Job Opportunities with Precious Memories for 2011

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Job Opportunities for 2011




JEWELLERY MAKERS


Joining Fee is £100 plus VAT

• Role is to be involved with making Jewellery & Keepsakes


• Materials and Training Provided


• £rate given per product produced

Recruiting in the East Midlands ONLY

JEWELLERY AGENTS


Joining Fee – £150 plus VAT

Supplied with:-


• Materials and Training


• Marketing Collateral


• Web Presence


• Samples


• £ commission based salary


• Recruiting throughout the UK

Immediate areas needed to cover, Manchester, Nottingham, Norwich, Worcester, Lincoln, Essex, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire

 2D IMPRESSION FRANCHISE


£1,000 plus VAT paid in 2 parts.

Supplied with:-


• On-going Training


• Materials


• Frames


• Web Presence


• Exclusive Territory


• Opportunity to also be a jewellery/keepsake agent


• £ commission based salary

Immediate areas needed to cover Nottingham, Oxford, Liverpool, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire






3D CAST FRANCHISE


£1,250 plus VAT paid in 2 parts.

Supplied with:-


• On-going Training


• Materials


• Frames


• Web Presence


• Exclusive Territory with a £ commission based salary


• Also eligible to be a jewellery/keepsake agent


Immediate areas needed to cover, Norwich, Oxford, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Derbyshire


IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EITHER 2D OR 3D POSITIONS PLEASE EMAIL laural@precious-memories.co.uk

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A FINGERPRINT AGENT PLEASE EMAIL janu@precious-memories.co.uk

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A JEWELLERY MAKER PLEASE EMAIL alisons@precious-memories.co.uk

* Please note that all funds paid to join are non-refundable.

Happy 1st Anniversary to me

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

I cannot believe I have reached this milestone of my first anniversary since opening my Precious Memories studio in sunny (snowy) Huddersfield so I thought I would do a little blog to tell you how things have gone.

It’s hard to believe it was a year ago that I was waiting for my first client to turn up – 5 week old Tess Ledgard – with owner and trainer Glenda Hickmott at my studio. I had been shown how to roll the clay, take impressions….but I chickened out and allowed Glenda to do the impression whilst I watched!! Ha ha

How things have changed, fast forward a year, 144 casts later and I am thrilled, and honoured, to now be Operations Director the company, responsibly for training our new mums as they come on board in both 2D impressions and 3D casts. I work closely with Glenda and our hard work is paying off – we now have 13 locations across the UK offering our fab products with two more due to open in January 2011! We have exceptionally exciting and big plans for 2011 which will see Precious Memories moving forward but I won’t kiss and tell, you’ll just have to wait and see!

I love and adore my job. I love dealing with the clients that come to me, the thought that I am creating this beautiful handmade product they will have on their wall for years to come still amazes me. So far I have come across sleepy babies (who don’t stir whilst having their cast done), screamers (who scream blue murder whilst it is being done), gigglers (who just laugh either at me singing to them or the sensation of the alginate setting) and nonchalant babies who couldn’t care less! After starting with 2D impressions and progressing to 3D framed casts, I now offer the full range of luxury 3D items, from solid bronze through to clear resin, and our 2D casts have seen MANY MANY ex-Kindercast customers coming through the doors to have replicas done of their originals once more babies arrive in their families.

My favourite cast – hard to say because sometimes it’s not about the cast, it’s about the relationship between me and the client – there are some truly lovely mothers out there.
Worst moment – when opened a 3D cast to find all 5 fingers missing and the hand detached from the wrist – thank god for taking duplicate copies!!!
Funniest moment – chasing Glenda’s alsation around her kitchen whilst trying to hold the bag of alginate on his paw to get a 3D cast. Amazingly it came out perfectly!!

I have heard stories of absolute heartbreak and stories of pure miraculous joy. I have been pooed on, sicked on and had my hair pulled more times than I care to remember (I am generally talking about the children, not their parents!!). This job is not just about ‘taking a cast’ it is truly about creating a ‘precious memory’ and I love it. Here’s to the next year.

Taking & Making My First 3D Hand and Foot Casts

Desperately seeking something creative outside of my role as Mum and office worker I came across Precious Memories, a company where I can work at my own pace, expand my skills and aspirations beyond my office role AND learn a craft.

For me the process has started with taking and making 3D Casts; this is NOT like making the plaster of paris statuettes you made when you were little, and for anyone who is tempted to buy a ‘Do It Yourself’ kit, then I urge you to think again. I am still in the very early stages of my training and so far have encountered the joys and frustrations of what I know will eventually become a polished, well made final product. However, at the moment I would say that like me, my product is pretty raw and my casts have been casualties of missing fingers, thumbs and toes, with a fair few unexplained lumps and bumps thrown in for good measure. There’s a lot to think about and squeeze into a small window of time as things set to form the one off mould.

Everything is a bit of a mystery until you unpeel the alginate to reveal your efforts…a point at which I stop breathing just in case I snap anything off, but at the same time I am completely amazed by the tiniest details it captures; from nails and creases, down to perfect little fingerprints.

It’s not an exact science, but with each mould and cast I do, I get that little bit better and that little bit wiser. If only there were more hours in the day to practice!

My next steps are learning how to finish and prep my work for framing…it’s all starting to come together nicely.

This is what I am aiming to create!

 

If you are interested in having your little ones casts done or purchase some fantastic finger print jewellery then please visit the Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

………AND don’t forget to enter the competition below for your chance to win Bramble Bunny!!

Christmas is coming…

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

My lovely West Yorkshire studio is flooded – not with water which is usual for Huddersfield – but with orders. You name it, I am doing it! 3D casts, 2D impressions, luxury handclasps of mother and baby, Precious Prints jewellery orders…..I am shattered!

What is difficult to ascertain is whether this fabulous influx of work is due to the festive season, or are people just learning about the fabulous products Precious Memories produce? I suspect a bit of both.

This week alone I have had a gorgeous 3 week old pop by for a 3D casting, held a casting day at Tiny Toes Play Centre in Horsforth, Leeds with lots of lovely clients, met with the wonderful Meet Your Baby Team http://www.blogger.com/www.meetyourbaby.com as we are now working in partnership together offering fabulous EXCLUSIVE discounts to our mutual clients, fully booked our casting day at Boots, Meadowhall on Tuesday 12th October, finished off 7 framed casts and given out to happy clients………….oh yes and done the housework, taxed the car and looked after my boys JJ (3.5 years) and Leo (16 months).

Does anyone mind if I sit down?

Joking aside, Precious Memories may have taken over my life but what a happy experience this is. I did tell one dad that I loved having cuddles with my clients – but then quickly backtracked to explain I was talking about his son not him!!! It is great holding these beautiful babies but being able to give them back!

So what for 2011? Well I have just bought my new diary and already have 3 appointments booked in for January 2011 as well as popping our Boots, Meadowhall casting day in for 25th January 2011.

If you would like to contact me to arrange an appointment in the meantime – I promise I will squeeze you in! As long as you don’t mind having a cuddle…….

Laura

laural@precious-memories.co.uk or 07834 421148

The things I wish I had done when my children were tiny…

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

My ‘babies’ are 3.5 years old and 15 months old. Time has just flown since they were newborn and weeny. There are SO many things I wish I had done when they were little – hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Now this blog is not about just pushing our products (which of course I think are wonderful) but just a few general regrets which have been triggered by all the organised parents getting their babies hand and feet casts done with me who are under 12 weeks old!!

I wish I had spent the time and money on a few fabulous brand newborn photographs. I work closely with quite a few photographers in different areas and some of the work is absolutely breathtaking of tiny babies. One of my clients last week had her 5 week old twin boys photographed professionally and showed me the results on her i-phone. They were amazing. It had taken 6 hours to get the shots perfect (the photographer came to her house) but the results were breathtaking.

I wish I had got our video camera out more and captured the very very early days. All I have is a few grainy videos on my mobile phone.

I wish I had enjoyed the early days more and not been so keen to rush on to each stage (parents of first born children will DEFINITELY relate to that).

Finally, I wish I hadn’t waited 8 months to have my first son’s hand and feet prints done with Kindercast and had done it earlier, I then wish I had joined Precious Memories before the birth of my second son so I could have done a 3D cast of him just days old. My youngest client to date has been 3 weeks old – now THAT is organisation for you!

Meadowhall casting day fun!

Precious Memories Make a Lasting Impression in Sheffield!
http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

Sheffield (well Rotherham technically) was the home of ‘Kindercast’ – the baby impressions company who used to be in Debenhams. So what better place for us to be than in Sheffield.

The place? Boots in Meadowhall – in the childrenswear department to be exact.

This was our second month in there, we are in there monthly now and it was lovely today seeing client’s from last month coming in to collect their casts. One mother – an ex-Kindercast customer after a matching cast for her little boy Harry – was thrilled to pieces when she had a peek at her finished frame when I gave it to her.

Anyway, Jan was kept busy taken fingerprint jewellery orders off clients who flocked round to admire the gorgeous sterling silver jewellery we had on display. There were whispers of the words ‘Christmas presents’ in the air as people priced up potential gifts from us.

The people Jan chatted to loved the fact that once the print was taken it can be reused to 18 months without having to come back to us to have another print taken…

Anyway, that is for Jan to blog about, I was too busy enjoying my castings. From Lewis, aged just 7 weeks and having his feet cast in 3D, to Brianna – a 17 month old having her hand and feet impressions taken into clay – all the clients were adorable. Even little Isaac who promptly drooled all over his clay impression once I had taken it – don’t worry, the drool and cast are just fine!

(in fact, so excited was I that upon unpeeling Lewis’s cast this evening to discover he had his toes curled up JUST like his mum had hoped for, I had to give her a quick ring to let her know how well they had turned out!!!!)

At about 4pm we packed up and headed home happy and tired. Problem is, I am writing this blog when I should be pouring plaster into those casts…..

Stunning 3D Hand and Feet Casts

Precious Memories website at http://www.precious-memories.co.uk/

3D Hand & Feet Casts in Hallmarked Sterling Silver, Solid Bronze, Lead Crystal Glass, Bronze Resin, Marble and Precious Plaster.

We offer a bespoke adult and baby casting keepsake service using only the finest materials of

Solid Bronze

Hallmarked Sterling Silver,

Lead Crystal Glass

Our 3d casts can also be framed and they create truly unique and personal gifts and keepsakes. Your babies hands or feet are cast in perfect detail forever for the ultimate baby keepsake.

Perfect for those special occasions – Christenings, Birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas – for proud new parents, grandparents, godparents and friends.

Customers call this keepsake baby casting service priceless – just like the precious memories of their time spent with their loved ones. Whether it is your baby’s hands & feet or a handclasp, we aim to create truly unique and personal keepsake gifts every time