"Small" - it's such a BIG word!

A week from now is "Small Business Saturday".

We hope you will join us in celebrating this country's huge community of vibrant creative businesses that contribute and give back so much to places like Charlottesville.

"Small"... Of course, no one likes to think of him- or herself as being "small". No way!

After all, what your neighboring creative, passionate and dedicated small business owners with successful venues have accomplished over the years can hardly be categorized as being "small". Charlottesville has a huge number of those talented hard working folks who never seem to stop growing new ideas. They seem to pop out of the ground like chia seeds (or vineyards) around here! 

And all of those ideas, they are completely tailored to address what you need, love and are looking for.

I opened La Linea Bella ! almost three years ago on a teensy budget, but with a huge heart full of dreams, 20 years of knowledge, many visions, and a ginormous amount of passion for a craft that I absolutely love and surround myself with every day. And with an huge amount of love and support from my wonderful clients. (Thank you!) And we just seem to keep growing ... in fact, just today we came home with a huge truck load of new equipment that I am going to install tomorrow in the workshop -- all the better to frame with! We are always looking for new ways to improve our services and to make things faster, more efficient and just plain better!

On this coming Small Business Saturday and all throughout December, join us as we celebrate the shop, the gallery, our craft and our wonderful neighbors and friends who have contributed so much to the beauty that we enjoy in our lives.

Here are just a few of the businesses and individuals who have contributed to our inspiration on so many days and that we salute and give thanks to this week and on this day:

Sheridan Avenue Studios

ReThreads & Etcetera

http://kirakirajewelry.com/

The Curious Orange Store

And George

F.M.Dodson Woodworking

Woodard Properties

Stinson Vineyards

Lynne Goldman Elements

Amy Benoit

LYDM

Where Women Create

Kiki Slaughter

C'Ville Niche Magazine
VETSS

Donna Clark...

... and there are so-so many more!

Have a wonderful holiday and please join us next Saturday for 

-20% off throughout the store, including jewelry

-an open house in the gallery from 12 - 2

(meet our resident artist Kay Taylor who is taking over the gallery as her studio for a few months!)

 - and home made treats to recharge you for 

the rest of the shopping season...

... all as a way to tell you THANK YOU! for being so wonderful!

See you then!

Beate

www.LaLineaBella.com

 1718 Allied Street

Charlottesville, VA 22903

(434) 244-3050

Open Tues. - Sat.

Ready for the holidays?

Well, it's pretty obvious how Titus feels about the holidays...

We love them too, and we are ready!

The Christmas rush has already started and we'd just like to shoot you a reminder that there are only three weeks after Thanksgiving before folks like little Titus are expecting to find something extra special under their tree. We will be taking special orders for holiday projects through about December 13th, and we will be available to help you with last minute in stock items till as close to the 24th as we are able to.

What are some of our clients' favorite gifts to create with us?

-Shadow boxes

-Framed (and preserved) vintage family photos

-Framed needle points

-Framed children's art

-Diplomas

-Mementos from a trip

-Special or family holiday cards

-Mirrors

and so much more!

Everything we create is made locally in our workshop on the premises.

There is convenient extra parking in the back lot for those of you who cannot find parking on the street.

And we do have some great last minute surprise gifts scattered all over the store, like jewelry and photo frames.

We will be open on Black Friday as well as the Saturday after that.

In fact, Atelier ONE Gallery sets up for our resident Winter artist, pet photographer Kay Taylor, on that weekend. Stop by and see what's new if you are in our neck of the woods! 

See you soon and have a warm and joyous season! 

Beate

KiraKira - WHITLEY Designs - Roma Moulding Photo Frames - Fred Levering Woodworks - Dave Krovetz Wood Turnings - Cartolina Cards - Red Cap  - Maxxi Frames - LaVille Reclaimed Wood Frames - Prisma Moulding - Titus The Teckel and more!

www.LaLineaBella.com

Why the heck do we frame anyway?

1900's silver mesh purse.

Since I opened La Linea Bella I've had many discussions with younger folks about why you'd ever want to frame things well or why you'd even spend money on it when you could just "slap some glass and wood on your art" in order to get it up on the wall.

LLB is located in an area where there is an interesting juxtaposition of  craftsmen creating wonderful hand crafted new goods and great shops that specialize in recycling or up-cycling goods that have been loved already and now are looking for a new home.

In our new world of constant changes, reclaimed vintage goods, often short lived new purchases and sometimes a lack of attachment to one's belongings, it's important not to forget that some of those relics or pieces of art are a part of our history and deserve to be treated kindly in order to survive and keep telling their story - perhaps even for maybe another hundred years or more!

Good framing is a craft. 

A good framer cares about framing art in order to protect and preserve it and to provide for it's longevity.  And most framers value and love (love!) beauty, good aesthetics and art and find it their mission to help you add that beauty to your home and your life simply by guiding you through the sometimes overwhelming world of wonderful choices. We're here to help you find that one choice that's just right for you and that you (and maybe your family) will love forever.

And that's why we framers like to invest in good, acid free materials, well-made mouldings, interesting classic or contemporary designs, a gentle treatment of your art and glass that helps shield your artwork from the damaging rays of the sun - and in doing things well!

I hope that, no matter what stage in your life you are in right now, you will help preserve (y)our history,  prints, paintings, photographs, plaques, wedding mementos, needle works, antique maps, etc. for many generations to come. And while you're doing that, we're here for you and in addition to that would like to add some sparkle, interest and color to your walls -  and maybe even provide you with a really great conversation piece!

Thanks for choosing us as your "creative partners in crime framing" & see you soon!

Beate

New Project

Favorite project this month: 

Antique Chinese Carved Jade Shadowbox.

Click on image to see the project.

It's Fall and there is so much happening!

Seems like everyone is slowly waking from the summer heat, including the colors on the trees and in the sky. Just look at this view I had just this week:

I have a very interesting new project in the works in the studio/workshop, photos will be posted soon.

Thanks to the Daily Progress and Work it, C-Ville for this week's feature on me. 

And thanks to all who came out to welcome Donna Clark on her opening night.

The show will be up until the end of the month, don't miss it, it is lovely and I've had several returning visitors already who come into the gallery and just take it all in while quietly sitting on or comfy settee. 

(It's especially great on a rainy day like today.)

Donna Clark

Wide Open Spaces

New oils

October 3rd - 30th at Atelier ONE.

October Newsletters are headed out soon, make sure to sign up on our website if you'd like to partake in this month's special offer.

See you soon!

Beate

Thank you!

We wanted to thank everyone for their great enthusiasm and fantastic feedback we've received in the past few weeks: I don't know if it's the super weather or the especially wonderful projects we've been working on, but we love it!

xx

Beate

This week's favorite project: Antique pearl necklace (1800's)

This Tiffany's necklace stems from the 1800's.

It has been passed down from generation to generation and is about to be passed down again to the next daughter in line.

The delicate pearl beading has decayed a bit over the years, and when every jeweler my client approached declined to repair it, our friend & local jeweler Lynne Goldman sent her to La Linea Bella! so we could safely preserve it in a beautiful shadow box.

My client chose the navy silk to show off the pearls and the detail of the necklace (and to give it a royal touch:) and we chose to display it's history beside it.

My client chose this soft gold Larson Juhl moulding to pick up some of the design featured in the necklace. And the invisible Museum glazing keeps any glare to a minimum.

She was pleased as punch when she came to give the final approval before we sealed up the box.

We now say: "Bon voyage!" to the necklace as it is displayed with much joy and pride in it's new home, and we wonder who the next lucky girl is who inherits it next?

See you next time for another special project! (We enjoy these the most!)

Beate