About Treasured Memory Keepsake Shadow Boxes

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, the hands are expressions of life experiences. As we age, so do they. From dimpled, pudgy, adorable newborn hands creased with baby fat, to the wizened, wrinkled, gloriously veined hands of a beloved grandparent, our hands tell the poignant story of life's memories.

At Casting Gifts, we help families like yours capture the essence of those memories by casting your family handprints and encasing them under glass to proudly display for years to come on your wall, bookcase, or mantel. Photos and personal or family mementos can also be mounted inside your shadow box to create personalized shadow box art for an individual or an entire family, including the family pet.

8x10 Keepsake Shadow Box
~~$44.95~~ $38.95

11x14 Keepsake Shadow Box
~~$57.50~~ $48.95

16x20 Keepsake Shadow Box
$74.95

Each handprint is created using our skin safe, hypoallergenic, molding powder to mold the hand print or footprint. High quality plaster casting stone is then poured into the impression mold where it forms a plaster statue that is an exact replica of the hand or foot. That's right - every crease, crevice, nail bed, dimple, or wrinkle. Have a thumb sucker at home with a "knob" on his thumb? A mole or beauty mark on your hand? A raised scar left over from childhood? All will be captured in life size realistic detail, even fingerprints in many cases!

Our Treasured Memory Keepsake Shadow Box Kits come in 3 sizes:

8x10 Recommended for babies, small children or pets
11x14 Recommended for any age, baby to adult, or for multiple children or pets
16x20 Recommended for teens, adults, families, special occasions, or baby or child collages

Click on the photo links above or right here 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 to order or find out more about each individual shadowbox keepsake kit. Or, scroll through our Frequently Asked Questions below.

Shadow Box Kit FAQs

Below are the more commonly asked questions we receive about our Treasured Memory Keepsake Shadow Box Kits. Click on a question listed below, or scroll to read all the answers.

How many handprints can I make with each kit? What materials will I receive?
What is the process involved to create a plaster handprint or footprint statue?
What type of molding and casting materials are used in your Shadow Boxes?
Is wiggling a problem while casting the handprint or footprint mold?
What is the difference between the Keepsake Shadow Boxes and the 2D Clay Impression Kits?
What is the difference between your Pet Keepsake Shadow Boxes and your regular Keepsake Shadow Boxes?
Our family wants to make handprints of the backs of our hands, not the palms. Can we do that?

FAQsHow many handprints can I make with each kit? What materials will I receive?

Each kit comes with the shadow box and all the material to make, finish and mount your hand prints or foot prints inside the shadowbox. The molding powder, casting plaster, containers and other materials change with each kit. Below, contents are summarized to show the differences between shadow box kits.

8x10 Shadow Box Kit

11x14 Shadow Box Kit

16x20 Shadow Box Kit

8 x 10 x 1.25D" wood frame with glass and spacer

11 x 14 x 1.25D" wood frame with glass and spacer

16 x 20 x 1.25D" wood frame with glass and spacer

Black or Walnut frame

Black frame only

Choice of 7 background colors

Ivory mat board w/ 5x7" opening (7x9" mount area without mat)

Ivory mat board w/ 8x10" opening (10x13" mount area without mat)

Ivory mat board w/ 11 x 14" opening (15x19" mount area without mat)

Vertical & horizontal wall mount brackets on back, plus alternate easel back for tabletop display

Vertical & horizontal wall mount brackets on back

2 reusable molding containers

4 reusable molding containers

5 reusable molding containers

Molding powder & Casting stone

Up to 3 baby or pet

hand, foot or paw prints, or

2 small child handprints

Molding powder & Casting stone

4-5 baby or pet

hand, foot or paw prints, or

3-4 small child handprints
Or, up to 3 teen to adult handprints

Molding powder & Casting stone

makes 7-8 baby or pet

handprints and footprints, or

6-7 small child handprints, or
5-6 teen to adult handprints

2 sandpapers: 1 coarse and 1 fine

2 sandpapers: 1 coarse 1 fine

2 coarse sandpaper

1 mixing spoon

2 fine grit sandpapers

2 small paint and repair brushes

2 small paint/ repair brushes

2 mixing spoons

Clear glaze finishing paint

2 small paint & repair brushes

Detailing pin

One 1/2 inch paint brush for larger casts

Cleaning stick

2 types of paint: clear glaze plus your choice of metallic paint color

Glue

Metallic Antiquing Kit: includes black metallic antiquing paint, brush, 2 rags & instructions)

Velcro

2 detailing pins

Complete step-by-step instructions

2 cleaning sticks

Glue

Velcro

Hole puncher for ornament making. Only this kit has the container and instructions for making homemade ornaments.

Complete step-by-step instructions

FAQsWhat is the process involved in the creation of a plaster handprint or footprint statue?

The first step is to create the mold. This is done with our molding powder, which is a dustless, color changing formulation. The molding powder is mixed with water in one of the molding containers provided with the kit. When the powder is ready, the hand is inserted into the molding mixture and remains there until the mixture turns from a thick liquid into a solid rubbery gel like a hard boiled egg (about 3 minutes). Then the hand is easily removed from the mold because it is generally embedded at or near the top of the molding compound. The second step in the process (recommended to be done away from children and pets) uses casting stone, which is also mixed with water until it looks smooth and is the consistency of paint. The stone is poured into the mold of the handprint, where it hardens in under a half hour. After several hours have passed, the rubbery molding material can be pealed away leaving the completed plaster statue. After several days, when the plaster cast dries and completely hardens, it can then be painted with the clear glaze included in the shadow box kit, or finished with one of our metallic paint colors which are sold separately.

FAQsWhat type of molding and casting materials are used in your Keepsake Shadow Boxes?

All Casting Gifts' Treasured Memory Keepsake Shadow Box Kits contain a combination of two materials to complete each casting: Molding Powder to form the mold and Casting Stone to create the statue.

Molding Powder: The powder we use to create our molds is an alginate. The alginate material is the only material that touches the skin during the making of the mold! It is environmentally safe, non-toxic, hypo-allergenic, and has been FDA (Food/Drug Administration) and ADA (American Dental Association) approved. Alginate has been used by the dental profession for years to make dental molds inside the mouth. It has also been used by the medical profession and by hospitals for skin and wound care. It is specially formulated for use on skin, so it can be used on skin as sensitive as a newborn baby. The alginate is water-based with one ingredient being a form of processed seaweed. The powder formula is manufactured with chromatic, color changing properties to make the molding process as easy to follow as possible. You'll know exactly when to insert the model's hand because the color of the mixture turns from pink to white when it is ready. The molding material also carries ASTM-D4236 certification (American Society for Testing and Materials/ASTM International) and meets LHAMA (Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act) requirements indicating the material is non-toxic and not expected to produce any chronic or adverse health effects. The formula we use is dust free to minimize the chance of inhalation. However, as with any powder, avoid inhalation as this may aggravate existing respiratory conditions. Should powder get in the eyes, flush thoroughly with water. If irritation persists, consult a physician. Primary ingredients: Tetrasodium Phosphate and Potassium Alginate
Casting Stone: Once the mold is created, the stone used to cast the actual statue is a gypsum plaster formula. We believe our casting stone is one of the finest grades available. It is substantially stronger than the art grade plaster of paris you'll find in craft or art stores. This part of the process does not require your child to be present and should be conducted separately and safely away from children and pets, as the material is not safe for ingestion. As with any powder, avoid inhalation as this may aggravate respiratory conditions. Should powder get in the eyes, flush thoroughly with water. If irritation persists, consult a physician. Should the plaster material be ingested, contact a physician immediately. Primary Ingredient: Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate

FAQsIs wiggling a problem while creating the mold?

The alginate is generally very user-friendly. Some movement is actually helpful once a hand or foot enters the molding powder as this helps to coat all areas, minimize surface bubbles, and get alginate into the tiniest creases and spaces. Movement in the initial 20 seconds or so is no problem at all. Near the 60-90 second mark, there is a "setting window" where the alginate begins to harden from a liquid into a rubbery gel around the hand (this feels much like a hard boiled egg to the touch). During and after the setting window, it is best to keep the hand as still as possible. This is why we recommend actually holding a baby or toddler's wrist securely, to keep them from pulling a hand or foot out prematurely as the top of the mold will set before the inside. In general, unless a child has been vigorously uncooperative, or completely ruins a mold by clenching an open hand into a fist after the setting window, or yanks the hand out before the mold has completely set, the molding compound is pretty forgiving. However, to some extent, the overall quality of casting detail does depend on the cooperation of the model. For example, very fine detailing like fingerprints and clearly defined fingernail beds may be lost if there is too much movement.

FAQsWhat is the difference between the Keepsake Shadow Boxes and the 2D Clay Impression Kits?

There are several differences. The 2D Clay Impression Kits are sold for babies (Baby Desk or Wall Impression Kit) or pets (Pet Paw Print Impression Kit) only. Each kit supplies clay for one hand or footprint impression. The clay is rolled out, imprinted with a handprint, footprint, or paw print and allowed to air dry before affixing it with double sided tape to the inside of the shadow box compartment of the frame. There is no mixing or baking involved. The process is simple and quick. A separate area is designated within the frame for a photo of the baby or pet. The down side is that the impression is only two dimensional, similar to a traditional handprint in cement. The resulting imprint keepsake will show the size of the baby or pet's foot at the time of casting, but not in much detail (with deep creases you may be able to get a few lines to show up). Children over 1 year or large pets over 90-100 will not fit.

The Keepsake Shadow Boxes can be used to make hand prints or footprints for anybody at any age, baby to adults, plus dog paw prints of any size. The smallest size shadow box kit (8x10) will make up to 3 handprints or footprints so multiple casts of hands or feet can be taken and displayed with one kit. Each frame is large enough for either multiple castings or a casting or two with a photo. With the larger kits (11x14 and 16x20) mementos in addition to photos can also be displayed. The castings themselves are 2.5 dimensional, meaning they are raised rather than sunken, showing not only the bottom of the foot but the sides as well. In addition, the casting will show every little crease, bump or crevice in exact realistic detail. The down side is that the process to create the castings is more time consuming and there is mixing and pouring of ingredients involved. Each cast involves the "model" for approximately 2 minutes while the mold sets.

FAQsWhat is the difference between your Pet Keepsake Shadow Boxes and your regular Keepsake Shadow Boxes?

Nothing. They are the same kits. We included a link for our Keepsake Shadow Boxes under our Pet Paw Print Keepsakes because they make wonderful, memorable keepsakes of your beloved cat or dog's paw footprint too. You will receive the same kit whether you order a Pet Keepsake Shadow Box or a Keepsake Shadow Box. Each kit, regardless of size, includes instruction recommendations for casting pets and people.

FAQsI would like our family to make handprints using the backs of our hands rather than the palms. Can we do that?

Yes. Handprints can be done using the palm of the hand or the back of the hand. However, because of the way the hand must be placed in the molding tray, we recommend doing palm hand prints, rather than the back of the hand variety, for children under 5. Palm prints are a little easier and seem to yield better results with the little ones.

Shadow Box Gift Ideas

With these Shadow Box Ideas, the gift giving possibilities are endless!!!

Hospital gift for baby	Pregnancy gift	Unique baby shower gift
Adoption gift	Baby shower gift for dad	New mom or dad gift
Grandmother gift	Child keepsake box	Christening or baptism gift
Engagement gift	Wedding gift	Pet lover gift
Child birthday gift	Congratulations gift	Religious Gift
Anniversary gift	Romantic or Couples Gift	Keepsake memorial box
1st Birthday gift	Family gift	Housewarming gift
Hobby Enthusiast Gift	Retirement gift	Homemade Family Heirloom
Dog Owner Gift	Cat Owner Gift	Pet Memorial Gift

For additional gift ideas and ways to use our shadow boxes, click here: Shadow Box Gift Ideas