Bespoke Request Ideas - Boys Door Letters

After receiving a bespoke request for some large wooden door letters for a boys bedroom, I've been testing out some new design ideas.  I'm not sure which to put up on the website as yet - any thoughts or feedback is welcome.

We have a range of wooden letters available on our website including various sized wooden wall letters, door letters and single letter names.  I will be adding more designs and styles over the next couple of months.

Thanks for looking :o)

Baby Keepsakes - What would you keep?

For those of you with children - Do you have a favourite item or special keepsake from when your child was a baby? If so is it? Whether it's a comforter that they wouldn't let go of, first shoes, favourite teddy, hospital bracelet or anything else, we'd love to hear.

Post your answer on the discussion board of our facebook page.

www.facebook.com/forkeepssake

New Personalised Name Frames for Kids

The new range of personalised 3D Name Frames now available at For Keep's Sake.  All of our name frames are hand crafted and set in a free standing box frame.  We make them to order, so therefore we're happy to discuss any bespoke requirements or adjustments to any of the designs.  Here's a quick peek at some of them. Thanks for looking!

    

 

Productive weekend!!

Well thanks to my very helpful husband taking the girls off my hands for the last two afternoons as well as letting me hoard the computer all weekend, I've managed to work on some more designs for my website.  I've had the ideas all along, but it's just finding the time to create them.  Now that I have pics I'll be adding them all to my site over the next few days.

I've managed to create some more 3D name frames for girls, canvas names for girls and lots more single letter names for boys.  Still have lots to create for girls but I will get there.  If only you could buy time!!

Will update with images and links to the website when they are finally on.  Hoorah!!
Don't forget to check out our other products at www.forkeepsake.co.uk. These include: 
Keepsake Frames, Baby Casting Kits, Wooden Wall Letters for Girls, Name Frames for Boys, Personalised Canvases for Boys.

Sneak Preview: New "Initial" Wooden Letter Names

I've been getting busy in the "studio" and wanted to share some images of some of the new products I'll be uploading to my website in the next week (hopefully!).  As with the personalised single canvas names that are now available on our website, I also wanted to create a range of single wooden letter names.  

The reason for this is simple.... it's sometimes too costly or takes up too much wall space for someone buying wooden wall letters for a child with a long name... i.e. isabella.  It seems unfair that someone who has chosen a name that they love for their child should lose out because that name happened to have too many letters!  

So here they are... I wanted to do some with an animal theme, some "girly" letters and some boyish ones.  Let me know what you think, your comments would be appreciated.

 

New to For Keep's Sake: Personalised Canvas Names

The latest edition to our website is our new range of Personalised Canvas Names.  These will make a prominent feature in any bedroom or nursery.  We use deep box canvases and wooden letters for extra  impact.

Each canvas is personalised with the child's name and decorated with 3D accessories.  We have different themes to suit boys and girls and will be adding more designs throughout January, we'll keep you posted.  We hope you like them!!  

As usual we are happy to accomodate any bespoke requests if we can and are currently working on a 30cm by 30cm version of the Poppy/ Maisy design.  We'll upload a photo when it's complete.

Thanks for looking.

For Keep's Sake 

www.forkeepssake.co.uk

Frame your Baby Keepsakes

It's amazing how quickly time flies after having a baby.  The first few sleepless nights feel seem to last an eternity whilst you try your hardest to function in a sleep craved haze.  But before you've had time to blink, you're celebrating your baby's first birthday, watching them stumbling around the room and are left wondering where the time went.  And unbelievably the following years seem to dissapear even quicker.

But as parents we're not only left with our memories, but also with some very precious items that remind us of those first days, items that we will cherish forever. The first scan picture, the hospital bracelet, a first size nappy, the baby's favourite outfit, the first shoes, a special comforter or small toy, christening gifts and keepsakes. The list goes on.

Whatever the items are, they are important and it feels almost a sin to hide them away in a box in the attic, rarely to be looked at again. This is why I opted for a Keepsake Frame I didn't want to let go of things that reminded me of such special times and so instead, I framed them.

You can style your keepsake frame so that it will complement any room in the house. What better way to cherish those memories?  So what are you waiting for? Now all you have to do is decide what to frame.

See our range of keepsake frames at For Keep's Sake

How Easy is Baby Casting?

Creating 3d castings of your baby’s hand or foot can be a very rewarding experience and needless to say, by doing it yourself, you can also save a lot of money.
The best place to start is with a baby casting kit. There are a number of companies that sell these online, including For Keep’s Sake with or without frames. The kit usually includes the following contents:

• Chromatic Alginate or another moulding material. This is used to create the mould of the baby’s hand or foot. For life casting Alginate is the most popular moulding compound because it is completely safe and in fact used by dentists in the mouths of both adults and children to take dental mouldings. It can also capture all the fine creases in the skin, resulting in a life-like finish.
• High Grade Casting Powder. This is used to create the cast and once dry can be painted in the colour of your choice.
• Poly Bags or a Container. This will be used to create the mould in.
• Cocktail sticks. Once the cast has set and is dry and the rubbery alginate mould peeled away from it, there are often little bits of the mould left in some of the skin creases of the case. Cocktail sticks are useful for cleaning these little pieces out
• Stirrers
• Paint and Paintbrush.
• Deep rebate box frame. This usually includes a twin aperture mount so that a photo can be displayed as well as the casting.
• Complete set of instructions.
• Glue
  

 There are 8 basic steps to the casting process:

• Step 1 – Prepare the baby’s hand or foot by rubbing a generous amount of baby moisturiser on it. This will help to ease it out of the mould when it’s been created.
• Step 2 – Measure the alginate, as per the instructions, and add the water slowly mixing it all the time. Mix vigorously to break down any lumps, the colour will turn pink whilst being mixed.
• Step 3 – When the mixture has reached the desired consistency (consult instructions) you will need to pour it into the container or bag that you are using and place the foot or hand into the mixture.
• Step 4 – Setting time will vary so again consult the instructions. Usually fast setting alginate is used, given a baby’s tendancy to wriggle, which be take under a minute to set. Once set, carefully remove the hand or foot so as not to tear the mould.
• Step 5 – The casting powder is then mixed with water, stirring slowly and carefully to avoid air bubbles. Once the mixture has reached the desired consistency it is poured bit by bit into the mould, swirling the mixture around the mould to ensure that it reaches all the nooks and crannies. Once full the plaster is left to set.
• Step 6 – Once dry, usually a few hours later, the mould can be broken off the cast. It is a rubbery like texture and will break away easily.
• Step 7 – The cast can now be painted. Most kits include a silver or gold paint, but any colour acryllic paint can be used on the cast for an effective finish.
• Step 8 – If you have chosen a kit with a frame, the last stage of the process is framing the cast. You may find that the flat side of the cast is a little uneven and may require a little light sanding. This can be done easily using a fine sandpaper. Once flat the casting can be stuck to the backing board and the back of the frame closed.
  

So how easy is baby casting? I think you'll agree, that provided you buy the right kit and get the right instructions it's much easier that you would have ever imagined.

3D casts of your baby’s hand or foot (or both) make excellent keepsakes and will ensure that you can never forget how small they once were. Invaluable!

Don't forget to visit www.forkeepssake.co.uk to see our range of baby casting kits.