A Belly Memory is an inexpensive way to preserve those memories, and not only is it fun to do, I have found that when a few women get together and do a belly cast for a friend it really pulls them together and creates beautiful memories to cherish for ever.

Pregnancy belly casts, sometimes called a belly mask or belly mold, is a plaster cast made of an expecting mom's beautiful pregnant form. Pregnancy is a very special, yet exceedingly short time in a woman's life and memories quickly fade. Photos barely capture a flat 2-dimensional image, but a belly cast captures the exciting transformation a woman’s body has gone through. A belly cast enables a mom to forever remember how she looked during her pregnancy and the special nine months she shared with her growing baby. You can show your child later that “this is what mom looked like when you were inside!” The Belly Memory Kit is a pretty simple one-hour process. A belly cast is usually made 2-3 weeks before a mom's due date,(however, you could make multiple belly casts to capture the miraculous changes in your growing body throughout the pregnancy.)

If you are wondering what you might do with the finished belly cast, the options are endless. You can paint it, decoupage it with photos of the baby. Cover it with fabric, dried flowers, beads, precious stones, lace, shells, feathers or crystals, or you can put prints of the baby's hands and feet on it.

lined mine with a blanket and newborn baby sleeping in it! You can hang it up, use it in the nursery, use it as art, really its endless what you can do with it! Have fun with it, remembering in awe the fact that your baby was IN there.

So, light some candles, put on the perfect music, and sit back and enjoy the time being surrounded by the ones that love you

How It's Done
Made of plaster gauze, it is an exact replica of your pregnant form. While comfortably seated, layers of warm, moistened gauze are applied to the woman’s oiled torso. The gauze sets in minutes. It is then removed, the edges are clipped finished and sanded, then you can smooth it over more by touching it up with plaster and it is painted with several coats of gesso.

This strengthens and protects the belly cast while preparing the surface for display or adornment.

The kit makes a perfect shower gift: Or instead of having a shower with your girlfriends, Offer to make the cast as a group activity.

Directions
To make it yourself you need ;.
8" strips of plaster rolls. you may only find 4"
You can get these at medical supply stores, and some craft stores like Michaels Crafts.
you need 4…….. 20 " pcs, put these separately- you will need them for different things
then 8…… 20" pcs
And 45…… 5" pcs
And ……6……... 2" pcs for around the nipples and the belly button
You will need to cut a round hole in these.
This equals 3 rolls of the rigid wrap.
We will also need: a tarp or large garbage bag to protect the flooring
2 pillows, (one to sit on, one to lay your belly cast on)
a laundry basket or box to put the cast in when finished
2 old towels
Olive oil, or sesame or grape seed oil (OR Vaseline,)
Saran wrap
An old chair
And a shallow baking dish.
We need books for your feet
And you need a good pubic hair trim because if you don't it can get caught in the plaster and REALLY hurt upon taking the cast off.
To finish the cast you will need what is left from the roll of plaster, some plaster of paris(hardware store is cheapest)
Some medium and fine sanding paper .
A container of gesso (liquid acrylic)

1. Slather your body-well with oil of your choice.
2. Get a shallow basin of warm water, place a few in the strips that you will need to start(only put 4-5 pieces in the warm water at a time or they will stick together)
3. When you take the pieces out of the water, gently rub off excess water
   Use 4, 20” pieces to ‘frame’ the torso
   Us the pieces with the holes for the nipples and belly button
4. Then frame the body, and Bust after you have framed the body- fill it in with the other pieces. When you are done- you will feel the cast pulling off of your body
5. Gently remove it and place it belly down in a laundry basket that has a pillow in the bottom.
6. When it is dry use your plaster of paris and make a small amount at a time(it dries fast) then put it all over your cast to cover the plaster strips
7. When it is dry= sand it down and again use the plaster of paris to do any repairs
8. Sand it again
9. When you are happy with the way it looks apply a generous amount of gesso.
10. Then let it dry
11. Paint it if you wish

This will be strong enough to place your baby in when he /she is born Sponsored by: Danjo Creations.ca