First Specimens From the Archives

Thanks to the modern miracle of a now-functioning scanner, I am pleased to offer the first specimens from the Framing Counter archives. In spite of my caution in avoiding naming the individual for whom the Framing Counter was dedicated, I noticed several of these historic renderings reveal his identity. After much consideration and counseling with various legal advisers, public relations specialists and other persons, the overwhelming verdict was "aw, who gives a crap?" It was at that juncture I opted to proceed with letting the cat (or dare I say catlike toupee) out of the bag.

The specimens are all scanned from the original scraps of paper which happened to be lying around awaiting embellishment. You may notice the worn edges, pieces of tape still clinging to the paper, rips and wrinkles and the occasional worn spots where the text has been eroded away. I will do my best to guess what the missing links may be, but hopefully seeing the original forms will bring back many funny memories. Without further delay, here are today's contributions:

Specimen 1- The Original Manic Toupee (Circa 1997)

The origin of this specimen dates to the earliest days of the counter. If memory serves this was the first contribution I made to the counter. When parents were encouraged to not bring their children to a musical written and produced by Our Follicularly Challenged Friend, I knew the true reason why. Corporate said animals were frightening the children. They were right, an animal hairpiece was chasing the children.

Thanks to the positive feedback I received from this addition to the counter, I was inspired to continue to strain for any chance to add more to it. If any specimen is to be blamed or credited for what came after, this is the one.

Specimen 2- One of the First Book Idea Contributions (origin date unknown)

As the months and years of my time at Deseret Book passed, we observed an ever increasing canon of inspirational additions to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. People of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds had Chicken Soup books tailored just for them. I dedicated this volume to all people who had too much Chicken Soup. The specimen speaks for itself.

One might also call this one of the first additions to the Matt Macey Procrastinated Literary Library filled with volumes of books which only exist as an idea. The library continues to grow while nothing tangible is ever produced. I'll do it tomorrow...

Specimen 3- Products Which I'm Surprised Were Never Actually Made

I believe this specimen is circa 1998. When we got new products which seemed to make no sense, the floodgates of imagination opened and often these informative brochures for my SinbolArts line would come into existence. From T-Shirts to CTR Rings to LDS Tattoos, SinbolArts had it all. Many more specimens from this line will appear in time.