Filed under: Baby Gifts
Baby Keepsake Boxes…
…Now back in stock 
Hurah our supplier has finally got these fab keepsake boxes back in stock. They used to fly off the shelf and I can see why! There is room for a photo on the front of the Keepsake Box and has little compartments inside. Available in pink or blue with the “What are little girls/boys made of” saying on the front.
We also have some new designs of Keepsake Boxes coming in soon so keep an eye out for our next post!
Victoria @ The Keepsake Co.
October 9, 2011
Baby’s First Christmas
Wow I am thinking of running a baby’s first Christmas competition so just posted on our facebook wall to find out whether it is anyone’s babys first Christmas, second or third…
The response was amazing… so many excited mummies out there who just can’t wait until their own little baby’s first Christmas. I hopefully have another year to wait until I experience this for myself, or it will mean I have had mine early and will be completely unprepared! But it really is a special time of year isnt it. I love Christmas anyway and is always a big celebration and a chance for family to get together and simply chill but add a baby or young child to the mix and it is a completely different ball game.
I am lucky enough to have spent the last 3 Christmases with my Nephew and he is just so excited on Christmas morning. What we do (and what my parents used to do for us when me and my sister were little) is not allow him in the room until my dad has checked to see if Santa has been. The night before we all stay up late putting up Christmas trees and turning it into a tinsel Santa grotto (we go very overboard with all the old fashioned ceiling decorations etc!!) So when my nephew goes to bed it is just a normal room but when he is finally allowed in it is like a magical place which Santa has decorated for him. Dad has turned on all the fairy lights (which is why he needs to check whether santa has been first) to give it that extra sparkle. His face is just so priceless. I remember last year that we walked in and Cameron though a Santa teddy was actually Santa and he had fallen asleep on the sofa… this teddy was only 30cm tall!! He was genually scared as he knows he shouldn’t see the real Santa!!
It is just all so magical!! Cameron is going to be 4 this year and I can’t wait to see how he reacts this year… he still talks about Santa throughout the year and he has started thinking of his Christmas list already. I think while the first Christmas is VERY special it is not quite as much fun as the following years when the kiddies really get excited and understand what is happening.
I love Christmas and know I will love it even more when my little one arrives… I wonder what extra little Christmas Eve rituals I will add in to the mix.. I just want them to believe forever!
Keep an eye out for our baby’s first Christmas competition coming soon I really want to make this year AMAZING here at The Keepsake Co..
With love
xx
PS Natalie shared on Facebook that there are 93 sleeps till her baby’s first Christmas… not long really!!
September 22, 2011
Baby Art – what is it?
I came across this term yesterday and thought it was interesting. Baby Art seems to be another way to explain what it is we do here at The Keepsake Co. Turning a baby memory into a piece of art – I mean that is what we do isn’t it?
I guess this is why I love keepsakes so much as you can take something that could potentially look like any other persons keepsake and really make it your own. You could turn your lifecastings into art by framing them in a creative way. I have seen people backing their frames with samples of wall paper or fabric. I have seem people painting the castings in bright and wonderful colours. But it is not limited to baby castings, you could hang your baby impressions in a unique way to make a piece of art for the baby’s nursery.
Then we have our baby canvases. Obviously you can get them printed professionally with a baby photo or a collage but you can also buy a blank canvas and take bay hand prints and footprints in decorative ways. Why not involve the whole family? I have even seen people turning baby handprints into animals – how arty is that!
If baby hands and feet were not your ‘thing’ then you could always get a personalized piece of art commissioned for the little baby – something they can cherish for ever and know they were loved more than words can say when they were little!
Baby art can take so many forms really – what will you create to celebrate your baby? I need to start designing mine and will share with you when I have done it. I would love for you to share your versions of baby art on the comments below!
Warmest wishes,
Victoria
September 20, 2011
Baby Casting Photo Gallery
There are so many options available to you when casting your baby’s hands and feet. You can cast them together, holding your hand, framed with siblings in a box frame or left alone and stored in a beautiful keepsake box.
You can leave them natural or finish them in a large array of colours and finishes. You can even upgrade them to solid bronze or silver for a very swish keepsake!
Here are some of our favorite baby casting kit images. Hover over each image for a little description of each photo.
I will post more soon, but hope something here inspires you when creating your baby casting 
Victoria
x
September 19, 2011
Different baby casting techniques
These instructions are not meant as a replacement for our full baby casting kit instructions which come in the kits. These tips are here to give you other ideas on how to capture your little one’s casting if you struggle with the normal method (casting bag) which we cover in detail in the kits. I would not recommend following these baby casting techniques if you have not read the full instructions first.
Casting Bag
Mix the alginate 150grms to 300mls of cold tap water. Spoon mixture into the bag and then secure the bag around the base of the ankle (lower the foot into the bag as far as possible without touching the bottom). Use the bag to manipulate material around foot until set. You can see the material through the see-through bag so you can tell if there are any holes and can quickly try and get rid of them by manipulating the materials. When set it will simply slip off the foot. The material in this technique will be like a paste so you can just move it around with your fingers through the bag to ensure you cover everything.
Casting Bag
Mix the alginate 150grms to 500mls of cold tap water until it is a smooth consistency (don’t worry about lumps too much – it is more important to move to the next stage). Spoon mixture into the bag , you wont be able to fit it all in to the bag so just spoon in as much as you can leaving about a 5cm deep gap at the top of the bag. Lower the foot into the bag as far as possible without touching the bottom and secure the top of the bag securely around the base of the ankle (if there is someone else that can secure the bag around the ankle then this leaves both of your hands free to take the casting). Use the bag to create a firm ball of material between your cupped hands and then try and keep the foot within the middle of the ball you have created. If a toe peaks to the service move the ball between your hands around with the foot so you can see no skin thought it. It will then just slip off the foot when set. The material in this technique will be in a runny consistency so please ensure the bag is tightly secured around the ankle as it will leak out and make a mess. Doing this gives you more material to work with and takes longer to set. You could use room temperature water with this consistency to make it set a bit quicker and to make it more comfortable for the baby.
Casting Container
Select a container that fits the foot into it with room around the sides, top and bottom but not too big as it will eat up all your material. It should be able to fit in about 600-700 mls of water I would say. Mix alginate 150 grams to 500mls of cold tap water. Pour into container and then lower in the foot. Tap the container to release any air bubbles trapped under the foot. Ensure the foot is covered in alginate within the container without touching the sides. Wait for it to set and then slip the foot out. Doing this gives you more material to work with and takes slightly longer to set. You could use room temperature water with this consistency to make it set a bit quicker and to make it more comfortable for the baby.
Casting Cloth
Mix alginate 150grms to 300mls of cold water and then spread over a JCloth in the middle. Make it so it is at least 1.5-2 cm deep on the cloth. Press babies hand/foot in middle of alginate and then collect JCloth up around foot/hand so the alginate is covering the foot all around. Secure excess cloth around ankle. Squeeze and manipulate the cloth around the foot to ensure the material squidges into all the crevices. Wait for it to set and then slip the foot out.
I am sure there are more baby casting techniques, so if you have any you would like to suggest (or have any tips) please do get in touch!!
Have fun life casting!
Victoria
x
PS: to purchase one of our baby casting kits which includes our full detailed instructions please visit our baby casting kit section.
September 18, 2011
We have just added some really cute baby photo albums to our range including this very cute and stylish polka dot personalised baby photo album! We have ones for grandma to collect her favorite photos, Christening albums and more. I know we all use the computer for storing photos but how much nicer is it to have an photo album which you can hand down to your little one in years to come. It is an ultimate keepsake which will bring back so many happy memories!
There are also lots of different styles to choose from including wooden baby photo albums, fabric designs and of course a few different personalised albums to choose from.
Albums may not be the first thing parents think of buying when they have a new arrival (I mean how much stuff is there to buy!) so a baby photo album really does make the perfect baby gift.
September 8, 2011
A precious milestone
Wow my little Nephew is starting School next week and I just can not believe where these 4 years have gone. He has his uniform ready and we made a glittery keepsake box yesterday for him to take his show and tell things in with him. I think thats a lovely icebreaker for a new class to spend some time talking about their summer. What is your little one’s school doing? My sister said the teacher also comes to visit him in his house and take a photo with him and his favorite toy – I think that is such a great idea as it must be daunting for them and atleast they know the teacher before hand. They will then display the photo on a big board for the class to see.
It must be so weird for new parents when their little one starts school – you go from so much one-on-one time and then you have to pack them off to school each day seeing them at evenings and weekends. Don’t forget though that it is never too far away from a school holiday giving you lots of quality time then and by having them at school you will have plenty of time to do things for yourself such as starting your own business, learning a new hobby or craft, start a part time job or catch up with friends. Saying all of this, I have it on good authority that when they get older you will pleased when the new term starts again
With my baby due in January I guess I have quite a wait to be worrying about this but I really do feel for those parents going through this special day now. I spoke to one Mum yesterday and she was really struggling as she felt she was loosing her little sidekick as she didn’t have any family near her. I guess the key is to find something fulfilling and intersting to fill your time with, while keeping up with chores so that when they get home you feel good and are ready to spend some quality time with them rather than feeling strained and struggling to get it all done. I believe that you can flip anything and turn all these things into positives. I bet I wont be saying this in 4-5 years time!!
I guess the main thing is that it is a sign they are growing older but then this surely means the start of an equally amazing period of your lives together. Watching them grow into amazing children.
I think the key is to capture these precious times and make the most of them as they don’t happen every day. This is why I have added a couple of first day at school gifts to the site such as a frame to display their first day at school photo or how about a hand print canvas so you can commemorate the occasion? What ever keepsake you choose it will give you something to look at when you are missing them a little and will be a lovely thing for them to keep when they are older.
Good luck with Monday and keep the tissues handy
xx
September 3, 2011
I have been thinking a lot lately about which is my favourite baby keepsake and I have to say it is still our original baby casting kit. I love that you start with some simple powders, mix with a bit of water and then from this you can create a stunning 3D baby hand or foot model which you can keep forever. The way the alginate casting captures all of the detail in all it’s life sized glory truly is still truly amazing to me.
Baby Casting Kit
Some people are a little nervous when attempting their baby casting kit but take it from me is really is not that hard. Yes things can go wrong but you can always call me and I can try and help you over the phone. I also have a video of me using our baby casting kit from mixing the alginate through to unveiling the finished mould. View a full video of the baby casting kit process.
You can choose to leave your baby casting plain or paint it any colour you wish. We have seen photos of green castings through to more traditional bronzed baby castings. While our baby casting kits do not include paint we do supply them for an additional £1.99 in silver, gold or bronze. You can also use any acrylic paint to finish your baby casting. Why not get creative!
When you have finished your baby casting kit you could decide to mount your stunning hand castings in a frame or leave them loose. What ever you decide we really can help you create the perfect keepsake with a full range of frames and mounts. View our full range of Baby Casting Kits
The best thing about making this keepsake is you have no control over what the baby is doing with their hands or feet during the moulding process so when you unpeel your alginate mould from the casting stone you will sure to be delighted. Most babies clench their fists but I have seen some babies come out with fingers like the peace sign or a pointed finger. And the way the toes can remind the parents how their little one’s feet are when they are relaxed from unusual toe poses!
If you have any questions about choosing the right baby casting kit for you then please do not hesitate to conact me on 01749 344699 . Happy casting
Victoria xx
August 30, 2011
Are you looking for unique baby gifts to celebrate a new arrival? It really is a challenge but I think a keepsake kit is the perfect solution. It is not only something which is not readily available in the shops but it allows parents to create a lasting momentoe of their little one so will be cherished for years to come.
The best thing is that some of our keepsake kits are really inexpensive so you could always make up a baby gft basket containing a few keepsakes or choose one of our ready made keepsake baby gift boxes.
Which ever keepsake kit you choose you are giving the parents a really wonderful opportunity to capture such a magical time – they may not think about the idea until it is too late so they are sure to thank you for thought.
A few of my favourite keepsake unique baby gifts would be:
As I mentioned you could perhaps choose a few baby keepsakes and present them as a gift set in one of our baby keepsake boxes or your own lined hamper perhaps. So by thinking a little creatively there really are many different unique baby gifts to choose from.
Whats are most unique baby gifts you have received?
Suzie xx
July 13, 2011
I love technology – I really do! It has allowed us to train internationally without any expensive travelling costs or hassle!
Madhuri joined as an International Keepsake Artist a few weeks back and has now received her silver figerprint jewellery starter kit allowing us to crack on with the training. Madhuri is based in Melbourne, Australia ad we started our remote fingerprint jewellery training session today. So watch this space for when she reaches accreditation and you will be able to join in this amazing craze too!
We had a quick session today to run through capturing the fingerprint so she can capture her sons thumprint tonight ready for our session tomorrow. Tomorrow we will go through making the actual charm in silver clay which is my favourite bit So it will not be long before she is ready!
I really do love this silver keepsake and is so precious and I love showing others how to make it for their community too – especially when it is on the other side of the world!
Welcome Madhuri to The Keepsake Co team
Victoria & Suzie x
July 12, 2011
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