Diploma frames and stupid questions

[Vanquisher]

Okay, I need help. I want to frame Chad's college, medical school, and residency diplomas for his birthday (May 7). I want them to go together and be nice, but I also don't want to spend a fortune to do this. I need suggestions of where to purchase the frames.

Also, should I frame the originals? I don't even think you can make realistic copies of the originals. Where does your spouse keep his/her original diplomas? Home? Office? Safe Deposit Box? Are the originals framed?

[GreyhoundsRUs]

We are going to do this for DH, too. I think we are using the originals. You can order them through Jostens or Framing Success. You could also check with the various places he attended (the bookstores). Good luck!

[migirl]

We had all of our diplomas framed in matching frames, I think we got them through www.framingsucces.com.

We made copies of our diplomas and have framed the originals. Right now they're all hanging in our home office, but when DH starts his faculty position in July he'll hang his up in his new office.

[MarissaNicole]

I've never thought of not framing the originals.... I have my college degree, grad degree and license framed.

For college I spent way too much (well over $100) on a fram from my school.

For my office I went to Hobby Lobby (they often have half price custom framing sales) and got several documents franed by them. They do a nice matting and custom framing for documents that are not a standard size (mine weren't). I am very happy with them.

I framed all of DH's, as well as his MO and KS licenses. I used the floating "document" frames from Crate & Barrel http://reviews.crateandbarrel.com/72...ws/reviews.htm . I think they look great (and I'm much pickier about wall hangings than I am about clothing!). It was very inexpensive, but they all match and look nice together.

We did all of ours through Michael's when they have a 50% off which is like every other week I think.

[SoonerTexan]

Hobby Lobby and Michaels usually have nice looking diploma frames ready to go (unless the diploma is a weird size) Ditto above about the 50% off sales

[Vanquisher]

One of the diplomas is 12 x 18 another is 8 x 10, and I can't find the medical school one. I know it is in a black tube in that closet somewhere. Sigh.

[Michele]

I framed ours at a photo/frame store in Gainesville. They did the whole archive quality stuff...and I can't get them out of the frames. If I need a copy, I'll just call the school and order one. His undergrad and medschool ones don't match and so I don't know what he's gonna want to do about the residency one and fellowship one. Mine match and are in Gator colors, but not obnoxiously...well only as obnoxious as orange and blue are.

[GrayMatterWife]

For my office I went to Hobby Lobby (they often have half price custom framing sales) and got several documents franed by them. They do a nice matting and custom framing for documents that are not a standard size (mine weren't). I am very happy with them.

Agree!

Went to Michaels and Hobby Lobby to frame nearly all our diplomas--my law school, DH's med school, DH's PhD, plus an assortment of others. They were all some version of a standard size, so I just bought a nice matting for each and got the frames on sale. I get compliments on them all the time (mine hang in my office at work; DH's hang in his office at home). Average price was about $25 a pop, and a couple of them have those triple-layered, gold-gilded mattings.

By contrast, my parents very generously paid for custom matting and framing from our university co-op bookstore when DH and I graduated from undergrad. Back then (about 15 years ago), the framing was at least $150 a pop...more now. They are nice (if not bordering on the cult-like in terms of a tribute to our school), but I have never gotten a compliment on either of them. Go fig.

[SoonerTexan]

Agree!

Went to Michaels and Hobby Lobby to frame nearly all our diplomas--my law school, DH's med school, DH's PhD, plus an assortment of others. They were all some version of a standard size, so I just bought a nice matting for each and got the frames on sale. I get compliments on them all the time (mine hang in my office at work; DH's hang in his office at home). Average price was about $25 a pop, and a couple of them have those triple-layered, gold-gilded mattings.

By contrast, my parents very generously paid for custom matting and framing from our university co-op bookstore when DH and I graduated from undergrad. Back then (about 15 years ago), the framing was at least $150 a pop...more now. They are nice (if not bordering on the cult-like in terms of a tribute to our school), but I have never gotten a compliment on either of them. Go fig.

Yup, still about $150-$160--saw them in the bookstore the other day. I don't understand who would pay that much--especially since most of my fellow graduates don't have jobs!

[scarlett09]

About 4 or so years ago, I paid about $150 for one of those college bookstore frames for my undergrad degree. And I really got it only because it had my college's name versus my university's name AND it was a dual opening frame with a picture of the main building on my college's campus. The main building has a lot of meaning, as it was the ONLY building of the college when it was founded in 1918 - can you imagine having classes, chapel (it was mandatory at the time), study groups, meals, dorms for you and your classmates and the dean's residence all in the same 3-story house? Crazy.

When I get my master's degree next year, I will probably just get a frame from Michael's. Definitely don't have the same level of attachment to this institution of higher learning, that's for sure (as I struggle with five papers and a presentation weeks before the wedding).

[PrincessFiona]

Man, are we cheap. We just bought black document frames from Target! Maybe we should rethink it!

Kris

[Pollyanna]

Man, are we cheap. We just bought black document frames from Target! Maybe we should rethink it!

Kris

Heck, we are even cheaper than that, ours are still in their original mailing envelops....

[Malpka]

When DH finally finished fellowship, I thought about having all his stuff framed. As it turns out, I am glad I was a procrastinator, because his practice framed them at their expense. They have them in the main hall, and they want them all to be mathcy-matchy I guess.