Use of plaster in moulding children & babies hands & feet .

Julie found an article this week regarding the use of plaster as a moulding material for hands & feet.

This should not be done for several reasons, one of which is highlighted in the articles . A water & plaster mixture is exothermic - that is, heat is given off when the two are mixed together & this CAN cause burns if the mixture is in contact with the skin. Plaster bandage is usually kept slightly off the skin with a layer of vaseline & dues to being applied in thin layers tends not to give rise to the same issues as a tub of plaster mix does.

Have a read & you'll see why we only recommend taking moulds of children's hands & feet with aliginate - an inert, non toxic mixture which is fully biodegradeable. Plus, you'll get much more detail with alginate!

Plaster of Paris Hazard Alert
In an incident a girl was mixing Plaster of Paris with
water by hand, intending to make a plaster cast of
her hand. The mix became very hot, the girl suffered
serious burns and her hands had to be amputated.
The safety Data Sheet supplied with the product did
warn against making casts of the hand.
Although Plaster of Paris is used for setting bones,
in such cases it is never put in direct contact with the
skin and, in addition, it is used in relatively thin layer
so the heat can dissipate. In bulk the temperature can
reach 60°C or so.
Before using plaster of paris to make casts of the
children’s hands or feet, please check with the
product manufacturer that it is safe to do so.

Taken from the Northern Devon District Early Years and Childcare Newsletter, Summer 2007
Link to the original pdf document

Want to buy some alginate for your castign needs? We sell alginate in heat sealed bags on their own or in packs with casting powder & full instruction. Click here to see our alginate & plaster supplies. Data sheets are available for all our materials on request.

Fingerprint jewellery - a new area for Creative Casting

We are busy putting together our images for some new products & first up will be a range of silver fingerprint jewellery.

We will add pieces to the collection over the coming weeks but we are making the silver charm necklace below our first item as it has already been requested as a Valentine's gift by a few of our customers.This lovely personalised piece of jewellery comes complete with the snake necklace & ispresented in a gift box. Suitable for prints of children form 6 months old this idea has been growing in popularity all year. Fingerprint jewellery has been seen round the necks of a number of celebrities so why not take a look. Although there is no legal requirement to do so, all pieces can be hallmarked (at additional cost) if required as the are of the highest quality.

We look forward to showing you some of our own pieces when we get the photo's back!

New Year here we come!

Whoosh - there goes Christmas & the New Year is nearly here!

The postal system has let us down today so if you received a despatch email your kit is stuck in the system & could take an extra day or two than first thought. You should have received an email about thia already but do contact us on 01252 715700 if you parcel hasn't arrived by the end of the week.

As for Creative Casting in 2008. Well, we have a few new products to introduce over the coming weeks & a few reductions on the site so do have a look at the sale section.

We will be starting a collection of articles about baby casting as well as offering a DVD giving step by step help on how to achieve the best results with your kit.

For now though, we wish all our customers past & present a Happy New Year.

Regards,

Jo & Julie

Inkless Hand prints & Footprints

Proving to be very popular this Christmas! Capture handprints or footprints using the special inkless wipe & gently press the limb onto the treated paper. Hey Presto - the print appears!
Used extensively in America to record baby's footprint whilst in hospital as a security measure we have turned this great idea into a really useful gift - a personalised footprint or handprint mug. Perfect for Grandma, Uncle, Aunty, Godparents - the list goes on.....

We have also extended this range to incluse mouse mats, clocks, tiles & very soon christening candles, T shirts & plates. Take a look at the inkless print gift range....

There is a lot of mug printing going on at Creative Casting this Christmas & if you have ordered a kit or are thinking of doing so be quick - prints for pre Christmas despatch must be returned to us by 13th December meaing you've only got a day left to order a kit!!!

Too much of a rush? What about a Christmas inkless print set so baby's prints can be taken at this special time as a memory of their first Christmas. We have a special kit which includes one sheet of inkless paper printed up specially for baby's first Christmas. At £6.95 you can't get a better personalised gift for baby's stocking or their parents!

Click here to buy a Christmas Inkless print kit.

As for Christmas itself, this is a very busy week in the Creative Casting office & we have had to open the tin of Roses already - why so few caramel barrells........

Christmas is already here - gifts for new baby's & parents at Creative Casting's updated online shop

At least it is in our office! Sales of baby casting kits are going through the roof as more & more people see our products as great christmas gifts. Needless to say the blog has suffered with no time to get on here at all.



This kit is one of the favourites & we only have 4 left! If you want a stylish frame & 8 cast kit all presented in a silver keepsake box then this is the gift for you. Perfect for Christmas & great value at £24.95 they are flying off the shelves!


Want one - then click here to view the leatherette frame kit.....



Should be back next week....

The Baby Show, Earls Court. 19-21 October 2007

Just returned from The Baby Show & have a bit of time to blog.

The show was a great success! Many visitors got a bargain from us & we took casts from babies & children of all ages! Now we're busy restocking & will be adding a couple of leftover show special items to our new online shop this week to make room for the Christmas kits!

I know a lot of people will be busy using their kits so thought it might be worth adding a link back to one of my m st popular posts- tips on casting hands

Many thanks to all of you who bought a kit from us & we hope you enjoy casting you baby's feet & hands as much as we do!

Jo

Emma Bunton's belly cast by Everlasting Castings!

You go away on holiday & what happens - Emma Bunton buys herself a fab Everlasting Castings belly cast kit. Her partner visited Tam's shop in Kentish Town & made the purchase just in time from the looks of things! Read the whole article in The Sun newspaper....

Tam also offers our baby casting kits & will take casts of your baby's hands & feet for you from her shop.

To buy a belly casting kit just like Emma Bunton visit our online shop for more details...

Here at Creative Casting we have just presented Angela Griffin ( known for Coronation Street, Cutting It & Waterloo Road to name a few...). More news on this next week!

WHere did July go? Busy baby times!

So how did we manage to let July pass by without a blog? Well let me tell you. We have been very busy trying to get a couple of new products out as well as updating our website & online shop. Here's how we're getting on:

Baby footprint kits - our kits which use the great inkless wipe technology has proved so popular we are expanding the range to include a kit with a space for baby's name or a date:

We are also adding to the clay imprint range with an 8"x8" frame kit as well as a large frame kit for maximum flexibility:
More styles are on the way - check back next week!

Baby casting at The NEC Baby Show

Doing casting sessions at The Baby Show's is rewarding but tiring & often we do not get a chance to spend the time we would like with a customer. However, this lady sent us this great shot which she has added to her keepsakes for her little one as a result of visiting us that day.

Nice to have a happy customer!

Interested in booking a casting session with us?? If so we have our new lifecaster team & will be at The Baby Show Earl's Court in September so do get in touch with us to make a booking.

Visit our website - Baby casting kit & footprint gifts by Creative Casting - for more details

Father's Day is coming - what about a baby footprint mug!

At last a useful Father's Day gift!
Using an ingenious inkless print kit you take the footprint or handprint of your baby & send it in to us.

We then return the completed mug with the word of your choice on the back! I did one yesterday that said-

"Happy first Father's Day, love Elsa xxx" How sweet!

The best thing about the print taking id that there is no mess - the print is done on a specially treated paper using a wipe treated with a clear ink. You wipe baby's foot & gently push it onto the paper. The black footprint then develops like a photo - very cool! In the kit you get 2 sheets of paper for 2 goes & the mug comes back in a couple of weeks so get you order in asap!