Adorning the entry hallway of the Nederland Frame Shop is a matted piece containing a purple Extreme Makeover: Home Edition T-shirt, an autographed photo of the show’s cast and a warm letter from the show’s producer — a rich thank you for Caroline Nichols.

Nichols provided 17 frames for the ABC show’s “extreme makeover” of the Sabine Pass High School Frankie Schexnayder Auditorium and Port Arthur Fire Department Sabine Pass Fire Station No. 4.

“It was really an honor and a privilege,” Nichols said of the experience. “God’s blessed me and my business, and to be able to do this was just wonderful.”

Nichols said she was first approached for the project by Jimmy Braud of Braud’s Camera.

“Jimmy Braud did the photos for the show — taking smaller snap shots and blowing them up to poster size,” she said. “Jimmy recommended me to Amanda McFaddin, the show’s producer, and when she called me I jumped at the chance.”

Nichols matted and framed eight theater shots and eight certificates for the Sabine Pass High School Auditorium. In addition, she framed a photo for the Sabine Pass fire station.

“It was pretty awesome to see my work on the show,” Nichols said. “I watched the show and just thought everything came out so beautiful.”

Nichols confessed that she had toured the newly refurbished fire station, but had yet to see the auditorium.

“Everything just looks so good,” she said.

The school’s well-loved drama department had been housed in the auditorium, which also served as a community hub and was the site of large gatherings in this small community including Thanksgiving dinners and graduations.

The producers, with Nichols’ help, selected sixteen Nielsen aluminum frames for the 20”x 26” high school posters, which will be on permanent display. They consist of commemorative certificates as well as blowups of snapshots of students performing in various school productions.

Eight of the frames were a contemporary flat top Nielsen frames, while the others were a classic round top shape. All frames were selected in Matte Black finish. Alphamat Artcare, the highest quality archival matboard available, was used to double-mat the photos in white with a black bevel, while a marbleized surface Bainbridge mat was used with the certificates.

For the fire station photo, which was printed in sepia tones, Nichols chose a frame from the Nielsen Natural Elements Collection, featuring a wide face finished with a wrought iron treatment, and used Bainbridge matboard to double mat the photo with a dark brown bottom mat and white top mat.

The Nederland Frame Shop was established in 1974, by Nichols’ grandfather. She began working there in 1978. Today the shop serves all of the Golden Triangle. Some of the items she has framed over the years have included a handmade shirt that belonged to Elvis Presley, a rattlesnake skin and a pedestal telephone from the 1800s.

For more information on the Nederland Frame Shop, call 727-3698.

Contact this reporter at asanders@panews.com or (409) 721-2427.