Here at Fine Framers, we regularly produce retirement gifts that are thoughtful as can be, and 100% unique.
The gifts feature objects and pictures that symbolise the retiring person’s career… all expertly laid out and framed by our specialist staff, to make a truly one-of-a-kind retirement gift.
We’ve recently completed two such projects, which really went down a treat at the retirement functions where they were presented.
Retirement Gift 1
The first was for a popular postman in Carlow, John Condron. He had worked with An Post for no less than 48 years, from 1969 to 2017. We were asked to design and produce a framed display featuring a number of objects that depicted his career, including an old postman’s tie, a number of badges he had worn over the years, and a photograph of him happily delivering the post.
We assembled these items into an attractive display, and we carefully framed them using specialist materials and techniques. This was to ensure they would remain in place and not suffer any damage from sunlight or anything else for years to come. We also added a plaque and inscription, to make the retirement gift even more personal.
By all accounts, John was delighted with his retirement gift. We were delighted too, to have produced something that was so well received.
Retirement Gift 2
The second retirement gift display we produced was for a long-serving worker at Corcoran Mineral Waters, also in Carlow.
This display also features a number of items associated with the retiring person. These included the watch he wore there for many years, some tools of the trade such as vintage bottle openers, and three vintage Corcoran’s pencils of the type he would have used there in years gone by.
Again, all items were carefully and expertly mounted and framed, and again, the recipient was delighted with such a thoughtful and unique gift.
Other Retirement Gifts
Other items we have framed as retirement gifts in the past include:
- A carpenter’s set of wood chisels
- A signwriter’s set of paintbrushes
- A doctor’s stethoscope
- Jersey and football boots to mark a sportsperson’s retirement
In fact, our expert object framing techniques mean we can frame just everything, to make thoughtful retirement gifts, presentations for any other function, or just to preserve your own happy memories.
We give great consideration to every project we undertake, such as how best to mount the objects themselves. We can’t just take an object and glue it to the mountboard, as this would damage the objects themselves, and whatever techniques we use must be reversible.
We instead use materials such as cord, wire, acrylic mounts, or melinex strips to secure the items in place. On the rare occasion where we have to use glue, we ensure the glues themselves are reversible.
This can be quite a challenge, but it’s a challenge we always meet. For example, the Corcoran Mineral Waters display above features a brass flint and wick lighter to the top left. This has a cylindrical shape, so we cut an aperture of the correct size in the mountboard, to create a recess where it could sit. We then secured it with brass cable. This means the attachment method is secure, unobtrusive, and totally reversible.
It is this level of attention to detail that sets us at Fine Framers ahead of the rest in terms of object framing and conservation framing.
To see more examples, or to learn about what we can do for you, just contact us today or visit our showrooms at the Wexford Road Business Park on the outskirts of Carlow. Feel free to bring objects with you, so that we can start thinking about framing right away!
