Tickets, boarding passes, foreign banknotes, postcards and a map from one trip can share a frame. Flat items go behind a mat with several openings and objects go in a shadow box.
We frame the things people bring home from a trip: train and museum tickets, boarding passes, foreign banknotes and coins, postcards, a map with the route marked, photographs, a shell or a key ring. Flat items go together behind a mat, a border of card with an opening cut for each piece. Items with thickness need a shadow box, a frame built as a shallow box. Each piece is held so that it can be taken out again. The work is done at 1242 Davie Street.
Flat items: a mat with several openings
All the openings are cut in one sheet of mat board, so the gaps between them are even. Behind each opening the item is held in one of two ways. A sheet of paper such as a map or a postcard is hinged: small tabs of thin paper fix its top edge to the backing board. A small stiff item such as a ticket or a banknote is held by clear corners, small pockets that grip each corner of the item and are fixed to the board. Both methods let the item be lifted out later, unmarked.
The mat and the backing are acid-free, made so they stay free of the acid that browns paper. This matters for travel paper, because tickets, receipts and local newspapers are printed on low-cost paper that discolours beside ordinary card.
Tickets and boarding passes that fade
Many tickets, receipts and boarding passes are printed on thermal paper, a paper printed by heat with no ink. The print on thermal paper turns pale with light and warmth. Scan or photograph these items before framing, so the details are saved. In the frame, UV glazing slows the fading. Glazing means the sheet of glass or acrylic at the front, and UV glazing filters ultraviolet light, the part of daylight that fades print fastest. Keep the frame away from direct sun and away from a heater.
Objects: when you need a shadow box
Coins, a shell, a small carving, a key and a luggage tag on its strap all have thickness. A coin rests in a well, a round hole cut to its size in the board. A shell or a carving is held by loops of fine thread or by a small shaped support. The box is built to the depth of the thickest object, and spacers, thin strips under the edge of the frame, keep the glazing off everything. One thick object makes the whole frame deep, so choose the objects that matter most. Our shadow box framing page explains depth. Coins and banknotes framed as a collection are covered under coin, stamp and banknote framing.
Depth matters for a painting too, because a canvas sits on wooden bars and the frame must be as deep as they are. Voyage Through the Clouds is an oil on canvas, 70 by 50 cm, of a sailing ship on a blue sea under a cloudy sky.
A map works well in the centre, with tickets and photographs around it in the order of the trip. A second approach is a grid of equal openings, one for each place visited. We set everything out on the counter with you before the mat is cut, and items that do not fit can go in a second frame. A map framed alone is covered under map framing. Art bought on the trip, such as papyrus or batik cloth, has its own page: souvenir art framing.
Art from a trip is framed by what it is made of. Companion of the Wind, an oil on canvas of a person and a camel crossing a desert, 50 by 70 cm, would be framed as a painting, with no glazing over the paint. It is one of the originals in our gallery.
Each opening is measured and cut for its item, so more openings mean more labour. A shadow box costs more as it gets deeper. The outer size, the glazing and the moulding, the shaped length of wood or metal the frame is cut from, make up the rest. You get the quote at the counter once the layout is agreed.
What to bring or send
Bring more than you expect to use, sorted by place or by day, and choose at the counter. Print your photographs first, in the sizes you want. If you live outside Vancouver, send a photograph of everything laid out and the size of each item.
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
Can boarding passes and train tickets be framed together?
Yes, boarding passes and train tickets can be framed together behind one mat, with a separate opening for each. Each one is held by clear corners fixed to acid-free board, with no glue on the ticket. All the openings are cut in one sheet, so the gaps between them are even. Bring the tickets sorted in the order you want them.
Will a boarding pass printed on thermal paper fade in a frame?
A boarding pass printed on thermal paper fades as time passes, and UV glazing and a cool wall slow it. Thermal paper is printed by heat, and its print turns pale with light and warmth. Scan or photograph the pass before framing so the flight details are saved. A print shop can make a copy to frame while the original stays in the dark.
How are foreign banknotes held in a travel frame?
Foreign banknotes are held in a travel frame by clear corners, small pockets that grip each corner of the note and are fixed to the board behind. No glue or tape touches the note, so it comes out unmarked. A note shows its front or its back, and two notes of the same kind can show both.
Can a shell or a small carving go in the same frame as postcards?
Yes, a shell or a small carving can go in the same frame as postcards when the frame is a shadow box. The object is held by thread loops or a shaped support, and the postcards lie behind mat openings beside it. The box is as deep as the object, so a thick object makes the whole frame deeper.
How do I show the route on a framed travel map?
The route on a framed travel map can be drawn on the map before you bring it in. Drawing is permanent, so if the original map matters to you, have a copy printed and draw on the copy. Tickets and photographs can then be placed around the map near the places they belong to. Ask us at the counter about other ways, such as thread.
How many items from one trip fit in one frame?
The number of items from one trip that fit in one frame depends on the size of frame your wall can take. Each flat item needs its own opening with a border of mat around it, so twelve small items need more room than their own area suggests. A large collection can be split across two or three matching frames.
Can a postcard be framed so the written side shows?
Yes, a postcard can be framed so the written side shows. A frame shows one side of each card, so choose the picture or the message for each one. With two copies of the same card, one can show each side. The message is written in pen, and pen ink fades in daylight, so UV glazing is recommended.
10% off your custom framing when you show this code at our shop
We frame, stretch canvas and reframe by hand, in our own workshop inside the gallery at
1242 Davie Street. Enter your email and your code appears right here. Show it at the
counter and we take 10% off the job. The code does not expire.
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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Exceptional Service and a Truly Memorable Art Purchase
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!
The pieces are absolutely captivating. Even when I picked them up from the frame maker and was simply carrying them to my car, several people stopped and asked me about the paintings. That says a lot about how striking and special Melina Ghaemi’s work is.
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.
I got my order today and your work is really good. I didn’t expect to get a certificate for this painting, it was a surprise. Thanks for caring about small details.
The support team was really helpful and followed up nicely, wich I really appreciated. The painting is just like the photo – great quality and very detalied. I just wish it arrived a bit sooner, but honestly it was worth the wait.
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