A first outfit is soft cloth, a hospital bracelet is thin plastic and an ultrasound picture fades in heat. We frame them in one shadow box, each on its own mount, with no glue.
We frame the first things a baby wore and the first records of the birth: a first outfit, first shoes, a hat, the hospital bracelet, hand and foot prints, an ultrasound picture and the birth announcement. They go together in a shadow box, a frame built as a shallow box so that objects with thickness fit behind the front sheet. Each item has a mount of its own, and every mount can be undone, so the items can be given to the child years later in the state they are in today. The work is done in our workshop at 1242 Davie Street.
How each item is held
The outfit and the hat. Baby clothes are soft and stretch when they hang from two points. The outfit is laid on a padded board and held by small hand stitches in fine thread, placed along the seams where the cloth is strongest. Cutting the thread releases it.
The shoes. Each shoe rests on a cradle, a small support shaped to the sole, with a stitched loop that keeps it from tipping forward.
The hospital bracelet. The bracelet is a narrow band of soft plastic with printed or handwritten details. Loops of thread passed around the band hold it flat or in its closed ring.
Hand and foot prints. A print in ink on paper is hinged, which means small paper tabs hold its top edge to the board behind. A print pressed into clay is heavier, so it rests on a ledge cut to its outline.
The ultrasound picture and the announcement. Both are flat and lie behind openings in the mat, the border of card around the items.
Depth, and why the shoes decide it
The box is built to the depth of the thickest item, and in most sets that is the shoes. Spacers, thin strips hidden under the edge of the frame, hold the glazing forward so it presses on nothing. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front. For a slimmer frame, leave the shoes out, and the depth drops to the thickness of the folded outfit. Our shadow box framing page explains how depth is worked out.
A canvas has a depth too, set by the wooden bars behind the cloth, and its frame is chosen to match. Dance of Birds in the Breeze is an oil on canvas, 50 by 70 cm, of three birds over a green field under a cloudy sky.
An ultrasound picture is usually printed on thermal paper, a paper that darkens where heat touches it. The same property makes the picture turn pale or grey with warmth and light as time passes. Three things slow this: UV glazing, which filters ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that fades prints and dyes fastest; a wall away from direct sun and away from a heater; and a scan made before framing, kept with your files. Ask us at the counter whether to frame the original or a copy. Handwriting in pen on a hospital bracelet fades in light as well. Our guide to UV glass and glazing describes the glazing choices.
Materials next to cloth and paper
The backing board, the mat and the padding are acid-free, made so they stay free of the acid that turns cotton and paper yellow. A yellow stain shows clearly on white and cream baby clothes, so the board behind them matters. No glue, tape or pin goes through any item.
Planning the layout
We set the items out with you on the counter before anything is cut. Two layouts suit most sets: the outfit in the centre with the shoes below it, or the outfit on one side with a column of small items beside it. Clean the clothes as their care label says and dry them fully before you bring them, because milk and food marks darken with age.
What changes the cost
The depth of the box, the outer size, the number of items to mount, the glazing and the moulding, the shaped length of wood or metal the frame is cut from. You get the quote at the counter, after the layout is agreed and before work starts.
Outer size is part of every quote, for a painting as for a keepsake box. The Gift of Wonder, an oil on canvas from our gallery, is 30 by 40 cm and shows two children in red hats beside a Christmas tree with wrapped presents.
Bring every item you are considering and decide at the counter which ones stay in. If you live outside Vancouver, send a photograph of the items laid out, with the height, width and thickness of each. A child's first drawings are covered under children's art framing, and photographs alone under photograph framing.
Walk in at 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. Enter your email on this page for a 10% framing code to show at the shop, and see custom framing for everything else we frame.
How it works
1
Bring it in, or send photographs
Walk in to 1242 Davie Street during opening hours. If you are not in Vancouver, send the dimensions and a photograph and we will work from that.
2
We look at the actual piece
What it is made of, what condition it is in, and where it is going to hang all change the answer. You get a straight recommendation and a price for your piece, not a rate card.
3
It is made by hand and fitted
Cut to the piece, using conservation materials, and finished with hanging hardware rated for the actual weight.
Common questions
What baby items can go in one shadow box?
A first outfit, first shoes, a hat, a hospital bracelet, hand and foot prints, an ultrasound picture and a birth announcement can all go in one shadow box. Each baby item has its own mount and its own place in the layout. The box is built to the depth of the thickest item, so bring everything and decide at the counter which items stay in.
How are baby shoes held in a frame?
Baby shoes are held in a frame on a cradle, a small support shaped to the sole, with a stitched loop that keeps each shoe from tipping forward. No glue touches the shoe. The shoes are usually the thickest item in the box, so they set its depth. Each shoe lifts off its cradle again once the loop is cut.
Will an ultrasound picture fade in a frame?
An ultrasound picture fades more slowly in a frame with UV glazing, on a wall away from sun and heaters. Most ultrasound pictures are printed on thermal paper, which turns pale or grey with warmth and light. Scan the picture before framing so you keep a record, and ask us at the counter whether to frame the original or a copy.
Can baby clothes be taken out of the frame later?
Yes, baby clothes can be taken out of the frame later. The outfit is held by small hand stitches in fine thread along its seams, with no glue and no pins through the cloth. When the back of the frame is opened and the threads are cut, the clothes lift off the padded board in the state they went in, ready to give to your child.
How deep is a frame for a baby outfit and shoes?
A frame for a baby outfit and shoes is as deep as the thickest item plus a small gap in front of it. The shoes are usually the thickest item. A baby shoe mounted side on needs less depth than the same shoe facing forward. Without shoes, the depth drops to the thickness of the folded outfit, and the frame hangs closer to the wall.
Should I wash a baby outfit before it is framed?
Yes, clean a baby outfit before it is framed, following its care label, and let it dry fully. Milk and food marks that are faint today turn darker with age, and a mark inside a closed frame cannot be reached. If the outfit has a stain that will not wash out, show us at the counter, and the layout can place a fold or another item over it.
Can a hospital bracelet and a birth announcement be framed without the clothes?
Yes, a hospital bracelet and a birth announcement can be framed without the clothes, in a slimmer frame. The announcement is hinged behind one opening in the mat. The bracelet is held by thread loops in a second opening, with a spacer that keeps the glazing off it. A photograph or the foot prints can take a third opening.
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Send the measurements, what it is made of, and a photograph. We will tell you what it actually needs, including when the answer is that it needs less than you expected.
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I had a wonderful experience with Van Art Hub Gallery. I came across two pieces by Melina Ghaemi — *Mad Mirrors* and *Small World in the Hands of a Stranger* — and immediately fell in love with them.
I contacted Van Art Hub Gallery, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process, from arranging the payment to organizing the shipping. At first, I was a little skeptical and nervous about how everything would work, especially since the paintings were still in Iran and it was shortly after the war. But the gallery handled everything with such professionalism and care that my concerns quickly disappeared. Amazingly, they were able to get the paintings to Canada in just two days!
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A big thank you to Van Art Hub Gallery for making this experience so smooth and enjoyable. I truly appreciated their professionalism, communication, honesty, and integrity throughout the entire process. I would happily work with them again and highly recommend them to anyone interested in purchasing art through the gallery.
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