Capturing Hearts Castings

"Love your body, because you only have one."

Celebrate self-love and body acceptance with a Body Casting. By immortalising each curve, each skin dimple and bump, it serves as a powerful reminder to embrace every inch of your unique beauty.

Every Casting takes place in a safe, comfortable environment (whether in your home or our property), and processed as discreetly and gently as possible, ensuring a nurturing experience from start to finish.

Contact us via socials (Instagram: CapturingHeartsCastings), contact: 07747 778970 or email: [email protected], to make an enquiry or ask a question about the casting process, design/delivery options.

To love yourself right now, just as you are, is to give yourself everything.

Availability throughout the next few months. Enquire now to find a date that suits you.

Offering a safe and comfortable environment, in the comfort of your own home or travel to us in Headington, Oxfordshire.

From Hand Castings to Baby Hand and Feet, Body Castings and Bereavement Services, we offer a vast range of services to cater to your special moments in life's journey.

Too often we're told that our bodies are not slim enough, not toned enough, not beautiful enough.

Your body tells a story of strength, resilience and the miraculous journey of life. Embrace the uniqueness and beauty of your body's journey with a chest, torso, belly or pregnant belly casting.

Celebrate yourself, celebrate your body, and celebrate the journey you're on. Whether it's a reminder of the miracle of new life or a tribute to the strength you carry within, our Body Castings are a timeless ode to the power and beauty of you.

Enquire now to see availability and discuss Casting Services.

Grief in The Digital Age:

There is no denying that the internet and technology have transformed the way we grieve.

Online Support Groups: Offer people guidance, emotional support, and a sense of collective identity in shared suffering. Finding meaning in emotional suffering may support the healing process. They also offer people the option to anonymise their identity, alleviating concerns about outside judgements.

Online Memorialisation: Tribute pages and social media accounts can be established in memory of a loved one, crafting a digital legacy to honor their life. This allows individuals from anywhere in the world to pay their respects and cherish memories virtually, an opportunity previously unavailable.

Digital Preservation of Memories:
Technology leaves us with a digital footprint every time it's accessed. We are able to preserve not only photos but also videos, emails, messages, voice notes, and social media posts of our loved ones.

Digital Mourning:
During significant anniversaries such as the passing of a loved one or milestones like birthdays, individuals have digital platforms to express their grief openly. This can take the form of sharing memories and sentiments through social media posts.

Virtual Therapy:
Therapy or counselling via FaceTime/Skype/Zoom can provide support to people who are grieving with the accessibility of staying at home. This opens up the therapy sphere to a lot of people who are in need & otherwise wouldn't have had access to it.

A love that never fades.

A gorgeous family-linked Hand Casting, in white. Artwork like this serves as a reminder of cherished moments spent with our families.

Afterlife Casting 🪽

Such a beautiful Afterlife Hand Casting of a Nanny and her Grandson. The bronze colouring picks up the minute details of their hands in a gorgeous way.

End-of-life and afterlife castings are such a precious, unique way to remember someone by.

It's a privilege to be able to spend these moments with my clients, being able to produce something that will means so much to them.

✨️30th Wedding Anniversary Gift✨️

A Clasped-Hand Casting made as a gift for some lovely clients on their 30th wedding anniversary.

Mounted on a wooden plinth, the duo hand casting looks stunning, holding countless cherished memories between the family.

It's World Autism Awareness Day. A Day aiming to celebrate individuals who have autism, the strengths that they have and highlighting what hurdles that people with autism may face on a daily basis.

Let's spread love, awareness & acceptance 🌎

Chocolate Hand Casting Wedding Cake Topper 💍💕

A project that was worked on a while ago for some wonderful clients, on their Wedding Day. Huge shout out to cake makers for creating this masterpiece.

Such a fun, creative concept that was a delight to be a part of. Get in touch with us if you'd like to know more.

Busby Bakes

Trigger warning: this post covers topics on death, grief, child and parental loss.

Below is a list of books that can help to navigate grief and bereavement. Offering raw accounts and shedding light on people's genuine experiences.

In 'With the End in Mind; How to Live and Die Well,' Dr Kathryn Mannix articulates last goodbyes, perspectives on life and death, the dying process in real stories of the deaths of everyday people, gathered from decades of experience in the palliative care field. It's hard not to be deeply moved as well as invigorated for life after this read.

'Losing Young: How to Grieve When Your Life is Just Beginning' offers a younger memoir on grief; when Wilson is in her 20s, her Mum passes away which affects her identity, her relationships, her youth. Drawing on other young people's perspectives of loss and interviews with grief specialists, it's incredibly insightful.

'Ask Me His Name; Learning to live and laugh again after the loss of my baby,' by Elle Wright, gives an honest account of her experience of child bereavement and grief. Wright articulates what she needed in the trauma that is grief.

The is a charming art trail which is coming to Oxfordshire in the Summer months- decorated mini oxen will be popping up all over, the artwork uniquely created by artists and local schools. 🐂🎨

This is to raise money for Sobell House whom offer compassionate support to those who are at the end of their lives, which extends their loved ones too. An extremely important, incredible organisation 👏

Why OxTrail is important to Sobell House. 💛

To run our core services, it costs around £9 million per year. At least £2 to £3 million of this is raised by the charity.

It is estimated that the number of people needing vital end of life care in England will rise by 55% by 2030 and as a result, the demand for hospice care is expected to grow at a similar rate. Assuming that NHS funding will not increase in line with the demand, in order to be able to provide a service to all that need it within Oxfordshire, we are likely to need to double our annual fundraising by 2030.

That’s why it’s never been a more important time for us to raise the vital funds that keep our hospice up and running.

A little self-love reminder. ❤️‍🩹

It's the International Day of Happiness (coined in 2012 by the UN, to acknowledge the importance of our wellbeing) and also the first day of Spring here in the U.K. ⛅️🌸

As the weather turns warmer, the flowers begin to bloom, and the days grow longer, the sunshine releases more serotonin (aka the happiness hormone). Which makes it a little easier to be joyful.

What are some ways that you find joy in your day-to-day living, or what big things do you look forward to, to get your through the days which aren't so joyful?

A timeless moment captured for eternity ✨️

My client chose to have their hand cast with their baby's foot, painted and finished in pearlescent white which catches the light so beautifully.

The second casting shows my client's baby's hand and foot painted in silver. The silver brings out the minute intricacies perfectly.

Which is your favourite?

These precious keepsakes are more than just gifts; they are tokens of love, encapsulating cherished moments that will be treasured for a lifetime. Celebrating a beautiful memory made between you and your little one.

A Throwback Thursday Picture to a 2018 Baby and Toddler Show at the Kassam Stadium, Oxford for Capturing Hearts Castings. Always very exciting to showcase work and get inspiration from other artists, memory-makers and talent.

Leads us to wonder- as time passes, we hold onto special memories as if they are our lifeline. To give us more purpose, meaning and warmth to our lives.

To book in a casting or consultation, simply give us a message.

We understand that Mother's Day is not always a joyful time for people. Particularly if you have experienced a bereavement (or anticipatory) or relationship struggles.

You may be reminded and triggered into grief again which can be really debilitating.

We want to acknowledge those that have experienced this and just say that you are not alone in your thoughts. 🤍

Body/Life Casting in Special Effects- Film and TV: 🎨📽

Body Casting is used across various fields for various purposes, an interesting use is in television and film.

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003):
Body Casting was used on hundreds of actors for all kinds of art, including the creation of orcs and trolls, to convey this fantasy world. The make-up and special effects were so extraordinary and crafted meticulously that the films went on to win multiple awards for this reason.

Breaking Bad (2008-2013):
This popular crime-drama television series frequently utilises Body Casting to create hyper-realistic injuries, prosthetic limbs and lifelike wounds. The use here, adds to the gritty and immersive storytelling of this exciting underworld.

Harry Potter Series (2001-2011):
Casting and prosthetics were used extensively in the film series to create the likes of goblins, rats, werewolves, and the infamous Voldemort. Hours and hours were spent over the course of a decade to bring such well-known characters to life.

Jurassic Park Series (1993-2001):
The earlier Jurassic Parks relied heavily on Casting to create living, breathing, believable dinosaurs. The art took precedence over technology so each sculpture had to be crafted to absolute perfection.

Mother's Day Casting 🌷🪻🌸💐

Book in a Hand Casting or purchase a gift-voucher for your Mum or special lady, this Mother's Day. We are offering a limited-time discount code. (now until 11th March). Which is: MOTHERSDAY2024

Gather your siblings and opt for a Hand Wreath design or opt for a duo Hand Casting of just you and your Mum.

We can arrange to come to you (travel expenses may apply), or alternatively, visit us in Headington, Oxfordshire.

Explore multiple design possibilities and a variety of finishes to create a uniquely personal touch to your art piece.

Enquire now using the discount code provided in your message to:

WhatsApp/Call:
07747778970

Email:
[email protected]

Body Casting dates back to the 1840s, and has been utilised in many different fields including medicine, science, art, film and media.

Casting involves different techniques, which are adopted by different artists and each come with their advantages and disadvantages.

Immersion: The body part to be cast, is submerged into the casting material (alginate/plaster/silicone/other). This is typically used for Hand and Baby Castings. A technique that we've adopted.

Application: The casting material is directly applied to the designated body part. This method can be time-consuming due to the complexity of it. Often used for Pregnancy and Chest Castings. A technique we utilise in our casts.

Two-Part Moulding: This technique involves taking separate moulds which are then joined together to form the complete subject. This is used for bigger or more complex designs such as a Full-Body Castings.

Give the gift of a Hand Casting to your mum or special woman in your life, this Mother's Day. Or purchase a gift-voucher towards a casting.

We are offering a 15% discount code for a limited time only.
Which is: MOTHERSDAY2024

It is available to for discount on a casting, or a gift-voucher, from now until: March 11th 2024.

We travel to your home or accommodation with the option to visit us in Headington, Oxfordshire, too. Travel expenses may apply.

To book in a consultation or inquire about a gift-voucher:
🤍Email: [email protected]
🤍WhatsApp/Call us on: 07747778970

And quote the discount code within your message.

"Those we have held in our hands for a while, we hold in our hearts forever." What an honour it was to cast Charlie and his family in July, who have so kindly let me share this post.

On 13th July 2023, I travelled to the Bristol Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to create an end-of-life casting of Charlie, for his family to cherish forever. Charlie had heart disease, and heartbreakingly passed away on the 13th July 2023.

We created a beautiful memorial cast, with hands joined, involving Charlie, his Mum, Dad, brother and 2 sisters- a whole abundance of love. The complexity of each hand's detail, shows the uniqueness of each family member which is so beautifully moving.

We framed Charlie's hand and feet castings in a pearly iridescent colour, along with his picture and plaque. We hope these pieces can provide comfort and solace in times when they need a little brightness ✨️

These castings were generously funded by Heart Heroes Forever Phoenix-learning to live beyond bereavement who carry out such necessary, important work, supporting families affected by heart conditions.

Thank you to Rob and Jordan for allowing me in to this deeply personal and emotional time. Bereavement castings are such an integral part of our casting services. We recognise how intimate these moments are so we are incredibly grateful to you all.

Being able to offer my clients both a piece of artwork and experience that they will cherish for a lifetime, is invaluable.

It's an honour and privilege to be able to do this type of work. Thank you for your kind words, reviews and support.

Navigating important dates when experiencing grief:

Different dates, such as anniversaries, birthdays, Valentines Day, can bring about different feelings around grief.

1) Don't put pressure or expectations on yourself. If this looks like ignoring the date and simply getting through 'another' day then this is ok.

2) Perhaps you will want to take time to reflect on their memories in a way that feels acceptable to you. Whether it's writing something to them, visiting a place that holds special feelings for the both of you or creating a video of past clips featuring both of you.

3) If the old traditions no longer feel comfortable, take the opportunity to create new ones. This could involve travelling somewhere new, engaging in a specific activity with your friends, or setting yourself a goal of some kind.

Family. Where life begins and love never ends.

A casting I made that includes a brave young girl who was going through treatment for a brain tumour. She wanted to make a memory for her family, with their hands all involved in this piece of art.

I think it's a powerfully moving piece. Thank you for entrusting me with creating this artwork which is an incredibly-emotive experience.

If you would like to enquire about a casting, please contact me through call, text, or WhatsApp on: 07747778970 or send an email through: [email protected]

Happy Monday everyone. We have launched a Handcasting Giveaway over on our Instagram.

As Valentine's Day and National Heart Month approach in February, we thought we would show some appreciation to our lovely clients.

Here is what you will win:
- A joint handcasting session of you and your chosen person- whether it's your child, mum, brother, partner, friend.

How to enter:
- Follow Capturing Hearts Castings on Instagram
- Like the Giveaway post (see link below) and leave a comment, explaining what captures your heart be it your family, a nostalgic moment, or an interest of yours

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2QQhs0rqYz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTYzOWQzNmJjMA==

Terms and conditions: (full list of T&Cs apply over on Instagram)
- Open to U.K. residents only
- Participants must be 18 years old or older to enter
- One entry per person besides the bonus entry if you wish to participate in that also
- The winner will be contacted on Instagram by CHC's account only
- The casting scheduled will be held at my residence in Oxford or alternatively, I can travel up to 10 miles outside of Oxfordshire

The giveaway ends on Friday 2nd February, at 7pm (GMT).

Happy participating! And any questions, please ask.

"Yours is my favourite hand to hold."

A beautiful casting I worked on back in 2022. Capturing a mum and daughter bond, Sheila and Vikki.

Vikki wanted a hand-casting of her late mum, Sheila whom she was best friends with.

It's such a pleasure to work on these pieces. Not only to create the art but to hear your heart-warming stories of your loved ones.

To book in, please contact: [email protected] or 07747778970.