Snatching bliss from the gates of hell
Monday, January 14, 2008 at 02:50PM 
Dried flower and petal • click to embiggenOver the weekend I was in New Jersey for a family member's 60th birthday soiree. The trip was multi-tasker - the party, college girl's return to school, and a trip to IKEA for cabinets and cupboards for my new office.
Because of Sunday Blue Laws in the county in which we were visiting, the closest IKEA was closed so we had to venture south to Elizabeth, NJ to another IKEA. The store was located right across the Jersey Turnpike from the Newark airport in the heart of an industrial wasteland second to none. As we were approaching the area on the turnpike, the wife blurted out that "when I was kid, this was all burning dumps." IMO, even though there are no more 'burning dumps', the area isn't any more attractive than it was then.
Nevertheless, right there in gates of hell, I found true bliss and contentment. Much to my utter delight, IKEA has a bin full of the holy grail - square picture frames. You have no idea how hard it is to find ready-made square picture frames. And, they were just the right size to boot - 22"×22" in a simple black wood frame (with glass, matte and backing) or 20"×20" clip frames (with glass and backing).
The prices could not have been better - $19.95 for the wood frame and only $5.95 for the 'clip' frame. I loaded up on the 'clip' frames, which is my preference for presenting photographs. I find traditional framing and matting to be a bit too distracting for my taste.
The only problem that I encountered was the fact that the car was jammed to the roof with cabinetry so I was limited to the number of 'clip' frames I could buy. That being the case, I am actually looking forward to my next trip to the NJ wasteland.
Reader Comments (5)
On a practical note regarding the clip frames: how do you set the hanging wire? I also like these frames but have moved away from the as I can't find a really satisfactory way of setting a wire to them.
The area sure smells alot better than it did when I was a kid. In fact, the Newark Airport was the place to roll up the windows and close the vents because Elizabeth smelled awful. We never could have had our picnic of hot dogs and cookies on the loading doc of IKEA back in the 70's.
You can now paddle around in the waterwarys surrounding the Meadowlands, (referred to in the 30s, when my parents lived in nearby Jersey City, as "the Dumps") which has cleaned itself up considerably - I bet if you did, you would wind up with photos you liked.
Mark and "wife" --
Paddy around the waterways? You got to be kidding. The "terrorist police" would be on you in a minute with 10 or more gun boats and at least five helicopters. It's not the act of paddling around the area, but the fact that you' dare pull out a camera to make some art.
I love the smell of particle-board in the morning. But seriously, thanks for the heads up - I have some Holga work I need to frame, and this sounds like the right size/price for the application. Thanks! - JR
Hey, Martin - these clip frames have a center-mounted mounting plate on the backing - no need for wire.
Joe - I knew someone would find these things useful. Long live square!