Frame Shop Conversations

A

ArtLady

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Founding Member Since 1997
Joined
Oct 13, 1999
Posts
1,245
Loc
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Is it just us or is the main topic of conversation in your frame shop aside from framing and art topics food.

We get going about 10AM with Burger Kings new fries or a new receipe that goes on all day long.

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
Hah! Yeah, AL, food's the ticket! I start out with breakfast, then Nabisco crackers, we call 'em Nabs down here. Then 'what's for lucnh' until we actually GET lunch. Then more Nabs for the afternoon, and 'what's for supper' (Dinner, in more cultured environs).

Must be a universal thing. I guess if we work hard, we have to be concerned with our 'fuel'. Food is pretty much the thing, with me, anyway. The rest of the time, I try and figure out where Janet put all my tools. (Just kidding, darlin'...)
PS: Burger King has NEW fries?? H-m-m-m...
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May all your corners join without sanding

[This message has been edited by Charles Lowry (edited March 29, 2001).]
 
AL, got any good recipes? We all seem to share everything else: why not that, too?
smile.gif
 
Charles didn't tell the whole truth. HE is the one that starts thinking about food on his way to work (I quit making breakfast when my son left for college - Oh, happy day!) (Actually, I quit cooking altogether when my son left for college). Now we are the favorites of a local restaurant that serves home-cooked (well their restaurant seems to be our home at mealtime!) meals. Charles weighs in at a hefty 150 lbs. and can eat ANYTHING he wants and he normally wants something to eat ALL DAY LONG. Most days I forget to eat or either I'm full from watching Charles eat!

Also, in regard to the tools...the only ones he really needs are a fork and knife and neither one of those table utensils do I use while framing! But I am real bad about not putting the framing tools back in the exact space that Charles has allotted for their precise location (he's afraid they'll be laid down where he is eating). Being a phone company retiree, he was used to having all his tools in a belt around his waist and for some reason that has never been the type of belt that looks good with the clothes I enjoy wearing.

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How cheap do you want it to look??
 
ArtLady--

Aren't food, and home recipes, part of the personal lives that are better left at home?
wink.gif
j/k

Seriously, we in the frame shop are always eating....we are right next door to a Whole Foods Market, and I don't know how far north they go, but they have a bakery that will pack ten pounds on your hips with just one sample....*sigh of pleasure* Muffins, cookies, bagels, croissants, and then coffee, sodas, juice, etc. We have a special "munch zone" in the shop that is always full of these items....and at least once a day, someone goes on a snack run, which means that they dash next door to buy us all rations. Those who don't have petty cash are extended credit, knowing that they'll have to spring for it next time. LOL

Food is a form of art, right? God knows I've had some cranberry apple jack muffins that are worthy of a shadowbox....
biggrin.gif


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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
Framer Dave, Yes, please share your recipe.

We have a coffee shop nearby, so that's a biggie with us. Their frosted lemon poppyseed cookies are delish.
 
AL, don't let Janet fool you. We share our building with an artist, and she and Janet were hoping that a Baskin-Robbins AND a Krispy Kreem would go in the vacant building across the street. They stared longingly and hopefully out the window for weeks, quietly quoting from the menu's of both places. We recently found out that a software company had bought it. Rats!!

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May all your corners join without sanding
 
We just got our first Krispy Kreem here and I have yet to make a pilgrimage. At the shop it seems that every time I get any momentum it's time for food. I'm gonna stop eating if this keeps up.
 
This one may not be for the shop but everyone will want your receipe.

Strawberry Almond
And
Green Salad

10 oz. torn Romaine Lettuce or other salad greens
3 green onions sliced
1-pt fresh strawberries sliced
½-Cup caramelized almonds (place 3 Tbs. Sugar in iron
or other skillet with ½-Cup slivered or sliced Almonds
and stir or heat as the sugar melts and turns brown, cool
on waxed paper.

Dressing: mix and refrigerate overnight 1/3-Cup Granulated Sugar,
2 Tbs. Poppy seed, 3/4-Cup Mayonnaise (I use the real thing), ¼ cup milk
2 Tsp. Almond extract and 2 Tbs. cider vinegar.

Toss salad with dressing just before serving.

Forgot the copyright!
biggrin.gif



[This message has been edited by JPete (edited March 30, 2001).]
 
le,
Forget the nourishing food and go for the doughnuts! (None of is will tell your mother) LOL.

Janet

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How cheap do you want it to look??
 
Remember when we were young and we talked about sex all day at work? (can even The Goddess get away with saying that?)
But, ah yes, food!
(Gardening is a hot topic here also!
Politics? Nah, no fun, we all agree here.)
We are fortunate enough to be in a Heavy Duty Italian neighborhood. Pasta, lemon ice, spumoni, biscotti, oh, I am getting faint...
-FG
 
Oh Wow, I forgot about gardening, but then again we are in Buffalo. It is snowing again today. Some sun would be nice.

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
We have a Subway across the street, a McDonald's one block north, a Burger King one block south, a Tim Hortons literally across the street, a grocery store two blocks down, right beside the liquor store, and a german deli about three doors down. The pizza and chinese food places are within walking distance. But, you know they're addicted to McDonalds when... one of the sales staff next door went and scavenged a piece of the cement tile flooring from the old McDonalds before they tore it down and built the new one and brought it into us to be framed. On it they wrote "In Burgers We trust... a piece of history, and the date that they had torn it down on. I figure I'll get a ketchup pack, some salt and vinegar packages, some straws and frame them all up with it.
 
Hi Pat & Nikki,

As I sit here eating the gourmet dish my framer just shared with me I could not help but notice how precisely aware all of us are of the location of those eating establishements.

On another note we have not had a visit from Zorro lately. Hope all is well in the cave.

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.

[This message has been edited by ArtLady (edited March 30, 2001).]
 
SEX,SUN,FUN,FOOD,FRAMING AND GARDENING. IS THERE ANYTHING MORE TO LIFE? EXCEPT HERSHEY'S W/ALMONDS. HAS ANYONE EVER HAD ANY KETTLE CORN? POPPED IN A LARGE COPPER KETTLE, NO TOP, WITH SOME TYPE OF OIL THAT GIVES IT A SWEET CARAMELIZED TASTE, ALMOST LIKE CRACKER JAX. I THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE BEST POPCORN I'VE EVER EATEN. THE Z!!!
 
I guess this is as good as it gets. Mom forgot to tell me this part.

The copper kettle corn sounds mighty good to me after my gourmet treat lunch.

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Timberwoman
AL
I cut the mat, I pet the =^..^= cat.
 
Goddess, yes, I remember when sex was the thing. You know (I mean, we ALL know) you've reached a milestone when food is the topic 'du jour'.

AL, I have definitely noticed that we all are aware of the proximity of eating establishments to our shops.

Janet and I both enjoy gardening as well. Living where we do, it's time to start planting, cutting grass, etc. That'll be the topic very soon in our shop. Wow! This is a really good thread. Thanks, AL

I like to think of it this way: If you're hungry all the time at work, you must be burning calories working. This is a good thing. Bring on the calories, carbohydrates and cholesterol!!!

Welcome back Zorro. I read your posts in the archives.
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May all your corners join without sanding

[This message has been edited by Charles Lowry (edited March 30, 2001).]
 
When the 4:30 PM energy slump hits, the best remedy is walking across to Starbucks for a Black-and-White Cookie. It's really more of a flat cupcake, about 4.5" in diameter, with the surface covered in icing 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 chocolate. Mmmm... I can taste it now!
;) Rick
 
Waaaahhh. I work in a one woman shop in a shopping center with 2 empty stores and a dry cleaner. If I'm running late and don't pack a bag I'm starving by the end of the day. When I open my own place I'm going to make sure there's plenty of good lunch around.

As for the conversation. . .as i said I work alone but when I've worked other places food was the winner. One place we had an annual 2 day "How are you doing the turkey this year?" conversation every Thanksgiving.
 
Framechick...
BLESS YOUR HEART! Do you have a little refrigerator to keep some stuff in when you're starving? Get a little dorm sized fridge. You NEED some "food" for thought. It keeps those creative juices flowing! I KNOW WHAT CHARLES & I WILL DO FOR YOU....
We're gonna frame a KK logo and send it to you to hang over your workspace. I'll put a label on the back: WARNING: THIS PICTURE MAY PRODUCE MOISTURE. EXCESSIVE & PERSISTENT SALIVATION HAS BEEN NOTED BY USERS. BIBS SHOULD BE WORN (wow! what if Charles turns out to be the person that used that bib I lost? ...hmmm...the plot thickens) TO PROTECT ONE'S SHIRT FRONT. DO NOT HANG WHERE ANYTHING OF VALUE MAY COME IN CONTACT WITH SIDE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THIS PRODUCT.

Thanks for that great sounding recipe JPETE. I could go for some of that for supper tonight with some grilled chicken. (anyone know of a place that will make it so I don't have to cook tonight? LOL)

I thought of another LARGE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION IN OUR FRAMING SHOP. Charles plays keyboard and guitar in a group of guys that meet in one of the band member's garage on Friday Nights every other week. Songs/music of the 60's & 70's rock & roll or blues are their real specialty. Middle Age Noisemakers is what Charles likes to call their group. Many of these guys have been playing together for about 25 years! So Charles loves music playing at work during all times! After John Boy & Billy go off the radio at around 10:00 each morning, we're normally gonna talk about that for a while and then we normally switch the radio to an Oldies Station. In our small town, customers of all ages will even comment or hum along with some song that brings back a part of their younger days or say, "Wow, my parents really liked that song." So music is a big part of the conversation in our Custom Framing / Gallery building. The graphic design/artist that shares the building with us, is about 5 years older than we are, also grew up in our town and knows everybody that also grew up here. By the afternoon, we always start playing CD's and it might be a little heavier rock & roll, or something as light as James Taylor or my all time favorites, anything by the BEATLES.

TV shows are another big topic. We're beat at night and become couch potatoes, watching TV. One thing we NEVER miss is The Andy Griffith Show at 10PM. That is the generation we all grew up in just like Opie and also the town size of Mayberry is like the Clayton we all remember. But throw in a little Dharma & Greg or Who's Line Is It Anyway? (the versions from England are fantastic). And last but not least, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (really? who doesn't want to be one?)

BTW:
Did any of you see that aurora caused by Solar Flares last night? Charles was out walking our dog, Bo (if you are from the south, you can relate to the good ole boy name of our dog!) Charles immediately came back in and wanted me to look towards the North. The sky was wo beautiful with the red and pink colors mixed with the pitch black darkness of the night. News reports this morning made us feel really lucky to have seen the solar flares as NY was about as far south as scientists had anticipated the general public getting to witness it. Bet you that live in Canada had a beautiful view. Hope none of you missed it!

Sorry I've monopolized so much space!
This is a relaxing thread to me. After my week, this has been a welcomed thread from some of the arguing going on in other threads!

Janet


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How cheap do you want it to look??
 
Yellow Pound Cake with Blood Orange Glaze

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temp.
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 eggs
3 cups all purpose flour, sifted twice then measured
1 cup sour cream
2+ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
grated zest of one lemon

Glaze:
1 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice (or regular orange juice, since I have never been able to find blood oranges)

Preheat oven to 350F, butter and flour a 10 inch turban-shaped cake mold

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Alternately add the flour and sour cream in small amounts and blend well; add the lemon juice with the last addition. Pour batter into the mold and bake for one hour or until the cake is ;lightly golden and a cake tester inseted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

To prepare the glaze, combine the juice and sugar in a nonreactive saucepan, cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes to reduce to 1/3 cup. Cool slightly. Apply glaze with a patry brush to the top and sides of the cake.

You could also make a lemon glaze by using 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar instead of the orange juice.

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Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris (1834-0896)
 
FramerDave:

Yum! Just got back from the grocery store and naturally I don't have all the ingredients you listed or I'd make that cake this afternoon!

Wish I could get Charles interested in learning how to cook since he loves to eat.

Janet

HOW 'BOUT THOSE BLUE DEVILS? GO DUKE!!!!

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How cheap do you want it to look??
 
So, It's your fault that Maryland lost!
frown.gif


Tha topic at our store runs the gambit... We do seem to talk about what's for lunch, and the such, but since I work with my Mom, we talk about my daughter a lot.

We also talk about the old musicals, and good Broadway shows, and sometimes music. Lately the Grumble has been the topic of choice.

biggrin.gif
 
Other topics: health and good ol' gossip!

Thanks FramerDave. Blood oranges are real popular in Italy. Kroger and another supermarket here sometimes sell them.
 
MM, no politics for us. Our artist friend, building-sharer is a yellow-dog Democrat. She can't understand anything but Dem politics. So...no politics for us. I'm a middle-of-the-road-whoever-says-what-I-like person. It COULD make for lively exchanges, but I can't convince her that I'm always right.



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May all your corners join without sanding
 
I feel so left out... We don't have Krispy Kreme shops anywhere around here and I've never had one!! I sure do hear about them, though. We have Dunkin'Donuts EVERYWHERE ( I'm two doors down from one), but NO Krispy Kreme. I feel like I missing something really great! I can't stand feeling like I'm missing out on something really great.(It feels kind of like being left out of a joke, you know, where everyone is laughing, but you).
 
This needs to be added to one of the prereq's for a good frame shop location-- food nearby! AND, fast food for us.

That home fried chicken across the street may make me gag by now I've had it so much, but it has brought me a few great customers.

Uh -- we talk computers! Or sports or other hobbies.

TL - Studio Frame


[This message has been edited by rosetl (edited April 03, 2001).]
 
What is a "Kripspy Kreem"?

Sorry, not in the USA.

And if so good can I get a franchise?
 
Originally posted by John Gornall CPF:
What is a "Kripspy Kreem"?

Krispy Kreme only makes the best darned donuts you've ever had. When the light is on you can get them piping hot and they just melt in your mouth. Mmmmm....donuts....drooollll........

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Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris (1834-0896)
Click to expand...
 
Frmaer Dave, don't it take a Southern boy to know a good donut when he eats one?? Have you ever gotten a bag of the 'holes'? I mentioned it on another thread, but don't think anybody took me seriously. I like 'em better'n the donuts, and that's sayin' a lot!!

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May all your corners join without sanding
 
John,
I'm sure you can get a KK franchise if you've got mega-bucks! You'd probably make mega-bucks if you had the only franchise in your neck of the woods! They're outstanding doughnuts that will add lbs. to any person who JUST smells them! Folks would be lined up down the street trying to buy a dozen from you and you'd never get the chance to get your framing done. LOL! (Like you'd ever have to frame another picture again).

Janet

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How cheap do you want it to look??
 
Charles--

LOL The Donut Hole theory is something I have actually sited, on those occasions when people think that because they buy a mat, they are entitled to the "fallout." After they fail to understand that they are paying $20 for "just the border," and that they are not entitled to what's leftover, I have been forced to ask, "WHEN YOU BUY A DOUGHNUT DO YOU GET THE HOLE FOR FREE?"

No; in fact, the Evil Donut Companies will sell the holes separately, and make money off them, too. *evil chuckle*

Most customers laugh reluctantly, and admit that they have often bought both.

Enough said.
wink.gif


As for Krispy Kreems, there aren't any down here, but on my trips up north, I have often enjoyed the buttery sweet heaven that they sell by the dozen. *sigh of pleasure*

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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
In Canada our main doughnut shop is called Tim Hortons (Tim was a hockey player of course). The holes are sold by the box and called "TimBits". I don't know if they taste good as I don't eat stuff like that, but I see a lot of folks carrying the TimBits boxes with their coffee.

In our shop we don't talk food or politics. Seems we talk mostly about framing or vacations!
 
MM

My vote is for politics as well, MM. (However, since we already know each other's political bent, do you think we'd be shooting serrated flex-points at one another?...Naw.)

All this food discussion is driving me nuts. I am a foodie above all other things, and after our return from Cabo, my husband (and I) have decided to go on one of his very focused diets. That means nothing yummy even gets into the house. Do Krispie Kreems ship?

Framer: I think we need a hungry smilie for this board.
 
Speaking of politics, one of my co-workers has a Masters in Political Science. Which means he has a lot of opinions, and nothing to do with them....LOL (Two of my other co-workers also have liberal arts degrees....kind of makes me feel a bit better about bailing on that English degree in my junior year. *chuckle*)

But the problem with this particular co-worker is that he's both a.) flamboyantly gay, and b.) vehemently conservative. So we find it very hard to take him seriously. LOL He'll mention going to drag shows, and then fondly mention Bush, in the same sentence.....

Needless to say, political discussions are always, if nothing else, INTERESTING.
wink.gif


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I don't care what color your sofa is.
 
Mel, obviously we loosened the tension on the point driver spring because we're still both alive to tweak each other another day.
smile.gif
And we shall let the others ponder on who is which. Food's good, sports is even better (we all know the Masters' is this week), but politics is the best: combining discourse with civility is great mental exercise!

And I'll bet I couldn't have a more worthy opponent.......
wink.gif


[This message has been edited by MerpsMom (edited April 05, 2001).]
 
one of my co-workers has a Masters in Political Science. Which means he has a lot of opinions, and nothing to do with them...

He must be Jewish. My best Jewish friend from New York taught me that a good Jew is a man who's got a solution and is looking for a problem. LOL
Speaking of Bush, aren't you, Texans, a bit embarrassed with media portraying him as a dodo? It was yesterday(?), though I'm not fond of him, I couldn't stand a TV comedy named "This is my Bush".
Speaking of little chat in my shop, my employees are still... active sex age communicators (see Charles' post). All of them are young and mostly women. What I can tell you is that ... when it comes to sex, young women interest and verbosity cannot be surpassed but by other team of young women.
But Americans framers must be more food and weight dedicated people, right?
wink.gif


[This message has been edited by Frame Harbor (edited April 05, 2001).]
 
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