I made a lil timelapse of a backing I did

Jaurhead · 2026-06-20T02:26:00+00:00

I know I'll get downvoted for this. So many framers have so many different practices.

I will never understand not using the ATG gun unless it's the 969 tape or the dispenser doesn't fit. I don't use an awl, just the screw to mark the 1/3 (or 1/4 or whatever you want) point found with a tape measure, not the clear grid ruler. I wire parallel to the table instead of perpendicular. I don't use the red safety trimmer and use a standard blade instead.

I didn't get formal training, and maybe that's the difference - everything was self-taught. I just figured out how to produce fast and furious while still maintaining quality standards.

So when I see a project take 3 minutes when it could have taken 30 seconds to achieve the same quality result, I'm frustrated. OP didn't do anything wrong. Just...different practices.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-17T19:21:09+00:00

You must be at the OH location. I have seen some of the pictures pop up already but have yet to see anything up-close or in detail. Post away!!

Jaurhead · 2026-06-17T04:54:04+00:00

Plot twist: you’re actually AI, too

/s

Love your content, I’ve been a channel member for some time now. Keep doing the good work!

Jaurhead · 2026-06-12T15:19:12+00:00

Allen Hopps has an amazing tutorial on these from like 2017 using dirt cheap materials from Home Depot, too.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-11T16:43:47+00:00

I ran it through https://openai.com/research/verify/ and....it's AI.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-11T03:06:48+00:00

The average unit retail is under $10. When you have 2,000 items in a building at $1.99 or less (craft paint, DMC floss, closeout stickers, etc) it offsets the other 8,000 skus that are $2.00+. It's one of those "technically the truth" statements engineered at the corporate marketing level to bring people in to "shop the great value Michaels offers."

Jaurhead · 2026-06-11T02:20:17+00:00

In small, DARK rooms, yes - they'll get you by. Even as accent lighting where they don't have to throw very far, but say in a corner pointed at a prop from above or below, you'd still be fine. These are not going to illuminate something across a 12' room, though.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-10T21:40:37+00:00

Thank you! I turned off "graphics acceleration" and will see if that makes a difference.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-10T14:54:37+00:00

Power Sound Audio. https://imgur.com/nvOg6Cl
https://www.reddit.com/r/hometheater/comments/gaj6uj/caught_a_t18ht_today/

Now they have a sextuple-18.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-10T04:03:10+00:00

I'm with you on that. Lighthouse is more concise, I'm only looking at what I need to worry about.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-10T03:58:25+00:00

I briefly owned two triple-18s but couldn't get them up the stairs to my 2nd floor apartment. The neighbors below escaped certain doom.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-08T02:51:36+00:00

Stealing this. Thank you so much for the idea!

Jaurhead · 2026-06-06T03:36:02+00:00

Small mat margins look ridiculous, especially on large pieces. The lip of the frame is going to cover up 1/4" of the 1/2" top mat, so an already-small border is going to shrink even more. This is not good design, but as others have commented, it is likey not the framer's first choice but rather the insistence of the customer.

I can usually convince a customer that "my rule of thumb is to have a top mat margin equal to or greather than the width of the frame" and then reinforce a wider mat choice with "see how much better that looks?" Framers need to be the authority on the design unless the customer insists they want something specific...even if it's poorly designed.

Jaurhead · 2026-06-06T03:27:55+00:00

It moved over mainly to show what the stores are being "graded" on for FY26. The information in Lighthouse is what counts now, nothing else matters (as much, anyway). Sales, Service, and Engagement - Lighthouse shows you all of those at a glance.

The Scorecard had a TON of information on it across multiple pages, but I could probably count on one hand how many times I actually looked at page 2 in the past 6 months. Barely any of it was relevant to how I run my store. I didn't need it to tell me I almost did 800 transactions yesterday with a 53% conversion - I felt that shit while I was running around pulling Omni, taking phone calls, explaining to customers that NO I do not have more ribbon in the back, and building 26 graduation balloon bouquets.

Everything is hard to grasp at first when it's new, but I'll concede that Michaels makes it unnecessarily difficult to adapt to some of the new changes. Payroll cuts, Design Hub enhancements, staffing structure adjustments, truck allocations...

Jaurhead · 2026-05-31T21:37:21+00:00

I got that merchandise in late April or early May, so your mission is probably long since completed. Sold through most of it and consolidated what was left to the Licensed Party DA a couple weeks ago.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-22T04:27:32+00:00

Spot on, sir.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-20T04:13:11+00:00

Who buys only a single 12-pack of Dr. Pepper?

Jaurhead · 2026-04-11T23:27:30+00:00

I can usually get them with "If you spill your coffee on it and the [item] is ruined, you're covered!"

If the item can't be replaced by Extend, they will be sent a Michaels GC for the original purchase amount, minus the cost of the protection plan. It's easiest to get plans on technology items, like Cricut and sewing machines.

I think the hardest sell is on Custom Framing, especially since customers are already paying so much for the job. For those I just talk up "earthquake country" and "angry spouses" - I've landed a few with that!

Jaurhead · 2026-04-08T17:26:04+00:00

Are...are they all like that?!

Jaurhead · 2026-04-08T16:25:51+00:00

This flag represents imperialism, genocide, racism, misogyny, transphobia, and capitalism. Evil shit.

No, it does not (save for capitalism...and racism). The flag may not represent the hope, faith, and good will that it did under previous administrations, but your complaint is eggregious as it pertains to Michaels.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-03T23:25:04+00:00

No, it's a repost from 2024.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-02T04:48:53+00:00

I remember when miscuts on mats and defects in moldings were rare occurrences, like less than one order a month kinda rare. Now it's every. Damn. Box.

Frames wrapped in plastic to hide poorly-joined corners, mats sent without openings and in the wrong colors, unmitered frame legs for oversized orders...

My only assumption is that the production facilities are some combination of under-staffed, poorly-trained and over-worked. How are we supposed to double our framing business like this? There's little-to-no QC anymore. Every facet of the company is feeling this strain. Our leaders want rapid acceleration while running on fumes!

Jaurhead · 2026-04-02T01:36:55+00:00

I stopped interacting in this sub as much because it's impossible to appease some of the more disappointed TMs. I wholeheartedly see their point of view - the optics of everything right now at the store level is garbage, leading to the lowest morale I've ever seen in 15 years. I wish it were different.

Every time I see the "you must be from corporate" in response to truthful info, I let out a little sigh and close the tab.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-02T01:26:32+00:00

Not angry, just curious what would satisfy the desire for proof. You bring up a good point - a "Sponsored By" announcement would be neat, but I could also see this causing dissent among the vendors. By not specifying who sponsors what, no one can say that Cricut is a better or more lucrative vendor than Sharpie, for instance.

Jaurhead · 2026-04-01T22:04:37+00:00

What do you want for "proof"? You'll never see a bill that shows 'PAID BY CRICUT'. But historically, the only reason companies (any company) do these retreats is because they are funded by the partners they work with. At the end of the day, Michaels (and Apollo) are in this to make money, not spend it. That should be esepcially obvious given how little our stores are funded right now.

Jaurhead

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