Baby's First Year Inkless Footprint Kit

New in our online shop this week is this lovely gift idea for recording baby's footprints for their first year.

Available in a beech or silver effect frame the kit was so popular at The Baby Show, Excel we decided to add it to the range!

The hand or foot prints are created using the amazing inkless print technology used to create mess free prints in black on the specially treated paper. Easy to do & clean as well! There are 3 inkless wipes & 6 sheets of A4 paper included in the kit so you have plenty of materials to work with.

Priced at £34.95 this makes an unusual baby gift idea & we are offering it at a discounted price of £29.95 until the end of May as an introductory special offer. Take a closer look or order through the Creative Casting online shop: Inkless Prints First Year Frame Kit.

Not tempted? Then take a look at the rest of our great range of unusual personalised baby gifts, all centred on baby's handprints & footprints.

Pouring plaster - techniques & advice

Pouring plaster into your impression mould is something I have been busy doing all week so I thought I'd pass on a few helpful hints while I'm still in 'casting mode'!

The first thing to remember is this is not an exact science. Many professional sculptors & craftsmen never measure quantities of plaster & water & rely on experience to get the mix they want. It doesn't matter if you add slightly too much powder/water when mixing your casting mix - it should still work out ok. What may vary is the amount of time you have before the mix sets & how strong the final piece is.

Secondly, plaster sets quicker the older it is. If you have a kit which has not been used within 6 months of purchase the plaster is likely to set quicker than stated in the instructions, giving you less working time!

Now for some real advice:

Plaster types: there are many & they vary in coarseness of the powder, hardness & setting time. Our kits use a plaster with a total working time of 5/6 minutes at room temperature. It is a form of dental plaster that gives excellent detail & good hardness whilst not being too hard to carve & sand once dry. There are many other plasters available & if using them you should obtain a data sheet with mixing ratios & setting times & experiment before pouring a mix into your precious baby foot mould!

Adding plaster to water: As a rule, you need 1 part water to 2 parts plaster. You should always add the water to the plaster & not the other way round. Pour the plaster into the water & make a little mountain in the middle of the water. This should be left to soak up the water for 1-2 minutes before you start mixing. This allows the water to be absorbed by the plaster in a nice, even manner & you are less likely to get lumps.

Mixing techniques: Mix from the bottom of the container in smooth circles. You are trying to mix without putting bubbles into the mixture. Mix for a minute or so - the more you mix the faster & harder the plaster will set so don't overdo it! As soon as you have a mix which is smooth like single cream you're almost ready to pour.

Removing bubbles: they are your enemy as they will catch in fingers & toes leaving your cast digitless. Tap the tub of plaster on a hard surface to 'knock out' as many bubbles as possible before pouring into the mould. If pouring a foot, half fill & using the bristle end of a paintbrush, 'paint' around the inside of the mould into every toe & as much of the inside surface as possible. Tap the mould to dislodge any more bubbles & then top the mould right up.

If pouring a hand, fill the mould once, empty the plaster back into the tub & then refill slowly. Clamp a cloth over the open end of the mould & shake well, tipping the mould upside down & shaking it in all planes to give bubbles a chance to escape. Then, remove the cloth, top up the mould & leave to set.


Lots of words here I know but it's all good advice! I think I need a video of these tips - watch this space!!

Unusual baby names make for a lucky future!

Children who have been given strange names by their celebrity parents tend to do better in life.

New research suggests that odd names such as Princess Tiaamii or Peaches can be an advantage.

Certain sounds in a name or links with royalty can make people seem more successful, lucky or attractive, according to psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman.

His team polled more than 6,000 people to determine their perception of certain names, as part of a study to launch Edinburgh International Science Festival.

People called James and Elizabeth are seen as the most successful, Jack and Lucy the luckiest and Sophie and Ryan the most attractive.

But Lisa and Brian are the most likely to fail, Helen and John are the unluckiest and Ann and George are the least attractive.

Mr Wiseman said: "Traditional names with royal associations are viewed as highly successful and intelligent.

"Attractive female names tended to be soft-sounding and end with the 'ee' sound, whereas the sexiest males names are short and much harder sounding."

During the study, 6,686 people were given a list of 10 male and 10 female names and asked to rank them in terms of success, attractiveness and luck. Mr Wiseman also analysed some unusual names celebrities have given to their children.

Princess Tiaamii, Jordan and Peter Andre's daughter, should have a lucky life because her name has royal associations and ends with a double 'e' sound, according to Mr Wiseman.

Peaches Geldof, Bob Geldof and Paul Yates' second child, has a soft sounding name with positive connotations which make it attractive.

Kal-el, the son of Nicolas Cage, has a short, hard-sounding name which is also the original moniker of Superman, making it sexy and attractive.

Article taken from: Sky News

Baby Footprint Tattoos - a bizarre use of the inkless print kit!

It’s amazing what people plan to do with our inkless imprint kits. We met a chap at the Excel baby show who had a tattoo made of his daughters hands – something like those shown left.

He created the copy by placing her hands on a scanner – no easy task as she wiggled a lot and it was difficult to keep her hands still. Remarkably the tattoo is fantastic. He saw a real advantage with the inkless imprint kit as it was much quicker and a lot less stressful and easier for his tattoo artist to use. He planned to use the baby’s footprints going up his back this time.

If you have any other stories of how you are using the inkless kits we’d love to hear from you!

Click here to see the great mess free inkless print range on our website.

The Baby Show - baby gifts & bargains for all new parents & parents to be!

Off we go again this wek as we get ready for The Baby Show at Excel on the East side of London near the Dome.

We have a number of new baby gift ideas which will be available at special introductory prices & we look forward to meeting our customers & giving some demonstrations of taking baby feet casts.

You can book to have your baby cast at the show & we are giving away a free inkless footrpint to all of you with a copy of the voucher from our website. I've pasted it in this post too:
Bring a copy of the voucher along & we will take one amazing inkless print of your baby's foot & offer you a discount on our great range of other inkless footprint gift range from mugs to clocks, mouse mats to framed tiles.

We hope to see you there - it's well worth the trip. However, if you can't make it have a look at our special baby show offers on our website but remeber: we're away until Sinday living the high life at Excel so we won't send it until Monday the 3rd March if you order after 10am on Thursday this week.

Baby Shower Fun!

I hosted my first baby shower this weekend & what a laugh we had! We played some great games - some of which were made up & others bought from Shower My Baby.

After a few glases of wine 'Pin the dummy on the Baby' can become rather risky - I suggest you make it the first game of the evening if you ever have a baby shower!

The BBC was discussing baby showers on Breakfast TV this morning, saying they can mean forking out on expensive gifts but we all had great fun at little or no cost to anyone! We felt it was bad luck to buy for baby in advance of the birth so we put in for a Debenhams voucher to treat the Mum-to-be & we all decorated a white babygro as a joke present for baby. The decorations were really funny: some with pictures on & others with jokes. All in all good clean(ish) fun!

Just the one photo - can't give too much away can I........

Baby baby baby!!

Like him? Here's a sneak preview of our new baby logo for a great new range of baby gifts we will be launching very soon!

He was designed for us by Lee Healey who has illustrated for a number of publications such as The Dandy & Viz as well as CBBC.

As yet nameless, baby will be featuring on the website very soon so keep an eye out for him!

If you need a caricature or any other freelance cartoon work done, take a look at Lee's website:

www.leehealey-cartoonist.com

Being a Mum & Running a Business - why???

Julie & I have done this for a while now. Creative Casting grew entirely from the change in our work situations, new arrivals & the need to remain sane.

It can be hard though. Don't kid yourself if your thinking of setting up your own business.

Despite that, I wouldn't change a thing & we both thoroughly enjoy our work. Providing people with the change to create such amazing keepsakes of their children is a very rewarding job. All kits have been created by us & we are proud of our kits.

The flexibility of the business means time for the children & we can always be around for schoolpick ups or illnesses & because we are both in the same position we work around problems together.

So, I'm now going to start my paperwork as the kids are both asleep & the house is all quiet.
You should go look at the website & buy a kit for someone you know needs a little memory making :-)

www.creative-casting.co.uk

Jo

Inkless Handprints and Footprints - A Great Way to Create a Unique Baby Memory

Latest article on www.ezinearticles.com:

Inkless Handprints and Footprints - a great way to create a unique baby memory.

Inkless prints can be made using a great inkless paper & wipe technology which was introduced in the US for fingerprinting. It then became widely used in hospitals for identifying baby's by taking a print of their foot & so began a great idea. Hospitals started to send Mum home with a copy of these prints & now you can do them yourselves at home using an inkless print kit available from many US & UK online stores.

So how does it work?

That's a secret! You just wipe baby's foot or hand with the inkless wipe & then gently press the foot onto the coated paper. Within seconds a black footprint develops with an amazing amount of detail - every wrinkle & fold can often be seen. The wipe has no visible ink on it so no messy black marks are left on the hand or foot - amazing!

What can I do with my prints?

It is recommended to keep your original prints in a safe place away from sunlight as with all inks the print may eventually fade. Scan or copy the prints & they can be shown off in a huge number of ways:

• Create your New Baby cards with them & send everyone a very personal announcement card.
• Frame the prints alongside baby's scan picture or photo to create a timeline for baby.
• Give to grandparents having had the prints transferred onto a mug or clock.
• Have the prints put onto a mouse mat along with baby's date of birth & give to Daddy as a Father's Day gift.
• Take baby's prints just ahead of their christening & place them on a christening candle. This makes a memorable gift for god parents.

All in all taking baby's hand or footprints with an inexpensive inkless printing kit is a rewarding activity that can be used in many ways. This makes them a great gift idea & a joy to receive!

Jo Bale runs Creative Casting Ltd. See the full range ofwith something for all occasions on their secure online UK shop.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jo_Bale

http://EzineArticles.com/?Inkless-Handprints-and-Footprints---A-Great-Way-to-Create-a-Unique-Baby-Memory&id=904898

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.