but even those grown locally are often hybrids of heirloom plants. The plants with the brightest foliage and biggest of petals usually spring to life in Spring and Summer, then peter out by August, September.

All is not lost. You can harvest your colourful petals, dehydrate the flowerheads, possibly some stems, and frame them to use as real botanical art you can enjoy when the garden goes to ground.

Who said you had to buy expensive acrylic paints, specialty art paper, and get expensive paintbrushes dirty to create your own art?

Art is what you make it and you can have a whole bunch of fun in the process using mixed media, which just means more than one type of medium. Art is meant to be relaxing. To give your mind something to get engrossed in without overthinking it.

What simpler way to do that than by upcycling used tea bags. 

Ever found yourself looking at a framed piece of artwork and seeing dust particles in the frame, fingerprints or smudges on the art, glazing or mount boards, or even wondered why there’s a sheet of paper over the back of the frame?

A lot goes into picture framing and not very much of it is all about aesthetics.

It’s easy to go down to the shop, pick up a card, put a name on it, stick it in an envelope and either pop it in the post or hand it to him. Not much thought. Nothing that really says, “Dad… Thanks so much for everything you have done this past year. You are awesome. I really appreciate everything.”

For a Father’s Day gift that’s really fitting this year, make it bold, print it, frame it, and make it extra special.

Every year, in June, there’s an awareness week specifically to help you “breathe easy”.

In light of the Breathe Easy awareness week, and the fact that a lot of people are in dire need of anything that can calm their minds, we are sharing some of our best tips for photography and framing that you can use around the home, the office, or your garden summerhouse.

Your home décor affects more than how your home looks. It has an impact on the mental health of everyone in the home, self-perception, confidence, mood, and if you need to work from home, it will affect your productivity too.

If you have never taken the time to consider the types of prints to frame and display, it’s definitely worth considering, because there’s a lot more to home décor than framing a single print you like, tapping a nail in the wall and hanging it. 

Dark rooms aren’t the greatest living conditions. We feel much better in the sun. It is why Brits look forward to beach holidays abroad. On a brighter note, though, dark areas in rooms are spectacular for your artwork as they are protected from direct sunlight.

Still though, rooms are best enjoyed when there is as much natural light as possible. That’s where some interior design tricks of the trade come to your rescue.

Would you know what to do if you found yourself with a box of VHS tapes, filled with video footage that’s like an archive of your family history?

Years back (in the 1980’s) at every important family event, it wasn’t unusual to see someone floating around with a camcorder. Wedding parties, Christmas events, Christenings, Baptisms, and yes on holiday too.

Vision boards aren’t new. They have morphed into something that’s really only used online though. The process has become complicated, incorporating everything from typography, colour schemes, images, backgrounds, and with various textures.

Away from digital, tangible vision boards are so much simpler, making it a terrific project you can use to enjoy creating something worthy of displaying on your wall.

Have you tried to find album cover frames? It’s a size you’ll rarely find on the shop’s shelf, ready to pick, pay, pack and go. Most likely, you’ll need to order from a custom framer or shop around online for custom frame sizing. You don’t need to pay an expensive fee for a custom framer to make a frame and professionally fit your album cover inside.