Frequently Asked Questions about Clay Impressions

How do I order a Little Keepsakes Clay Impression online?
As soon as you order a Little Keepsake Clay Impression we will send you a clay impression kit for you to obtain your child's impression at home. The kit includes mess-free, non-toxic modeling material, parchment paper, instructions, customization form and pre-paid US Priority Mail shipping box. Follow the simple instructions EXACTLY on how to take your child's prints and send the impressions back to us in the enclosed packaging. Once we receive the air-dried impression back from you, we then create a detail cast of your child's hand or foot. The cast is used to take the impression on the final product and colored to your specifications.

Is the air-dry modeling material in the impression kits the final product clay?
No it is not used as the final product, only to make a detailed cast of your child's hand or foot. In creating my Ceramic Clay Impressions I wanted "the best of both worlds" -- Rock hard ceramic finished clay impressions without subjecting babies to hard clay, messy kits, or toxic or harmful materials. The modeling material I use is made of finely ground paper powder and water. It picks up details beautifully and best of all -- it is very clean, soft and non-toxic. The final clay used to make your impressions is a more durable mix of clays that is kiln fired.

Do I have to pay for shipping to send the air-dried molds back to Little Keepsakes?
No, if you live within the United States your shipping charge covers all shipping required for shippment of the kit, return of your impressions and insured delivery of your final keepsake. Your clay impression kit will include pre-paid US Priority mail packaging and address label. All you have to do is complete your impressions and give the package to your postal carrier or drop off at your local post office.
*For orders outside the US, customer is responsible for shipping the molds back to us and completing required Customs form.

How long does it take to receive the Clay Impression kit once I order?
Within 24 hours of receiving your order, we will send you a confirmation email with a date of when your kit will be shipped (Within 1-4 days). All kits are shipped via US Priority Mail and take an average of 2-3 days to arrive on the East coast and 1-2 days on the West coast.

How long does it take to receive the finished clay keepsake?
Once we receive your air-dried clay impressions you took at home, the average turnaround time for a finished clay impression is 6-8 weeks . It may be longer during our peak seasons such as Father's Day and Christmas or if we are backlogged with orders. Our delivery estimates are not guaranteed. We do offer RUSH service for those who desire a more expedited delivery of their order and a guaranteed date (min production time is 2 weeks).

Why is my order taking longer than the estimated time on your website?
All of our custom keepsakes are hand crafted individually. While we make our process for obtaining prints as easy as possible for our customers, there are several steps involved once we receive your child’s molds back at our studio. Most of our keepsakes are shipped within the estimated time frame. Occasionally we receive an impression mold that may require additional work due to it being sent back too wet, depth too shallow or another factor that would require additional time and attention to make the final keepsake perfect. Also, if we discover a flaw at any step of the process, we will redo the entire keepsake. We strongly believe the quality of the keepsake will mean more to our customers in the years to come rather than how fast they received their keepsakes.

I called and was told my keepsake should be completed by a certain date, why has the completion date changed to a later date?
We do our best to try to explain to our customers that our keepsakes are individually hand crafted and involve many steps. All of the dates given by our customer service representatives are estimates only and we stress this on our website as well as in our status database and on our written forms. When customers contact us repeatedly throughout the production process, all we can do is estimate at each given stage since there are things that can delay the successful completion of each keepsake and these are impossible to accurately predict to the date. We ask for your patience during the production process and please be assured that your keepsake will be delivered to you with our guarantee.

My keepsake took longer than the original estimated date, I feel I am entitled to a discount for this.
We do not give rebates on orders that exceed the estimated completion dates. If you feel your keepsake it taking longer than you can tolerate, please contact us to cancel your keepsake for your refund options. Impression molds are proprietary to the Little Keepsakes process and will not be returned upon cancellation of your order.

What happens if my impression molds don’t turn out right once I send them back?
If the directions are followed correctly, there is usually no problems whatsoever with the molds. Your impressions are carefully inspected and logged as soon as we receive them back. On the very rare occasion that a mold is sent back to us that we cannot work with, we will contact you with support and send you another clay kit free of charge. PLEASE follow our easy directions. Sending molds back too wet or trying to use electric heating device such as ovens or hair dryers will damge the molds causing less than perfect prints. Remember, it really is better to have a quality keepsake of your baby's prints rather than shave a few days off of delivery time.

How fragile are the molds once dry? Will they get damaged during shipping?
Once completely dry the impression molds are very hard and will not shrink or lose their impression detail if handled. We do not recommend excessive handling before sending us your impressions because dirt or scratches will be picked up in your final product. If the impressions are damaged during shipping (or lost), we will send you another kit FREE of charge.

What if I make a mistake while taking my child's clay impressions?
The great thing about these kits is if you make a mistake on the impression you simply roll a new flat slab and try again. You may take the impression as many times as you need to until you are completely satisfied as long as the clay is still wet. Once you allow the clay to air-dry overnight, you can no longer return it to its pliable state.

Can I order a custom design?
Yes, we have done several custom requests. Just send an email with a description of your request to info@littlekeepsakes.com and we will return with a quote within 24 hours.

Can you match custom colors?
Yes we can. Just send us a sample of the color you wish us to match along with your customization form and impression molds. Paper paint samples that you find at your local hardware or paint store work great. There is a $5 charge for each custom color requested.

Can I have 2 children on one clay impression?
Yes. We have our new Siblings Clay Impressions that allow you to have 2 or more children on one keepsake.

Do you do adults prints with a child's print?
Yes. Please send a custom request email for pricing.

Can I order by phone with my credit card?
I'm sorry, we no longer take orders over the phone to help reduce errors and prevent credit card fraud.

I have a coupon from Little Keepsakes- how do I use it on your website?
Every Little Keepsakes coupon has a coupon code. Enter the code in the "coupon" field of our online shopping cart when you checkout. Your discount will be calculated into your order at the time of purchase.

Do you do group printings for playgroups or birthday parties?
Yes, please contact us at info@littlekeepsakes.com to check availability in your local area.