Luna Bean Deluxe Belly Casting Kit Pregnancy - Baby Bellies Baby Casting Kit - Pregnancy Belly Plaster Mold Casting Kit - New Moms Casting Keepsakes

It is coming out awesome. I haven't done the painting or anything yet but this kit worked out great. Couple things worth mentioning. I'm glad I returned the basic (an over priced purchase elsewhere) and went for this deluxe which cost me less. Go figure. I wanted deluxe because it had more rolls of the gauze stuff and the plaster etc. Now, I was already 9 months and huge when I did this so this was a factor I'm sure but there was no way I would have been able to add arms in as I had planned so I'm glad I changed my mind on that. I don't think I could have made it as sturdy as I wanted trying to do more than chest and belly. It took me a couple applications to realize that I needed to do much smaller amounts of plaster mixing and making it thin worked best. I have to get another sanding cloth. What they gave was not enough to sand everything properly. I'm sure this is a cheap buy. I may even try to buy more plaster stuff so i can do a better job and ensure sturdiness. All and all though it was fun (a little messy) to do and I'm so glad I did this. I wanted to do this with my first and never did. Since my second may be my last I will definitely treasure this. My plan is to paint and frame it and include two smaller frames on the sizes with both sons info that way its for both of them.

Very fun and easy to use make sure to let the entire thing dry as it will begin to grow mold if it is not completely dry.

I am 32 weeks along with my 1st child. My husband did the cast on me, he's not an artsy type, however the material and casting was very easy! He did a great job. Ladies, I highly recommend sitting down while your artist casts you. It even says to sit down on the instructions. Stubborn me, I didnt think the cast would look right if I was sitting down so I stood up the whole time. I got dizzy and lightheaded 30 minutes into it. (The casting makes you get hot/overheat). So please stay hydrated and sit comfortably. Luckily the cast was dry enough to pop off after 40 mins. The deluxe kit is the way to go! Vs the basic kit ~ pay only $5 more dollars and you get an extra roll of plaster, smoothing plaster, sanding square, and gesso! My hubby did the mold on my body, and I'm working on the final touches (adding addtl layers, smoothing then painting). After all the layers the cast is a bit heavy. I did chest to hips. On their brochure they mention that if you submit a photo of your finished work, they'll send you a free gift!

I have purchased 2 of these for pregnancies in 2011 and 2012 and both casts have lasted but I have yet to get around to painting them. I am planning on purchasing another for my 3rd baby and I highly recommend it. I sat for each one so plan to be sitting upright for a bit. Yes, it is messy since you are working with plaster....if you don't dig on mess then don't waste your time. Of course you are going to have a baby and babies are far more messy then this product could ever be haha. My husband did the work and while it takes some time, I had no problem showering off the gook and the final product looked great. Afterall it is a DIY made with love project which is why I enjoyed it.....far less expensive then paying a professional and its handmade. As far as reinforcing and all that....well yes I suggest you do that after it is completely dry...as in several days later. Mine have not broken or chipped and of course you will need to clean it up by sanding the edges once it is completely reinforced. We moved from overseas with the first cast and it arrived perfect so crumbling, etc. was not an issue for us. I think if you rush it and don't reinforce it or allow it to really dry then you may have issues. More of a user error then a product problem. Great buy and wonderful memories. Happy to have them!!!

Initially you think this is an easy project... it is not. This takes a lot of time, patience, and extra supplies in actuality, if you want it done right. I had a friend who went to scifi makeup school do the bellycast for me, so it helped having a professional do the initial cast. It does dry relatively fast, it started to seperate from my body prior to the strips being completed on the casting. Since the initial casting I had a lot of things to do prior to my daughters birth. Since her birth, I have attempted its completion for quite some time. The amount of plaster provided is not enough to attempt to smooth out, so I ended up buying an extra 5 lbs worth and probably have used 1-2lbs. It dries extremely quickly, so I highly recommending using a glass or plastic bowl to make so you can clean out after each use. Yes, each use because the hard pieces will get on your cast if you don't clean the hardened plaster out, whoch is time consuming. I used each moment of my newborns sleep where I didn't have anything to do, to do 1-3 bowls of plastering. I did small sections and small mixes to attempt to maximize its use. *side note: do not sit near an AC vent, it will harden faster* The initial plaster given allowed for me to do a once over but sanding it to a smooth finish was immpossible, which was why I bought more plaster and did additional layers. Especially to smooth out the strips so the cast wasn't rippled. When I laied the plaster, while it was wet I use the sanding screen because after it was dry was pretty pointless but at least while it was still wet I got it smoother. When it dried I used a electric hand sander to smooth it out. Currently, I used the small thing of gesso paint. It painted a little over half of the cast so I did buy a larger bottle to put additional layers. When I looked online, professionals stated to do layers and sand in between to get a nice smooth, no lumps, finish... that is my plan... Pictures are after the final sanding, prior to painting with the gesso. Hope this helps someone!

We had a great time with this, and I am VERY happy with the results. I recommend doing it in a tiled bathroom that can be washed easily, as it does get a little messy. My husband (who is an engineer and not artsy) did a great job and actually enjoyed it- it took maybe 1.5-2 hours including some prep and clean up. We had just enough lube for my bust and belly at 39.5 weeks (I know, cutting it close!), but if you plan to do your shoulders and legs, hands, etc, I'd recommend having some vasoline or something handy. We had a full strip and a half left, so will be using to reinforce from the inside at a later time. We haven't sanded it down and primed it yet, but that will come after baby is here! This is worth the price, and I'm so glad we had the chance to do this before the arrival of our little one.

This is my 1st time using a belly cast. My options were 0 cause when I searched for belly cast this product always popped up, so it was set in stone. Getting to the good part me and my husband was super excited the moment we recieved the package up in till the time we got started. I got it a mth b4 i wanted to actually apply the cast i wanted to b 9 mth or 4 weeks b4 delivery date which is recommanded. I did mines at 36 weeks i wanted to b big as possible without playing it too close. My husband on the other hand was like a kid wanting to play with his new toy, so i finally put him out his misery. I stood while he sat and applied the cast i wanted it to be perfect, but it tells you to seat in a chair i didnt feel like my life was in danger if i stood. He sang the song from the movie ghost "the scene when the couple is doing pottery" lol it was cute, he was really into it. the process took no time at all i say about 10 min. The cast will let you know when it wants to come off. It is a must you use the lubricant be generous cuz my husband applied where there were no lubricant and it hurt like hell. It does take time for the cast to b completely done, the process takes 2 days and thats without painting it. Overall it was an excellent experince i would do it again if I had more children.

Twice we purchased these casting kits and then nearly forgot them until it was too late so we have two beautiful casts that were done while my wife was at full term. The casting kit includes everything except for the pregnant model and is very easy to use if you set aside about 45-60min to read the instructions and complete the entire project. Most recently we were able to do it while our older son was napping in the next room. Whether it's for you or as a gift for an expecting mother, these casting kits are great and significantly less expensive than the ones at your local baby boutique.

Brilliant product mum to be very happy she is sending it to a artist to decorate i brought as a gift for her baby shower i would recommend it

You will not regret this keepsake that provides a beautiful bonding night between mom and dad to be. The kit was easy to use and fun. It was also very versatile in that you could customize your cast to your liking in several different ways. Whether you want the surface rough or smooth, matte or glossy and white or painted. This beautiful craft night becomes a one of a kind keepsake for parents.

we have used this product for a couple of pregnancies and it is such a great keepsake. Fun to do a the baby shower or just with your family before the baby is born.

The original box and ingredents were slightly damaged therefore I wouldn't recommend as a gift. The overall outcome was

SO FUN!!! This was amazing, even if you don't want to keep the cast afterwards - all preggos should do this!! Was such a fun date night thing to do with my hubby just days before our little one arrived. We did shoulders, breasts, and belly, and had more than enough plaster left over which we used to thicken up the cast after it had come off me!!