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!

The Baby Show, NEC - 9-11 May

It has been a very busy month at Creative Casting, with Julie & I preparing for the show this coming week. We have also got some new products & will be launching our agent network very soon. This has kept us both extremely busy so blog posts just haven't happened.

However, a few minutes this morning gives us the chance to update you on The Baby Show & what we're up to.

Come see us at the show where we will be doing casts, demonstrations & clay imprints as well as offering you great discounts on all our casting kits. We have Everlasting Castings belly casting kits as well as Kindershoe shoe bronzing with us on the stand this time.

We have at least one new kit for the show - a lovely variation on the inkless prints which gives you the room to put a photo of baby next to your prints. Taking baby's footprints couldn't be easier with this inkless wipe & paper kit. You simply wipe baby's foot with the invisible ink on the wipe & lightly press to the treated paper. The black prints magically develop straight away!! We recommend scanning or copying the original prints & keeping them safe whilst displaying the copy in your frame.

We also have a new baby casting kit which will make an outstanding gift for an older child or for twins, giving you 3 spaces, one for a photo & 2 for casts - watch this space for details!

Latest baby hand & feet casts - tips on hand casting

Just wanted to show you a framed set of baby hands & feet as prepared by my business partner Julie this week. The set of 4 casts have been framed in a bespoke walnut effect moulding with an engraved plate to finish it all off beautifully.


This little chap had very delicate little hands & would have posed a problem to cast due to getting tiny air bubbles in the fingers. To help you avoid this I'm listing a few tricks & tips on casting baby hands. By applying a bit of logic & considering the effect gravity has on liquids you can reduce this kind of problem to a minimum. I would say however, we do not guarantee you will get a good cast of a hand from one of our baby casting kits. Rather, do your feet first & increase your confidnece & then try hands. Practice is needed!

It is also almost impossible to get a flat hand of a small baby. They automatically close their hand into a fist & this is really a more realistic lifecast of your baby's hand at a young age.

Getting the best mould

• Wet baby's hand first. This gets them used to the temperature of the water & reduces tiny air bubbles from the surface of the hand giving a better mould. It also helps release the alginate mould once it has set.
  
• Push the hand into the moulding mixture rather than squeezing it round. This displacement again reduces the chance of the impression mix not getting in between each finger giving you a better mould
  
• Make sure fingernails are short & tidy if you can. There's nothing like a scuffed up nail on your lifecast!

Pouring the cast

• Trim the top of your mould before you pour so that you can clamp your hand over the top of the mould once it is filled with casting mixture. You are going to invert the mould several times & although it will doubtless get messy you can make it less so by tidying up the edges of the mould so it is easier to hold.
• Pour in a small amount of your casting mix. Slosh it all round & then pour out again. This helps break any surface tension on the mould surface
• Refill the mould to the top & place a piece of folded kitchen roll over the opening (this helps reduce the mess which is coming...!!) .
• Clamp your hand over the kitchen roll covered opening & shake your mould in all directions. You are trying to allow any air that is currently caught in the fingers to escape into the main space of the mould & then come up to the top as bubbles. To this end you need to shake & twist the mould in every possible direction, including fully upside down, several times.
• Once you've finished this, peel away the kitchen roll & top up the mould with casting mix. Place in an upright spot until the hand cast is set. I would leave this at least for an hour or so as soft fingers will break off more easily.
• Peel your mould away in very small pieces to avoid damaging & snapping any fingers.

Follow these tips & you stand an excellent chance of getting great results. If you do want to try casting baby hands it is recommended that you buy an 8 starter life casting kit or a baby casting kit with frame plus an additional 4 cast refill to give you the best chance for one shipping fee - £5.50 flat rate on UK mainland orders.