We are happy to answer any questions you have, but to save time here are some of the most Frequently Asked...

Q: How old can my children be to do castings?
A: Newborn castings can be done as early as the day baby is born, but no one is ever too old. We strongly recommend making casting appointments for the youngest age you can -- you can always have them done later in life, but you can never get the precious little moment back. No child is ever too old to be cast. As they grow and change so do the looks of their fingers and toes.

Q: How long does an appointment take?
A: We generally book one hour for Framed Memory Castings to ensure we have enough time not to rush through the design and consultation phase, and to get the moulds made. The baby is only needed for less than one minute for each hand or foot. Belly Castings are generally booked for two hour appointments.

Q: Is it safe?
A: Absolutely! Our studio rule is that we won't let your child touch anything with their hands that we wouldn't put in our mouths. The Dental Alginate we use to cast your baby is made from seaweed, is hypo-allergenic and 100% non-toxic. We specifically use materials that do not contain free silicates (a known carcinogen in cheaper brands of Alginate purchased at craft stores).

Q: When do we get our castings back?
A: Typically we finish framed Memory Castings within 4 weeks, and larger sculptures and specialty orders within 8-12 weeks.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: Each product has its own pricing. Find out pricing on more of our products on our Investment page. Any out-of-the-ordinary requests will need a custom quote.

Q: What materials are the finished products made of?
A: At present, all our framed Memory Castings are created using high quality hydrostone. Hydrostone is a product similar to plaster of Paris, but is significantly more durable, longer lasting and harder. Some of our other products, such as key chains, rubber stamps and body sculptures are made from other materials. We work in resin (plastic), fibre glass, cold-cast metal and occasionally glass.

Q: Do you take the photos for the frame?
A: At Memory Castings we are great sculptors, but we are not photographers at all. We are happy to install any photo into your Memory Casting frame so long as you provide us either a) printed, or b) a high-resolution image by email for us to print. There are no additional charges for this service.

Q: How do you accept payment?
A: We gladly accept personal checks, cash, Visa and Mastercard. We do not accept Interac or any other debit cards.

Q: When is payment required?
A: We will give you an invoice out our consultation/casting appointment. We require a minimum $100.00 deposit at the time of casting. The balance is due on or before the date we quote we will be finished your castings. Typically this is 4 weeks.

Q: What environmental stewardship practices do you use?
A: We employ a number of basic green practices, from the more efficient curly light bulb in our studios, to reducing and reusing as possible. Some of the more green choices include driving a Hybrid Prius as our business vehicle (the lowest emissions and best fuel economy available in any mid size car in Canada, and it does not plug into a wall outlet to charge, taxing the power grid as some electric cars that may be soon entering the roadways). We recently changed our supplier for Dental Alginate, to achieve maximum safe seaweed farming practices. We compost all our Alginate moulds when they are past their usable lives, as well. The old moulds feed our flowers the next season.

Q: I'd like to open a franchise of Memory Castings. How do I do that?
A: Memory Castings is 100% BC owned and privately operated. Franchise businesses are great models for product-based businesses, and some services as well, but when it comes to specialty services like Memory Castings, our clients want only the very best, most highly-trained artists creating their memories. As such, we do not have any franchise opportunities available. We do occasionally have openings for inside staff, so please forward your resume to us if you are interested in working with our team.