shadowbox

This idea came from a friend of mine. I am so glad I was able to capture how perfect and tiny Charlie's little feet and hands were when he was brand new. I used Delight paper clay http://www.paperclay.com/product.htm. It dries to be feather light and is non-toxic. My friend had the name plates with birth date made for me at an engraving store, and I attached the plate with doublesided tape and the well-dried hand and footprints with a hot glue gun, as the back of the shadowbox is felt. I made one for us and I also made shadowboxes for Charlie's grandparents and great-grandparents. I remember the day I got the foot and hand impressions. I was still in new mom euphoria/shock, but Charlie was about 3 weeks old, so I wasn't feeling like such an amateur (meaning I finally had the courage to attempt the project). I remember it was the middle of the day, and I had Charlie lying on a blanket on the floor while the movie "About a Boy" with Hugh Grant was on TV. I was trying to figure out how to get his fingers spaced apart evenly and how to smoosh his hand into the clay without leaving any of my fingerprints, etc. I remember shaping the clay and putting it on a cutting board and then putting his hand in the clay and gently pushing each finger into the clay in careful new mom fashion (i.e. very deliberately, VERY slowly and worried about EVERYTHING). I'm sure getting all 5 hands and all 5 feet took me the entire movie. It was all worth it, and now every time I look at it I think of Hugh Grant.