Once Upon A Frame

I referred to Once Upon A Frame by a friend and they did an amazing job. I worked with Nadia and she was so great during the entire process. I fell in love with a closed corner frame that was discontinued and they went above and beyond to find another manufacturer who could make the frame for me. And to boot, they did all of this during the holiday season and got the frame to me so quickly. I used to work as a custom framer and am VERY picky and I was blown away at how great of a job they did. I would recommend anyone to use them. Their price point is very reasonable and they were very helpful in getting me both the look and the price that I wanted. I will not go anywhere else to frame, these guys are the best!

I was blown away by the quality, customer service, and beautiful frame I received. They went above and beyond by completing my frame in less than a week and they delivered it to my door.
I didn’t understand what a frame could do until I saw the final product. It is art. Thank you Yale, Jim and Nadia for such amazing work.
You won’t be disappointed with this team of talented designers!

Yael helped me frame two Kevin Connors photographs of my family. They rock the house! I get so many compliments on the photograph AND the frame! Once we had begun talking frames, I mentioned I had a lot of framed things waiting to go on a wall… this led to Yael coming over to hang things with artistic ability! (A service for which I gladly paid her) My whole house was perked up! Later, I inherited an oil painting from 1854. It was an oil painting in a frame — no glass. Yael helped me get the right «museum» glass for this beautiful old thing that was definitely in need of protection from my nerf gun weilding children.
I really can’t believe I didn’t come straight to Unilocal and review them. It’s been a while since all the above happened. My friend just asked me for the name of my framer so I googled it and landed on this Unilocal page. Then I started looking at the reviews. There’s no way you could give these guys less than 5 stars. That’s an impossible thing to say, but it’s true. It just is.

Excellent framing work for a fair price. This is the place to go if you want to frame something better than in the generic style of Aaron Brothers or Ikea frames.
I have been bringing my items to Yael (and Jimmy) for years. Back when their frame shop was tucked away in one of their homes. Their current location is easy to find and offers free parking.
Yael is wonderful at eyeballing a piece of art and then selecting a number of attractive choices to frame it. She was also extremely warm and diplomatic in dealing with the whims of my eight year old daughter. I had brought in a photo timeline of my daughter’s life that she had put together with her teacher in class. It was too precious to not have framed. Yael pulled a number of lovely frame and matting choices for it. It came back to me looking stunning. Maybe even a little too stunning. My daughter’s father admired it so much that I ended up giving it to him as a Christmas gift. He cherishes it. Luckily, I have duplicates of the photos and will be asking Yeal to frame those next… for me.
One interesting side note: They will come over to your home or office (at no charge) to hang the finished piece for you.

I couldn’t be happier with the service that I received and the help from the Once Upon a Frame Team. Nadia, Yael, and Jimmy were fantastic. I had recently bought an autographed worls series picture and wanted it to stand out. They made sure it did with the fantastic frame they picked out as well as the non-​reflective glass! (It’s more $$ but absolutely worth it !). I would recommend them to anyone and wouldn’t go anywhere else in the future for my framing needs!

I had some old rock posters sitting in my house for two years and finally took them over to Once Upon a Frame to see what they could do.
Wow.
Mind you, I have the home decorating sense of a pot-​bellied pig, so all of the prints and posters in my house sit in chintzy black frames and cheap glass.
Jimmy took a look at my prints, collected my info, and showed me around the studio to get some ideas. But he said that Yael would take a look and call me, which she did about a day later. She had ideas. She was passionate. She buzzed with enthusiasm and we talked for quite some time, so she could get a feel of what I was looking for and what kind of vibe would work with my house. She sent me an estimate that included a generous discount, simply because I was giving her five or so pieces to frame. With that many pieces in play, that is a generous discount and I was massively appreciative.
Then I went back to my dogs, my job, and the rest of my life. I figured I’d get the prints in a month or so.
In an unrelated matter, I jumped back on online dating and went out with a woman who spent the majority of the first ten minutes of the date complaining about how «stupid» and «dumb» her co-​workers were. Please note that this is not a terribly effective strategy for looking sexy to other people.
Anyway, back to the frames. Two weeks later I get a call from Yale. She’s fired up. The prints were done and she wanted to bring them by and hang them. That’s right– delivery and hanging were part of the deal! Considering how inept I am at things like decorating and the like, I gratefully accepted her offer and a couple of days later, she was at my house with my five prints.
They look forking amazing. These weren’t cheap black frames– she used quirky, stylish frames and different-​colored matting that brought out the various themes in each of the prints. She walked around the house, scoping out locations and finally hung all five. When she saw another print I had, leaning up against a wall (it had been there for two years – again, no sense of décor…), she picked that up and hung it on a wall, too.
If you’re in North County, there’s no need to go to one of those crappy discount do-​it-​yourself places. Take it to Once Upon a Frame and get something unique. And they’ll deliver, too!

Yael is awesome. I had some neat posters that I needed framed on a budget for my bar and I didn’t have the time to think about frames or colors. I just told her my budget and she took care of the rest, really happy with the final product too! Looks great! And she will deliver and hang your piece? NICE! What more could you ask for in a frame shop? Thanks Yael!

Fabulous work! Yael and Nadia are wonderful and fun to work with! They are truly professional, and efficient. I love how they tackle projects as a team and with an unique and creative approach to the framing, as well as the installation. They just completed two projects in my home, and also turned around an unattractive hallway of kids portraits into a pleasing display in less then 10 minutes. The first project features art from my elementary school age children. We now we have a happy wall in our family room! The second project was the framing and installation of colorful artwork of South American Indians. They brought this artwork to life that was held hostage for nearly 40 years, originally from my parents South American tour in the 70’s. Now we have completed 3.5 unique projects that are unique, playful and catchy that brings delight to all that enter our home. I can’t wait to embark on our next amazing adventure together!

I have had quite a few pieces framed by Yael. I recently took in a flag that had been flown over a naval facility as an honor to my late husband. Most flags are just folded and put in a case but Yael did an amazing job framing it along with some other items so it looks very unique. I ended up having her frame other items and she always comes up with an original approach with beautiful materials. She’s also hung all of my artwork which makes it even more fun. Yael has such an enthusiastic artist and Nadia and Jimmy round out a great team. I wouldn’t use anyone else for framing now that I have worked with these talented people.

Jim, Yael and Nadia at Once Upon a Frame are simply the best at what they do. I had a very valuable piece of signed art that I wanted framed — their work was simply amazing. The attention to detail and service level overall was unmatched. Yael has a very creative /​unique ability to understand what the client wants while also guiding to the right aesthetic for the work. JIm is not just a framer but a craftsman, who’s work is truly unparalleled when it comes to finish and detail. The best part is they are just good people too…

a classic place with a wonderful vibe. jimmy and yaelly offer not only selection, but experience. if you need your piece framed perfectly, the first time, head on over to north cedros.

Exceptional. I had three antique prints framed and the team at Once Upon A Frame completely went above and beyond my expectations in their work. What was so amazing is that when I went home and looked even more closely at the frames, all the little details that make a high quality product started to pop out to me. They are aware of the overall impact of a frame as well as the little details that make it unique and special. This is a sign of superior craftsmanship and thoughtfulness.
If you would like a product that is designed and executed with creativity, thoughtfulness, attention to detail, high quality materials, and integrity – you would be wise to go to Once Upon A Frame

Yael went above and beyond my expectations, completely helpful and professional. I highly recommend her work and Once Upon a Frame. Everyone from our team said how much they meeting Yael and enjoy her personality. I can’t say enough, honestly.

I recently had an occasion to frame a unique item as a thank you gift for a client. I presented a general sketch of my design idea, and then Yael, Jimmy, and Nadia blew the doors off my expectations with such a remarkable presentation that I was flat out amazed anyone could think so creatively, let alone execute the idea with such clean lines.
Beyond the finished product, the team was super conscientious about my timeline, and made sure to get the job done before my client’s short visit to town. Lastly, while the pricing was reasonable, the service and attention to detail would easily justify a premium.
I trust these guys on all key points. Highly recommended.

Once upon a frame is amazing, and Yael is even more amazing. She is truly passionate about what she does and her enthusiasm is infectious. We asked her to frame a mosaic for our nursery school, and she offered to drive down to the location to see it there and brought over a bunch of samples. She was also incredibly kind and generous on the pricing and she helped us get an AMAZING deal on a one of a kind frame.

Once upon a Frame does an amazing job. I just brought in a piece for my best friend to be framed for her son’s nursery. It came out perfect. I have been doing business here for many, many years. Their frame selection, creativity, quality workmanship and good energy are all off the charts exceptional. Thanks again Once upon a Frame!

Yael, Nadia, and Jimmy are awesome. They do top-​notch work at a great price and with amazing service to match. I love everything about this shop and plan to do all of my framing with them from now on.
Once Upon A Frame has framed work for us for my company’s office as well as for me personally. You can meet with the design team, tell them what you’re looking for, and they’ll provide excellent recommendations. Their turn-​around time is great and they really go out of their way to help. This level of service is unheard of at big chain stores like Aaron Brothers and really goes to show the reason why supporting local businesses is best.

Yael and Jimmy are so creative and nice to work with. They offer unique styles of framing — very cool and artistic. Thank you on behalf of the Rancho Santa Fe Unit of Rady Children’s Hospital Auxiliary.