Thursday, September 23, 2010

Sheriff's deputies retirement

These shadow boxes were retirement gifts  for deputy sheriffs. One deputy had spent time working in two neighboring counties and so he had two career badges. Although shadow boxes can contain lots of items, sometimes they are just very simple and straightforward. These also show the two different kinds of engraved plates available. One is a plain gold color (or silver) with black text and the other is a fancier one. It is black with gold text and a gold border. We adhere them to an acrylic base which lifts them off the back of the box giving more dimension and visual interest. The box on the left is walnut, the other has a light oak frame.
http://www.shadowboxusa.com/

Saturday, September 18, 2010

09.18.2010 Jobs for this week

This was a very varied week. Here are some of the projects we worked on this week;

  • We've been working on  couple of shadow boxes for the Josephine County Historical Society. They are small shadow boxes with historical items from Josephine County and Grants Pass. That's been kind of fun because it's different than the majority of our work which is for cops and firefighters. The boxes will be used as prizes in a contest the society is putting on.
  • We also shipped a shadow box retirement gift to a police department in New York. It came out great and I wish I could be there when the recipient is presented with it.
  • Another box we shipped out this week was full of baby items. A California man had seen our classified ad in PORAC magazine and wanted baby items previously used by his now-adult son put into a shadow box. We mounted a few toys and cute outfit and even a tiny preemie diaper. We also put a picture in and an engraved plate with the son's name and birth date. It will make a nice Christmas gift for the man's son. When the customer received it, he took the time to call and thank us for exceeding his expectations! Now I'm hoping he buys another one - for his wife who is a retired police officer...
  • We also did a rush job for our local sheriff's office. A deputy was retiring unexpectedly and they placed the order on Tuesday and I delivered the shadow box on Friday morning. I love when people plan ahead and give us more time, but usually we can handle these rush jobs and I'm glad we could help them out.
  • We also completed a shadow box with an openable door which houses wedding toasting glasses.We mounted the wedding invitation and some roses from the bride's bouquet which had been dried. The glasses fit on either side of the invitation. The box was made from walnut and it turned out beautifully. Next, we'll be making a matching wood box to store the wedding cake utensils.
I also heard from our customer Lonnie, who had ordered a wooden base for a black steel fish cutout that he used as a trophy for a bass tournament. He loved the base we made and the recipient was thrilled to win it.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

September 11th

Today, 9/11 memorials are happening as I write this. At ShadowBoxUSA, we wish we could make a memorial shadow box for every firefighter and police officer who lost their life that day.  Unfortunately, we're too small a company to make that happen, but even nine years later we have the same feeling everyone has - wanting to do something, anything, to help reduce the suffering and sorrow that remains from this horrible event.

We send good thoughts to the friends, co-workers and families of the brave heroes lost that day. Our hope is that rememberance of 9/11 and the feelings we all experienced that day will remind us to work together against terrorism, intolerance and hate in our world.

http://www.shadowboxusa.com/

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How to keep your pet's memory alive.

ShadowBoxUSA.com can make you a custom shadow box in your pet's memory. Recently, we made a shadow box in memory of Belle, a darling little Chihuahua who passed away. (See photo below)

Belle's owner is happy to have Belle's memory as part of her life. Instead of Belle's collar, tags, etc., buried away in a box somewhere, she can now enjoy the shadow box every day. She sent us all the items to be included - a picture of Belle, a paw print in clay that she had, Belle's favorite small toy and her collar with tags attached.

We designed a layout and built a custom sized shadow box with a solid hardwood frame (choose from oak, cherry or walnut). Then we securely mounted each item. Some of the items were mounted on custom acrylic mounts to lift them off the back of the box and provide dimension and visual interest. The interior backing was covered with velveteen and the front was glass.

You can add an engraved plate also. Text might include the pet's name and birth and death dates.

The loss of a pet can be sorrowful. But the memories of the happiness and companionship they bring to our lives can be joyful. For a free shadow box estimate, go to http://www.shadowboxusa.com/ and click on "Request Free Estimate".

The recipient of the shadow box below wrote; "I want to thank you so much for the beautiful shadow box ! It was a wonderful surprise u did a gorgeous job. I have it hanging on my china hutch. You did my puppy proud! Again thank you ... Sincerely, Linda M."

 

Thursday, September 2, 2010

New to blogosphere!

Hey, there! This is my first attempt at blogging and I have no idea who might see this. The main purpose is to further our business which is making CUSTOM shadow boxes for memorabilia, with emphasis on firefighters, police and sheriffs and military personnel. Our website http://www.shadowboxusa.com/, has pictures of some of our work and I invite you to check it out. Eventually, I will post more information about the shadow boxes here and some photos, too.

Lucy Reynolds