Tag Archive for Leather

Finao iPad App Update

app

For those of you who use the FINAO DESIGNER iPad App, you’ve got an update waiting!  31 New materials have been added and all those pesky material restrictions have been done away with!

Now for some design advice from @FinaoAlbums:

Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD. You’re welcome.

TWEET THIS!

As much as it hurts sometimes (LOL cringe), we won’t play taste-police when it comes to mixing leathers and fabrics, but we would recommend that you choose a leather to go over the spine if you choose to feature an accent material there.  It’s just wears better over time and is more sturdy than fabric.  This is especially important when picking a leather to go with a specialty cover like the acrylic ICE or metal ARMOUR.

  • For current app users, your update should be waiting for you in your App Store.
  • And for those of you who are behind the times, get caught up and DOWNLOAD NOW or find the app in the iTunes Store.

Here are a few teasers to get your creative juices flowing:

3Tone with Brass Monkey, Chiara and Drifter

3Tone with Brass Monkey, Chiara and Drifter

 

Finao-Carrigan-Trevi-iPad

TooTone with Carrigan and Trevi accent.

 

Finao-Chyna-50Shades-iPad

TooTone with Chyna and 50 Shades accent. Flipbook style.

 

Finao-Corruption-Cu29-iPad

TooTone with Corruption and Cu29 accent.

Leagalese: The Finao Designer iPad app is intended for use designing covers for the Finao ONE/artONE flush mount albums only.  Other album lines may have different cover designs and/or cover material options/restrictions. Please refer to the Finao website for details on availability for specific album lines.

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

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Swatch Kit Updates

Are your Finao swatches up-to-date?

Finao leather tin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s what you can do:

1. Check out this detailed blog post and compare it with what you’ve got.

2. If you have a leather kit, make sure that you have the version of the Fragments card that has the red leather “Love Junky” on it.  Also make sure you have the “Urban Legends” suedes and “Mixed Bag” card in your leather kit.

If you do not have one/any of these, leave a note at the end of your checkout when you’re ordering your update kits and say you need the whole card of (Fragments/Urban Legends/Mixed Bag) with your update.

3. If your swatches are totally old-school, the leathers may be glued down instead of removable as they are now.  If this is the case, contact us and we’ll help you get it all worked out.

(NOTE: the Non-Leather swatches are supposed to be permanently affixed to the card, it’s just the leathers that are supposed to be removable.)

4. ORDER YOUR SWATCH UPDATE KITS:

(TIP: Scroll down below the photo and whole swatch kit order link to the darkened box with the red border for each update kit)

Finao Leather Update Kit

Finao NON-Leather Update Kit

(NOTE: You’ll save $5 in the cart when you order both update kits together)

5. If you’ve NEVER ordered Finao swatches before and you’re wondering why you just read this whole thing, no worries!  We can help you find out what swatch kits you’ll want based on the products you want to sell in your studio.  Just check out the SWATCH KITS section on the website or shoot an email to info@finao.com

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

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Valentease ‘em

love-junky

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so get in the mood with Finao’s ultra sexy leathers, linens and silks and get under our covers!

Love Junky from Finao’s “Fragments” collection of leathers is anything but boring.  From it’s seductive suede finish to the tantalizing texture and tooling, this luscious leather will have you, and especially your clients, completely addicted!

Love Junky is a heavily patterned leather so it works great on it’s own, or paired with a plain material or one in a similar hue, or create a bold streak of contrast with a shiny patent leather like Red Light District, Sunday Shoes or Something Wicked.  Perfect for a steamy boudoir session, classy winter wedding, and still playful enough to add some fun and whimsey to a kid’s photo album for a child & family portrait session!  Love Junky will have you head over heels!

Available on Finao ONE & artONE flush mount albums as well as Finao Elements self mount albums.

Love Junky - MainPaired with (Left to Right, then up) Passion, Red Light District, Something Wicked, Miami Ink, Suspicion, Optimism, Harlow

Love Junky – Main
Paired with (Left to Right, then up) Passion, Red Light District, Something Wicked, Miami Ink, Suspicion, Optimism, Harlow

 

Lip Lock, a lascivious silk from Finao’s Midtown collection, will leave you breathless so make sure to come up for air.  Lip Lock and all of the Finao non-leathers are available on Finao ONE flush mount albums, Finao playBOOK photo books and Finao Elements self mount albums as well as Xcetra Folios.

Main - Lip Lockbottom left - Gothika, bottom right - Whiteout

Main – Lip Lock
bottom left – Gothika, bottom right – Whiteout

 

Strut your stuff in the Red Light District. Get a shine for real patent finished leather (no vinyl here) and check out Something Wicked and Sunday Shoes too!

Red Light District, Sunday Shoes, Something Wicked.Genuine patent leathers from Finao.

Red Light District, Sunday Shoes, Something Wicked.
Genuine patent leathers from Finao.

 

Let your Passion run wild and mingle this luxurious hand-finished leather with something on the wild side…

Left-PassionTop-Kitty Kitty, Middle-Patina, Bottom-Racing Stripes

Left-Passion
Top-Kitty Kitty, Middle-Patina, Bottom-Racing Stripes

 

 

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

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New Cover Materials!!

Finao Leather - The Nines Collection

It’s been a long time coming, but they’re finally here!  Finao has 30 new delicious materials and a new specialty cover to add to the hundred+ tempting textures and luscious leathers we already offer!  Not only are there new options, but the way you can use your materials on the ONE and artONE has become simpler too: Anything goes! If you want a leatherette with a leather, or a silk with a leatherette, go ahead! Who follows rules anyway, right?  For more on this, please see the Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes blog post.

Due to the high demand, new swatch kits (for those of you who don’t have swatches) and new update kits (for those of you who already have swatches – GO YOU!) are available now for pre-order and swatches are expected to ship by early October.

And because you’re so studious and actually took the time to come here and read this, you not only get a gold star, but you also get an exclusive sneak peek of what’s new and what’s changed!!

The Finao Leather Collection

ACCENTS: Added Harlow & Trevi. Update kit will include a new card with these two materials on it and you’ll move your old materials to the new card.

The Accents Collection

The Accents Collection

BASICS: Added 50 Shades & Carrigan. Discontinued Shroom & Dubonnet. Update kit will include a new card with these two new materials on it, spaces for the discontinued materials will be eliminated, and you’ll simply move the remaining materials from the old card to the new card.

Finao Leather The Basics Collection

The Basics Collection

FRAGMENTS: Added Chyna. Update kit will include a new card with this material on it and you’ll move your old materials to the new card.

Finao Leather The Fragments Collection

The Fragments Collection

MIXED BAG: Added Corruption leather & Serenity laminate specialty cover. Update kit will include a new card with these two materials on it and you’ll move your old materials to the new card.

Finao Leather and Specialty Covers: Mixed Bag Collection

The Mixed Bag Collection

PLAYGROUND: This is an entirely new collection of handmade papers strictly for use on Finao playPAL mini duplicate books. playPALS must be ordered with a flush mount ONE or artONE album.

Finao Playground Collection

The Playground Collection

THE COLOURS: This collection name has been discontinued along with four leathers from the original collection – Jester, Lobster, Scotch Pine & Idol Eyes. You will move the remaining leathers from your original Colours card to the new updated Tricycle Alley card.

TRICYCLE ALLEY: Four leathers from this original collection have been discontinued to make room for the 4 materials from the old Colours collection. We’ve discontinued Jelly Bean, Sunshine, Mauvelous & Zonk Blue.

Finao Leather - the new Tricycle Alley Collection

The Tricycle Alley Collection

PARAPHERNALIA: This card of fabrics was originally included in the leather kit because it was only available with the flush mount ONE album. Now it is available across all Finao album lines, so we’ve moved it to the Finao Non-Leather Swatch Kit.

ALL THAT JAZZ: No changes have been made to this collection.

URBAN LEGENDS: No changes have been made to this collection.

 

AND NOW, to take it to the next level, we’re proud to introduce Finao plusONE materials!

These material collections are exclusive to the Finao ONE and artONE flush mount albums and can be used as an accent stripe with any other Finao standard material for no additional cost, OR for those who really want the wow factor with more than a stripe, you may choose to upgrade your material to a plusONE material for an upgrade price. There are two collections that fall under the plusONE upgrade material category:

ZUMANITY: The totally wild collection that was once an optional card is now included in new leather collections and is also provided with the leather update kit. We added 5 NEW MATERIALSFeather Pillow, Satin Sheets, Glitteratzi, Holy Cow & Icelandia, and discontinued El Tigre.

Finao plusONE material upgrade The Zumanity Collection

The Zumanity Collection

THE NINES: This is a BRAND NEW COLLECTION of gorgeous leathers that belong to the exclusive plusONE upgrade material category.

Finao Leather - The Nines Collection

The Nines Collection

 

The Finao Non-Leather Collection

(All non-leathers can now be used across all Finao album lines)

ADDICTION: This is an entirely new collection of tempting textiles that can be used across all Finao album lines.

Finao Fabric - The Addiction Collection

The Addiction Collection

MIDTOWN: Another entirely new collection of luxurious linens and silks. Some of you may already have this card, but it will be in the update kit again for those who missed it’s launch earlier this year.

Finao fabric - the Midtown collection

The Midtown Collection

PARAPHERNALIA: This card of high-end fabrics used to be exclusive to Finao ONE and artONE flush mount albums and was only available in the Leather Swatch Kit.  It is now available across all Finao album lines and has been moved to the Non-Leather Swatch Kit and will come standard in new swatch kits and will also be included in the Non-Leather Update Kit.

BROCADES: We’ve said goodbye to six of these silks and condensed the original two Brocade cards down to one. We’ve discontinued Chai, Geisha, Karakane, Sandalwood, Sapphire & Shanghi. Update kits will include the new condensed card so you can put aside your old Brocade cards. Discontinued materials will still be available to order as supplies last.

The Brocades Collection

The Brocades Collection

MIDDLE EARTH: We’ve said goodbye to four of these materials and condensed the original two Middle Earth cards down to one. We’ve discontinued Amber Brew, Green Eyed Girl, Pot O’Gold & Blue Moon. Update kits will include the new condensed card so you can put aside your old Middle Earth cards. Discontinued materials will still be available to order as supplies last.

The Middle Earth Collection

The Middle Earth Collection

ECLECTIC LOOKS: No changes to this collection.

GARBO: No changes to this collection.

HAPPY COW: No changes to this collection.

HAUTE COLOUR: No changes to this collection.

Please note that all discontinued materials will still be available to order as supplies last, but we will not be replenishing our stock as it runs out.  Please check with us First before ordering or have a 2nd choice material ready.

We had so much fun hand picking these beautiful materials and many of them were custom created just for us! You’re not going to find anything else like them on the market and we hope you and your clients will love them just as much as we do!  Don’t be left behind, pre-order your new swatch kits or update kits now!

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Album Envelope for ONE & artONE

Sometimes the presentation is just as important as what lies inside.  Little touches that show extra care and consideration were taken when delivering a high-quality item add to the unique experience and excitement that make Finao albums truly special.  Bearing this in mind, we are thrilled to introduce the newest option for unique and personalized presentation: the Album Envelope.

The Album Envelope is available only with your Finao ONE and artONE flush mount album orders (sizes 8×8 and larger).  Each Album Envelope is custom crafted to fit the unique dimensions of your completed album.  The Envelope will utilize the same material or materials that you chose for your album and Finao’s talented craftsmen will choose which materials work best for the main and accent to ensure the absolute best for your presentation.  And yes, it is also available when you choose one of our front-panel specialty album covers like ICE, Armour or Erotika.  Each Envelope is fabric lined to compliment your chosen materials and add a layer of protection for the treasure inside.  In the album order form, when you are asked if you would like an Album Envelope, simply choose “Yes” and upgrade your presentation to a new level.

 

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

BEHIND THE SCENES: LEATHER

Finao has always been known for it’s totally unique leather options. The layers and depth of color, aged patinas and distressed looks that give each leather it’s distinct concept are all achieved by hand-finishing techniques. Skilled leather workers are true artists and hides are their canvases. We thought we’d share a little behind-the-scenes peek at some of what goes into the hand-finishing process.  Enjoy!

Applying color to a hide.

Hides have rough, uneven edges as you may have learned in our earlier post “Is it Leather?

Layers and layers of color are added by hand.

Dyes are rubbed onto the surface of the hide one layer at a time, drying in-between, and adding-in various shades, layer by layer, to create each color concept.

High quality leather has character.

Wrinkles, creases and scars are natural markings that are inherent with many high-quality leathers and add to the character and uniqueness of the hand-finished color and embossing techniques.

Take a look at some very short video clips of how it’s done!

Hand-application of color:

Distressing leather:

For more, make sure to check out the post titled “Is it Leather?

Jamie Westman

Jamie Westman

Jamie is Finao's resident Guidance Guru and Marketing Assistant to the Queen of All Things Finabulous, Christine Perry-burke.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook

Is it Leather???

Recently an album manufacturer disclosed that the material they had been selling as leather was, in fact, not leather.  They said it was an honest mistake and they had been misled by the company they bought the product from.

In light of this, I thought it might be time for a short lesson on leather.

Finao uses very high quality leather.  It comes shaped sorta’ like a cow or other animals.  Pretty gross if you think about it, as I’m a vegetarian, the whole shape thing can get to me.  It has imperfections and even holes.  We work around this to find the nicest cut we can.  This is especially important in textures like Sagebrush Lizard, Bohemian, Ipinema and Komodo Dragon.  We make every effort to cut so the pattern is accentuated.  This means there is a lot of waste, a lot of waste!  So we not only use top quality leather, but we also have about half the yield per hide.

Leather comes in different thicknesses and the back can have a shag.  These thicker leathers need to be “shimmed” to fit better when two leathers are joined or “shaved” when the back side shag would leave bumps in your album.  Just sayin’, it takes a lot of material, skilled workers and time to make the best album for your clients.

We also offer our Happy Cow fabrics that are not leather.  No mistaking the difference.  Happy Cow comes on a roll and has a backing.  It’s nice and even and perfect.  Because it’s on a roll we can get the maximum yield.  Happy Cow products are also high-quality, PVC-free materials and work well on album covers. They also shouldn’t be confused with something called “bonded leather” which is like comparing bologna to a filet mignon.  They are simply not leather.

I hope these pictures and this brief explanation can show that there is no mistaking leather and non-leather.  Honest or not – they are not the same product and you can’t miss the obvious.  At Finao we know the difference and we want you to know that when you deliver a beautiful leather album to your clients you’re getting the real thing.

Please enjoy our iPhone photo tour of our material storage racks. :)

Real leather comes in the shape of animals

 

Real leather looks like leather on the backside

Real leather has major imperfections we must trim around, see the image below, so we get less useable material from each hide.  It also has subtle imperfections which add to the richness of the finished album

Non-Leather as you can see below is easy to spot and there is no mistake that it can be a real animal hide.  Notice how it comes on a roll like wrapping paper and how it has a distinct man made texture to the back.

 

 

Christine Perry-Burke

Christine Perry-Burke

Managing Partner and "queen" of Finao. I'm responsible for all the cool materials and products at Finao. A vegetarian and animal lover to my core, we run a dog friendly office. I believe Finao should be a good corporate citizen and tread lightly on our planet.

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