You can’t keep a good Frog down, and Tobin Peterson ’94 is proof. He’s quick to point out that he’s never been fired or asked to resign. But he’s had a few spills on the proverbial corporate ladder. “I’ve had a lot of bad luck,” admits the Oklahoma resident, who has been laid-off five times.

After layoff No. 5, Peterson was loading lumber at Lowe’s “just to pay the bills,” and came home feeling pretty down. But when daughter Maison, then 4, showed him the pictures she had colored for him, his face lit up – as did the light bulb in his entrepreneurial spirit. “They were so beautiful I didn’t want to just put them on the refrigerator. They were masterpieces,” he recalled.

He wanted to make a special frame for them. Something kid-friendly but sophisticated enough that adults would want to hang it up. The result was something of a frame masterpiece – a magnetic, glass-free frame that loads from the front and can even double as a dry erase or magnetic memo board. Showcasing 8-by-10 or smaller masterpieces in an ornate gold, museum-style casing, the frame makes changing out artwork or holiday photos, well, child’s play.

Peterson patented his frame, found a manufacturer in the Philippines and set his sights on e-commerce giant QVC, which officially launched “My Masterpiece” Sept. 2.

The reception for the frames, which retail for less than $25, has been “very, very strong,” Peterson said. “We sold out on QVC and we’re in talks with them to do it again.”

Also in the works are additional colors – black, blue, mahogany, pink, silver and white – as well as frames to showcase works as large as 12-by-12, such as scrapbook pages.

And down the road, there may even be a TCU purple in the mix. “I sure would like to have a TCU-colored frame,” Peterson said. “I’m passionate about my school and I would love to do something to give back.”