Have you ever gone to a event and got to meet some of the stars? I surely do. As a kid, I remember chasing after NFL stars when they would come down for the Pro Bowl every year. It was a thrill to meet some of my childhood heroes and be able to get their autographs. Today, it goes beyond just sports and goes into the realm of entertainment. Mixed martial arts is very popular right now and with Hawaii based fighters like B.J. Penn and Chris Leben leading the way, we have a new generation of fans that are clamoring for a piece of the stars of that sport.

Recently, I had the pleasure of framing a sample of some autographed memorabilia from UFC ring girl Arianny Celeste. I started with a signed version of the outfit she uses at the televised events, an 8″ x 10″ photo,  a photo of Arianny actually signing the clothes, and an autographed sports card of her.

I designed the shadowbox in a way that would highlight each individual item while preserving both the monetary and sentimental value of the piece. I used a triple layer acid-free mat, museum glass, and our new line of opalescent metallic frames with a 2″ black suede liner. To highlight the signed outfit, I did a 1/4″ black channel groove around it. This helped to square off the piece and to focus your attention on the item. Add to this the protection and clarity of museum glass and the preservation properties of tack mounting, and we have a piece that is both gorgeous and preserved.

This piece was a lot of fun to design, and our factory staff did a beautiful job of bringing it to life. Seeing the completed memorabilia all framed up brought back some fond memories of my youth and flooded my head with all the possibilities that I could do with some of my most prized pieces. The collectibles that most people collect sit idle in boxes and bags in the back of closets. Many of them will either be forgotten or damaged. Just think that if we can do this for this piece, what can we do for yours?

Tags: Arianny, autographed, samples, shadowbox, UFC