Conversation Piece

The first time my name appeared in The New York Times was in January of 2013. I had submitted an anecdote to their weekly column called Metropolitan Diary, and it had been printed! I had recently worked with a client who had also been included in Metropolitan Diary, as did her husband at another time. Both columns had been framed and hung in their kitchen.

So when my story got printed, I decided to get it ready for framing. Rather than cutting it out of the newspaper and watching it yellow, I contacted my colleague Cyndi Shattuck, who is an archivist. I sent her a link to the article as it appeared on the New York Times website, and also sent her what it looked like in the print edition. She returned to me a beautifully laid out and easy-to-read version printed on card stock.

Three months later, I was in the Times again, interviewed for a column called Market Ready, which appears in the weekly Real Estate Section. This was especially exciting, as it was related to my professional expertise. And then two months after that, my husband was in the Times television listings. I contacted Cyndi, and she prepared both for framing.

For several years, these ready-for-framing printouts sat in my closet. Despite my desire to frame them, I wasn’t quite sure where to hang them. The natural place would be in my home office. However, my home office is in the corner of my living room, and I didn’t know if it would work with my decor — and if it would be too boastful — if we hung these there.

The final push came in December of last year when I was once again in the Times, this time in an article called “The Post-Holiday Clutter Purge”. Not only was I quoted, but my picture was included! I contacted Cyndi once again, and she did a masterful layout featuring the entire article, my photo, and another photo of my closet that appeared only in the on-line version.

Now that I had four Times features, I was finally ready to display them. Over the summer, I took them to the local framing shop. The framer complimented me on my decision to have the articles reprinted on acid-free card stock rather trying to frame the original newspaper articles. Once they were ready, I cleared off the artwork that appeared on the wall of my home office, over my computer. I figured out the best way to arrange the new pieces and hung them up.

I’m quite delighted with the way they look! They complement that wall much better than the two mismatched pieces of art I had there before. And they have become a conversation piece.

From working with over 300 clients in their homes, I know that many people have items hidden in their closets that they planned to display, but something got in the way. If that sounds like you, I suggest you get those things out of your closet and figure out the best way to display them. Whether they are photos that feature significant people in your life, or certificates that represent achievements you are particularly proud of, or memorabilia from important moments, they are doing you no good sitting in a closet or a drawer. Honor those special people or memories by getting them out there!

I’m getting so much pleasure from having my framed items up on the wall, and I guarantee that you will enjoy getting yours out of the closet, too. If you need an archivist’s help, I recommend you contact Cyndi Shattuck Archiving. In addition to getting your documents ready for framing, she can help with making high-quality photo albums.

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