3d Hand and Feet Sculpture product reviews

Your children grow WAY TOO FAST - and as parents, we want to try and preserve and remember when they were really little, and growing, and to be able to show them just how much they have changed when they get bigger. I was a bit dubious at first as to whether these would be any good - and worth the money - but I can say, after seeing my friends one, and then having my own done, it totally is!

Yes, you could probably fiddle around with plaster of paris and moulding clay to make an impression, and do it all yourself, but honestly, with young children - who really wants to, or has that amount of free time to do it? The whole procedure (for want of a better word) is pretty straight forward - take a mould of your child's hand or foot (roughly 15 mins for it to set), and then it's the hard bit - deciding exactly what you want in terms of photo, frame, colour etc. There are options for cheaper and more expensive too - which is great - not a one size fits all, exactly. Prices range from around $150-350.

From there, you have a wait of around 3-4 weeks while it is all done up for you. You then receive a call saying it's ready - and it really is quite exciting!!! What I love about this is that you have options - both in price and "look" - so you don't have to go with what everyone else has. Also - there are choices for more than one child - and we plan to get our 3 children done, now that our wee boy has joined the family.

It truly is a wonderful product - art, in 3D, with a very personal side to it. The frames and mounting board are all professionally done, and look fantastic. Lets be frank though - it IS expensive - but it's art, and is one of a kind, and for the service we received and the final product - it is worth it. Certainly not a regular thing to get done, more like a once-er.

Highly recommend!

I wasn't too sure what to expect when I first read about these years ago... it seemed to me little more than a plaster of paris mould of a hand, with some silver spraypaint and a thick picture frame. If you want to get picky, that *is* what is boils down to... in the same way a Formula 1 racecar boils down to 4 tyres, an engine, and an assortment of sheet metal to make it look less ugly.

The process starts by either visiting your local agent, or having them attend a social club meeting or such-like... there, they mix up some bright pink goop, dump it into a swadge of clingfilm, and wrap it gently around your young'un's hands and/or feet... this will form your basic mould when it sets. This takes about 10 minutes per moulding and is quite clean and painless.

After that, you simply make your choices of frame, backing board, plaque options, and photo options. This is by far the most difficult bit, because of the huge range of mix-n-match choices. In the end, we went with the distressed old wood frame, white backing, silver cast, and plaques... with a photo included. While close to the more expensive end of the scale, this was later proven to be the most stunning family momento we could have imagined.

Now, normally it would take 3-4 weeks from mouldings to finished goods, due to the intensive production method... but due to delays at our end, our one sat partially completed for a few weeks longer, while we tried to get a decent photo of a hyperactive 8 year old and his little 5 month old baby brother. Eventually, we caught a good shot, and having printed it off and posted it to the local agent, we were called only a week later to inform us the finished article was ready to be collected or delivered. Since we planned to be in the area, we dropped in and collected it.

What an amazing product... beautifully crafted, the frame was made to fit, the mounting board was professionally cut to ensure the best effect, the whole lot was assembled seamlessly and relatively air-tight to minimise dust build-up on the inside, and then the whole lot was sealed in place. The mouldings of the hands were incredible... the level of detail is stunning. Just to be cheeky, I had taken fingerprints of the older boy, and was able to match them with those on the mould! Now *THAT* is detailing!

The only thing that stopped me giving it a perfect 10 is that, although I firmly believe this product is of the highest quality... there is still a significant price-tag attached. Yes, you will buy this and not regret it once you see it, but unless you absolutely want to have something totally stunning, you might want to explore other options. The product is excellent, no question there... but when it has this kinds of pricetag attached, keep in mind that it's more than a just a mere ornament. You are investing in the amazing, when you get a First Impression.