photo technique on a website - way cool

There is an excellent use of photoshop techniques on the website www.ruralvermont.com
I have tried to discect the techniques but mine never look like the ones on their website. Can anyone tell me how the technique is done, and possibly email me a file with the technique applied? I know there are clipping paths, but how are the shadows on the picture frame achieved? Thanks!!

Looks to my like the results of maybe the "photographic edges" plug-in.

You can make your own wacky edges by simply making a selection with the marquee tool as you would have the image cropped.
Duplicating the background layer
Then clicking the "add a mask" buton at the bottom of the layers pallet.
Once you have the mask, you'll see a little icon beside the layer icon that represents the mask you created.
"click" on the mask icon, then run the >Filters >Distort >Wave (or whatever) and you'll see the filter is applied to the "MASK" not your image.

Experiment and make your own edges.

Now about the objects hanging out of the frame of the photo, Go back to your background layer and make a precision selection of the object that should hang out of the frame. after the selection is made simply CTR+J to copy that selection to a layer of it's own. Move the newly created layer "above" the photoframe layer and you'll have it.

I re-read your post and to answer the question about how to make "THAT" frame....

Make your selection like you would crop the image

CTR+J

Make the background layer invisible

Now with your selection STILL selected make a new layer and move it below the layer created by the CTR+J. Fill that layer with black.

CTR+D to deselect

>FIlter >Guassian setting of like 45

Now CTR+CLick the Image layer to retreive your selection.

>Select >Modify >Expand 10 pixels or so

With the Layer you filled with black and applied the guassian blur to selected hit delete.

That should get pretty close.