If you're looking for a Christmas gift idea for the artisan in your life, or if you simply have an appreciation for craftsmanship and would like to learn some new skills, I highly recommend a recent release from Hardie Grant called Made To Last. The author, Vanessa Murray, has profiled 50 artisans from around the world, describing their tools, working processes and even offering DIY projects. The book covers a broad range of trades, from bakers to taxidermists, beekeepers to

I was recently asked to reframe an original piece of art which had spent the last couple of years inside a cheap, store-bought frame. When I removed the mat, this is what I found underneath: At first I thought the difference in colour between the matted area and the rest of the paper was caused by the mat itself as non-archival mat boards contain acids and other pollutants which can react with the paper. However, when I turned the paper over, I realised it was in fact the un-